School of Management, Unit Catalogue 2006/07

MN50141 Managing innovation in supply networks

Credits: 6

Level: Masters

Semester: 2

Assessment: CW 100%

Requisites:

Aims: This module focuses on the key strategic and conceptual issues that affect the supply process, especially the need to manage within multi-organisational networks. The aim is to provide an understanding of how managers deal with innovation in the design and introduction of process and product/service offerings, and how factors within the business environment and technological paradigms influence, enable and inhibit this.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit students should be able to:
* Identify and define innovation as a basis for sustainable competitive advantage for supply networks in the context of several industry sectors.
* Understand the key strategic and conceptual issues that affect innovation in the supply process involving multiple organizations.
* Recognise the skills and capabilities required to manage innovation in the design and introduction of process and product/service offerings.
Skills:
Intellectual
* the facility to apply subject-specific knowledge into a range of complex situations, taking into account the overall implications for the other areas of the business (T)
* a critical awareness of current issues and frameworks in management (T)
* the ability to acquire and analyse data, information and situations; to evaluate relevance and validity, and to synthesise it in the context of topical business problems (T/F)
Professional Practical
* evaluate the current standing of an organization and practically contribute to the attainment of their company's strategies and objectives (F)
* operate effectively both independently as well as within teams and assume leadership roles where appropriate (F)
Transferable/Key Skills
* an openness and capacity to continue learning with the ability to reflect on earlier knowledge and practice and integrate the new with past experience and effectively apply it to the present situations (T/F)
Personal/Interpersonal
* an ability to manage and work in international teams with an awareness of issues such as culture, gender, etc., to identify learning/working styles and to use these to the benefit of the individual and the team (F)
* the facility to communicate including presenting and marketing themselves and their ideas; preparation and production of effective business plans and reports (A)
Content:
New structures for strategic supply: network theory, structures and application; clusters; managing in supply networks. Conceptual challenges: leanness and agility; strategic dualism in practice; virtual organisations. Innovation and the management of technology in supply chains; purchasing's role in new product development and in cross-functional teams. Development in relationship management: advanced concepts in collaboration management. Environmentally sound supply management, and corporate social responsibility. Information systems for supply management.

University | Catalogues for 2006/07