Supply Chain Modelling and Management

Teacher(s)

Blome Constantin;

Language

English

Main themes

This course will address environmental, social and ethical risks, and new business opportunities arising from managing the natural environment. This course will also look at responses at a strategic and operational level: sustainable innovation and green supply chain management, environmental management systems and certification (ISO 14001, EMAS, etc.), supplier code of conducts, sustainable supplier selection and supplier development, waste reduction, eco-efficiency, greenwashing, child labour and labour safety.The focus is not only on operations of the focal firm, but particularly also on sustainability challenges that enfold along globally dispersed supply chains.

Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	Eu égard au référentiel de compétences des programmes GEST et INGE de la LSM, cette unité d¿enseignement contribue au développement et à l¿acquisition des compétences suivantes : 1.1 Demonstrate independent reasoning,look critically and consciously acquired knowledge (both academic and common sense) and managerial practices, in light of emerging circumstances and their outcomes.   1.2 Decide and act by incorporating ethical and humanistic values, integrity, respect for the laws and conventions, solidarity and civic action, and sustainable development. 1.3 Decide and act responsibly,  while taking into account the social, economic and environmental sometimes antinomic, outcomes in the short, medium and long term, for the various stakeholders. 2.2 Master highly specific knowledge in one or two areas of management : advanced and current research-based knowledge and methods. 3.1 Conduct a clear, structured, analytical reasoning by applying, and eventually adapting, scientifically based conceptual frameworks and models,to define and analyze a problem. 3.2 Collect, select and analyze relevant information using rigorous, advanced and appropriate methods  3.3 Consider problems using a systemic and holistic approach : recognize the different aspects of the situation and their interactions in a dynamic process.   Upon completion of the course, the student is able to: Describe the relevant sustainability and ethical issues and challenges in the Global Value Chain,  Explain and summarize specific issues that Multinational Companies are confronted with when developing their global value chain, Have knowledge about the variety of solutions companies develop in order to handle the issues they are confronted with,  Identify the right management tools for sustainable management at the firm¿s and value chain¿s levels (ISO, EMAS and GRI tools, life-cycle analysis, ecological footprint, KPI in environmental and social performance¿), Synthesize, apply and communicate sustainability knowledge to solve environmental or social problems.

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.

Content

In the 21st century, a production facility cannot maintain its competitive position or achieve continuous operating improvement without the successful implementation of strategic, well-designed, and well-implemented sustainability initiatives. Sustainability improvements are critical at many points in an operation's value chain, from initial product conception to production/manufacturing, distribution, and waste disposal. In today's most successful companies, sustainability is taken into account in deciding on the location of a new facility and is engineered from the start into the product development, production, and distribution processes.
A sustainable, socially responsible, and financially-driven operation must develop, analyze, select, and implement measures that will help it capitalize on the opportunities for improved operating performance, and that will mitigate the inevitable unfavorable effects of business operations. This requires managers who can identify potential threats and challenges, develop strategies to address such circumstances, conduct the necessary quantitative and qualitative evaluations of competing alternatives, and make the necessary fact-based decisions. It also requires managers who can successfully articulate the necessary decisions to broad sets of stakeholders, from the facility manager to the chairman of the board, and from individual employees and their families to community organizations and governmental/regulatory agencies.

Teaching methods

The format is based on active learning and includes lectures, case studies, videos, incidents and class discussion, qualified speakers and a project work in sustainability management.
Each guest lecturer discusses his or her professional background and organization, sustainability program objectives, and concrete strategies for meeting those objectives. The lecture topics range from energy efficiency to greening the supply chain; and sustainability issues affecting cities to those that are priorities for large private firms. The course provides time for questions and discussion among the instructors, the lecturer, and the students, giving students valuable insights into how sustainability is managed in the real world.
Students will read case studies and some background material designed to help students answer the questions posed at the end of each case exercise. The cases will always pose practical issues for decision makers to address'but issues that are best addressed with a firm grounding in the literature of management and sustainability.

Evaluation methods

Continuous evaluation

• Date:
• Type of evaluation:
• Comments: Group assignment: Students are asked to develop a group research paper that analyzes main CSR issues of GVCs in a particular industry (e.g. meat, coffee, mobile phones, sneakers, laptops, energy, waste). Depending on the particular industry, the structure and governance of the GVC will differ and so will major CSR problems. We ask students to analyze the most apparent CSR problems of an industry by using relevant literature.

Evaluation week

• Oral:
• Written:
• Unavailability or comments:

Examination session

• Oral:
• Written:
• Unavailability or comments: Individual exam to assess acquisition of knowledge

Bibliography

• Porter, M. & M.R. Kramer, (2011) Creating shared value, Harvard Business Review, January-february, pp. 62-77.
• Gereffi, G., Humphrey, J., & Sturgeon, T. (2005). The governance of global value chains. Review of International Political Economy, 12(1), 78-104.
• Crane, A. (2013). Modern slavery as a management practice: Exploring the conditions and capabilities for human exploitation. Academy of Management Review, 38(1), 49-69.
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• Jiang, B. (2009). Implementing supplier codes of conduct in global supply chains: Process explanations from theoretic and empirical perspectives. Journal of Business Ethics, 85(1), 77-92.
• Egels-Zandén, N. (2014). Revisiting supplier compliance with MNC codes of conduct: Recoupling policy and practice at Chinese toy suppliers. Journal of Business Ethics, 119(1), 59-75.
• Reuter, C., Foerstl, K., Hartmann, E. & Blome, C. (2011). Sustainable global supplier management: the role of dynamic capabilities in achieving competitive advantage. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 46(2), 45-63.
• Wilhelm, M.M., Blome, C., Bhakoo, V. & Paulraj, A. (2016). Sustainability in multi-tier supply chains: Understanding the double agency role of the first-tier supplier. Journal of Operations Management, 41, 42-60. 
• Hofmann, H., Schleper, M. & Blome, C. (2016). Conflict minerals and supply chain due diligence: an exploratory study of multi-tier supply chains. Journal of Business Ethics, in print.

Faculty or entity

CLSM