Procurement is often the most significant source of immediate and long-term value creation available to any organisation. This module explores the trends and challenges of procurement and discusses its strategic role in supply chain management in today's global and digital environment. The module will also discuss the importance of sustainable procurement in creating new sales opportunities, reducing supply chain risks and providing cost savings. The module will cover the following indicative aspects of procurement:
- Procurement strategy, tactics and operations: the dynamics of make-or-buy decisions, ways of building sourcing competences and capabilities, strategical selection of suppliers and the effective management of their relationship, the ways technology enables access to data on cost structures, supply availability, lead times, financial and operational risks, and service and quality metrics.
- Key procurement issues: pitfalls in outsourcing and protectionism and de-globalisation trends, pressures for time compression, sustainability and corporate social responsibility, Procurement 4.0 as an innovation catalyst and competitive advantage.
- Procurement applications: case studies in projects, services, manufacturing and retail operations from both private and public sectors.
Weekly seminars will utilise contemporary case studies and students will be encouraged to present and explore different procurement strategies in practice.
Total contact hours: 24
Private study hours: 126
Total study hours: 150
Main assessment methods
Group Presentation – 15-20 minutes (20%)
Group Report (1000 words) (10%)
Individual Essay (2000 words) (70%).
Reassessment method:
100% coursework.
Baily, P.; Farmer, D.; Crocker, B.; Jessop, D. and Jones, D. (2015). Procurement, Principles & Management (11th ed.), Harlow: Pearson Education
Alexander Batran, Agnes Erben, Ralf Schulz, Franziska Sperl (2017), Procurement 4.0: A survival guide in a digital, disruptive world, Campus Verlag, Frankfurt/New York
Burt, D. N.; Petcavage, S. D. and Pinkerton, R. L. (2012). Proactive Purchasing in the Supply Chain, New York: McGraw Hill
Axelsson, B.; Rozemeijer, F. and Wynstra, F. (2005). Developing Sourcing Capabilities: Creating Strategic Change in Purchasing and Supply Management, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley
Monczka, R. M.; Handfield, R. B.; Giunipero, L. C. and Patterson, J. L. (2016). Purchasing and Supply Chain Management (6th Ed.), Independence, KY: Cengage
Oshri, I., Kotlarsky, J., & Willcocks, L. P. (2011). The handbook of global outsourcing and offshoring. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Sollish F. and Semanik, J. (2011). Strategic Global Sourcing Best Practices, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley
See the library reading list for this module (Canterbury)
The intended subject specific learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
- demonstrate advanced understanding of the strategic role and benefits of procurement within an organisation and examine its influences upon other supply chain management activities.
- demonstrate holistic understanding of the relevance and impact of sustainability throughout the procurement cycle.
- critically evaluate information from buyers and suppliers to devise strategic and sustainable sourcing and marketing decisions.
- demonstrate a deep and elaborate understanding of key motivating factors for offshoring decisions and how to evaluate and source from international suppliers.
- understand the theoretical and practical nature of outsourcing negotiations and contract management.
- evidence understanding of the effects of Industry 4.0's cutting-edge technologies and data management on strategic and operational procurement
The intended generic learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
- Demonstrate the ability to research a topic independently to extract and synthesise information from a range of academic and online sources.
- Critically evaluate and interpret information from a variety of sources to formulate and support a well- reasoned and structured line of argument;
- Demonstrate an in-depth and practical understanding of how the above theories and techniques are used to create and interpret knowledge in business/management/industrial problems.
- Communicate effectively through group discussion and oral presentations.
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