OPM 693: Sourcing Excellence
no offering in spring
Contents
Increased levels of outsourcing make the management of supply chains and the selection of the right suppliers more crucial than ever. This course addresses corporate sourcing from a holistic perspective including all levels of decision-making (strategic, tactical, and operational) and all activities within the sourcing process to secure the best total value from suppliers, rather than just the lowest purchase price. To this end, the scope encompasses both the theoretical background and the practical tools of sourcing, starting from internal demand analysis all the way to business award decisions and the management of the ensuing buyersupplier relationships. This course is recommended for anyone seeking a broad introduction to modern purchasing and supply management (“procurement”) with a specific focus on sourcing. Based on a modern definition of procurement, all major aspects of the sourcing process are covered from pre-transaction (requirements and specification management, supply market analysis, quotation management, negotiation, contracting) to post-transaction (governance, P2P process, expediting, conflicts, performance management) issues. Special emphasis is put on optimization levers from a technical (e.g., cost modelling) and a commercial (e.g., negotiation, reverse auctions) perspective.
Learning outcomes
Participants will learn how to set up and manage sourcing projects while considering the broader business environment and strategic direction of the organization (competitive, functional, category, and supply base). For each topic addressed, participants will learn key concepts, conceptual frameworks, and analytic tools. Furthermore, all participants will work on a case challenge that takes place in the second week of the course. The course will be a markedly international in nature with approx. 20–35 participants joining from the international partner network “GIC”. The course is scheduled as a two-week block course at the end of June/
Necessary prerequisites
–
Recommended prerequisites
Basic knowledge in operations/
| Forms of teaching and learning | Contact hours | Independent study time |
|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 3 SWS | 14 SWS |
| ECTS credits | 6 |
| Graded | yes |
| Workload | 180h |
| Language | English |
| Form of assessment | Project incl. presentation (100%) |
| Restricted admission | yes |
| Further information | You have to apply separately via email for this course. A list of the required application documents, the application deadline and further details can be found at the following link. Please read the information carefully: https://www.bwl.uni-mannheim.de/en/international/global-innovation-challenge/#c256744 Take a look at our Partner Schools courses in Summer 2024. |
Examiner Performing lecturer |  | Prof. Dr. Christoph Bode Prof. Dr. Christoph Bode, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Schlipf |
| Frequency of offering | Spring semester |
| Duration of module | 1 semester |
| Range of application | M.Sc. MMM, M.Sc. Bus. Edu., M.Sc. Econ., M.Sc. Bus. Inf., M.Sc. Bus. Math. |
| Preliminary course work | – |
| Program-specific Competency Goals | CG 1, CG 2 |
| Literature | No mandatory textbook: All course materials that you need to consult during the course will be provided. Auxiliary readings:
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