34440 - Value Stream Management (Graduate Course) (L-Z)

Learning outcomes

Class participants will be challenged to acquire skills related to the vertical relationships which lead to the accomplishment of three course goals:

1) understand their strategic importance;

2) acquire some technical and managerial competences in order to take strategic decision

3) develop some organizational competences for managing these relations.

Course contents

Requirements/Prior knowledge

A prior knowledge and understanding of the basic and fundamental principles of firm’s strategy and organization is required to attend with profit this course. This knowledge usually comes from the successful attendance of these two prior courses: Economics and Business Organization T-1, and Business Management T-AB.

In addition, students should master performance management skills and are able to understand the theoretical models provided during the course.

All lectures will be in Italian, except for occasional seminars held by international guests (either managers or scholars from other Universities). Some of the readings required are in Eniglish. Accordingly, fluent spoken and written Italian and English are necessary pre-requisites.

Course Contents

The course includes 4 key parts.

The first one is focused on the basic aspects of supply chain management and purchasing. It presents the structure and organization of a supply chain as well as key theoretical frameworks that are normally used to explain them. It presents the elements of activities such as supplier scouting and selection, negotiation, contracting, management and evaluation.

The second one is focused on supplier relationship management, particularly in terms of contract management and trust. It presents the main issues of contract incompleteness and remedy measures.

The third one is focused on supply chain strategy. The main strategies developed in the literature and proposed, and special emphasis is put on the role of market and product characteristics in shaping the strategy.

The fourth is focus on supply chain internationalization and global sourcing. Threats and opportunities are presented and discussed, and the main skills to successfully undertake a supply chain internationalization process are shown.

Readings/Bibliography

G. Spina: “La gestione dell'impresa: Organizzazione, processi decisionali, marketing, acquisti e supply chain”, ed. Etas, II° edition (2008)

Ch. 14 (“Le scelte strategiche di make-or-buy: pp.493-523), full;
Ch. 15 (“Gli acquisti: processi e strumenti”: pp.524-574), full, except par. 15.4.1;
Ch. 16 (“La gestione della partnership”: pp. 575-603), full;
Ch. 17 (“Supply chain management: Gestione di una rete complessa di imprese”): par. 17.1 (pp.604-609); par. 17.3 (pp. 624-630); par. 17.4 (pp. 631-635)

E. Baglieri: “La gestione strategica degli approvvigionamenti”, ed. Etas (2004)
Ch. 3, par. 3.4 (“Il marketing d’acquisto”): Introduction and sect. 3.4.1 (“La leva prodotto”), pagg. 59-72

R. Monczka, R. Trent, R. Handfield: “Purchasing and Supply Chain Management”, ed. South-Western College Pub., 3rd Ed. (2005)
Cap. 7, “Developing a Supplier Evaluation and Selection Survey”, pp. 222-227.

J.H. Dyer: “Collaborative advantage: Winning through extended enterprise supplier networks”, ed. Oxford University Press (2000)

Ch. 4 (“Creating Trust in the Extended Enterprise”: pp. 87-109)

PART III – SUPPLY CHAIN STRATEGY

M. Fisher: “What is the right supply chain for your product?”. Harvard Business Review. Vol. 75, Nr. 2 (March-April 1997)
Full, pp. 105-116

H.L. Lee: “Aligning Supply Chain Strategies with Product Uncertainties”. California Management Review. Vol. 44, Nr. 3 (Spring 2002)
Full, pp. 105-119

G. Nassimbeni, M. Sartor: “Approvvigionamenti in Cina: Strategie, metodi, esperienze”, Ed. Il Sole 24 Ore (2004)

Ch. 1 (“Approvvigionamenti internazionali: La letteratura”): par. 1.0, 1.1, 1.4.1 (Modello di Monczka e Trent); 1.4.2 (Modello di Rugman); 1.4.4 (Modello di Monczka e Giunipero): pp. 1-5; 16-25, except Modello di Swamidass (p. 23)

K. Ferdows: “Making the Most of Foreign Factories” pp. 73-79; e pp. 82-88

K. Ferdows: “Managing the Evolving Global Production Network”
[Tratto da R. Galavan, J. Murray, C. Markides, “Strategy, Innovation, and change” – Oxford University Press (2008)]
Full, pp. 149-162

Teaching methods

Class lectures are generally held by the professor in charge for the course. All the key topics are extensively presented and discussed. In addition, case studies similar to those included in the final evaluation test are also presented in class, to provide the students with sufficient knowledge of how the exam is structured. Guests from the industry and from Academia can also also invited to hold seminars.

Assessment methods

Learning is verified through a final exam, during which teams of students are assigned a case study and required to prepare and present a solution.

 

Teaching tools

All the books and additional readings are available at the Library of the School of Engineering and Architecture and at the Library of the Department of Management. Slides are projected during the class lectures.

Office hours

See the website of Mauro Marini