Sourcing and Supplier Relationship Development 5 credits

Global supply chain disruptions in recent years have elevated sourcing and supplier management to critical strategic functions. Organisations now recognise that procurement extends far beyond operational purchasing, it represents a key lever for creating customer value, managing risk, and achieving competitive advantage through strategic supplier collaboration. This course offers an in-depth understanding of procurement's strategic role across different organisations and industries. You will explore the complete procurement process, including specification, supplier selection, negotiation, contracting, ordering, expediting, and evaluation. The course examines how procurement can evolve from a purely operational function focused on securing supply to a strategic function that creates customer value through supplier network collaboration. Upon completion, you will understand procurement's role in achieving strategic supply chain goals and recognise the interconnections between production operations, procurement, and supplier relationship management in global supply chains. You will be able to analyse buyer-supplier dynamics, identify challenges and opportunities in supplier relationships, and develop solutions that strengthen partnerships and leverage competitive advantages. These capabilities prepare you to contribute strategically to procurement decisions and supplier network management in complex, multi-stakeholder environments. **Connection to Research**<br> <br> The course content is connected to three main research streams in the literature: the critical role of suppliers in business environments for proposing new customer values together with original equipment manufacturers, the vital role of suppliers in creating resilient supply chains, and the role of suppliers in sustainability performance of global supply chains. **Connection to Practice**<br> <br> You will investigate how sourcing managers can develop and manage relationships with different supplier groups. **Connection to Ethics, Responsibility, Sustainability (ERS)**<br> <br> In this course, you investigate how sustainable sourcing can be implemented in organisations, given that stakeholder expectations continue to intensify, customers are increasingly aware of environmental and social issues, and they expect firms to make resilient and sustainable choices.