GRA 6717 Purchasing and Supply Management

GRA 6717 Purchasing and Supply Management

Course code: 
GRA 6717
Department: 
Accounting and Operations Management
Credits: 
6
Course coordinator: 
Lena Elisabeth Bygballe
Erna Engebrethsen
Course name in Norwegian: 
Purchasing and Supply Management
Product category: 
Master
Portfolio: 
MSc in Business - Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Semester: 
2024 Spring
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Master
Teaching language: 
English
Course type: 
One semester
Introduction

Companies in today’s turbulent business environment have learned the hard way how dependent they are on their suppliers and suppliers’ suppliers for the direct and indirect goods and services that they need. In many industries, companies spend over 50 per cent of their total costs on purchased goods and services from suppliers. Thus, purchasing and supply management (PSM) constitutes a key business function in many companies. PSM helps ensuring the competitiveness and survival of the company through balancing cost, value, and risk. The PSM function needs to navigate in a business context, which is besieged with challenges, including climate change, resource scarcity, volatile raw material prices, industry 4.0, and unexpected disruptions like pandemics, geopolitical issues, wars and natural disasters in addition to facing demands for sustainability.

How PSM can play such a strategic role, by developing superior capabilities, processes, and supplier relationships, is at the core of this course. Students will gain understanding of the role of PSM in companies, and also in the public sector, which is a large procurer in most countries, and how PSM is central in ensuring sustainable businesses and societies. The course is a mix of theoretical insights and high level analyses on the one hand and application of practical tools and examples on the other.

Learning outcomes - Knowledge
  • To explain and critically discuss the role and function of PSM in an organization and the society at large in ensuring competitiveness and sustainability
  • To explain, analyze/evaluate, and compare key PSM concepts, models, and frameworks
Learning outcomes - Skills
  • To develop and implement appropriate PSM strategies that balance cost, value, and risk in a sustainable way
  • To apply appropriate PSM models on real-life problems
  • To communicate in a professional manner
General Competence
  • To reflect on how PSM is influenced by trends and challenges in the business environment
  • To reflect on the role of PSM in contributing to a sustainable business environment and society
Course content
  • The role of purchasing and supply management in a company and society at large: definitions, trends, and challenges particularly related to sustainability
  • Purchasing and supply strategy at multiple levels
  • The purchasing process
  • Conditions & applications
Teaching and learning activities

Students are expected to actively participate through preparations, group work, case studies, and discussions.

Software tools
No specified computer-based tools are required.
Additional information

Continuous assessment will no longer exist as an examination form from autumn 2023. For questions regarding previous results, contact InfoHub.

It is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class.

Qualifications

All courses in the Masters programme will assume that students have fulfilled the admission requirements for the programme. In addition, courses in second, third and/or fourth semester can have specific prerequisites and will assume that students have followed normal study progression. For double degree and exchange students, please note that equivalent courses are accepted.

Disclaimer

Deviations in teaching and exams may occur if external conditions or unforeseen events call for this.

Assessments
Assessments
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Weight: 
60
Grouping: 
Group (2 - 3)
Duration: 
2 Month(s)
Comment: 
Term paper about a chosen topic from the course
Exam code: 
GRA 67172
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Resit: 
Examination when next scheduled course
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Weight: 
40
Grouping: 
Individual
Duration: 
48 Hour(s)
Comment: 
Written home exam
Exam code: 
GRA 67173
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Resit: 
Examination when next scheduled course
Type of Assessment: 
Ordinary examination
All exams must be passed to get a grade in this course.
Total weight: 
100
Sum workload: 
0

A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of at least 160 hours.