Duration: 4 weeks
Weekly study: 3 hours

This course is part of The Digital Economy program, which will enable you to thrive in the digital economy and earn 15 credits towards an MBA.

Create value with your supply chain

Goods and services reach end users through increasingly intricate channels, involving people and processes all over the world, supported by advancing technology.

Understanding the key relationships in these supply chains can help you cut costs, boost performance and create more value for customers.

This online course will equip you with a critical appreciation of the way supply chains work, and how to make them work better.

Whether you are a sole trader, in a small to medium-sized organisation, or work for a large firm, you’ll find out how the supply chain is changing in the digital era.

What topics will you cover?

• What supply chain management is and why it is important.
• The distinct processes that make up a digital supply chain.
• How risk is assessed in the digital supply chain.
• How organisations are using the supply chain to gain a competitive advantage.
• Competitive advantage in the digital supply chain.
• How supply chain management fits with the company’s strategy.
• The future of supply chain management.

IMPORTANT! If you are aiming to use your study of courses in the Digital Economy program to obtain academic credit, please be aware that the final planned presentation of the Open University Assessment Course BXM871 Managing in the Digital Economy starts July 2020. Please ensure that you allow yourself enough time to obtain all four Certificates of Achievement from courses in the program before registering for the Assessment Course.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to:

Identify and understand the impact of the digital economy on structure and function of a supply chain, recognising opportunities to reduce cost and create value in your own professional context.

Improve your analytical and prioritising skills.

Demonstrate and recognising the impact of the digital economy when taking an informed approach to decisions such as outsourcing and quality management.

Develop your ethical awareness as a manager.

What do people say about this course?

“Thanks for this course! The lectures on this course are interesting and academically stimulating. I got more insight on the topic of digital supply chain management, its development & strategy through the success stories of Whitbread & TWSU etc”.

Suk Yee Lee 

Who will you learn with?

Who developed the course?

The Open University (OU) is the largest academic institution in the UK and a world leader in flexible distance learning, with a mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas.