IB 365 - Operations Management and Global Supply Chains

Along with finance and marketing, operations management is one of the three core functions of any business. This course introduces the two pillars of operations management: managing production and managing global supply chains. Modern production management refers to the production of goods and the delivery of services in the most cost-effective manner to meet the needs of increasingly demanding customers. Supply chain management refers to the physical activities and the information and financial systems that enable customers' needs to be met quickly and cost-effectively. In the modern business world, "lean production" and "total quality management" have become 21st century management jargon, while the COVID pandemic has highlighted the critical role of global supply chains in modern post-industrial societies. In this course, students learn about the major theories relating to operations and supply chain management and match theoretical findings with case studies. The course is structured to look at procurement and production, distribution, and logistics from an integrated perspective, and to introduce students to the use of modern IT tools to analyze and simulate operations and supply chains. In addition, the course discusses the impact of the technological, geopolitical, and societal changes of the 2020s on operations management. The course is designed for business students with one or two introductory courses in business/management, accounting, logistics and marketing, as well as for students majoring in economics, international relations, politics, and cultural studies who are interested in the economic underpinnings of a modern globalized society.