This course is about managing the growing flow of business between countries, especially the supply chains that interconnect economies. Supply chains are especially dynamic today—performance demands on companies are steadily rising, geopolitical risks abound, and digital technology offers new choices about how to deliver to customers and how to control the chain.
You will learn how to create, negotiate, and manage supply chains. The course operates at two levels. One is the global context: the forces that shape new supply networks, the elements that determine which ones succeed, and the particular challenges of operating in the developing world. The second is the operating level: how companies decide where to source, the partners they need, and where and how to build and control these supply networks.
The tools of the course range from hard analytics and decision-making models to soft skills in aligning incentives and conflict resolution. The course covers a great range of industries—from commodities to basic manufactures to high tech—as well as services and goods.