Course-PM

ITR365  Sustainable supply chains lp2 HT24 (7.5 hp)

The course is offered by the Department of Technology Management and Economics

In program:

MPMEI MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMICS OF INNOVATION, MSC PROGR, Year 1 (elective)

MPMEI MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMICS OF INNOVATION, MSC PROGR, Year 2 (elective)

MPQOM QUALITY AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT, MSC PROGR, Year 1 (elective)

MPSCM SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT, MSC PROGR, Year 1 (compulsory elective)

MPSCM SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT, MSC PROGR, Year 2 (elective)

Contact details

Examiner:
Ceren Altuntas Vural, Associate Professor
Division of Supply and Operations Management
ceren.altuntasvural@chalmers.se
031-772 69 03

Course project: 

Guest lecturers: 

Aysu Göcer, PhD, Izmir University of Economics

Eva Bennis, Head of Procurement Sustainability, Volvo Cars

Gregory Peters, PhD, Division of Environmental Systems Analysis, Chalmers

Kristin Ivarsson, Björkåfrihet

Joakim Kembro, PhD, Lund University

Martin Svanberg, RISE Maritime

Rickard Arvidsson, PhD, Division of Environmental Systems Analysis, Chalmers

 

Student representatives

MPSCM   jensad@student.chalmers.se      Jens Adolfsson
MPSCM   simonsjo@student.chalmers.se    Simon Johansson Sjösten
MPTSE   hugomal@net.chalmers.se Hugo Malmqvist
MPSCM   lousvens@student.chalmers.se    Louise Svensson
MPSCM   alexandratorsson2@gmail.com     Alexandra Torsson

 

1       Background

Supply chains are complex adaptive systems that are composed of structures, processes and managerial activities which facilitate the flows of products, services, finances and information in (to and) from raw material suppliers to (and from) consumers. They are highly affected by the sustainability challenge and trying to utilize developments in technology, alternative ways of service provision, networking strategies and other managerial initiatives to tackle with this challenge. Introduction of the circular economy concept is altering the way linear supply chains are designed which requires the development and adoption of new strategies at different layers of supply chains.

Significant changes are required in management of supply chains around the world to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. These changes are needed to be done on all three dimensions of the triple bottom line, namely the economy, the society and the environment. Furthermore, changes do not only affect the actors that are involved in production of goods and services but also all the other actors that are involved in distribution, collection or storage of those offerings. It is a mentality change in supply chain management that, as Pagell and Shevchenko (2014) argue, aims to end the difference between supply chain management and sustainable supply chain management and treat environmental and social performance of supply chains as equally and even more valid than economic performance.

2       Aim and content

Aim

The aim of the course is to provide students with knowledge on sustainability in and sustainable development of contemporary supply chains, ranging from suppliers and customers towards logistics services providers and consumers. The course is based on a full supply chain perspective including multiple actors from raw material suppliers, to customers and even post-consumption, second-cycle supply chain members. The links and flows between these actors are covered in relation to sustainable products and services being offered in these structures and managing the sustainability of the actors themselves.

Learning objectives

Having successfully completed the course, students will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of principles and practice of sustainable supply chains in general; what makes contemporary supply chains sustainable, and how do they become more sustainable? In particular:

• Describe and elaborate upon the role and importance of sustainability and sustainable development in different types of supply chains and with a triple bottom-line perspective.
• Identify and evaluate relevant established and emerging principles, frameworks and theories in sustainable logistics and supply chain management.
• Explain how structures, processes and management activities in the supply chain impact the sustainability of contemporary supply chains in a negative or positive way.
• Outline energy consuming activities and potential sources of environmental impact at different supply chain stages.
• Identify the different tools to measure and assess social sustainability along the supply chains from different industries.
• Analyze managerial challenges regarding sustainable supply chain management, and provide a structured solution to these, with clear implications for relevant stakeholders.
• Appreciate the role of technology as enabler in sustainable development of individual supply chain processes.
• Compose strategies towards sustainable development of supply chains.

Content

• How do main trends impact supply chain sustainability?
• How have sustainable supply chains been affected by Covid-19 and other disruptions?
• Managing suppliers for supply chain sustainability (upstream focus)
  • Monitoring and controlling the supply chain
  • Sustainable sourcing
  • Building, maintaining and managing supplier relationships for sustainability
• Managing customers/consumers for sustainability (downstream focus)
• Circular economy, Circular business models, and Closed-loop supply chains
• Life cycle assessment for sustainable products
• Socially responsible supply chains
• Consequences of climate impact (Humanitarian supply chains)
• Sustainable supply chain management examples and cases from the industry

3       Course organization

The course will be delivered as a series of presentations and discussion sessions on theoretical concepts, their managerial implications for managers and relationships with other areas of supply chain management. Students are expected to read the material and make themselves familiar with key concepts prior to the particular lecture and prepare for discussions of theoretical concepts and their applicability in a particular situation.

The course builds upon three learning sources. The first learning source includes lectures, guest lectures, seminars, and in-class activities. The second learning source is reading and active discussion of course literature. The third one is a group project which will be designed, run, and presented by the students and supervised by the course assistant. This group project aims to enable students to apply the theoretical concepts they learn in the course to company data. Every group is expected to choose a company to analyse their sustainable supply chain activities based on a given framework and with the help of both primary and secondary evidence. More information about the group project is presented in this document.

Students will reflect on their learning experience in the form of an individual learning log at the end of the course. Learning log will be prepared in the form of a reflective paper where the students refer to concepts, ideas, and thoughts put forward in the class discussion and reading material. No citations or references are needed. The structure of the learning log can be found here. The deadline for submission is December 20^th, 2024 at 23.59 pm.

The reflective paper (learning log) should be 500-700 words and structured around each of the four questions:

1. Please draw a figure/table/illustration that represents your view of sustainable supply chains. 
2. What was the most interesting thing you learned during this course period?
3. What is still a question mark for you? What more would you like to learn? 
4. How can you/would you include learnings from this course in your professional career?

Format:

• Name
• Title of reflection
• Body of text
• At least one figure/diagram/table that summarizes your key ideas.

4       Course schedule

See Calendar here in Canvas and course summary at the end of this syllabus for details. Canvas calendar will be the basis for the schedule. Check Canvas for the classrooms and the timing of different teaching and learning activities. Unless stated otherwise, all activities take place on campus and in the classroom. 

You can use below given Zoom link for all online occasions.

Recurring Zoom link:  https://chalmers.zoom.us/j/63487778061

    Password: 230316

You can also download Graded sessions & schedule.jpeg for reviewing the entire schedule and all graded* sessions at once. However, the most up-to-date schedule will always be Canvas calendar. Please regularly check it for possible updates.

* Graded sessions mean that attendance to these sessions will be included in the final grading. Please follow the assessment section below for further details.

5       Literature

The fundamental reading of this course is based on several journal articles, book chapters that are available through online databases at Chalmers’ library and reports or newspaper/magazine columns that will be provided by the teachers. There will even be some podcasts and videos to watch/listen to before coming to class. 

The detailed reference list will be updated until course kick-off. A literature list corresponding to different lectures will be provided in the form of a pdf under course files.  The book chapters, all articles and other material given on the literature list are subject to examination in the course.

6       Project

For detailed information, please see the related document ITR365_Group project description_2024.pdf in Canvas. For project deadlines, see assignments, for supervision, please see the schedule and book a slot.

7       Examination and assessment

The examination in this course is based on three parts: 

1- Theory part: Continuous assessment of learning via 3 computer-based quizzes, in class and during the course period. A maximum of 75 points are given by this part of the examination and a minimum of 40% (30 points) needs to be achieved to pass the course. Students do not need to pass individual quizzes but they need to score the minimum required points (30 points out of 75) as a sum of three quizzes. Quizzes are mandatory, all three need to be taken by every student regardless of the total grade. Missing one quiz would result in not completing the course.

2- Group project: Both written and oral assessment of a group project. A maximum of 20 points are given by this part of the examination and a minimum of 40% (8 points) needs to be achieved to pass the course. To pass the group project one needs to work in the group, hand in the group report, hand in the opposition report and attend to the presentation. Presentation is part of the oral assessment and not attending to the final presentation results in failing the project. 

3- Participation in graded sessions such as guest lectures, in-class seminars, workshops etc. (5 points) There are in total 8 graded sessions in the course. Students have to attend at least 5 of those sessions to get these 5 points. The points will decrease gradually, e.g. a student attends only 3 out of 8 then the student gets only 3 points. 

Thresholds for final grade (based on the total points):

0-40p = not approved
40p = 3
60p = 4
80p = 5

All topics, presentation materials, seminars and literature addressed in the course and/or listed in the literature list are subject to examination.

In order to pass the course students are required to:

• Score a minimum of 40% from continuous assessment (quizzes) (minimum 30 points)
• Actively work on the project, its supervision session, its presentation, and related opposition duties and hand-in of a report
• Score a minimum of 40% out of the group project (minimum 8 points)
• Attend guest lectures and other seminars that are marked as "graded" (attendance is checked via in-class lists or Zoom reports)

For enhanced learning, students are also encouraged to

• Actively participate in in-class activities and seminars

The continuous assessments, the group project, and participation in graded sessions contribute to final course marks. 

Attendance and active participation in lectures, seminars, and discussions are strongly recommended for better performance.

 

8       Literature list 

Please refer to this fileReading List 2024.pdf for the literature you are required to read for different weeks and lectures. The list might be updated for a certain exercise but you will receive a notification in that case. You can see the total number of pages you are required to read on the right hand side. The majority of the literature is composed of current news so they are even shorter than they seem. There are some videos and podcasts as well where you will see a total number of minutes instead.