Sustainable Supply Chains

Catalog description

What are supply chains, and what do we mean when we talk about their sustainability? As corporations work to become more sustainable, what does this mean in practice? Supply chains are the backbone of large corporations; ensuring their sustainability typically means ensuring the sustainability of the corporation itself. What challenges do corporations face when moving towards environmentally sustainable or socially responsible practices? How are these dimensions of sustainability evaluated and weighed against one another? This course examines elements of a supply chain, including purchasing, inventory, manufacturing, operations management, transportation and logistics, scheduling, and network design. It asks how attention to health, human rights, and the environment can be incorporated into supply chain design by studying economic, environmental, and social impacts. Applying these principles to maritime, airline, and global manufacturing industries - whose supply chains can be strongly affected by external and unplanned factors such as pandemics - students will explore their impact in real-life applications.