Graduate Diploma in Purchasing and Supply

This unit is designed to develop students' leadership skills to enable them to lead, influence and provide direction to stakeholders within the supply chain. Students should be able to operate at a strategic level. They should be able to lead in their defined area or part of the organisation and will be expected to motivate and support supply chain members and stakeholders in achieving objectives and success. Students will be expected to lead in a variety of situations and to ensure that they maintain the balance of power required to achieve success. They should be able to demonstrate effective leadership in a variety of contexts, including through change, adversity, conflict and success, in order to maximise the potential of the organisation.

The supply chain manager is responsible for specific activities and processes which can contribute to achieving corporate strategic goals. This unit is designed to provide students with an understanding of strategic aspects of supply chain management. Students will analyse the supply chain to identify where value is added within it, identifying where and how strategic competitive advantage can be achieved. Students will be able to propose a range of innovative proposals which will allow supply chain stakeholders to effectively interact and contribute towards developing and exploiting opportunities to grow and expand the business, through new product and service development, innovation, diversification and differentiation strategies.

This unit is designed to enable students to gain a deeper understanding of supply chain theory and practice by examining how particular theories relate to real-world situations or how particular theories offer advantages over others. As the unit is project based and requires the submission of a report, the student will also develop investigative, analytical and communication skills, including the use of primary and secondary research where appropriate. Where students are likely to undertake a work-based project This can take two alternative forms: either (i) it will seek to test the explanatory power of an existing body of theoretical knowledge against a case example; or (ii) it will seek to test the explanatory power of an existing body of theoretical knowledge to make predictions about the likely outcome of an impending test case. If it is not possible to undertake a work-based project, then students can opt for a desk-based version. Again, there are two alternative formats: either (i) it will critique an existing theory in order to develop a better explanation of a set of phenomena; or (ii) it will critique a set of competing theories in order to say which has the greater explanatory power. It is important to remember that the project is driven by theory. Students must identify a theory or set of theories by referring to the learning outcomes of the other two Level 6 units: Leading and influencing in purchasing and Strategic supply chain management.

This unit seeks to familiarize students with the law that regulates the purchasing function. The purchasing and supply manager needs to understand where legal issues may impact on the organisation and when to take action to avoid risk. They should also be able to recognise situations when the appropriate action would be to seek legal expertise. The content provides an essential overview of different legal issues with particular emphasis on contractual issues and sale of goods legislation. Other areas covered include the legal aspects of outsourcing, competition law, intellectual property law, electronic trading and international trade. It is designed to assist professionals who work in either the public or private sector.

Projects can range from construction to refurbishment of premises, introduction of new information technology systems to outsourcing/offshoring of work previously tackled in-house, and redesign or re-engineering of products, services and processes. At the same time projects should align and contribute to the overall strategic objectives of the organisation. This unit will help students to develop a knowledge of the principles, practices and techniques vital to the successful leadership and commercial management of projects, with a particular emphasis on the role of the purchasing and supply chain professional. Purchasing and supply chain specialists in both the private and public sectors should have a pivotal role in the initiation, planning and control of projects, and in the development and on-going management of resulting contracts. Project management is concerned with achieving objectives relating to quality, cost and time. Purchasing specialists often have a key role to play in the management of projects: this may include developing the procurement strategy for the project, and the operational activities of planning and monitoring supplier performance. Students also need to understand the architecture and culture of project-orientated organisations. The focus is subsequently directed towards roles such as project manager, project planner and procurement specialists from the project management point of view.

Purchasing managers are responsible for specific activities and processes which can contribute to achieving corporate strategic goals. This unit is designed to provide students with an understanding of strategic aspects of finance in relation to the decision-making process and detailed analysis necessary to deliver effective procurement. Students will understand how to navigate around the world of finance in an effective and efficient manner so they can identify the where, when, how, and what a professional purchaser needs, in order to use and interpret the key financial models and tools required to deliver robust and sustainable procurement solutions. Students will be expected to propose a range of tried and tested models, as well as innovative tools and techniques, which will allow key business stakeholders to interact and contribute towards developing and exploiting opportunities to grow and expand a business, through new supply arrangements, channels to market, diversification, outsourcing and differentiation strategies. It will help students to develop an understanding of the terminology and different sectors within the financial and accounting profession which allows an engagement and exchange that will guide and benefit the decision-making process in an efficient manner.

This unit gives a strategic overview of how the public sector manages major programmes and projects, examining the management of major programme and project risks, the importance of knowledge management as a culture not a process, and strategic supplier communications, in particular relating to Public private partnerships (PPP) and Private finance initiative (PFI) projects and those projects with high risk ratings. There is a particular focus upon the critical analysis of funding methods and financial models, and the selection of programme and project management techniques, including the use of OGC Gateway and/or other gateway processes applicable to the public sector.

This unit focuses on the strategic management of key and critical stakeholders of the public sector. Students will be provided with tools and techniques for developing a range of relationship strategies, including communication strategies, collaborative strategies and conflict management strategies. The unit also examines the significance of changing social and political agendas, such as corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the small medium enterprises (SME) agenda, for procurement organisation and processes. The unit also examines the governance of the procurement process and the effectiveness of financial accountability and performance evaluation arrangements.