* Be aware of core concepts involved in strategic sourcing
* Students have to search, select, interpret and critically assess a series good/bad strategic sourcing practices to solve real-life cases
* Connect findings from research papers to real life application
* Develop academic reasoning skills in the area of strategic sourcing
* Identify gaps and develop research ideas in strategic sourcing literature
* Generate (innovative) ideas to solve issues related to strategic sourcing such as sustainability and risk
* Develop awareness of ethical dilemma's surrounding strategic sourcing
* Be aware of different (theoretical) components and difficulties of negotiation
* Present results of strategic sourcing project in a innovative and attractive manner
* Write strategic sourcing academic paper that meets scientific standards in terms of structure argumentation and referencing
* Present results of strategic sourcing project to different audiences
* Communicate effectively and professionally to different levels of an organisation, for example to chief procurement officers and team members
* Collaborate in various, international teams
* Provide meaningful and constructive feedback to various level of audience

Turbulence in the external business environment of companies (e.g. War in Ukraine, Covid-19, Supply chain disruptions) is producing a number of sourcing challenges for the Procurement function (scarcity of materials, price inflation, supply disruptions, etc.). Procurement has won a reputation in many executive boardrooms as a powerful approach for managing supply risk and improving profitability and competitive advantage in these difficult times. It is no longer unusual that Procurement directors report directly to the board of directors, or are even member of this board as Chief Procurement Officers (CPO). Although often still managed in a fairly conservative fashion, strategic sourcing offers abundant opportunities to contribute to innovation, cost reductions, sustainability and business risk mitigation. A company typically spends more than 60% of its total revenue on supplier invoices. As a result, the Procurement department represents a major vehicle for interaction between the company and the external supply base. The objective of this course is to provide you with the opportunity to deepen your understanding of conceptual theories and best (managerial) practices on how companies source from and collaborate with their suppliers, using a mix of ‘state of the art’ Procurement and Supply Management (PSM) theory and practical examples. Specifically, we will focus on the strategic aspects of sourcing and supplier relationship management (SRM). The teaching method is built around an intensive mixture of readings, (guest) lectures, student facilitation and both individual and group assignments. Students are supposed to be well prepared for each session in order to take full advantage of the sessions and participate pro-actively in the discussions.

Weele, A.J. van and Rozemeijer, F.A. (2023), 'Procurement and Supply Chain Management', Cengage Learning, 8th revised edition, London, ISBN 13: 978-1-473779112. Additionally, we prescribe a small selection 5 academic articles. As part of the course, students should search for 8 additional articles that can be discussed during the tutorials.

This course is in transition for the master Business Research.
See the Master Education and Examination Regulations for more information.

The following rule applies to master Business Research students who started the programme prior to academic year 2024-2025.
TRANSITIONAL REGULATION (EBC4013):
The master Business Research has been discontinued.
Courses of the Business Research master’s programme will continue to be offered until and including academic year 2025-2026 with exam opportunities running until and including 2026-2027.


PREREQUISITES:
Apart from the general prerequisites that count for any MSc course, students should have passed intermediate level (Applied) management courses at 2nd or 3rd year BA level of at least 13 ECTS credits. Courses and workload are very demanding for all IB Master courses. Exchange students need to have obtained a bachelor degree in Business. Exchange students need to major in Supply Chain Management in their Master. An advanced level of English is required.