CIPS Advanced Diploma - Level 5

MANAGEMENT IN THE PURCHASING FUNCTION
(Compulsory Core Unit)
This unit is designed to enable students to manage their own area of responsibility within an organisation’s internal supply chain, in line with the overall strategic business plan and the operational plan for the purchasing function.

Students should be able to implement operational plans for their own area of responsibility to achieve objectives set out in their plan. In doing so they should be able to employ a range of resources, including human, physical and financial, and manage and delegate tasks effectively.

This unit is about managing the expectations of the stakeholders that are directly involved in the student’s own area of responsibility and will provide them with management techniques to help them to involve others, be innovative, consultative, influential and persuasive in order to achieve targets effectively.

RISK MANAGEMENT AND SUPPLY CHAIN VULNERABILITY
(Compulsory Core Unit)
This unit is designed to enable students to undertake risk analysis and a variety of risk assessments relating to different aspects of purchasing and supply and to implement a range of appropriate risk management tools and techniques.

Students will use a variety of risk assessment tools and techniques designed to provide a detailed analysis of supply chain situations, including legal, corporate social responsibility (CSR), ethical, health and safety, financial, international, innovation and a variety of other potential risk scenarios. The scope covers both the proactive identification and avoidance of risk, as well as provision for post-event recovery initiatives.

By the end of the unit students should be able to apply a variety of tools and techniques, in a diverse range of contexts, to proactively establish the level of risk presented and to recommend ways of avoiding, mitigating or managing those risks.

IMPROVING SUPPLY PERFORMANCE
(Integrative Unit)
This unit is designed to consolidate the learning from the other two compulsory units in the CIPS Advanced Diploma. You will be assessed through either a case study exam or an assignment.

Achieving success within the supply chain involves a complex range of variables, which can frequently be dependent on one another for the success of the supply chain.

This unit is designed to enable students to use a range of techniques and strategies to develop and improve supplier performance in order to achieve competitiveness, efficiency and profitability within the supply chain.

By the end of this unit, students will be able to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of supply chain performance. They will be able to identify innovative development of systems to improve the performance of the supply chain, and make justifiable recommendations for implementation in order to aid the effectiveness of the supply chain.

MARKETING FOR PURCHASERS
(Optional Unit)
This unit is designed to provide students with an appreciation of the marketing concept, the role of marketing within an organisation, marketing’s relationship with purchasing and supply, and marketing’s contribution to the overall strategic plan.

Students will be introduced to marketing concepts, methods and techniques that are used to develop marketing plans with the ultimate aim of achieving customer satisfaction. These techniques may be applied to both notfor- profit and commercial organisations.

By the end of the unit students should be able to evaluate and apply marketing tools and techniques, in a range of contexts, to achieve customer satisfaction.

STORAGE AND DISTRIBUTION
(Optional Unit)
This unit is concerned with helping students to identify the major areas of concern in effectively managing stores and distribution throughout the supply chain. It is essential that goods are moved through supply chains to customers at the right time, in the right condition, at the right place and at the right cost. Failure in any of these areas will add unnecessary costs to the ultimate customer while success will add value, and delight the customer.

It is essential that storage, distribution and general logistics are coordinated, both upstream and downstream, in order to reduce lead times, provide agility and reduce unnecessary costs. In order for this to happen it is essential that relationships, both internally and externally, are honed to the appropriate level.

To be effective, storage and distribution must fit in a seamless way to the total supply chain locally, nationally and globally.

OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN
(Optional Unit)
This unit is designed to enable those who work in purchasing to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of an organisation’s operations. This is the process of converting input resources into output products and services and occurs in all types of organisation, whether in manufacturing or services, public sector or private.

Students should be able to understand how operations staff add value to its inputs through the effective management of production and delivery. Operations staff are likely to be the most important internal customers of purchasing and supply chain managers.

By the end of this unit students will be able to analyse and evaluate an operations environment and implement a strategic plan that allocates resources in terms of materials, labour and machinery. In addition they will be able to consider the infrastructure requirements of the management control systems, as applied to different process types and technologies, and select the right approach.

Entry Dates
The Course members can commence the programme in March or September. Each module will be delivered over two weekends (Saturday and Sunday). In addition, there is a revision day (inclusive within the course fee) prior to the examination. The dates of the module weekends and revision days can be found in the module timetable.

Examinations
The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) examinations are held in May and November each year. It is the course members’ responsibility to register for these examinations directly with CIPS.

CIPS Membership
Course members should apply directly to CIPS for membership of the Institute. The Course Director will advise course members on application procedure. The School tuition fees do not include CIPS membership fees.