Technology in the Supply Chain

Many contemporary firms are adopting the use of technology in an endeavor to improve the competitiveness of their supply chain. Technologies that are increasingly being adopted to innovate and improve performance include Artificial Intelligence and machine learning to improve the effectiveness of forecasting and planning, the use of Blockchain for the sharing of information, and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems to integrate all business processes.

ERP systems can be used to integrate logistics, procurement, finance, sales etc and their related information-processing activities within an organisation. ERP systems provide the source data for supporting business intelligence practices and they also enable important informational and transactional linkages with other organisations across the supply chain.

This course examines, from a management perspective, the key issues and factors associated with the adoption and use of such complex, tightly coupled information systems as a basis for achieving effective business transformation and strategic advantage.