21899 Supply Chain Ethics for Decision Makers
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 3 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Description
Today, consumers, governments and NGOs are putting increasing pressure on brands and retailers to ensure transparency throughout their supply chains. Consumers expect more from the brands they buy from than ever before, and an ethical supply chain is now a social requirement in the experience economy. Social, environmental and financial sustainability, transparency, and fair employment practices have become essential determinants for the success of companies. Many of these matters have become the subject of global initiatives, such as the United Nations Global Compact. Furthermore, significant international legislation is coming into effect to address supply chain ethics issues. Therefore, logistics and supply chain decision makers need the capability of understanding and applying supply chain ethical issues in decision making.
In this subject, students learn the foundational concepts, tools, and techniques of ethical and sustainable supply chain operations. This subject also provides an opportunity to supply chain decision makers to apply ethical and sustainable business practices in their domestic and global supply chain operations. Through a blended process of experiential, engaging, and reflective learning, this subject arms students with an understanding of how the supply chain ethical practices operates in business contexts and discusses relevant issues and techniques for companies seeking to improve and enhance the management of their ethical and sustainable supply chain operations.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| 1. | Apply best practices of ethical supply chain including modern slavery within supply. |
|---|---|
| 2. | Critically analyse the opportunities to implement ethical and safe practices across driver and other logistical roles. |
| 3. | Evaluate the impacts of ethical and sustainable practices in supply chain, including fair pay, safety and working hours. |
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
This subject provides a broad introduction to ethical and sustainable supply chain management principles and develops awareness of the critical need for sustainable practices in today’s business and supply chain management. Students learn about the fundamentals of ethical and sustainable supply chain management practices and develop an understanding of key operational practices, processes and systems relating ethics and sustainability within and across organisations. Through this course learners are able to acquire the knowledge and skills to select and apply appropriate operations methods, tools and techniques in different contexts – in order to build ethical and sustainable supply chain for present and future.
This subject contributes to the development of the following graduate attribute(s):
- Social responsibility and cultural awareness
- Intellectual rigour and innovative problem solving
- Communication and collaboration
Teaching and learning strategies
The subject content is delivered online over six weeks through a mixture of reading material, diagrams, podcasts etc. Students work through the content at their own pace, with asynchronous interactive activities such as quizzes and discussion questions embedded into each topic for students to regularly receive feedback and self-assess their progress. Every week 5-6 study hours of learning activities will be conducted through a blend of pre-learning activities, online lecture and post learning evaluation using quizzes. These activities provide opportunities to learn, apply and discuss the knowledge gained from the subject. Online synchronous sessions are held three times during the session to allow students to interact, ask questions of teaching staff, and receive clarification for assessments.
Content (topics)
- Fundamental of ethical and sustainable supply chain practices, drivers and barriers, supply chain
- Strategies for managing sustainability in the supply chain
- Ethical procurement and procurement social responsibility
- Supplier evaluation and selection practices
- Transparency, modern slavery act and compliances, indigenous procurement
- Measuring sustainability performance, workplace practices and standards
- Sustainability risks, environmental and social governance
- Consequences of non-compliances of non-compliances of standards
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Ethics and sustainability risk factors (Individual)
| Objective(s): | This addresses subject learning objective(s): 1 and 2 |
|---|---|
| Weight: | 40% |
| Length: | Power point slide via Canvas, 6-8 slides excluding references. |
| Criteria: |
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Assessment task 2: Mitigating ethics and sustainability risks (Individual)
| Objective(s): | This addresses subject learning objective(s): 1, 2 and 3 |
|---|---|
| Weight: | 60% |
| Length: | Power point slide via Canvas, 6-8 slides excluding references. |
| Criteria: |
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Minimum requirements
Learners must achieve at least 50% of the subject’s total marks.
Recommended texts
There is no prescribed textbook required.
References
Resources from various sources will be used throughout the course.