Supply chain management
Supply chain management is the strategic coordination of all activities involved in sourcing, procurement, production and distribution of goods and services. In this lesson, you'll learn how to optimise material flow, reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction through effective supply chain strategies.
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In this lesson
- 0:00 Supply chain management overview
- 0:56 Why supply chain management matters
- 2:17 Push and pull supply chain models
- 4:34 Upstream and downstream supply chain
- 5:48 Procurement and e-purchasing explained
- 7:24 E-purchasing in practice scenario
- 9:13 Customer relationship management essentials
- 10:25 E-business for customer acquisition
- 11:41 Retaining customers through e-business
- 12:40 Extending customer value and loyalty
About this lesson
You'll explore push and pull supply chain models, understand upstream and downstream management, and discover how e-procurement and customer relationship management technologies can streamline operations and drive competitive advantage. This content is directly relevant to Strategic Business Leader (SBL) and relates to operational efficiency themes across CIMA and ACCA qualifications. The lesson covers the key components of supply chain management including planning, sourcing, manufacturing, logistics and distribution. You'll understand why supply chain optimisation matters: it reduces costs, enhances customer satisfaction, mitigates risks like supply shortages and transportation delays, creates competitive advantage and supports sustainability initiatives. The push model manufactures products in anticipation of demand and builds inventory, while the pull model produces goods only in response to actual customer orders, resulting in lower inventory and faster response times. You'll also learn how to apply these concepts practically. Upstream supply chain management focuses on supplier relationships, inventory levels and material quality, while downstream management emphasises customer satisfaction, finished goods distribution and after-sales support. The lesson then explores e-procurement and e-purchasing as digital solutions that automate purchase orders, streamline supplier management and reduce lead times. Finally, you'll examine customer relationship management (CRM) technologies and e-business strategies for acquiring, retaining and extending customer value through personalised interactions, loyalty programmes and data-driven insights.
Duration: 14m
Transcript
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