Course 2011-2012 a.y.

Go to class group/s: 31

CLEAM (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/08) - CLEF (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/08) - CLEACC (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/08) - BESS-CLES (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/08) - BIEMF (6 credits - II sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/08)

Course Director:
ALBERTO GRANDO

Course Objectives

In the last 20 years, both service and manufacturing companies have been paying a growing attention to the environmental and social outcomes of the items they offer and of the processes they deploy. Nowadays, we are witnessing phenomena as the increasing costs of energy and materials, which call for a more efficient use of productive resources, and as the growing awareness of consumers for environmental and social issues, which leads them to prefer companies that adopt sustainable practices. The resulting challenges for enterprises include integrating environmental, health, and safety concerns in their agenda. Operations Management is increasingly connected to sustainability, since it influences a wide bundle of decisions that affect several environmental and social issues, as product development, product recycling, quality management, production-related employees management, off-shoring and outsourcing in newly developing countries, green logistics etc.

This course aims at illustrating how Operations can be managed so as to properly deal with health, safety and environmental issues and how to transform such challenge into a source of competitive advantage.

The teaching style of this course is based on case discussions and on the interactions with guest speakers from companies that are coping with these issues. During the course, topics are analyzed moving from real-life case-histories, so as to make the students aware not only of the technicalities related sustainability in Operations Management, but also of the most valuable experiences of companies and of industries that are leading the process toward a more sustainable operating system.

Course Content Summary

• Synergies between profits and sustainable practices in Operations Management: a framework
• Sustainable Product Design
• Lean management and green operations
• Remanufacturing, recycling and closed-loop supply chains
• Reverse and return Logistics
• Employee safety and health in service and manufacturing operations
• Off-shoring and outsourcing in Newly Developing Countries
• Industry Focus: Reverse logistics in the Consumer Electronic industry
• Industry Focus: Green Supply Chain Management in the Automotive Industry
• Industry Focus: Green Product Design in the Packaging Industry
• Industry Focus: Green Process Design in the Entertainment Industry and in Healthcare
• Industry Focus: Eco-logistics in Spare Part Supply

Detailed Description of Assessment Methods

Attending students

The final evaluation is given weighting the grades of the team works and of the individual result in a final written exam.

Non attending students

Written exam

Textbooks

Attending students

• Readings collection, Sustainable Operations Management, EGEA, chapters indicated in the course syllabus

 Non Attending Students 

• Readings collection, Sustainable Operations Management, EGEA

Exam textbooks & Online Articles (check availability at the Library)

Last change 17/05/2011 19:57