While getting the cheapest price used to be the core concern for those in the purchasing profession, today’s professionals are more concerned with strategic factors such as innovation and speed to market.
Key suppliers are vitally important. This shift in thinking requires an entirely different type of buying professional, and Kedge is at the forefront of training this new cohort of buyers.
Programme highlights:
- The company as a whole: Graduates of the MSc in Purchasing and Innovation Management can do many things besides purchasing. Thanks to cross-curricular courses, students can increase their working knowledge of marketing, strategy and product development.
- Purchasing takes centre stage: After a long period operating as a simple support function, purchasing departments are now highly strategic assets within an organisation. During your training in International Purchasing Management, you’ll examine all sectors of the industry. You’ll analyse individual components of the goods and services purchased by different sectors, in order to observe the many changes that have occurred in the area of purchasing and procurement – and the rapidly changing role of procurement professionals.
- Focus on innovation and sustainability: During the Purchasing and Innovation Management course, you’ll examine how new products are designed and developed. You’ll look at the importance of product change and innovation – particularly in the field of mass consumption. We’ll also look at the role of the New Product Development (NDP) team, from idea to prototype and then from sample to product launch. Additionally, we’ll pay particular attention to the growth of the role of strategic suppliers in capturing innovation and improving speed to market.
Develop skills to interface with external stakeholders:
Sharpening your skills to effectively deal with external stakeholders is incredibly valuable in this space, as it can help you:
- Detect suppliers with potential for innovation.
- Involve key suppliers in the product development process.
- Explore new sources of geographic purchasing.
- Meet with potential suppliers for new products.
- Select, manage, track the supplier portfolio and initiate and improve relationships.
- Master the new technologies, best strategies, techniques and tools applied to purchases.
- Monitor competition in purchasing.
The multinational companies that recruit MAI International Purchasing Management students today are present in almost all sectors: agribusiness, cosmetics, household appliances, pharmaceuticals, automotive, aeronautics and most service industries. Purchasing and supply chains are changing and we are following them closely to ensure our course effectively equips students for this exciting career.