Teaching Sustainable Purchasing and Supply Management Competences Using Critical Incidents
Heike Schulze
Mainz University of Applied Sciences, Germany and London South Bank University, United Kingdom
Lydia Bals
Mainz University of Applied Sciences, Germany, EBS University for Business and Law, Germany, and Copenhagen Business School (CBS), Denmark
Jon Warwick
London South Bank University, United Kingdom
Volume 15: 2021, pp. 201-222; ABSTRACT
Many companies struggle with implementing sustainable purchasing and supply management (SPSM) practices within their supply chains. The question arises as to how to teach SPSM to develop individuals’ SPSM-related competences. Addressing sustainability issues often requires dealing with ambiguous and dilemma-like situations, which this research translates into a problem-based learning (PBL) approach, specifically highlighting the value and potential of the critical incident technique (CIT). This paper proposes the use of critical incidents, developed in the context of an SPSM competence model, as a basis for SPSM education and training within a PBL approach. The paper underlines the value of utilizing critical incidents in teaching and provides examples of critical incidents aligned to specific SPSM competences. The paper contributes to the literature on competences in the field of Operations and Supply Chain Management (OSCM) and problem-based learning (PBL).
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