Within the last decades, globalization and integration of world trade led to tremendous growth of the global economy where goods travel long distances around the world while being processed in global supply chains from raw material to final products. So far, this development was heavily supported by improvements in cargo handling (containerization) and information processing (computers), which allows for an optimized flow of goods and minimized costs to serve growing consumer markets all over the world. However, this comes along with a heavy environmental and social footprint, which has to be reduced due to new governmental regulations as well as increased customer requirements concerning environmental and social aspects.

The aim of this seminar is (1) to collect facts about the environmental and social footprint of products along global supplychains and (2) to work out viable solutions to reduce this footprint in aglobalized and highly integrated world economy.

More specifically, students participating inthis seminar will

· develop a greater understanding about typical structures of globalsupply chains

· gain an awareness of environmental and social footprints of global supplychains

· learn how to assess environmental and social impacts of products and/or supplychains along Global Reporting Initiative guidelines

· get experience in team work

This is a seminar block including group work which calls for full attendance.

Students are expected to actively engage in class dialogue and discussion. All students are required to work on group project during the seminar, submit a post-course reflective report and pass in a written examination about pre-readings distributed before the start of the class.

IndividualAssessment:

· Written examination about pre-readings 25 %

· Participation and active involvement in class 10 %

· Post-course reflective report 15%

GroupAssessment:

· Group project 50%
based on completeness, quality of content and group presentation in-class