supply chain management courses

supply chain management courses

The Essential Guide to Supply Chain Management Courses

1. Introduction to Supply Chain Management

No phrase can capture the essence of modern business competition quite as succinctly as “supply chain competition.” The late 1980s and early 1990s marked a time when the percentage of sales dollars in many firms devoted to the purchasing of goods reached three times that of their net income. This caused firms to take a very hard look at the ground rules for being competitive in their respective industries. Consequently, the landmark book Re-engineering the Corporation was written by Business Week’s Michael Hammer and MIT’s James Champy describing how companies should seek to wring waste out of all of their business processes. This detailed quest to examine all of the costs associated with a product or service after the sale – including the cost of spare parts, service, and quality returned products – resulted in the contemporary notion of business businesses comprising the product supply chain. With Bricks & Clicks, Thomas Hayes and Gary Pisano finally made the connection between the supply chain management lens and the specialty of retailing, and made it very difficult for mainstream business elites to shelve the concept of supply chain management anytime soon.

Like many terms bandied about in management circles, “supply chain management” seems to dominate discussions, seminars, and conferences for a brief time in organizations and then get placed on society’s business back burner. However, despite the detention of countless business dictionaries awaiting its inevitable arrest, supply chain management has become an important and integral aspect in the long-term success of many companies. Today, very few people would argue against a firm’s need to concern itself with effectively managing costs and especially global costs. In fact, the globalization of business has made it difficult for many Vietnamese companies to compete and prosper utilizing traditional logistics approaches. Accordingly, new procedures and concepts must be tied together logistically in order to obtain a competitive advantage.

Supply Chain Management: Beyond the Buzzword

2. Key Concepts and Principles in Supply Chain Management

In essence, the goal of supply chain management is to reduce demand and supply uncertainty by creating a responsive process. Moreover, to be successful, firms in the supply chain should understand some key supply chain management concepts, ranging from the importance of supply chains in the global business environment, principles of supply chain management, the role of information technology in supply chain management, the various types of relationships in supply chain management, the supply chain drivers, and performance measures that demonstrate strategic progression towards superior performance. Within this context, our presentation is a must for supply chain management courses, at the undergraduate, graduate, or executive education level. It introduces the concept of supply chain management in a professional degree program as well as related areas in the functional boundaries of marketing, logistics, and information systems in any professional program.

Supply chain management encompasses materials and information flows that traverse the organization beginning with customers’ needs identification, through materials and information acquisition, logistics and operations management, supplier management, supply chain network, and relationships to the end. The objective of supply chain management is to synchronize the ongoing activities of the supply chain members and optimize performance over the entire supply chain which lies at the heart of this complex process. Tools and techniques such as logistics, operations management, suppliers and customers relationship management, and information systems development provide the support system necessary to implement supply chain management decisions in a dynamic environment.

3. Types of Supply Chain Management Courses

Focused programs: Many accredited universities and professional academies allow students to specialize in a particular area of logistics. Some of the most common ones include inventory management, logistics operations, and international logistics management. Optional focused topics: In more advanced diploma and degree programs, students are sometimes allowed to choose a few light electives to help them expand or polish off their own list of professional interests.

Diplomas, degrees, and certificates in supply chain management: There are programs for everyone, including those who are completely new to the subject. Your choice will depend on your eventual degree of interest and your current educational level. Certificates are short-term programs that will introduce you to the subject. Diplomas are a little more advanced and could be useful if you aren’t entirely sure you want to commit to a full degree yet. A degree is the ultimate prize and the most thorough training that you can hope to get.

Here are the most common types of supply chain management courses to look out for:

4. Benefits of Taking Supply Chain Management Courses

1. Wide of the Mark: Nearly all companies incorporate supply chain functions in their business process. This is basically what they do – source and deliver goods to customers. A working knowledge of how the supply chain functions would be beneficial for anyone entering at any level of the business enterprise. Highlights the importance of various components that contribute to the supply chain’s efficiency, including sourcing, planning and coordinating production, physically delivering goods to the customer, managing resources, controlling inventory, as well as information flow. Puts in a supply chain management frame important business processes such as customer relationship management, market segmentation, demand management, new product launch, supplier relationship management, and planning processes, etc. Promotes a holistic approach: Offers a technology perspective which allows a more comprehensive understanding of supply chain management and the driving force to manage the future supply chain.

The supply chain industry is booming. A high-potential area for business careers, the demand for people to work in supply chain management has simply exploded in recent years. With businesses now more interdependent than ever and more vulnerable to shocks in the system, the ability to understand and manage the handling of goods from production line to the delivery destination is vital. It’s been estimated that over the next few years the number of jobs in supply chain management related functions will grow by 26%. This represents a significant opportunity for ambitious career starters and career switchers to set themselves on a great career path. Supply chain management courses are ideal for people interested in entering supply chain management functions or require more specialized knowledge in their current roles.

5. Choosing the Right Supply Chain Management Course

Stay ahead in the evolving profession of supply chain management and be your organization’s hero in responding to supply chain disruptions, clearing personal and professional advancement hurdles. Courses will teach, educate, and prepare you for the many nuances of supply chain management. Expect some innate differences among introductory and advanced courses available today. Courses that offer the possibility of utilizing applied projects to work on real-life supply chain management problems in combination with theory should be the most beneficial to those wanting to apply the course knowledge post-graduation.

Now that you know the different types of supply chain management courses available, you’re ready to make a choice. With an understanding of what you’re looking to achieve as well as your entry qualifications, strengths, and weaknesses, a good fit should be clear. Courses that offer the possibility of utilizing applied projects to work on real-life supply chain management problems in combination with theory should be the most beneficial to those wanting to apply the course knowledge post-graduation. Remember that promotion potential at an organization that looks favorably on certification can be a differentiator among candidates if you are not yet employed, so explore what certification programs are offered or recognized by the college or university.