What is Supply Chain Management?

In today's world, the increase in competitive pressure (typified by the international inroads in the steel, automotive and electronics industries) and the advent of new technologies (e.g. Material Requirements Planning and Just-in-Time) have resulted in a rediscovery of the importance of total quality management, international competitiveness, and Production/ Supply Chain Management. The increased awareness of environmental concerns and the desire to preserve our natural resources (particularly energy) have further contributed to the resurgence of interest in these areas.

The Supply Chain Management major was established by the Department of Management Science and Information Systems to respond to these needs. Supply Chain Management concerns the management of the direct resources required to produce the goods and services provided by an organization. It is the process that allows organizations to achieve their goals through the efficient acquisition and use of resources. Every organization, whether public or private, manufacturing or service, has an supply chain management function.

The Supply Chain Management major studies the strategies, concepts, management tools, and analytic techniques that enable organizations to be competitive in the world economy. The curriculum for the major is concerned with solving the problems that confront manufacturing and supply chain managers today. Broadly speaking, the curriculum has three major areas:

• The study of basic problem solving and data analysis tools to assist the supply chain manager in making "good" decisions.
• The development of a basis of understanding of the manufacturing/operations function itself.
• The integration of the supply chain and operations, and manufacturing functions into the corporate strategy.

Careers in Supply Chain Management

The Operations Management major qualifies graduates for entry-level positions in a wide variety of areas: production and operations management, quality management, and materials management. In the area of production and supply chian management, entry-level positions would include: production supervisor, production scheduler, production control analyst, inventory manager, operations manager and inventory specialist. In the area of quality management, entry-level positions would include: quality manager, quality supervisor, quality technician, quality specialist and Statistical Process Control (SPC) coordinator. In the area of materials management, entry-level positions would include: materials specialist, purchasing agent, materials scheduler and purchasing manager.

The areas discussed above are merely examples of Supply Chain Management career paths. There are many other possibilities. All organizations have a process by which they obtain inputs from suppliers and produce output for their customers. The Operations Management major is concerned with managing the process which turns these inputs into outputs. Many of the techniques applicable in manufacturing situations can be applied to service situations. Graduates have found jobs in hospitals, insurance companies, and government as well as in traditional companies.

Career Opportunities