What Advice Would You Give on Day 1 in a Supply Chain Position? Know your customers (both external and internal), have a can-do attitude, be open to change, and be analytical in making good decisions. As a leader, believe in yourself and most importantly, believe in others.
emphasize curriculum with a forward-thinking approach vs. theoretical guidebooks will find fortitude during a time of decreasing enrollment.”
A NEW CHAPTER IN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
While undergraduate institutions in general see declining enrollment, the interest in supply chain management has been on the upswing in recent years. “Supply chain education has grown in popularity and demand,” says Terry L. Esper, associate professor of logistics at Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business. This is due to the intensifying attention on supply chain as disruptions have stripped grocery aisles and commandeered headlines. “The knowledge of how critical supply chain management is has become much more widespread. As a result, supply chain and logistics have become the ‘it’ majors,” says Professor Esper. “We have also seen a transition in terms of how we engage with students. A much more self-directed and virtually educated wave of talent is entering the market,” he notes. “The long-term impacts of this trend remain to be seen, but we are experiencing a major shift in terms of how students prefer to be educated and how they prefer to work as they launch their careers.” n
–Angela Hansen-Winker, M.S., SSGB Lead Faculty, Supply Chain Management College of Business Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
Cultivate your relationships. This is the single most important thing you can do to keep your operation moving. If you’re not willing to pick up the phone or travel to meet a key partner, you are not building a relationship that will withstand the disruptions that are eventually going to face you head-on. –Scott Grawe
Professor of Supply Chain Management Robert & Jane Sturgeon Fellow in Business
Supply Chain Forum Iowa State University
Understand the entire supply chain , from end to end, no matter where your role falls within it. Knowing how your work affects the downstream logistics, or how a peer’s work upstream will affect your job, is vital to an efficient supply chain. –Gabby Avery Senior Manager, Supply Chain Strategy Ware2Go Be a process thinker. We succeed and fail based on continuous improvement in the field of supply chain. Our field is dynamic (some would call it chaotic), and your role will become easier when you understand that you can solve the great challenges that face you when you focus on the process. –Jack Buffington
Companies have realized the world— especially the supply chains—is increasingly complex. This has led to a shift toward more specialized programs such as specialty masters in supply chain management. These programs are more focused on quickly developing deep expertise in their learners and fostering immediate positive impact for their employers. –David Dobrzykowski, PhD Associate Professor, Supply Chain Management Sam M. Walton College of Business University of Arkansas
Professor and Academic Director, Supply Chain Management Program University College University of Denver
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