What a time to be working in supply chain management, there are some big developments happening and it’s very exciting to see!

We’re seeing data driven supply chains capitalize on the advances in artificial intelligence (AI), big data, Blockchain, data analytics, and 3D printing. Industry 4.0 is the fourth industrial revolution, where businesses are connected to their supply chain partners through a myriad of technologies, this is helping us move toward the frictionless and seamless a supply chain.

In addition to this, events such as COVID-19 pandemic and the latest vaccine programme, have made us acutely aware of how important the effective running of supply chains is for both our professional and personal lives.

How businesses are evolving

Looking at the multitude of economic, technological, geopolitical, social, and environmental issues that emerged in only the last five years, the career opportunities for a supply chain professional are boundless. We are continuously seeing organisations and their supply chains evolving in various ways:

• Disrupting the status quo: We have seen many companies – such as Amazon - disrupting the competitive landscape with frequent introductions of innovations in information technology, logistics and data management.
• Social Corporate Responsibility: companies such as Unilever, have found themselves reflecting on their social and environmental impact and the responsibilities of being one of the largest fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies in the world.
• Global competition: Companies from all over the world, such as Amazon from the US and Flipkart in India; and Uber from the US vs Didi Chuxing in China are not only redefining business but also competing against each other on a global platform.
• Consumer behaviour: Consumers too are becoming more sophisticated in their wants and needs and are becoming more demanding in their relationships with companies. As a result of this, we have seen the relationships between several countries change fundamentally, affecting the move of goods and services across borders.

The role of supply chain managers

This is providing a rich environment of opportunities and challenges for supply chain managers to work on. For example, some companies have been redesigning their supply management strategy and practices to ensure competitiveness while adhering to their environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.

Others constantly work towards optimizing their distribution networks in a dynamic environment to balance their objectives of cost minimization with minimizing the environmental footprint of bringing their products and services to our customers. Yet, some use supply chain analytics to understand the changing business landscape and the consequences of company decisions.

Studying our MSc Digital Supply Chain Management

At the Business school (formerly Cass), we offer a world-class education to prepare our students to tackle these complex problems. Our MSc Digital Supply Chain Management provides a good foundation on the various facets of business management from finance to marketing, exposing them to the foundations of supply chain management. We build up students quantitative skills in our supply chain analytics courses.

Next, we deep dive into the various aspects of supply chain management, whether it is procurement and supply management or supply chain finance. Finally, we invite students to hear about the latest thinking on supply chains through innovative electives or have the option utilise what you have learned, in a Business Mastery project.

We strive to provide a rich learning environment to our students, where they can merge knowledge with practice. You will have opportunities for experiential learning through the use case discussions, simulation, and other tools which prepares you for the real-world of supply chain management. We expose our students to the frontier in supply chain management thinking through our guest speakers. What a treat it is when this speaker is one of our own alumni!

Students are invited to take part in regional and global competitions, where they can meet, compete with, and learn from fellow students around the world. Our supply chain management society also allows our students to take matters in their own hand, planning and rolling out exciting initiatives that support their in-class learning experiences.

As I said at the beginning, what a time to be working in supply chain management! We are passionate about watching our students grow and supporting their journey in becoming the 21st century leader that understands the complex reality of today’s supply chains and can design solutions that help companies capture the opportunities around them as well as mitigate the risks, while at the same time having a positive impact in the world.

Interested? Find out more about MSc Digital Supply Chain Management.