What Is Supply Chain Management? Arizona State University’s 12-Part Series: Part 1

“What is supply chain management?”

The question is innocent enough. I have been asked the question by new friends at a dinner party, and by my children’s friends in elementary school and high school. To a supply chain insider, it can be a challenge to answer it without getting tangled in the complexities.

I am also very keen on attracting new people into the profession because I am passionate about its worth – so I choose my words and explanation carefully.

In  a previous post, I had highly recommended a short video produced by MIT that captures the essence of supply chain management in less than three minutes. It was called “The Lemonade Stand” and you can view it by clicking on this link. It is excellent.

An equally wonderful product has been produced by Arizona State University, who take the answer to deeper levels – but in a very entertaining and articulate way. It is a series of 12 videos, each of which is less than 10 minutes long. Each video really is inspiring.

I will post each ASU video to this site over the next few weeks. I hope that you enjoy each one, and feel free to share your comments.

The following message is from Arizona State University, and I am grateful that they made these videos available for general consumption:

Part 1 of 12 – This module introduces viewers to the field of supply chain management. It describes the complex supply chain of a simple product, a bottle of water. The video also illustrates the importance of supply chain managers and their skill sets in our modern global economy for both manufacturing and service industries. In defining supply chain management, the video also hopes to educate and inspire business students, young and old, about the opportunities available to those with supply chain management degrees.

This is the first installment in Arizona State University’s twelve-part introduction to supply chain management video series. ASU, the W. P. Carey School of Business, and the Supply Chain Management Department are proud and happy to share this video series with supply chain management departments, supply chain instructors, career specialists in high schools and universities, as well as industry leaders in an effort to inspire a new generation of supply chain management professionals across the country and around the world.

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