Defining Supply Chain Management

By: Jake

There are many business majors at Michigan State University. One of the most prominent business major among students is Supply Chain Management. MSU even boasts the number one supply chain program in the world. But before declaring a Supply Chain Management major do you even understand exactly what it is?

Supply Chain Management is a very broad field with many definitions. North Carolina State University published a very interesting article summarizing and giving an overview of the major which can be found here. This article offers a more in-depth look into the major after reading this post. Generally, SCM (supply chain management) is seen as the management of goods and services. This includes purchasing, moving and storage of inventory from where it started until it reaches the consumer. Many people also like to think of it as the "streamlining" of a business. Essentially it is the logistics behind how a business receives, processes, and ships goods and services. 

Among business degrees, supply chain management is the most analytical. It bases heavily on problem-solving and generally requires experience to excel in. In many ways supply chain management is similar to marketing. The key difference between the two is how SCM focuses on how to get the product to consumers where marketing primarily focuses on the ideas behind the product itself and who the product will be sold to. 


Sources:
"What is Supply Chain Management? - Supply Chain Resource Cooperative" North Carolina State University. Supply Chain Resource Cooperative | Poole College of Management | NC State University, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2017. 

Works Referenced
"Supply Chain Management - SCM." Investopedia. N.p., 22 Mar. 2016. Web. 13 Mar. 2017.