Supply Chain and Logistics Management
The Supply Chain and Logistics Management (SCLM) major is designed to equip students with the skill sets necessary for successful careers in supply chain-related fields. As SCLM professionals have more seminal roles in competitive strategy, it is important for business leaders to have a strong appreciation for and understanding of the mechanics of SCLM and the resulting impact on organizational performance. The SCLM major is consistent with the current USA Strategic Plan, with respect to program development, industry partnerships, and research.
SCM embraces the full range of processes required to get good and services from vendors and to deliver finished products to customers worldwide. The concentration highlights the management of activities from sourcing/procurement, conversion into finished goods, and related logistics. The area encompasses the coordination and collaboration with all channel partners namely suppliers, intermediaries, third party service providers, and customers. The SCM Concentration prepares students for entry-level jobs in logistics, transportation, warehousing and distribution, purchasing/procurement, port management, supply management, demand management, and customer service.
Supply chain and logistics management employment opportunities are wide and varied. The following represents a small sampling of the specific types of jobs available to program graduates (based on a general review, as well as a specific review of positions secured by Mitchell College of Business graduates): procurement specialists; sourcing analysts; materials manager; sourcing commodity specialists; logistics customer service; transportation sourcing specialists; material coordinator; operations manager; inventory control; production scheduling; warehouse manager; logistics analysts; and quality manager.
Upon completion of the BSBA degree program in SCLM, students will be prepared to enter general MBA programs, as well as specialized programs in supply chain management, logistics management, production and operations management, distribution management, transportation, marketing, and related areas.
The need for these skill sets is particularly acute in this region, given Mobile’s role as the ‘Port City,’ with ever-evolving logistics, transportation, purchasing, warehousing, and supply chain-related opportunities and challenges.
At least ten percent or more of the Mobile regional economy is driven by supply chain-related functions – procurement/supply, logistics, distribution, retailing, and port activity. As this sector of the regional economy expands with organizations like Austal, Airbus, Amazon, and a host of small- and medium-sized firms, along with major expansions at the Alabama Port Authority, the demand for supply chain management and logistics talent is heightening annually.
