Supply Chain Management Major and Career Paths
The Supply Chain Management major offers equips students with wide-ranging knowledge, abilities and technological skills they need so as to secure employment in leading supply management roles. The necessary knowledge and skills extend to the higher levels of supply chain management and its functional areas including global procurement, strategic sourcing, brand management and supply chain alignment. The major solidly exposes a student to supply management, operations management, business-related marketing and logistics. Additionally, through experiential learning a student is able to understand more about supply chain management and the business environment. The knowledge and skills offered are not only limited to supply chain but integrates other fields such as marketing, accounts and finance, facilities management and information technology among many others.
Graduates in Supply Chain Management are individuals who are well prepared, competent and knowledgeable in supply chain management and sales/marketing management hence they are in high demand across industries. Students taking the course are prepared for positions such as sales and distribution managers, marketing analysts, supply management analysts, logistic manager, procurement manager and supplier relationship manager. Basically, graduates work within five key business areas that include transportation and logistics, purchasing and supply management, inventory management, operations management and supply chain planning.
A career in supply chain management is very demanding and needs an individual with good interpersonal skills, strong written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to maintain good working relationships. For one to perform better, he or she must be able to work well with and within a team. Additionally, an individual should possess an aptitude for technology and have a global outlook on business. Given that careers in supply chain management may require travel, an individual must have strong language skills and cultural understanding. A bachelor’s degree graduate in supply chain management receives an average salary of $ 72, 800 (BLS, 2012). Some of the entry-level jobs include customer service management, inventory and logistician. A person in a high level supply chain management position averages $102,000 in salary (BLS, 2012). With recent focus on SCM and many companies noticing how essential supply chain is, the field of logistics is expected to grow immensely. It is projected that employment in logistics is expected to grow by 22% between the years 2012 and 2022 (BLS, 2012). Some of the employers who commonly hire Morgan graduates in SCM include Walmart, DHL, UPS, Xerox and Unilever.
Globalization has had a major effect on the field of supply chain management. Today, the world is more connected and even the remotest parts of the world can now be reached with ease. Globalization has greatly increased the operations of companies due to the increased demand and supply of goods and services. Consequently, many jobs in supply chain management have come up creating opportunities for graduates of Supply Chain Management. The field of logistics has witnessed a massive growth with products having to reach different places on earth. Recent projections show that the field of supply chain management is the fastest growing and this can mainly be attributed to globalization. Globalization promises a brighter future for supply chain graduates as it assures them of jobs upon graduation.
Works Cited
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Outlook Handbook.” Bureau of Labor Statistics, (2012). Print.
