Learning Logistics
MAE 2012 Volume: 7 Issue: 1 (February)
MAE posed the following questions to select institutions: Many servicemembers already possess significant real-world experience navigating the global supply chain. How can a degree in logistics or supply chain management complement this practical knowledge and give servicemembers the advantage they need to climb military ranks or transition to a civilian career?
Dr. Denver Tolliver
Director, Transportation & Logistics Graduate Programs
North Dakota State University
Helping servicemembers add analytical skills to their impressive arsenal of real-world supply chain experience is the key strength of North Dakota State University’s Masters of Managerial Logistics (MML) Program. The servicemembers in NDSU’s program, typically junior-level officers, often have significant experience in tactical supply chain management. However, that experience may be limited to single segments of the supply chain and is often focused on the final distribution of products. NDSU’s program takes them out of the microcosm of distribution and gives them an overall view of all the facets and inputs of the supply chain and how it works. Often it may be students’ first exposure to those other elements of the global supply chain and it is a background that is critical to subsequent military assignments or in post-military careers.
Students in the MML program tell us that servicemembers often excel at the “art” of tactical supply chain management but may lack the tools to apply “science” to their decisions. MML program courses in regression analysis, modeling and other analytical tools allow servicemembers to augment their intuitive knowledge of supply chain management with skills in analytical decision-making. Case studies show how the tools are applied in military and nonmilitary situations and expose students to emerging technology and management approaches.
These analytical skills and background in a range of transportation and logistics concepts give graduates a broader, more strategic knowledge of the global supply chain. This broader knowledge, coupled with their significant tactical experience, makes them well prepared for future assignments as well as for non-military careers.
NDSU’s program taps interdisciplinary expertise at NDSU to integrate a significant focus on transportation into the MML program. This emphasis on transportation is a critical element of the MML program because of the critical role transportation plays in the success of logistical systems. This emphasis on transportation is a program component that may not be emphasized as strongly in traditional MBA or logistics degree programs.
The MML program is a concentrated one-year course of study designed specifically for servicemembers, minimizing the amount of time they are away from active duty assignments. They return with critical skills in each of the program’s focus areas: joint logistical effectiveness, joint logistical efficiency, contract management and operational control, supply chain security, joint total asset visibility, change management, and linking logistics to operations. The curriculum reflects the Department of Defense’s goal of integrating military and private sector logistics while incorporating transportation because of its critical role in the success of logistical systems.
David Widdifield
Senior Lecturer Director, MBLE Program
Fisher College of Business
The Ohio State University
Fisher College of Business has developed the Specialized Master in Business-Logistics for the Army Reserve Medical Command’s (ARMEDCOM) soldiers. The purpose of this program is to provide ARMEDCOM’s company and field grade (O3-O5) officers, senior non-commissioned officers (grades E7-E8), and warrant officers (grades CW3-CW5) in the branches of medical services and quartermaster with a specialized master’s degree in supply chain management. In addition, select ARMEDCOM civilian personnel (grades GS11 and higher) may also be considered for attendance based on position responsibilities and supervisor recommendation. This program will allow the solider or civilian student to complete the degree in approximately 18 months and meet all U.S. Army educational requirements for promotion consideration.
Program curriculum incorporates fundamental business and supply chain management concepts and principles to ensure student success in the workplace. Students will receive instruction and be expected to demonstrate mastery of the following business management skills: accounting, finance, leadership and organizational behavior and marketing and statistical data analysis. In addition to business skills, the curriculum will provide students with a thorough understanding of supply chain management concepts in facility/warehouse design, logistics management, logistics systems analysis and design, project management and transportation management.
ARMEDCOM students successfully completing the program will develop crucial management skills necessary for the analysis, design and deployment of supply chain solutions which take advantage of market and workplace opportunities while minimizing inefficiencies and risk. Students will be well prepared for promotion opportunities in the administrative and operational areas of the medical services and quartermaster branches supporting ARMEDCOM and USAR. In addition to ARMEDCOM and USAR promotion opportunities, students will be equipped with educational skills that allow her/him to successfully obtain managerial positions in the civilian employment sector of supply chain. Potential areas of employment for students will be in the areas of engineering, logistics management, operations management and transportation management.
Dr. James Dumville, Ph.D.
Lead Faculty Member
Saint Leo University Logistics Specialization
&
Dr. B. Tim Lowder, Ph.D.
Department Chair of Business & Management
Donald R. Tapia School of Business
Saint Leo University
Many of our military personnel have gained a lot of valuable experience in managing logistics scenarios and supply chains during their military service. This experience has typically been attained in many unique types of circumstances within one large organization: the U.S. military. Although this experience may be extensive, the practitioner must remember that supply chains, whether local, national, international or global, consist of many large firms cooperating together to deliver both products and/or services from their inception, or raw material stage, all the way through to the customer. When speaking about supply chains, Herman Lay of Lay’s Potato Chips stated that “my product starts in the potato field and ends at the grocery store shelf.” Attaining thorough knowledge about the broad scale and scope of logistics and supply chain management is essential to success in the global business environment. Thus, successful logistics and supply chain management is dependent on having attained the knowledge and understanding of the many intricate relationships that exist between the integrated, diversified and independent firms comprising the supply chain. This expanded knowledge and understanding is not typically learned in the military experience because of the limited scope of scenarios encountered in military operations.
As previously mentioned, military personnel are primarily skilled in the area of military operations, which require a focus on budgetary cost controls. Military operations do not have to focus on revenue generation, which is a key component of logistics and supply chain management in the private sector. Thus, there is no experience in generating revenues while simultaneously focusing on controlling costs. Hence, the successful logistics or supply chain practitioner in the private sector must be skilled and trained in profitability. Success in this area means providing a high level of value-added product or service to the market with the goal of generating high revenues while minimizing costs. This key knowledge is typically not a part of military operations and must be attained in the private sector.
Finally, the practitioner must be aware of the vast role that information technology plays in logistics and supply chain management. For example, high levels of technology management are essential when the operational imperative is to increase throughput with low levels of inventory while maintaining short supplier lead times. This scenario only happens when a practitioner effectively uses information technology to instantaneously pass information from the buying firm to the selling firm. The fact is that our military personnel are well trained in the use of information technology specific to military operations. Thus, military personnel need to enhance their knowledge and understanding of the civilian equivalents of the military’s information technology systems. The additional knowledge and understanding of civilian operations can be attained through continuing education, which is sponsored and paid for by the U.S. military for its service men and women.
The great news is that a degree in logistics and/or supply chain management from a reputable institution of higher learning like Saint Leo University will address these key areas to help our military personnel transition to the civilian workforce. The logistics and project management specialization degrees offered by Saint Leo University cover subjects such as purchasing, inventory management, distribution management, transportation systems, quality control and project management. These key areas of knowledge and understanding will assist our military personnel in applying the skills and abilities they attained during their military service toward a great civilian job. Additionally, the degree will help the former military servicemember to establish a career in the expanding logistics, supply chain and project management fields within the civilian sector.
Gary Gittings, Ph.D.
Director
Master of Professional Studies
in Supply Chain Management
Graduate Certificate in Supply Chain Management
Penn State Smeal College of Business
and Penn State World Campus
Gaining a competitive advantage has always been important in the business world. It’s no different in the military. While businesses and the military may measure success differently, both rely on the same foundational principles of logistics, first developed in the military, to achieve their objectives. Logistics is vital to creating and managing an efficient, effective supply chain. Penn State’s Smeal College of Business has been helping businesses and the military achieve their strategic and operational logistics objectives through the college’s supply chain management and logistics education programs conducted in residence at University Park campus and online through Penn State’s World Campus.
Our approach is geared toward developing a student’s mastery of commercial best practices, problem-solving competencies and leadership skills and showing where these practices and tools have applications in the military environment. Businesses and the military have different drivers, but both share a need to reduce costs, and both can use similar tools to analyze a system, determine system tradeoffs, assess organizational culture and lead organizations through critical transformations. Our supply chain programs have been top ranked by Gartner and Supply Chain Management Review for program value, depth and scope.
Students can immediately apply what they are learning. They also benefit from the relationships they establish with fellow students while collaborating on team projects. More than 10 percent of the 141 students currently enrolled in two online programs are servicemembers from all military branches. Other students are from defense-related organizations, such as the Defense Logistics Agency and military contractors, as well as from many non-military-related industries. Most are middle managers with an average of 12 years of professional experience; many have more than 20 years of experience.
For the Marine Corps’ Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Stewart, a Penn State master’s degree in supply chain management is key to career advancement. Stewart, who previously served as commanding officer of 1st Maintenance Battalion at Camp Pendleton, is one of two Penn State Marine Corps Logistics Fellows studying at the university. Stewart, who has served in Afghanistan and Iraq, said, “We will exploit what we are learning to improve Marine Corps processes so we can do things better, smarter and more cost-effectively.”
Smeal’s online graduate certificate in supply chain management (12 credits) and Master of Professional Studies in supply chain management (30 credits) are delivered through the World Campus and offer a flexible learning environment designed for working professionals. Students in these programs can post their résumé and view job postings at Smeal’s electronic career services system. The job outlook for logistics and supply chain-related occupations is strong. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 7 percent job growth through 2018.
Smeal has a longstanding relationship with the Department of Defense to provide supply chain management programs and has worked with the Marine Corps Logistics Education Program since 1998. Smeal also conducts executive education programs for corporations and offers a bachelor’s degree in supply chain and information systems, MBA with a supply chain management concentration, Ph.D. in supply chain management, and three supply chain management executive education certificates.
Dr. John Fowler
Chair of the Supply Chain Management Department
W.P. Carey School of Business
Arizona State University
Supply chain management has become an increasingly popular subject as businesses, the military and other organizations try to learn how to keep costs down, minimize risk and streamline efficiency. In particular, the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University has a stellar career placement rate for its supply chain management graduates and its programs in the field are among the highest ranked in the nation.
Many, perhaps most, military servicemembers have gained significant real-world supply chain management experience during their careers. A degree focused on supply chain management from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University builds upon this practical knowledge by providing deeper knowledge of the basic principles and theoretical underpinnings of modern supply chain management strategies and techniques. This knowledge gives servicemembers the advantage they need to climb military ranks or transition to a civilian career.
Supply chain management involves the planning, execution and control of strategic, tactical and operational decisions that facilitate the movement of materials, services, resources and information among and within organizations. Supply chain management has three major components: supply management, operations management and logistics management. A fourth component is concerned with the coordination and management of the information of the first three components, which leads to an integrated supply chain.
The faculty of the Supply Chain Management Department at the W.P. Carey School of Business conducts leading-edge supply chain management research that advances the field and then brings the research into the classroom to advance the skills of students at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels. They also offer professional certificate programs.
The undergraduate supply chain management program is fully accredited and currently ranked fourth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The program is designed to enable students to understand all elements of the supply chain and how these elements work together to create a highly performing supply chain. All students start by taking a survey course designed to provide a foundation of understanding about how the various components work together to enable a supply chain to run efficiently and effectively. The students then take specialization courses in procurement, operations, logistics, negotiations and quality management. The information is brought together in a capstone course that integrates the knowledge gained to enable one to build efficient and effective supply chain management strategies.
ASU’s supply chain graduate program is ranked sixth by U.S. News & World Report. The highly ranked W.P. Carey MBA program offers various ways to combine a core MBA curriculum with courses in supply chain management. Options include a full-time MBA degree with a supply chain management specialization, a full-time MBA with a supply chain financial management specialization, and an evening or online MBA degree with an area of emphasis in supply chain management. A five-course online graduate supply chain management certificate provides an individual with foundational and advanced knowledge on how to tackle, resolve and manage complex problems and issues that confront supply chain managers. Finally, the ASU SCM doctoral program is a fulltime residential program for students whose career goals are full-time university research and teaching upon completion of the degree. ♦