Did you purchase anything today? If so, you played your part in the supply chain—knowingly or not. The truth is, the supply chain operates all around us, day in and day out.
And in these challenging economic times, supply chain management is becoming increasingly important to organizations as they look to well-educated supply chain professionals to help improve their competitive and financial performance.
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To that end, the College of Business Administration’s Ryder Center for Supply Chain Management and its office of Executive and Professional Education continue to enhance the Association for Operations Management (APICS) Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) program.
According to Michael Richardson (EMBA ’02), CSCP, CFPIM, and director of wholesale planning, Perry Ellis International, the program covers every aspect of supply chain management—from understanding the fundamentals to managing customer and supplier relationships as well as using information technology to enable supply chain management.
“The program now incorporates more case studies and site visits to offer the students greater insights into every aspect of supply chain management,” Richardson said. “I encourage them to discuss what’s going on in their work week in the context of the topics covered. We are boosting the relevance between course materials and actual work experiences. You could not get this kind of learning on your own.”
Richardson collaborates with Walfried Lassar, Ryder Professor and director, Ryder Center for Supply Chain Management, to continually sharpen and refine the program focus. One change: the program is now presented as a blended course.
“Students use the Blackboard Enterprise College Edition (CE) learning platform to guide them through course materials, which in turn leaves us more classroom time to delve deeper into real-world discussions,” Richardson said.
If your job touches supply chain management, this program is for you.
The program takes a broad view of the field, going beyond internal operations to encompass the entire supply chain—from suppliers, through the company, to the end user. It also probes the intricacies of supply chain systems, providing employees, employers, managers, teachers, and consultants with the knowledge and skills to understand and lead the integration of activities within these systems.
Levi Kelly, distribution manager, Coca-Cola Enterprises, took the course “to learn more about supply chain best practices and to prepare for certification.”
For Yngrid Rendahl, senior regional supply chain planner for Latin America, Covidien, the APICS coursework was completely in synch with her on-the-job responsibilities.
“Getting to share experiences with other students in class . . . that’s priceless,” she said.
Upcoming spring course offered in two convenient locations.
The course begins again in April, 2009 with classes at both the University Park and Pembroke Pines campuses. For more details and registration information, visit http://business.fiu.edu/epe/supply_chain_management.cfm.
