College of Business launches supply chain management program
Kim Chaudoin |
Lipscomb University’s College of Business today announced the launch of a new supply chain management curriculum program in partnership with Hang Seng Management College in Hong Kong, becoming the first globally partnered program of its kind in Middle Tennessee.
“We are delighted to announce this new partnership between Lipscomb University and one of the leading supply chain management schools in Asia,” said Turney Stevens, dean of the College of Business. “We will now have the first program of this magnitude in Middle Tennessee. Our intent is to respond to what we believe is a growing opportunity to serve the manufacturers of the region. And, it is especially valuable in Nashville which is a transportation hub and the site of a great deal of logistics activity and best practices. This is another way the university has looked at the marketplace needs and growth and responded with a program that will provide professional development, training and skills to meet this community’s needs.”
This innovative new program, which officially begins in the fall semester 2013, is a new concentration in Lipscomb’s Bachelor of Business Administration degree in management. Students will study for one semester at Hang Seng Management College, located in Hong Kong, one of the largest logistics centers in the world. Students also will study for seven semesters at Lipscomb in Nashville, a growing supply chain hub in the southeast.
“We live in a world of global manufacturing and distribution,” said Andy Borchers, associate professor of management at Lipscomb. “Manufacturers have to get the right products to the right place at the right time to meet customer needs. This is an emerging area of focus for companies around the world. Connecting the best suppliers to the end customers is a key competence for many firms and a competitive necessity..”
At its essence supply chain management entails coordinating a network of interconnected businesses in moving goods and services from suppliers all the way to end customers, said Borchers.
Borchers said the study abroad component is a key component of the curriculum. As an exchange program, equal number of Lipscomb and Hang Seng students will travel to the other institution. Lipscomb students studying in Hong Kong will benefit from a rich business and cultural experience at the center of Southeast Asia. Hang Seng students will experience life at Lipscomb and study the U.S. business environment. All students at both institutions will benefit from increased diversity on their campus.
“Hong Kong is one of the major business and financial hub in the world and plays a significant role in global supply chains . Studying there will give our students the opportunity to see first hand how firms coordinate manufacturing and service operations from Asia all the way to Middle Tennessee” he said.
The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce is targeting the supply chain management industry as a key focus for economic growth in the city as part of its Partnership 2020 plan, a five-year economic development strategy for the 10-county Middle Tennessee region that was launched last year. According to the chamber’s report, “Supply chain management and logistics are primarily driven by location and cost-to-market analysis done by corporations that are constantly examining ways to more efficiently and effectively reach their customer base. Fortunately, Nashville has a central location in the heart of the U.S. population base that often aligns with corporate America’s customer base analysis. This region is unmatched for its distribution potential, and ranks as a particularly competitive location for affordable transportation costs.” Chamber officials also cited the industry’s great potential for growth and job creation potential as other reasons to focus on this aspect of the manufacturing process.
For more information contact Borchers at andy.borchers [at] lipscomb.edu or 615.966.5779.
Lipscomb University College of Business
Lipscomb University’s College of Business (COB) is committed to preparing students to navigate the business world both successfully and ethically. Though various programs, such as the Heroes of Business speaker series and award, Boardroom Briefings held by the Dean Institute for Corporate Governance and Integrity, and the first chapter nationwide of the NASBA Student Center for the Public Trust, the college has infused business ethics education into every level of its curriculum.
COB Dean Turney Stevens was named one of Ethisphere magazine’s 2009 Most Influential People in Business Ethics. The college has earned the Commitment Level in the annual Excellence in Tennessee program administered by the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNCPE). It is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) for graduate and undergraduate programs