Revolutionizing Global Logistics: The Power of Supply Chain Management Education
People all over the world still remember the hardships that they faced during the Covid-19 pandemic. This was the biggest disruption mankind faced in the recent past. The pandemic disrupted the supply chains due to which there was an acute shortage of essential goods, healthcare products, medicines, fruits, vegetables and other items required for our day to day needs. During the pandemic, on the one hand, the demand for these items was soaring; on the other hand, there was a critical shortage of supplies. The pandemic is just one example of a large-scale disruption. Other frequently occurring disruptive events are natural calamities, changes in regulatory norms, wars between nations, trade wars, and cyber-attacks, to name just a few. Each of these events has the potential to create a gaping hole between demand and supply, and this is also the time organisations seek expert knowledge of logistics and supply chain management professionals.
It is important at this point to understand the critical role that the supply chain professionals play in organising the uninterrupted supply of all types of goods which are essential to cater to our daily needs. Organisations now have a choice of sourcing their raw materials, consumables and machinery from any part of the world. Similarly, they can sell their goods in the overseas market. An Indian company can no longer afford to confine its business operations only to India. If they do so, they would lose their cost competitiveness, and may not be able to compete in the market with their domestic and overseas competitors. To manage their global operations, companies need expertise in demand forecasting, global sourcing, transportation, warehousing, inventory planning and supply chain network design. SP Jain Global’s Master of Global Business (MGB) program offers specialisation in Global Logistics and Supply Chain Management which trains the participants in the critical skills required for conducting successful global operations. The curriculum is designed to impart technical as well as soft skills required for such operations.
As a part of this multi-city program, the students get an opportunity to learn from distinguished faculty from across the world. They have a choice to spend one term each in SP Jain Global’s Singapore, Sydney and Dubai campuses. Each of these overseas campuses is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities where students are exposed to in-class and out-of-class learning experiences. In Term 1 and Term 2 of this program, students undertake an International Business Research project on a logistics and supply chain management-related topic. The students are mentored by an expert faculty right from helping with choosing a research topic aligned with their area of interest to the successful completion of the project. In Term 3, the students work in groups on a project assigned to them by a company. In this project, the students apply their technical skills to solve a real-life problem for the company. Help and guidance are provided by the industry mentor and the academic mentor to the students to ensure that all the research and learning objectives are met.
Industrial visits are organised at each location for the students to understand warehouse operations where they can see the automated material handling, storage and other equipment in action. During the port visits, the students can see the port operations to understand the shipment procedures and documentation better. There are also ample opportunities for the students to meet and interact with industry experts in the area of their specialisation. Such interactions enrich the students in terms of knowledge and skill development.
The strategic locations of SP Jain Global campuses offer a distinct advantage to the students. Dubai and Singapore, being the important logistics hubs in Asia, offer a unique opportunity for the students to be a part of logistics and supply chain communities at these locations. The students get exposure in terms of participating in Supply Chain conclaves, related conferences and exhibitions and meeting industry experts. SP Jain Global’s MGB program is a unique opportunity for fresh graduates and aspirants who want a power-packed start to their professional journey to get an immersive learning experience in Asia’s leading business hubs.
Dr Rajiv Aserkar
Professor and Head, Logistics and Supply Chain Management
SP Jain School of Global Management
