An efficient, agile and quick supply chain is a major prerequisite for any successful company today. As the world globalizes, product components are sourced from far away countries, and markets grow to encompass the world. Apple for instance sources its ARM processors in Texas, screens from Korea and assembles products in Asia, mainly China. Today, a supply chain is a complex system of technologies and processes that calculate real-time demand and responds immediately through a network of suppliers, employees and customers. While supply chains were once driven by products, they are today driven by customer demand. The best supply chains combine operational excellence and innovation.
An MBA in supply chain management uses a cross-disciplinary approach, covering Operations Management, Inventory Management, Quality Management, Supply Chain Technology Management, Logistics, Marketing, Strategy and MIS. People who wish to have a career in this field should be adept at critical thinking, analysis, management and strategy. They must be able to evaluate issues and solve them on a global scale. Strong financial, leadership and team playing skills are also vital.
Tasks involve choosing and developing suppliers, design and implementation of systems and processes, sourcing, effectively managing inventory, logistics, maintaining quality throughout, and strategically developing the supply chain. According to Gartner's top Supply Chains of 2011, a wide range of industries are represented, indicating the diverse employment opportunities for MBA graduates. The top 10 are Apple, Dell, P&G, Research in Motion (RIM), Amazon, Cisco Systems, Wal-Mart, McDonald's, PepsiCo and Samsung.
The Supply Chain industry hit revenues of $141 billion in 2011, increasing as much as 10.9% from 2010, according to supply chain research and consulting firm Armstrong & Associates. The industry is expected to grow by almost 10% annually for the next five years. Freight transportation arrangement is the fastest growing in this sector, expanding by 20% on average for the last 2 years.
1) MIT Sloan
MIT Sloan is a pioneer of System Dynamics, the study of how to manage systems that are extremely dynamic. The System Dynamics Group was founded in the early 1960s by Professor Jay W. Forrester. Currently, the group has three research projects - The National Model Project - for a better grasp of the U.S. economy, The System Dynamics in Education Project - a DIY workbook for learning the subject and The Improvement Paradox - Creating sustainable programs for quality improvement. The group offers 4 electives - Applications of System Dynamics, Introduction to System Dynamics, Research Seminar in System Dynamics and System Dynamics for Business Policy.
MIT Sloan's Enterprise Management Track has subjects like Supply Chain Planning, Manufacturing Systems and Supply Chain Design, Service Operations: Concepts, Design & Delivery, How to Develop Breakthrough Products & Services, Design & Marketing of New Products, Global Markets, National Policies & Competitive Advantages to Firms and International Management. These courses were designed to help students develop their skills and knowledge of Supply Chains.
The Operations Management Group emphasizes on supply chains, processes, products and services. It offers as many as 15 electives, including Case Studies in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, International Supply Chain Management, Logistics Systems, Management of Services: Concepts, Design, and Delivery, Manufacturing System and Supply Chain Design, Seminar in Operations Management and Supply Chain Planning.
For students seeking an even deeper specialization in Supply Chain Management, MIT's Leaders for Global Operations offers a 2 year dual degree that gives an MBA and a Master of Science in Engineering Systems, among others. This program started 25 years ago, and is considered one of the best courses for a career in Supply Chain Management. Only students who have a degree in computer science, engineering, biology, physics or chemistry are eligible.
2) Arizona State University (Carey)
The Arizona State University's Carey School of Business offers a diverse, three niche specializations in Supply Chain Management. The Supply Chain Management specialization combines core business knowledge with broad expertise in Supply Chain and its management. It covers all aspects of product as well as service life cycles, ranging from its design to delivery and disposal. This prepares MBA graduates in strategy, analysis, communication and leadership. The required courses include Integrated Supply Chain Management, Supply Chain Cost & Design Issues, Logistics in Supply Chain, Project Management, and Supply Management & Negotiations. The program also offers elective subjects like Decision Models for Supply Chain, New Product & Service Development and Negotiations. Students find employment in Management, Analyst, Consultant and Leadership roles.
The specialization offered in Supply Chain Financial Management covers advanced subjects in corporate risk management and teaches how to obtain efficiency and effectiveness in a company’s value chain. The focus areas are leadership, globalization, management of financial risk and communication strategies. The required courses include Valuation Techniques, Integrated Supply Chain Management, Investment Strategies, Advanced Financial Management, Cost and Design Issues, Logistics in the Supply Chain, Derivative Securities and Supply Management and Negotiations. The electives offered are Decision Models for Supply Chain, and New Product & Service Development. Students completing the course can fill roles like Management Consultant, Capital Budgeting Analyst and Financial Planning & Co Leadership Development and Rotational Programs.
The WP Carey Health Sector Supply Chain Research Consortium collaborates for the Supply Chain Management & Health Sector Management (SCM-HSM) specialization. It is aimed at developing leaders who will create patient-centric systems that will improve efficiency, sustainability and quality care. The specialization stresses on Strategic sourcing, efficient distribution, group purchasing and hi-tech delivery networks.
The required courses include Logistics in the Global Supply Chain, Operations, Planning and Execution, Project Management, Supply Management and Negotiations, Applied Project in Supply Chain Management, Healthcare Economics, and Healthcare Supply Chain. The electives can be chosen from health sector management and other MBA topics, as well as from other ASU colleges and departments like the Department of Biomedical Informatics, College of Nursing and Health Innovation, and the Mayo Clinic program in healthcare delivery. Possible career paths include Commodity Manager/Analyst, Strategic Sourcing Manager, E-Business Manager and other Supply Chain options.
3) Stanford University
Professor Hau Lee and Professor Seungjin Whang, who are pioneers in Supply Chain Management, lead the teaching team in Stanford. The Stanford Global Supply Chain Management Forum is among the leading research institutes, run in collaboration with corporates like Cisco, Google, Microsoft, Nokia AND Ryder Supply Chain Solutions. Focus areas include vertical disintegration, new information technologies, international procurements, globalization of operations & markets and the increasing pressure from customers on responsiveness & reliability. Current research includes the Stanford Initiative for the Study of Supply Responsibility (SISSCR) and Riders for Health evaluation.
Stanford provides a world-class supply chain curriculum, taught by the Graduate School of Business and the School of Engineering. The subjects offered include Business Process Design, Global Operations, Supply Chain Management & Technology, Foundations of Supply Chain Management, Seminar on Information-Based Supply Chain Management, The Supply Chain Risks of Global Sourcing, Inventory Control and Production Systems, Supply Chain Management, Global Project Coordination and Supply Chain Optimization.
4) Michigan State University (Broad)
The Michigan State University's Broad College of Business offers a Supply Chain Management concentration with its MBA program. It focuses on both traditional businesses and e-commerce, teaching students smart product production and fulfillment. The subjects on offer include Decision Support Models, Emerging topics in Supply Management, Integrated Logistics Systems, Manufacturing Design and Analysis, Procurement and Sourcing Strategy, Service Supply Chains, Supply Chain Management Technology, Sustainable Supply Chain Management, and Total Quality Management.
IBM On-demand Supply Chain Laboratory: This Supply Chain MBA Lab uses the latest technology and tools to help students simulate key relationships in supply chains, in a dynamic experimental environment.
Broad's Graduate Supply Chain Management Association is a student-led organization that improves supply chain education as well as career opportunities. It gives students exposure to leading industries, the latest practices, and the top performers in the industry.
5) Pennsylvania State University--University Park (Smeal)
The Pennsylvania State University’s Smeal College of Business has an MBA with a Supply Chain Management Concentration. This is offered by the Supply Chain and Information Systems department to help nurture managers that drive the organization's supply chain for asset utilization, customer service, profitability and systems flexibility. It covers the design and management of all sourcing, conversion, procurement and logistics activities. Students learn to integrate supply and demand management into a seamless operation aimed at profits. They also understand the critical enablers of network integration & synchronization, e-based technologies & processes, and evaluation of global network designs.
Subjects offered as part of the concentration include New Product Development, e-Biz/Marketing Strategy, Transportation in Supply Chains, Strategic Procurement, Manufacturing Strategy, Supply Chain Processes and Methods Demand Fulfillment and Supply Chain Modeling.
The Center for Supply Chain Research was founded over 20 years ago, and conducts research on both traditional and new age topics. Some of them are transportation, distribution, procurement, sustainability, human behavior modeling, low cost country sourcing and demand driven supply networks. Representative research reports include Windpower Generation: An Overview of the Industry, and Supply Chain Challenges and Supply Chain Risks: Barriers to Manufacturing in Emerging and Developing Markets.
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Winning MBA Essay Guide - A Complete Guide for M7 and Top 15 MBA Application Essays
F1GMAT's Winning MBA Essay guide will teach you how to transform your essay into a life journey with trials and tribulations that will move the admission team.
+ Over 245 Sample Essays (Read Previews of F1GMAT's Winning MBA Essay Guide Sample Essays here)
+ Top 15 MBA Programs (Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Booth, MIT, Kellogg, Yale, Haas, Darden, INSEAD, LBS, NYU Stern, Tuck, Duke Fuqua, Ross)
+ The Art of Storytelling
+ Leadership Narratives
+ Review Tips
+ Persuasion Strategies
+ The Secret to "unleashing" your unique voice
+ How to prepare and present for the Video Essay
+ How to write about your Strengths
+ How to write about your Weaknesses
+ Leadership Narratives
+ Review Tips
+ Persuasion Strategies
+ The Secret to "unleashing" your unique voice
+ How to prepare and present for the Video Essay
+ How to write about your Strengths
+ How to write about your Weaknesses
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F1GMAT's Essay Guides
Harvard MBA Essay Guide (20 Sample Essays)
Growth-Oriented Essay: Curiosity can be seen in many ways. Please share an example of how you have demonstrated curiosity and how that has influenced your growth. (up to 250 words)Example #1: Persistence Narrative
Background Information: The applicant – a design and music talent, shares her journey through several setbacks. She attributes curiosity to her growth.
Curiosity: Philosophy
Curiosity (Explained): Curiosity as a philosophy is tough to translate into a narrative unless you are from the creative industry or your contributions had an influence on a solution or an initiative.
MBA Essay Strategy: I wanted to capture the humanity of the applicant and her influence in music instead of just highlighting how she overcame multiple roadblocks to gain attention as a designer.
Theme: Persistence
Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Life Starts at NO (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)Example #2: International Community Building
Background Information: The applicant, a Machine Learning (ML) entrepreneur specializing in healthcare diagnostics, shares how his curiosity to learn other ML algorithms’ evolution in diagnosing Alzheimer’s, cancer, and heart disease transformed his platform into a global community.
MBA Essay Strategy: I wanted to show the applicant’s contributions in diagnostic from 2020 to 2024 by citing two events. Such examples build credibility instead of engagements that were recent. The evolution of the platform from an AI development community to a community for discussing the application of AI in diagnostics is captured through a ‘curiosity’ angle.
Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Growth through Collaboration (AI in Healthcare) (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)Example #3: Culture
Background Information: The applicant, an Entrepreneur from India narrates his first entrepreneurial experience – facilitating exchange of stamps in the late 1990s.
Theme: Culture
MBA Essay Strategy: Instead of addressing the biases in the investor community that could turn preachy, I wanted to focus on the applicant and his entrepreneurial journey by citing two entrepreneurial experiences – a platform(club) for stamp collection and his Grocery delivery App.
Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – The American Dream (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)Example #4: Addiction
Background Information: The applicant – a beneficiary of the foster home system, captures the sacrifice his adopted grandparents made to save him from a path of addiction. Paying it back through early intervention among teenagers and community engagement is the curiosity narrative.
Theme: Addiction
MBA Essay Strategy: My strategy is to capture a gratitude narrative in the first one-third of the essay to demonstrate motivation for starting the venture and dedicate the latter part of the essay to the unique solution
Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Drug Addiction and Gaming (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)Example #5: Scarcity
Background Information: The applicant, an education major, recognizes that 70% of all students in Kenya don’t have a computer. The curiosity that drives him to pivot from one solution to another is the growth narrative.
Theme: Innovation
MBA Essay Strategy: Often, innovation is captured with a ‘hero’ narrative where the applicant is the sole originator of an idea. I wanted to break that cliché and include a person from whom the applicant learned to use a concept called ‘scaffolding.’
Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Scarcity (Growth-Oriented HBS Essay Example)Example #6: FinTech
Background Information: The applicant captures a vulnerable moment of a beneficiary to compare his journey of side hustle before a technology giant noticed his talent. Although cryptocurrency is not a flavor for the year, capture niches where innovation is still happening.
Theme: Education, Child Welfare
MBA Essay Strategy: Empathizing with a techno solution is tough without a strong backstory around the beneficiary. For the essay, I wanted to clearly establish the beneficiary – Rami, before the applicant narrates the similarities to his journey and finally shares the solution that emerged from his curiosity.
Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – FinTech as a Tool for Good (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)Example #7: Learning from the best
Background Information: The applicant – a Remote Engineer in the Oil and Gas industry, reflects on a value that has helped her learn from the best regardless of her geographical limitations.
Theme: Learning
MBA Essay Strategy: The effectiveness of the case-study method depends on the assumption that peers in a Harvard MBA class will help elevate your learning experience. For the essay, I have highlighted the applicant’s recognition of this value proposition with three examples.
Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Learning from the Best (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)Example #8: Military & Search for IMPACT
Background Information: The most common narrative for US military applicants is to quote 9/11 and the reaction your immediate family had while watching the events unfold. The horrifying moment is captured as a motivation to join the Military. On digging deeper, most applicants would share that their motivations were diverse.
Theme: Career Choice
MBA Essay Strategy: I wanted to quickly highlight that the applicant had the choice of entering any industry. One achievement to demonstrate his curiosity that I shared in the first half is the invention of a game. Since the game is mentioned in the resume and verifiable through search, I didn’t quote the name. By clearly highlighting the person’s curiosity and career options, the family legacy is used as a factor in joining the military.
Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Career Choice after a Military Career (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)
Leadership-Focused Essay: What experiences have shaped who you are, how you invest in others, and what kind of leader you want to become? (up to 250 words)Example #9: Small Business Values
Background Information: The applicant - a second-generation Asian American, is familiar with the values of fiscal conservatism, building relationships, and understanding the daily struggles of the community through his family’s department store.
Theme: Customer-Centric
MBA Essay Strategy: The applicant’s role in developing an App for the store is highlighted in the essay at a crucial part of the narrative so that the essay is not all about his father. I have also humanized the journey – by sharing how upset the father was when the revenues fell by 40%. The essay is about the transformation in the applicant’s value from a person chasing productivity and optimization technique to someone who is truly thinking about the customers.
Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Small Business Values (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)Example #10: Breaking Away from Family Business
Background Information: A unique challenge that applicants whose parents are public figures or CXOs of businesses or entrepreneurs are the pressure to live up to the parent’s standards or milestones. For the leadership narrative, the burden of legacy is established before the narrative addresses his leadership principles.
Theme: Authenticity
MBA Essay Strategy: For the essay, I want to capture an entrepreneur’s journey to rise above his entrepreneur father’s image. But I didn’t want to make the entire essay about this complex dynamics. The narrative is around the applicant’s focus on customers and surrounding with teams who keeps him grounded.
Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Breaking Away from Family Business(Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)Example #11: Creativity and Communication
Background Information: When the overall percentage of users with internet access is 62% in South Africa and the inequality accentuated by the rural and urban divide, the applicant endured the lack of digital infrastructure, and spending close to 22% of the family income on gaining relevant information on schools, global exams, and financial assistance.
Theme: Creativity, Communication
MBA Essay Strategy: The strategy is to share why the applicant values no distraction in a child’s home for optimum education experience. Then I highlight the many roadblocks the applicant’s non-profit faced in receiving fee waiver for their cooperative run ISP.
Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Non-Profit (Telecom) (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)Example #12: Mental Health
Background Information: The applicant like most didn’t pay much attention to the mental health epidemic until tragedy hit home.
Theme: Communication, Innovation
MBA Essay Strategy: A question we frequently get from applicants is whether they should cite tragedy in the family as a motivation for a venture or a non-profit initiative. As long as you don’t linger too much on the tragedy and offer a balanced narrative, there are no restrictions on leveraging unique stories from your life.
Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Mental Health (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)Example #13: Trauma, Healing & Finding Authentic Self
Background Information: The applicant narrates the absurdity of war in the narrative about the duties in Kabul, and the trauma. Instead of wallowing in on the horror, the applicant takes what makes military applicants strong and guides unprivileged children build life and leadership skills.
Theme: Resilience
MBA Essay Strategy: Capturing PTSD in an essay, the healing process, and the cues that helped the applicant are too sacred to be shared in a Harvard MBA application essay. However, with the right motivation and narrative arcs, you can capture the essence of your journey without sharing the darkest secrets. That is what I did by merging two stories – the horrors of the war with a non-profit engagement.
Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Military & PTSD (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)Example #14: Addiction, Setback and Leadership Mantra
Background Information: In this narrative, the applicant captures Peru’s Silver mining boom of 2006. The growth experienced in her father’s business shifted the family’s economic status to a new stratosphere. Through the changing economic and family dynamics, the applicant finds her voice in a unique way, initially to record her unheard voice but later as one of the youngest subject matter experts in mining and commodities.
Theme: Failure
MBA Essay Strategy: For the essay, the strategy is to show how life’s unpredictability is a blessing. By narrating two setback events, the essay demonstrates the applicant’s resilience and her acknowledgment of people who made a comeback possible.
Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Addiction, Setback and Leadership Mantra (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)Example #15: War, Immigration and Starting Over Again
Background Information: Despite a raging war in Syria, the family of the applicant was unblemished by the chaos. The strategic government assets near the applicant’s house would have made the region an easy target, but it was not. The calmness of her journey is shattered in one event. From the privileges of a cocooned life, the applicant is forced to think about survival, her sister’s future, and her future in the US. The second half of the narrative captures the change that was forced on her.
Theme: Gratitude, Resilience
MBA Essay Strategy: I consciously chose not to start the essay with a dialogue or trauma. Two lines are allocated to set up the narrative before the trauma event.
Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – War, Immigration and Starting Over Again (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)Harvard MBA Business-Minded Essay: Please reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations and the impact you will have on the businesses, organizations, and communities you plan to serve. (up to 300 words)
Example #16: Creative or Finance
Background Information: The applicant starts the narrative with the origin of her talents. The unbridled enthusiasm receives a reality check when in high school, the applicant’s father has a conversation with her about academics. While the applicant picked up her quant skills, she was reaching over 50,000 loyal fans, and her videos captured 1 million views.
Theme: Passion, Talent
MBA Essay Strategy: Capturing vulnerability is the toughest part for Harvard MBA applicants. For this essay example, I have captured the applicant’s uncertainty about career choice throughout the essay. Here the goal is to show vulnerability in the career choice essay while for leadership and growth essay, I could capture one example each from creative and PE industry respectively to balance the narrative. So don’t follow this example without a strategy.
Read: Harvard MBA Business-Minded Essay – Creative or Finance (Business-Minded HBS MBA Essay Example)- Stanford MBA Essay Guide (24 Sample Essays)
- Columbia MBA Essay Guide (21 Sample Essays)
- Wharton MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays)
- INSEAD MBA Essay Guide (19 Sample Essays)
- Darden MBA Essay Guide (21 Sample Essays)
- Yale SOM MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays)
- Tuck MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays)
- Haas MBA Essay Guide (18 Sample Essays)
- NYU Stern MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays + 6 Examples - Visual Essay)
- LBS MBA Essay Guide (6 Sample Essays)
- MIT Sloan MBA Essay Guide (6 Sample Cover Letters + 3 Sample Video Statement Scripts + 3 Sample Optional Essays)
- Kellogg MBA Essay Guide (11 Sample Essays)
- Chicago Booth MBA Essay Guide (12 Sample Essays)
- Ross MBA Essay Guide (31 Sample Essays)
- Duke Fuqua MBA Essay Guide (10 Sample Essays + Two 25 Random Things Samples)
- Cambridge MBA Essay Guide (12 Sample Essays)
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