Supply Chain Management
Program director. Robert J. Trent, Ph.D. (Michigan State) professor of management.
Program faculty. Susan A. Sherer, Ph.D. (Pennsylvania) Kenan Professor of Information Technology Management; Mei Li, Ph.D. (Arizona State) assistant professor of management; Nada Sanders, Ph.D. (Ohio State) Iacocca Chair; Yuliang Yao, Ph.D. (Maryland) associate professor of business information systems; Zachary Zacharia, PhD. (Tennessee) assistant professor of management.
Success in today's business environment is driven by competitive advantage and profitability. Customer-focus, value added product differentiation and cost management are the elements associated with industry leaders. The Supply Chain Management undergraduate major at Lehigh University prepares students to understand and manage the processes that distinguish the successful company from its competitors.
The Supply Chain Management major equips students with the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for success in the complex business environment of the 21st Century. This program:
Provides solid exposure to supply management, logistics, business-to-business, and operations management topics.
Develops cross-functional team skills by integrating Supply Chain Management students with engineering students in the Integrated Product Development (IPD) program.
Emphasizes advanced cost analysis, negotiation, quality management and improvement, logistics network modeling and e-business.
Integrates core business courses with supply chain major courses.
Provides field study and experiential learning opportunities.
Supply Chain Management graduates will be prepared to enter industry at a level that accelerates their on-the-job learning and development. Supply Chain Management graduates typically work within four areas, each with its own set of positions and career paths:
purchasing and supply management
transportation and logistics
operations management
inventory management and control
supply chain planning
Supply Chain Management Program and Courses
For specific course descriptions please see subject area heading in this catalog. Check index for page number.
Required Major Courses (18 hours)
SCM 309 | Supply, Cost, and Risk Management (3) |
SCM 354 | Integrated Logistics and Transportation Management (3) |
BUS 211 | Integrated Product Development |
SCM 328 | Negotiations and Conflict Management (3) (cross-listed as MGT 328) |
SCM 340 | Demand and Supply Chain Planning (3) |
SCM 342 | e-Business Enterprise Applications (3) (also cross-listed as BIS 342) |
And an optional:
SCM 373 | Supply Chain Management Internship (1-3) |
Undergraduate Courses
SCM 186. Supply Chain Operations Management (3)
Introduction to managing global supply chains and operations within the context of an integrated value chain. Topics include supply chain management, total quality management, project management, demand forecasting, supply management, lean operations, aggregate planning, capacity planning, inventory management, distribution and transportation management, and performance measurement. Prerequisites: MATH 21 or 81, ECO 045.
SCM 309. Supply, Cost, and Risk Management (3)
This class presents a framework for achieving sustainable competitive advantage through progressive supply management leadership and approaches. It presents the need for supply leadership, the organizational enablers that must be in place, and the strategies and approaches that leading organizations pursue to achieve competitive advantage in price and cost, quality, delivery, cycle time, technology, flexibility, and end customer responsiveness. Special attention is given to a wide range of price, cost and risk management techniques. Prerequisites: SCM 186 or consent of the instructor.
SCM 328. Negotiations and Conflict Management(3) (cross listed as MGT 328)
This course covers the theory and processes of negotiation in a variety of settings including face-to-face, virtual and cross-cultural business environments. Students will learn negotiating skills by preparing and simulating a broad mixture of negotiations, ranging from one-on-one, to three-person, to multiparty and team negotiations. They will learn to analyze outcomes and strategies during the debriefing sessions and will have an opportunity to compare results of their negotiations to the results of other people in class.
SCM 340. Demand and Supply Chain Planning (3)
Students will learn how businesses work with other businesses to build relationships and integrate demand and supply planning activities across the supply chain to deliver value to customers. They will learn about tools and technologies enabling integration, and the critical drivers and key metrics of supply chain performance. Current readings, case studies, simulations and written assignments will be used. Prerequisite: SCM 186 or consent of instructor.
SCM 342 (BIS 342). E-Business Enterprise Applications (3)
Introduction to the implications of key information technologies used within and across businesses to conduct e-business. The course covers the functionality of various enterprise applications and their integration: customer relationship management, enterprise resource planning, supply chain management, supplier relationship management, data warehousing and mining, business intelligence, and product lifecycle management. Prerequisites: BIS 111 or consent of the instructor.
SCM 354. Integrated Logistics and Transportation Management (3)
A combined lecture, discussion, and experiential course designed to provide students (1) exposure to the fundamentals of logistics and transportation and (2) the opportunity to work in teams to manage a company’s supply chain within a strategic supply chain simulation. Students will gain hands-on-experience integrating supply chain management concepts to optimize business performance outcomes. Topics addressed include integrated logistics, transportation, warehouse management and global logistics. Prerequisites: SCM 309, SCM 340 or consent of the instructor.
Bus 211. Integrated Product Development Projects (3)
Business, engineering, and design students work in cross disciplinary teams of 46 students on marketing, financial and economic planning, economic and technical feasibility of new product concepts. Team work on industrial projects with faculty advisors. Oral presentations and written reports. Prerequisite: Junior standing in business, economics, arts or engineering.
SCM 371. Directed Readings (1-3)
Readings in various fields of supply chain management designed for the student who has a special interest in some field of supply chain management not covered by the regularly scheduled courses. Consent of the department chair. May be repeated.
SCM 372. Special Topics (1-3)
Special problems and issues in supply chain management for which no regularly scheduled course work exists. When offered as group study, coverage varies according to interests of instructor and students. Consent of the department chair. May be repeated.
SCM 373. Supply Chain Management Internship (1-3)
A sponsoring faculty member shall direct readings, projects and other assignments including a comprehensive final report in conjunction with an industry sponsored internship. The work experience itself, whether paid or unpaid, is not the basis for academic credit. Intellectual development in the context of a field study learning experience comparable to Bus 211 (Engr 211), Integrated Product Development Projects, and SCM 372, Special Topics, will be the determining factor in awarding academic credit. This course cannot be used to satisfy requirements of the Supply Chain Management major. Consent of the department chair. Prerequisite: Junior standing in the College of Business and Economics and Supply Chain Management declaration.
Supply Chain Management Minor
The Supply Chain Management minor is designed to offer students in other disciplines an opportunity to learn about supply chain topics and issues. The College of Business and Economics offers a Supply Chain Management minor to any student that has completed the following prerequisites:
ECO 1 | Principles of Economics |
ECO 045 | Statistical Methods or applicable statistics from the student's college |
The SCM minor consists of 3 courses equaling 9 credit hours
All SCM minors take the following two (2) courses:
SCM 309 | Supply, Cost, and Risk Management (3) |
SCM 354 | Integrated Logistics and Transportation Management (3) |
Plus one (1) of the following:
SCM/MGT 328 | Negotiations and Conflict Management (3) |
SCM 342 | e-Business Enterprise Applications (3) |
SCM 340 | Demand and Supply Chain Planning (3) |