What is Supply Chain Management?

Competition in the 21st century is increasingly less about competing firms and more about competing supply chains. Companies who can have the right product, in the right place and the right time, enjoy a higher profitability than other firms who struggle with this concept. Firms work together within their supply chains to create a higher service level for both their end customers and the members of the supply chain while at the same time controlling costs. To do this, they must work together to coordinate the distribution of resources and synchronization of the flows of materials, cash and information throughout the chain from the supplier to the end user and back again.

Import managers, inventory managers, buyers, commodity managers, and export managers can expect high five-figure to low six-figure salaries with five to eight years of work experience.

Typical jobs in supply chain management include demand planning and inventory management, logistics management, procurement management, materials management, and supplier selection and management.

If you are interested in obtaining a deeper understanding of how supply chains work in a variety of industries, consider minoring in supply chain management or majoring in supply chain management. Taught through a marketing lens, the Supply Chain Management curriculum teaches the balance of managing both the demand for goods and services and the supply of goods and services.

The Elon Supply Chain Management Major

Elon’s curriculum enables students to be good stewards of ethical and sustainable business practices when sourcing and delivering goods and services. Courses include Operations and Supply Chain Management, Marketing Channels, Logistics and Distribution, and Supply Chain Management Performance. The focus reflects an integrated business approach aligned with marketing and finance objectives.

Elon students focusing in supply chain management will:

  • Gain a base knowledge of terminology and application of supply chain management.
  • Learn how to integrate decision making tools like Excel or SAS JMP software to supplement decision making.
  • Apply knowledge of terminology, concepts and decision making tools to common supply chain management cases.
  • Understand ethical and sustainable practices for sourcing product and services.

Supply Chain Management Resources

For more information about the Supply Chain Management Focus, contact Coleman Rich, chair of the Department of Marketing and International Business, at richcole@elon.edu.

Supply Chain Management Advisory Council Members

Ajay Bhardwaj

Ajay BhardwajDirector of Planning and Logistics for Glen Raven’s Supply Chain Department

Ajay Bhardwaj is a an accomplished executive in global supply chain planning, business transformation, & global logistics. He has forty years of leadership experience in the Consumer Durables industry, initiating and executing transformational changes, evolving operational structures, and making a positive impact on top-line and bottom-line growth.

Specialties: Strategic Planning, Supply Chain Management, Project Planning,Manufacturing, Product Development, Cross-Functional Team Leadership,Leading with Vision, and Empowering People

Jacob Cunningham

Jacob CunninghamAdvisory Director for PricewaterhouseCoopers

Jacob Cunningham specializes in SAPS/4HANA Transformations and Digital Supply Chain Solutions. He has over 20 years of SAP transformation and digital supply chain planning, engineering design, and manufacturing transformation experience. His area of expertise is strategy development, process transformation, and SAP ERP technology implementations in the industrial products, chemicals, A&D, and government industries.

Specialties: Process Improvement, Certified Project Manager, Supply ChainManagement, Six Sigma, Manufacturing, ERP, SAP, Lean Manufacturing, Strategy, and Business Analysis

Lotte Fox

Lotte Fox '24

Senior Business Fellow at Elon University

Lotte Fox ’24 is pursuing a B.S.B.A. in project management and supply chain management. She participates on Elon’s Division I women’s golf team and is interning in Summer 2023 at Mars Petcare as a Supply Chain Intern.

Specialties: Communication, Strong Work Ethic, Team Leadership, ProblemSolving, Time Management, and Organization Skills

Angie Hitchings

Angie HitchingsDirector Supply Chain Architecture at Qorvo, Inc.

Specialties: Supply Chain Management, Cross-Functional Team Leadership,Semiconductors, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Process Improvement, ProductDevelopment, Inventory Management, Operations, and Team Building

Fred McClintock

Fred McClintockVice President of Bridgestone Americas

Fred McClintock is a successful Information Technology business leader with hands-on experience contributing to better individual and corporate performance by striving for customer service excellence, building effective teams, improving processes and skillfully aligning resources with corporate objectives.

Specialties: ERP, SAP, Leadership, Strategic Planning, Digital Transformation, IT Cost Optimization, Team Building, Project/Program Management, Supply Chain Management, Six Sigma, E-Commerce, Materials Management, Offshore orOutsourced Operations

Josh Quade

Josh QuadeSenior Talent Acquisition Manager at GXO Logistics.

Specialties: Human Resources, Recruiting, Talent Acquisition, Sourcing, Employee Relations

Cynthia Stanton

Cynthia StantonHead of Supply Chain Operations Ag Solutions at BASF

Cynthia Stanton is responsible for managing and optimizing demand management, supply planning, inventory management, transportation, warehousing, distribution, export and customer service teams for the North American AP business.

Specialties: Semiconductors, Cross-functional Team Leadership, Manufacturing, MRP, Strategic Planning, Six Sigma, Project Management, Supply Chain Management, Continuous Improvement, and Lean Manufacturing

Radhika Tawade

Radhika TawadeRecent Graduate of Elon University (Business Analytics and Supply Chain Management Major)

Radhika Tawade ’23 worked as a student ambassador for The Center for Organizational Analytics and was the lead student ambassador for the Student Professional Development Center. She also has experience as an Integrated Supply Chain Intern for Dow.

Specialties: Data Analytics, Programming, Working with People, Team Building, Microsoft Project, Managerial Accounting

Britt Tolar

Britt TolarPlant Manager for Johnson Controls

Britt Tolar has extensive experience in lean manufacturing, engineering, program management, cost reduction and quality in steel and rubber processing. He has direct experience with lean processes in Japan and the United States.

Specialties: Toyota Production Systems, Lean Manufacturing, Leadership,Continuous Improvement, Value Stream Mapping, Manufacturing Engineering,Process Improvement, Engineering Management

Craig Trumbo

Craig TrumboGlobal Supply Chain Manager for Syngenta Professional Solutions

Craig Trumbo is an energetic, resourceful, and results-oriented leader with diversified & entrepreneurial experience in End to End Global Supply Chain Management including Demand Management, ERP Implementation, Innovation, Strategic Sourcing, Merger & Acquisitions, Sales & Operations Planning, Manufacturing and 4PL Logistics.

Specialties: Sales and Operations Planning, Sourcing, Negotiations, Manufacturing Operations Leadership, Forecast and Demand Planning, Logistics, Salesforce, Six Sigma, Strategy

Ying Zhou

Ying ZhouQuality Manager at Oxco, Inc.

Specialties: Management, Product Development, Process Improvement, Negotiation, Continuous Improvement, Six Sigma