MBA Supply Chain 101: Buy It, Make It, Move It

 

When considering a career in supply chain, it’s possible to work in any industry, so it’s best to familiarize yourself with the opportunities within this functional area. By doing advanced research, you’ll develop an understanding of the focus areas and be able to develop a clear career strategy. 

A supply chain is a process that products and services move through; it breaks down into three categories: Buy it, Make it, Move it. Below you’ll find a brief video that provides an overview, along with the primary components of each of these. 

Buy It 

  • Procurement – acquiring goods or services for an organization, using data to make informed decisions, strategic planning to review forecasting, and budget analysis.  
  • Sourcing – selecting suppliers using KPIs to vet quality, maintaining vendor relationships, and managing contracts. 

Make It  

  • Manufacturing – production of products being made, commonly found on an assembly line in a factory, with quality monitored to ensure end user satisfaction.
     
  • Operations – goal of efficiency within a company, continuous problem solving, and process improvement.   

Move It

  • Logistics – track inventory capacity, storage location, and coordinate for the mode of transportation (air, land, sea cargo).  

    Distribution – physical location of the goods, order fulfillment to the customer, packaging and documentation to load shipments.   

As a business student, it’s important to understand how multifaceted supply chains can be and how to strategize for the role you want to target within an organization. Now that you have an overview, continue to expand your knowledge of the functional career areas within the supply chain by engaging with alumni, consulting the supply chain map, reviewing the resources below, and scheduling an appointment with your Career Coach to discuss your findings and next steps.

What is Supply Chain Management?
Overview of Supply Chain Career Options
Expert Videos from Supply Chain Professionals
4 Factors that will Impact the Future Supply Chain
Supply Chain Technology Trends

Read More Here

By W. P. Carey Career Services Center
W. P. Carey Career Services Center