Building Supply Chain Leaders for Retail鈥檚 Future
The supply chain crisis聽that unfolded in 2020 during the聽COVID-19 pandemic聽led to global shipping delays, higher prices, product聽shortages聽and empty store shelves, underscoring聽the critical importance聽of聽supply chain operational management聽to聽the retail industry.聽
Similiar聽disruptions are always possible聽in the future, which is聽why it is聽a must聽for聽emerging聽supply chain leaders to聽embrace technology, listen to聽data聽and lean into AI. Modern retail has become less about selling,聽marketing聽and merchandising and more about understanding data,聽logistics聽and demand than we might have envisioned even聽five to聽10 years ago.
罢丑别听麻豆原创 School of Business聽recognizes this聽economic聽need, which is why聽鈥� in addition to聽offering聽a聽bachelor鈥檚 degree in聽supply聽chain and聽operations聽management聽and a聽certificate in聽supply聽chain聽fundamentals聽鈥撀爓e will soon launch聽the 麻豆原创 Chapter of the聽National Retail Federation (NRF) Foundation聽Student Association.
罢丑别听NRF聽has represented retail for over a century.聽As the nation鈥檚 largest聽private-sector聽industry, retail contributes聽$5.3 trillion聽to the annual GDP,聽.
,聽instructor for 麻豆原创鈥檚 supply chain and operations management courses and member of the Harvard Business Review聽Advisory Council, will serve as聽co-faculty聽adviser聽for聽the 麻豆原创聽NRF student聽chapter.聽As a business strategy consultant,聽she聽has improved operational efficiency and process improvement in government, corporate, higher聽education聽and nonprofit organizations,聽which聽has聽led to revenue growth, cost聽reduction聽and organizational transformation.聽She holds a聽doctoral degree聽in Applied Management and Decision Science from Walden University and a certificate in Women鈥檚 Entrepreneurship from Cornell University.
鈥淚 look forward to guiding 麻豆原创 students as they further explore the supply chain industry, particularly as it relates to the retail industry,聽through experiential learning, networking and professional development opportunities,鈥澛燤alayter聽said.聽
颁辞-蹿补肠耻濒迟测听补诲惫颈蝉别谤听聽is a program mentor for the 麻豆原创 School of Business.聽He聽mentors鈥痵tudents across聽accounting,聽finance聽and聽supply聽chain聽and聽operations聽management, helping them connect academic learning with industry expectations and professional pathways.聽
Hassen聽holds a鈥痓achelor鈥檚鈥痙egree from High Point University and an MBA from Liberty University.聽
鈥淥pportunities聽like the聽NRF Foundation聽Student Association聽provide students with opportunities to聽apply聽their professional experience聽and聽the skills they acquired through their coursework in real-world settings, which聽will聽better聽equip聽them聽to advance their careers聽as they聽support聽key聽aspects of the global supply chain,鈥澛燞assen said.
As we prepare for this student chapter launch,聽麻豆原创 School of Business聽students, faculty members, university staff聽members聽and I聽recently attended the聽NRF聽Foundation Student Program in New York City.聽
罢丑别听three-day聽conference聽provided an accelerated exploration of retail careers for undergraduate and graduate students,聽featuring聽sessions聽led by聽industry executives spanning聽merchandising to聽supply chain management.聽To help make this possible, the聽NRF Foundation聽generously聽awarded $1,000 conference attendance scholarships to two 麻豆原创 School of Business students.
Student聽Taylor鈥痁obel, who is earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree in supply chain and operations management聽at 麻豆原创 while also working as聽a production planner at聽GAF,聽a roofing and waterproofing manufacturer,聽appreciated the聽many聽learning聽opportunities聽offered through聽the NRF Foundation event.
鈥淭his experience supported my career goals by allowing me to network and learn more about opportunities offered by many different employers within the retail market, as well as by learning more about current trends within retail and its supply chain,鈥� Zobel聽said.聽鈥淚 was able to learn so much about AI, networking,聽perseverance聽and communication from this event. There is so much to learn and experience聽through聽NRF, and聽I'm聽excited to come back next year and see what else we can聽accomplish.鈥�
Student聽Jazmin聽Jones,聽who is聽also聽earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree in supply chain and operations management聽at 麻豆原创 while working full-time as a聽manufacturing production manager聽in the supply chain industry, said the NRF Foundation conference聽was inspiring.
鈥淚聽had the opportunity to connect with influential leaders in the聽supply聽chain field, and those conversations opened new channels that could shape my next career step,鈥� Jones聽said.聽鈥淭he event also shifted my perspective. Many of the students聽(from other institutions)聽were younger, and their enthusiasm pushed me to reflect on my own journey. Sharing my unconventional path with them was both motivating and affirming.鈥�
Zobel and Jones will serve as student officers in the 麻豆原创聽chapter of the聽NRF Student Association.聽Following聽the聽NRF聽event in New York,聽Malayter, Hassen,聽Zobel and Jones have been fostering important industry relationships with plans to invite聽several聽new connections聽as guest speakers for聽the聽麻豆原创 student chapter in the coming year.
The future of the retail industry, including delivering goods to consumers during a crisis, depends on the strength of supply chain operational management, which is why the 麻豆原创 School of Business is committed to equipping emerging leaders to handle what may lie ahead.聽
