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The purpose of this paper is to explore the evolving nature of supply chain management customised executive education over the past decade and present a conceptual framework for curriculum development and design.

The paper adopts a combination of methods utilising both in‐depth interviews with academics and practitioners and a single longitudinal case study based on records of 197 customised executive education programmes delivered since 2000.

The findings show that the needs of practitioners have evolved from acquiring competency‐based training to obtaining support for wider strategy deployment and change management programmes within organisations. Moreover, the design and delivery of programmes have developed over the period considering the requirements for experiential learning, project work involving deeper faculty engagement, pre‐ and post‐course project activity, supported by internet‐based learning portals.

The authors' research provides evidence that the nature of supply chain executive education has changed and that further research is needed to explore the implications for the delivery of programmes.

The adoption of the framework will provide course directors and programme managers involved in supply chain management executive education with insights for successful design and execution of programmes. Similarly, the framework can support decision‐making processes conducted by organisations commissioning customised executive education programs.

Although there is a body of research relating to curriculum development and design generally, there is little empirical research focusing on supply chain management executive education.

Motivated by a lack of studies in graduate level supply chain education, this research aims to explore trends in supply chain‐related graduate programmes in Europe and to propose a framework for designing such programmes.

The authors determine “knowledge” and “skills” areas applicable to supply chain management (SCM) education and analyse supply chain‐related graduate programmes published by the European Logistics Association in 2004. They revisit the same programmes in 2011 to determine the recent situation and the trends. The authors use cluster analysis to reveal the similarities and differences among these programmes.

The authors find two distinct clusters: focused and diversified. Focused programmes offer modules in knowledge and skills areas apart from SCM at a negligible level and place more emphasis on SCM in 2011 when compared to 2004. Diversified programmes show a similar increase in the emphasis on SCM with more variety in the knowledge and skills areas.

The authors' findings are based on SCM programmes delivered in Europe and over two discrete time periods. Future research should seek to extend this analysis to other continents with larger samples and incorporate the industry perspective to determine the potential gap between what programmes offer and what industry requires.

SCM‐related graduate programmes continue to redefine themselves. Clustering predominantly serves the universities in re‐assessing and re‐engineering their programmes, helps prospective graduates in their selection process and assists managers in their recruitment practices.

This paper establishes a baseline for assessing SCM‐related graduate programmes with respect to the knowledge and skills they offer and introduces a framework that may serve as a starting point for the design and positioning of such programmes.

The purpose of this paper is to implement the philosophy of supply chain management in the current higher education environment so as to suggest innovative management ideas in higher education management.

This paper conducted an in‐depth case study approach in a university. This study follows Yin's approach to interview the personnel of a supply chain department and collected the university documents.

The study identified three supply chains of the university, i.e. commodity, special requested and outsourcing supply chains. Rearrangements of the existing supply chain are suggested to further improve the efficiency and effectiveness of higher education.

This research, which used a case study approach to examine a university, affects the research generalization. This research, which qualitatively reviewed the supply chain management in a university, failed to obtain objective instruments of the supply chain performance in the university.

Two innovative ideas for managing the supply chain in the higher education environment are explored. The findings provide interesting and innovative ways for the manager in the education section to review their works.

From an academic perspective, this research may be an innovative way to implement the latest business management philosophy into the higher education environment. This connects education management with general business management. From a managerial perspective, this research provides education management a new way to understand how supply chain management impacts on the performance of a university. It also identifies unanswered questions for further study.

This paper aims to provide the results of a survey of courses dedicated to the field of supply chain management in higher education. This research is unique because it represents the first large-scale study of graduate supply chain management courses taught at universities globally.

Content analysis was performed on each syllabus to identify the actual course content: requirements, pedagogy and content emphasis. This aggregated information was used to compare historical research findings in this area, with the current skills identified as important for career success. This data provides input for a gap analysis between offerings in higher education and those needs identified by practitioners.

Data gathering efforts yielded a sample of 112 graduate courses representing 61 schools across the world. The aggregate number of topics covered in graduate courses totaled 114. The primary evaluation techniques include exams, projects and homework. Details regarding content and assessment techniques are provided along with a gap analysis between the supply chain management course content and the needs identified by APICS Supply Chain Manager Competency Model (2014).

The goal is to use this data as a means of continuous improvement in the quality and value of the educational experience on a longitudinal basis. The findings are designed to foster information sharing and provide data for benchmarking efforts in the development of supply chain management courses and curricula in academia, as well as training, development and recruitment efforts by professionals in the field of supply chain management.

The field of supply chain management (SCM) evolves dramatically due to factors of globalization, innovation, sustainability, and technology. These changes raise challenges not only to higher education institutions, but also to students, employing organizations, and third parties like SCM-related professional bodies. To understand the challenge, the purpose of this paper is to examine the gap between demand and supply of SCM-related knowledge areas, answer-related design questions, and make recommendations to close the gaps.

To compare the demand and supply of SCM-related knowledge areas, demand data is collected from a professional career website and supply data is gathered from operations management (OM) and SCM course syllabi from AACSB-accredited business schools in the USA. Cluster analysis identifies how supply and demand are matched on the data collected.

First, gaps exist between SCM talent requirements from industry and the knowledge/skill training by US business schools. This paper identifies matching, under-supplying, and over-supplying knowledge areas. Under-supply in emerging areas such as SCM information technology and certain logistics management topics are found. Some traditional OM topics are over-supplied due to out-of-date industry applications and should be revised to reflect the field’s transition from an OM to SCM view. Last, this paper makes recommendations to different stakeholders in this matching supply with demand process.

This study contributes to the literature in two ways. First, it provides an up-to-date understanding on demand and supply of SCM talent in USA. Second, it provides insights and recommendations not only to educators on curriculum design, but also to potential candidates interested in SCM careers, to companies’ job recruiters, and to professional organizations (such as APICS and Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals) to reduce the gaps between demand and supply.

Consultancies provide a beneficial teaching tool in linking industry with supply chain education. With the scarcity of supply chain talent and real life experience, there is a real interest in using consultancy modules to bring the two worlds closer. This research paper aims to explore the challenges faced by key stakeholders (clients, lecturers and students) who participate in a supply chain management (SCM) consultancy module.

Case study methodology is used to describe the challenges faced by the stakeholders in running a SCM consultancy module. Using the existing literature on consultancy module challenges as a point of departure, this paper explores these challenges within a SCM consultancy module. A triangulated research approach allowed capturing the views of the key stakeholders.

The findings confirmed that the case entailed all initial 13 challenges faced by key stakeholders, as well as four more challenges (health and safety risks; expertise assessment; depicting supply chain management boundaries; and SCM consultancy skills) which were relevant to the SCM field.

The paper offers an insight into the challenges of teaching a supply chain management consultancy module and addresses the issues for academics to bridge the divide between theory and practice.

This paper assists supply chain educators in consultancy module development and helps companies willing to participate in such modules prepare for the challenges that they will encounter. It also contributes to debate on SCM difficulties in building business‐university collaboration.

Consultancy challenges observed in higher education have been based on individual cases and mainly covered in the marketing literature. This paper is the first case study that depicts all consultancy module challenges faced by key stakeholders and within the supply chain management subject; it highlights some subject relevant challenges for supply chain educators.

The growing scale and scope of the supply chain requires a greater understanding of the broader supply chain skills picture. This study aims to assess the supply chain skills needs within the context of a UK-based higher education institution involving graduates, academics and employers to appreciate the graduate skills demands of modern supply chains.

A mixed methods study entailing in-depth interviews with academics followed by a questionnaire distributed to graduates and employers has been designed and utilised.

The findings indicate that the changing supply chain scope encourages the requisition and development of different supply chain skills with varied levels of emphases in relation to 25 skills identified in the literature. Key graduate skills needs are highlighted, including time management, collaborative learning, teamwork and problem solving, with the addition of two supply chain skill areas, namely specialist training and the understanding and application of regulations. The findings of the current study present a limited emphasis on information technology (IT) skills, despite the significant IT advancements and changes in supply chains.

The study has been carried out in a UK university delivering undergraduate supply chain management courses. It would be beneficial to test whether the findings are exemplary across other supply chain courses and to investigate the integration of these skills within the supply chain syllabus and how employers, graduates and academic parties could actively engage in developing the agenda for future supply chain skills needs.

This research paper highlights the gaps in supply chain skills, which inevitably puts considerable pressure on operatives and managers whose responsibility it is to ensure compliance with regulations and professional bodies.

This paper contributes to the supply chain skills discussion and reports subject relevant challenges for supply chain educators by engaging three key stakeholders – graduate employers, graduates and academics. The findings have generated additional supply chain skills to the academic literature, in addition to providing an understanding of the weighting of skills in terms of their importance and application to industry needs.

The logistics and supply chain management discipline has evolved dramatically over the past generation. The rapid pace of change has challenged education providers – e.g., universities, professional associations, and publications – to remain relevant to various stakeholders. Relying on an open systems design perspective, the purpose of this paper is to assess how well organizations use constrained resources (personnel, dollars, time, etc.) to meet customers’ educational needs.

To examine how well educational providers are meeting stakeholder goals, universities, associations, and publications are examined across time by multiple surveys to determine if they are keeping pace in the changing business world.

The paper identifies two gaps. First, stakeholders report a growing gap between the offerings of existing education providers and their educational needs. Second, the gap between academic and practitioner perceptions is growing. Importantly, some organizations and universities are doing a better job of responding to changing educational requirements. Finally, a shift to SCM is further complicating the educational process.

This study makes two primary contributions. First, it identifies important changes in the logistics and supply chain education market. Second, it provides updated rankings of the perceptions of academics and practitioners regarding three education providers: professional organizations, universities, and publications. This insight enables logistics and supply chain thought leaders to evaluate how they can enhance education resources and thus remain relevant in a rapidly changing and increasingly tumultuous marketplace.

The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, it describes the general characteristics of studies on logistics and supply chain education (L&SCE). Second, it classifies identified papers on the basis of their main research methods and issues. Finally, it proposes some meaningful directions for future research.

Seventy-three papers published since 2000 in international peer-reviewed journals were reviewed using a systematic review methodology. The collected papers were analyzed and classified on the basis of research methods and issues.

It was found that most papers on L&SCE were published in journals in the logistics and supply chain management field and were conducted by either a single or mixed-method approach. The survey-based approach was the most preferred method. The contribution of this study is twofold. First, the identification of the five competencies and 49 skills required of logistics and supply chain talents was performed along with the analysis of the 42 courses and the teaching methods. Second, this study revealed some important aspects that have received inadequate attention in the literature and proposed potential research directions.

This paper provides academics and practitioners alike with a guide to extant literature. The proposed framework of the competencies and skills required of talents could be a guide to develop competence in both students and employees. The summary of the curriculum and the matrix of relationships between the relevant courses and competencies can be used by educators to improve L&SCE. Finally, the proposed research directions are meaningful for academics.

With today's increasing globalization and associated growing demand for talented supply chain managers, human resource management (HRM) in supply chain management (SCM) has emerged as a top priority for firms. However, a thorough analysis of HRM issues in SCM research has not been made so far. To address this gap this paper provides a systematic and comprehensive literature review. The purpose of this paper is threefold: to analyze HRM/SCM issues published in leading SCM journals, to identify different HRM research streams in the SCM literature and to propose areas for future research.

This paper employs a systematic literature review methodology. The selected journal articles are categorized on the basis of an analytical framework that contains seven HRM/SCM research streams derived from the extant literature.

The systematic literature review indicates a growing focus on HRM/SCM issues in recent years, a trend that is predicted to continue. Additionally, the study findings show that research has primarily emphasized certain popular categories while other crucial ones lack analysis.

This paper presents a structured overview of 109 peer-reviewed articles published in leading academic journals from 1998 to 2014. The review structures extant HRM/SCM literature and highlights its critical importance in SCM research. Topical gaps in the literature are identified as areas for future research.