UA Supply Chain Management Program Ranks Seventh Globally

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The five-year-old Supply Chain Management program at The University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Commerce is quickly making a name for itself.

A study just released ranks the UA supply chain management and logistics faculty seventh in the world in the number of articles published in logistics, supply chain management and transportation journals for the period 2005 through 2007.

The faculty ranks first in the number of articles appearing in the International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management and third most productive in articles appearing in the Journal of Business Logistics.

The study, which appears in Transportation Journal, coincides with a study released by IBM which reveals that 70 percent of supply chain executives say their number one challenge is overwhelming and fragmented data, as well as a lack of ability to make sense out of the information.

“As supply chains have become more complex, global and stressed, the executives we spoke with believe they must drive far more intelligence throughout their supply chains if they are going to anticipate, rather than react,” the study said.

Part of the supply chain management initiative at UA was the establishment of the Supply Chain Institute to promote research, education and industry outreach in the field of supply chain management.

“The tremendous growth in the academic field of supply chain management and in the manufacturing, distribution, procurement and logistics activities within the state made it imperative that the University establish a means for promoting its expertise in SCM and for capitalizing on these growing opportunities,” said Dr. Charles Sox, University Chair of Manufacturing Management and Professor of Operations Management.

The Supply Chain Institute was established by Sox and Dr. Alexander Ellinger, professor of marketing and supply chain management, to promote supply chain research activities and collaboration between faculty, students and industry. Dr. R. Glenn Richey Jr., associate professor of international marketing and supply chain management, joined the faculty in 2003.

The Transportation Journal article ranks Alabama seventh with Oklahoma and ahead of highly recognized logistics schools such as Ohio State and Penn State as well as SEC schools Auburn and Arkansas. The top-ranked program is Michigan State University, followed by the United Kingdom’s Cranfield School of Management.

The study notes that “two schools in the top ten (The University of Alabama and Imperial College of London) did not appear in the top 25 in earlier analyses.”

“I think the appearance of several non-U.S. institutions in the rankings underscores the increasing global importance of supply chain management,” Richey said. “Global supply chain management involves a multitude of countries, and it comes with a multitude of new difficulties that have to be dealt with. Our research must give serious consideration to these different elements and that research must be shared.”

Ellinger noted that the leading institution in the ranking of research productivity was an “acknowledged supply chain management powerhouse – Michigan State University with 31 research publications.” However, Ellinger said, Alabama’s 18 research publications came in ahead of other universities frequently recognized as leaders in this field like Ohio State, Penn State, Auburn University and the University of Arkansas as well as global institutions such as Lund University (Sweden), Helsinki University of Technology (Finaland) and Imperial College, London (UK).

“This ranking was particularly significant as Alabama has never even been ranked in the Top 25 in previous studies and also because Alabama has only two faculty members (Richey and Ellinger) researching in strategic logistics and supply chain management in contrast to the considerably larger faculties at Ohio State and Penn State and many of the other universities in the Top 25,” Ellinger said. “Our goal is to be one of the top five global institutions by the time the next study is conducted.”

“This recognition for research productivity puts us firmly on the map as a leading supply chain management school and follows recent recognition for the operations management program,” said Dr. J. Barry Mason, dean of the business school. “Supply chain management and operations management will continue to work toward improving the masters level joint concentration, establishing additional undergraduate options and promoting The University of Alabama Supply Chain Institute.”

The Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration was established in 1919, and, in 1929, it became the 38th school to earn admission into the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business. The excellence of the UA business school has been acknowledged on a national level. The undergraduate program is ranked 29th among public universities by U.S. News, and the Culverhouse School of Accountancy is ranked 15th among public universities by U.S. News. The graduate accounting program is ranked 15th and the undergraduate program 14th by Public Accounting Report, and the entrepreneurship program is ranked 20th.