Title: Current state of the art and science: a survey of purchasing and supply management courses and teaching approaches

Authors: Laura Birou; Heather Lutz; George A. Zsidisin

Addresses: Department of Marketing, College of Business, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816-1991, USA ' Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems, Smeal College of Business, The Pennsylvania State University, Business Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA ' Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics, School of Business, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284-4000, USA

Abstract: Purchasing and supply management (P/SM), both as a business function and academic discipline, has garnered greater status and interest in practice and academe. Universities serve a critical role in addressing the educational needs of business practice through scholarship and teaching. The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the teaching approaches and evaluation criteria of P/SM in undergraduate and MBA courses in the USA. A sample of 44 P/SM undergraduate and MBA courses representing 28 universities was obtained. A content analysis was performed on each syllabus to identify the actual course content coverage, requirements, textbooks, cases, andragogy and emphasis. The findings are designed to provide university supply chain management faculty teaching P/SM courses current information with regard to topics, teaching techniques, and evaluation processes utilised in undergraduate and graduate programs. These findings can provide faculty guidance for course content and development in their supply chain management programmes.

Keywords: purchasing and supply management; supply chain management; SCM education; higher education; teaching approaches; evaluation criteria; undergraduate courses; MBA courses; USA; United States; universities.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPM.2016.073388

International Journal of Procurement Management, 2016 Vol.9 No.1, pp.71 - 85

Received: 02 Sep 2014
Accepted: 01 Oct 2014
Published online: 01 Dec 2015 *

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