Title: Hybrid higher education supply chain and value stream mapping design

Authors: Hind Bouhassoun; Nicolas Cheimanoff

Addresses: EMINES – School of Industrial Management, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Lot 660, Hay Moulay Rachid, 43140 Ben Guerir, Morocco ' EMINES – School of Industrial Management, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Lot 660, Hay Moulay Rachid, 43140 Ben Guerir, Morocco

Abstract: Education systems evolved in a dynamic ecosystem after the industrial revolution, in the light of the Industry 4.0 and after the recent pandemic. They are constrained by the massive need for education and job market specifications. Leaders and managers of higher education institutes (HEIs) are continuously challenged. On the strategic level, they establish the vision, build the mission, clearly define objectives, plan the activity and position their organisations on the global higher education (HE) map. The authors offer to support the decision-making process of HEIs with practices and methodologies from supply chain management. After analysing literature, HE is considered a service and the hybrid higher education supply chain and value stream mapping design (H-HESC-VSM-D) is constructed. It uncovers the current-state of a HEI and helps depict incoherence. As a managerial contribution, it offers a basis for integration, coordination and quality improvements to attain global performance and quality targets.

Keywords: higher education; supply chain; service supply chain; value stream mapping; VSM; decision-making; management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSOM.2025.149978

International Journal of Services and Operations Management, 2025 Vol.52 No.3, pp.313 - 344

Received: 25 Apr 2023
Accepted: 29 Aug 2023
Published online: 20 Nov 2025 *

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