It is sometimes argued that "one can discern the quality of a company from the quality of its supply chain".  This statement does indeed have a measure of cogency when one correlates the performance of the most successful global brands, with the level of sophistication of their supply chains, as well as the quality of their logistics management.  The AIU Global Supply Chain Management (GSCM) program is highly relevant to modern business in Kuwait as it emphasizes the importance of ensuring that materials and goods arrive on-time, in the right quantities and in a cost-effective manner. 

The AIU Global Supply Chain Management concentration, within the BS Business program, prepares graduates for procurement, logistics and supply chain management roles in companies locally in Kuwait, regionally in the Gulf and internationally.  Students on the program learn the principles of modern supply chain and logistics management and are expected to be able to competently manage the logistics function within global supply chains.  They learn about the design, planning, control, and improvement of supply chains to allow more effective competition in the context of global operations.  They are taught how global organizations achieve supply chain integration, develop strategic alliances, and ensure sustainable logistics. 

Whilst on the AIU Global Supply Chain Management program, students learn the basics of supplier management, forecasting and planning issues, procurement and sourcing strategies, as well as the value of information sharing in managing global supply chains.  The program teaches the composition of a range of supply-chain related performance metrics and looks at how these GSCM metrics help gauge status, efficiency and stakeholder satisfaction.  Learners are schooled on salient aspects of global supply chain sourcing, operations and distribution, as well as the use of techniques such as focused factories, centralized inventories and postponement, to mitigate problems with the logistics of global supply chains.

At various stages of the AIU Global Supply Chain Management program, the courses review inventory management concepts, and discuss inventory triggers, as well as a range of inventory/lead-time related metrics used for global supply chain management.  The program deals with the types of planning and trade-offs that are involved when setting up and operating warehouses within the global supply chain.  Instructor-led lecture sessions review the costs associated with operating warehouses, as well as approaches to modelling warehouse network configurations, intermodal transportation networks, and general location planning for enhanced operational efficiency. 

The AIU GSCM program additionally teaches a range of techniques for enhancing the operational efficiency of warehouses, particularly when working with large supply chains and complex logistics requirements, including practical warehouse design for maximal cube utilization and stock location optimization.  The courses on the program also consider strategic and tactical issues for Global Warehouse Operations using In-House or Third-Party Logistic Providers (3PLs), an increasingly common feature of the logistics and supply chain management landscape in Kuwait. 

To keep pace with modern trends, contemporary aspects of the AIU program review current and future use of information technology in global supply chain management and logistics operations.  The program discusses the use ERPs, IoT, Blockchain,  Autonomous/Smart Vehicles & Drones,  A.I., Machine Learning and Big-Data Analytics Systems, as well as the use of Automated Warehouses, UAVs & Robots in global SCM systems. 

The AIU BS-Business Global Supply Chain Management program is delivered in an applied manner, by experienced and expert instructors, with numerous contextualizing case studies and simulations, supported by the use of modern supply chain management software and computer-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. 

- Dr. Anthony Ayoola