News
Marketing and supply chain management separate to allow increased focus
(March 13, 2008) - Recognizing the fundamental difference between marketing and supply chain management in terms of the academic disciplines as well as research and student hiring environments, the MSU Board of Trustees recently voted to separate the 12-year-old Marketing and Supply Chain Management Department into two independent units.
According to new Marketing Department Chair and Eli Broad Chaired University Professor of Business Roger Calantone, "The two areas of marketing and supply chain management each have distinct constituencies, and distinctive reputations need distinctive branding. The Broad School’s Supply Chain Management faculty is well established nationally in logistics, purchasing and operations, so we want to create the same emergence with the Broad marketing brand. That effort will build on marketing's current academic prominence in international marketing and product innovation."
New Supply Chain Department Chair and John H. McConnell Chair in Business Administration David J. Closs says that the supply chain faculty group values the research collaboration they have enjoyed with their marketing colleagues and will continue their close working relationships. "We will continue to build and enhance the Broad School's international reputation in supply chain and its functional components of procurement, operations, and logistics. We will also provide our marketing colleagues with whatever assistance we can as they develop a similar, autonomous presence among their peers. The focus provided by the creation of a separate department should help them shape that future."
The change, which has been discussed informally since 2004, will take place immediately.