Supply Chain Basics with Jason Miller

Jason Miller and Joe Lynch discuss supply chain basics. Jason is a professor of supply chain at Michigan State University, which is ranked as one of the top supply chain schools in the world.


About Jason Miller

Jason Miller (PhD The Ohio State University) is a tenured Associate Professor of Logistics and the John D. and Dortha J. Withrow Endowed Emerging Scholar at Michigan State University’s Eli Broad College of Business. His primary research stream examines firms’ logistics operations, with an emphasis on studying motor carrier safety, productivity, pricing dynamics, and driver turnover. Jason has been recognized with multiple awards for research and teaching. He was recognized as the undergraduate faculty member who had the greatest impact on students based on the 2017 graduating senior survey. The website Poets & Quants has recognized him as one of the top 40 undergraduate professors. Click here to see Jason’s profile on MSU’s website

About Michigan State University, Department of Supply Chain Management

Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan. MSU was founded in 1855. Today, MSU is one of the largest universities in the United States and has approximately 634,300 living alumni worldwide. MSU’s Department of Supply Chain Management is the consistently ranked as the top supply chain management school in the country. The department educates students to succeed in careers such as procurement, manufacturing, inventory management, warehousing, transportation, and customer service. Students graduate with foundational knowledge across all areas of SCM, positioning them to work in multiple capacities for the top global companies. The business world views Broad’s graduates and faculty as the voice of the SCM field.

Key Takeaways – Supply Chain Basics

Supply Chain Definition

  • A supply chain is a system of organizations, people, activities, information, and resources involved in supplying a product or service to a consumer. Supply chain activities involve the transformation of natural resources, raw materials, and components into a finished product that is delivered to the end customer.

The Three Main Supply Chain Functions

  • Sourcing
    • Supplier development
    • Supplier selection
    • Supplier relationships
    • Scorecards
    • Negotiations
    • Commodities
  • Operations
    • Manufacturing strategies
    • New product development
    • Quality
    • Project management
    • Forecasting
    • Production scheduling
    • Service design
    • Voice of the customer
  • Logistics
    • Transportation
    • Carrier management
    • Distribution design
    • Channel selection
    • Warehousing
    • Inventory management
    • Technology

Learn More About Supply Chain Basics

Jason Miller

MSU Supply Chain Management Program

The Logistics of Logistics Podcast