New MBA Concentration Focuses on Global Supply Chain and IT

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Training managers to lead in the information-based global economy is the goal of the University at Buffalo School of Management's new MBA concentration in Global Services and Supply Management (GSSM).

Drawing on the school's international focus and academic strengths, the GSSM curriculum will address rapidly emerging service, supply and information technology issues that are the result of an increasingly worldwide business model.

"While many of our peer schools have initiated similar programs, ours is unique because it combines information systems with supply chain management within a global perspective," said John M. Thomas, dean of the School of Management.

In addition to the MBA core curriculum, students in the GSSM option will take classes in several interrelated areas, including management of globally distributed services, technology management and e-business, manufacturing planning and control, and supply chains and global operations.

Nallan Suresh, chair and professor of operations management and strategy, and Rajiv Kishore, associate professor of management science and systems, are co-directors of the GSSM option in the UB School of Management.

According to Suresh and Kishore, BusinessWeek has estimated that companies outsourced approximately $546 billion in 2005 in various functional areas, including manufacturing, IT services and IT-enabled services, such as logistics and procurement, human resources and customer care.

In recognition of this growing trend, the integrated and focused GSSM curriculum will help students develop leading-edge skills for managing globally dispersed IT-enabled services and supply chains in an increasingly flattening world.

Students choosing the GSSM option will be prepared to take management positions in the rapidly growing international fields of worldwide IT services, business process outsourcing and manufacturing. For more information on the Global Services and Supply Management MBA option, contact the School of Management at 716-645-3222 or visit http://mgt.buffalo.edu/mba.

The Wall Street Journal ranks the UB School of Management 9th in the nation among schools with strong regional recruiting bases. In addition, BusinessWeek ranks the school as one of the country's top 5 business schools for the fastest return on MBA investment, and Forbes cites it as one of the best business schools in the U.S. for the return on investment it provides MBA graduates.

For more information about the UB School of Management, visit http://mgt.buffalo.edu.