Retail Supply Chain Management
Entrepreneurs, market researchers, managers, technology developers—all could benefit from an understanding of the retail supply chain and how consumer demands and expectations are changing.
The retail supply chain management concentration explores all parts of the retail supply chain. As a student concentrating in supply chain management in retail, you will explore changing consumer preferences, enhanced sustainability awareness, the integration of online and offline shopping, the impact of changing economic and environmental conditions, and more.
Where the Retail Supply Chain Management Concentration Will Take You
With a wide range of course topics, you gain an understanding of how retail establishments function, from human resources to the brand teams. Supply chain management courses prepare you for a variety of careers within the supply chain, including buying, merchandising, product planning and allocation, marketing, supply chain management, supply chain in retail stores, franchising, brand management, marketing research, and data analysis.
What You Will Study in Your Retail Supply Chain Management Courses
It’s similar to a supply chain major or supply chain management major, but better, as a Babson degree blends business fundamentals with a foundation in the liberal arts and sciences. Our concentrations are designed to provide you options within our bachelor's in business administration degree.
If you’re considering a bachelor’s degree in supply chain mangement or are interested in the topics such as marketing and supply chain management, our retail supply chain management concentration covers similar ground to a supply chain management degree. The concentration includes a required course in retailing management and supply chain management, and a selection of electives to enhance your education and expand your interests and opportunities.
Required Courses
Retailers lie at the end of the supply chain, interfacing with the ultimate consumer as well as with suppliers. This course appeals to students with varied interests: retailing management, suppliers to retailers (or any business selling inventory), entrepreneurs, retail services, real estate, e-commerce, and finance. You will become familiar with all of the major decisions retailers make, including developing strategies, buying, financing, and locating stores.
Supply chain management (SCM) is an integrated approach to managing the flow of goods and services, information, and financials from the raw materials to the consumer. SCM has become increasingly important to companies as a source of competitive advantage and running effective and profitable operations. As most supply chains are global and complex with many parties, changes in demand related to macro events like pandemics is presenting challenges to companies existing supply chains and raising questions about global integrated supply chain strategy.
This course is a foundational elective designed to provide students with an integrated perspective of SCM with enough specificity to understand the components and trade-offs within SCM and use data and analytics to critically assess and make good supply chain decisions.
Elective Courses
Our retail supply chain concentration offers over 20 electives, including options in marketing analytics, brand management, negotiations, and human resource management. Students will select a minimum of two electives. Explore some of the options below.
Learn about how organizations and their employees can successfully collect, evaluate, and apply information to become better decision makers. This course starts with basic concepts regarding business data needs and ends with hands-on experience using Business Intelligence (BI) tools. At the end of your study, you will be able to become an intelligent gatherer and user of data in your chosen field.
The purpose of this marketing and supply chain management course is to understand the nature and functions of marketing in a global context, specifically marketing to multiple countries simultaneously. The course will expose you to many different cultures and environments by exploring the materials in diverse national and geographical settings. You will analyze global market opportunities and develop global marketing strategies which leverage experience, knowledge, and investments across multiple countries.
This course explores the ways individuals think about and practice conflict resolution. You will have a chance to learn more about your own negotiating preferences and the consequences of the choices you make. The course requires both intensive involvement in negotiation and mediation simulations/​exercises and thoughtful application of theory through class discussion and written analysis. Class materials will reflect a variety of contexts from the workplace, including interpersonal, global, and cross-cultural interactions.
Explore the entire list of retail supply chain management courses
You Will Learn From the Best
At Babson, our faculty are experts, innovators, and forward thinkers in their chosen fields. Here are just some professors sharing their expertise and support with our students in the retail supply chain management program.
Lauren Beitelspacher
Lauren Beitelspacher’s research interests include: buyer-supplier relationships, retail management, and the retail supply chain. Her research concentrates specifically on the relationships with retailers and manufacturers, with a primary focus in the athletic, outdoor, and sporting goods industry.
Brad Johnson
Brad Johnson joined the faculty as a visiting lecturer in the fall of 2018 and teaches operations management courses. Prior to joining Babson, Johnson was Vice President at Wayfair, where he developed, launched, and managed CastleGate Fulfillment which provides order fulfillment, inventory storage and management, freight pick-up and container induction services, and guaranteed two-day and next-day delivery to customers.
Have Questions?
Faculty Contacts: Lauren Beitelspacher and Brad Johnson
Sponsoring Divisions: Marketing and Operations & Information Management
