Chain Reaction
Amjed Shafique (MEM '04) modernizes supply-chain education in Northwestern’s MEM program.
In an energetic classroom on Northwestern's Evanston campus, students huddle around a whiteboard, debating the merits of vertical integration versus outsourcing. Less than a half-hour later, they are facing the other direction, toward their professor and fellow students, effectively communicating their supply chain plan.
This is life inside Northwestern’s Master of Engineering Management (MEM) program's Supply Chain Management course. The class, taught by Amjed Shafique (MEM '04), helps future engineers learn to navigate the complex world of global commerce.
The course has become increasingly popular since Shafique began teaching it in 2018. This year's class saw record-high enrollment, a testament to the growing recognition of supply chain’s importance in the business world.
Most people outside of supply-chain professions often only think about its importance when it breaks down. The COVID-19 pandemic showed that on a massive scale.
A 2023 EY survey of 200 senior-level supply-chain executives found that 72 percent said the pandemic had a mostly negative or significantly negative effect on their companies. These negative impacts spanned a wide array of industries and included everything from canned goods, flour, and toilet paper to cars, industrial products, and technology.
Shafique's class is designed to give students a comprehensive understanding of supply chain management, from basic concepts to advanced applications. But what sets it apart is Shafique’s emphasis on practical skills and real-world experience.
“My intention is that any student who takes my class should never be shy of speaking to any crowd,” Shafique said. “That communication ability is a must for all graduate students, especially in MEM.”
To achieve this, Shafique employs a non-traditional teaching method. Each class is divided into three parts: a lecture, small-group discussions, and student-led “teachbacks.” In these teachbacks, students present what they have learned in class to their peers, honing their communication skills in the process.
The course also features a global supply chain simulation that runs through the quarter. Student teams make decisions about product launches, inventory management, and stakeholder relations in a compressed four-year business cycle.
“It’s a very interesting simulation,” Shafique said. “This year, one of the teams actually achieved the highest overall profit margin and highest number of votes from the stakeholders. It was phenomenal to see how they actually listened to the stakeholders and modified their design.”
Beyond simulations, students work on projects tackling actual industry supply chain challenges. Recent topics included the role of adding hydrogen to future supply chains, addressing battery life in electric vehicles, and reducing food waste through advanced technologies.
Shafique's approach to teaching supply chain management reflects the field’s recently accelerated evolution. While the core concept remains simple – what he calls the SIPOC model (Supplier, Input, Process, Output, Customer) – the implementation has become increasingly complex with the advent of new technologies.
“AI is now super critical in supply chain,” Shafique said. “If you look at any technology development, there is a lot of emphasis on supply chain nowadays, and a lot of new applications are being developed for supply chain, for inventory management, risk reduction, risk mitigation, planning, and strategy.”
As the course wraps up each quarter, Shafique leaves his students with a final piece of advice that encapsulates his teaching philosophy and the ever-changing nature of supply-chain management.
“This is an introductory class, and I tell all the students that the learning does not stop here,” Shafique said. “One of the messages I leave them with is to focus on reading. Read whatever is relevant and whatever is needed. Keep going. Don't stop.”
