Collection Development Statement
Supply Chain and Information Systems
Principal Selector
Diane Zabel
Benzak Business Librarian
309 Paterno Library
Secondary Selectors
Gary White
Head, Schreyer Business Library
309 Paterno Library
Daniel Hickey
Business/IST Librarian
309 Paterno Library
Kevin Harwell
Business Librarian
309 Paterno Library
Fund
MGMTORG (a fund that also supports two other programs: 1) Management and, 2) Quality and Manufacturing Management)
General Statement
This field is concerned with the sourcing and procurement of raw materials, the production and delivery of goods and services, and customer service. Information technology is integrated throughout these processes in order to achieve efficiencies and improve responsiveness. Specifically, “Supply Chain and Information Systems (SC & IS) is a boundary-spanning field of supply chain networks, which organizations use to acquire, produce, and deliver goods and service all over the world. . . [it] integrates source (strategic procurement and supply management), make (manufacturing and service operations), deliver (demand fulfillment), and return (reverse logistics, recycle, and remanufacture) processes, along with information systems as the critical enabler of supply chain efficiencies and responsiveness. These core processes span traditional functional boundaries and encompass important activities such as information management; purchasing; inventory flow scheduling and control; logistics-production coordination; transportation systems operation and infrastructure; and customer service, order fulfillment, and distribution facilities management.” (Smeal Web Site: http://www.smeal.psu.edu/uprog/majors/scis)
Program Information
Collections in this area support supply chain and information systems programs in the Smeal College of Business and other campuses of Penn State. Business students across the Penn State system are required to take supply chain and information systems courses. Smeal College offers undergraduate and doctoral programs in supply chain and information systems. It is one of the concentrations in the MBA program. Smeal also offers the Master of Professional Studies in Supply Chain Management. This growing, online program was launched in Fall 2007. It is a 30 credit, two-year program designed for working professionals. Additionally, supply chain and information systems resources are used by students enrolled in other programs (such as Hospitality Management, Agricultural Economics, and Mechanical and Industrial Engineering) that have an interest in the management of supply chain networks.
There are currently 29 faculty members. Some faculty members hold joint or courtesy appointments in other academic units, including the Statistics Department and the School of Information Sciences and Technology. In addition, there are two faculty members in the School of Information Sciences and Technology who hold courtesy appointments in Supply Chain and Information Systems. Sixteen students are currently enrolled in the doctoral program. Smeal’s Supply Chain and Information Systems program ranks among the top tier programs in the country. A 2005 survey of supply chain practitioners and academics ranked Penn State’s program as the number one in North America. The undergraduate program in this area was recently ranked number three in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
Areas of Focus/Strengths
Collection strengths include supply chain and information technology integration, electronic commerce, and product development. Students in this major also make heavy use of electronic resources relating to company information, industry analysis, and marketing data.
Description of Materials Covered
Supply chain and information systems collections consists of resources relating to a variety of subjects: procurement of raw materials; outsourcing; manufacturing resource planning; manufacturing processes; quality control; product development; production planning; product packaging; physical distribution of goods; freight and freightage; shipping; transportation; purchasing; electronic procurement; inventory control; warehouse management; radio frequency identification systems (RFID); electronic commerce; marketing channels; and customer relationship management. Types of materials collected include scholarly monographs, practitioner oriented publications, trade journals, and scholarly journals. Special effort is made to acquire literature produced by specialized publishers in this area (for example, J. Ross Publishing) and professional associations (there are several related to supply chain, including the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals). Textbooks and conference proceedings are collected selectively. Collections also include career-related materials and audio visual materials.
Overlap with Other Collections
Due to its interdisciplinary nature, there is considerable overlap with other collection areas, including, but not limited to the following:
• Accounting
• Agricultural Economics
• Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Economics
• Finance
• Geography
• Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management
• Information Sciences and Technology
• Law
• Management
• Management Information Systems
• Marketing
• Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
• Operations Research
• Quality and Manufacturing Management
• Statistics
Subject & Language Modifiers
Emphasis is placed on English language materials. No region or country is excluded. However, emphasis is placed on contemporary issues in the discipline.
Exclusions
Supply chain and information systems collections generally exclude dissertations and theses (except for those written by individuals who join the Penn State faculty in this school), working papers, and case studies.
Special Considerations
In addition to supporting the curricular and research needs of the Supply Chain and Information Systems Department, this fund must support the needs of researchers affiliated with the Center for Supply Chain Research, the e-Business Research Center, the Institute for the Study of Business Markets, and the Laboratory for Economics Management and Auctions.
Future Directions
New or expanding areas of interest include the following: sustainable operations; closed loop supply chains; remanufacturing; lean manufacturing; RFID; strategic sourcing and procurement; supply chains and information technology integration; production and inventory systems; supply chain security; freight capacity; national transportation policy; and global logistics.
May 2009
