You've heard it before: Collaboration, relationships, and compatible cultures are the foundation of successful supply chain management. They're also the foundation of the University of Tennessee's Integrated Supply Chain Management Program—a series of courses designed to reveal the complexities and inter-relationships among demand planning, customer relationship management, operations, logistics, and resource/financial management.

Co-sponsored by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, the program is composed of six two and a half day courses: "Supply Chain Management Strategy," "Demand Management in the Supply Chain," "Logistics and Operations in the Supply Chain," "The Lean Enterprise and the Supply Chain," "Supply Chain Resource Management," and "Integrative Supply Chain Experience." The program's intent is to teach participants how to manage demand across companies, manage operations and logistics functions across suppliers and customers, measure and manage supply chain performance, and take advantage of supply chain IT tools.

The courses, which are taught by University of Tennessee faculty members, are offered twice a year at the school's Knoxville campus. They may be taken separately or as a series to earn a certification. For additional information and to see the course schedule, go to http://SupplyChain.utk.edu.