Executive Education Program On Managing Global Supply Chains Scheduled

Penn State's Smeal College of Business is launching a new executive education program next month designed specifically for managers engaged in international business and global supply chains.

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA (March 4, 2009) – Penn State's Smeal College of Business is launching a new executive education program next month designed specifically for managers engaged in international business and global supply chains.

"Building Global Supply Chains for Competitive Advantage," presented by Penn State Executive Programs in partnership with the Center for Supply Chain Research, is scheduled for April 15 to 17 on Penn State's University Park campus. Additionally, there is an optional reception for participants on the evening of April 14.

The program, cosponsored by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, will introduce participants to contemporary issues associated with doing business internationally, including effective management of extended supply chains so prevalent in this global environment. The techniques and strategies provided will help supply chain leaders master global sourcing, distribution, trade finance, regulatory compliance, and other aspects of global trade. The program also offers a unique session on talent development and ways to build competent teams to bridge different cultures and time zones.

"As our economy becomes more and more globalized, today's supply chain professionals need to possess an international perspective," says Susan Purdum, director of the Center for Supply Chain Research. "Firms that succeed on the global stage rely on supply chain leaders who have an innate understanding of the complexities in design and orchestration of supply chains that may extend across multiple geographies, economies, cultures, and regulatory environments. This program will equip participants with the skills and knowledge to meet those needs."

The program's faculty includes internationally recognized business professors and leading executives from global industry players who will discuss the trends they believe will most likely impact international business and supply chains.

Complete program details and registration information are available online at www.smeal.psu.edu/psep/gbs.

About Penn State Executive Programs
Penn State Executive Programs, the executive education division of Penn State's Smeal College of Business, has been serving the development needs of the world's business leaders since 1954, providing both open-enrollment and custom programs. Nearly 42,000 executives from 43 different nations have participated in programs on topics ranging from strategic leadership to supply chain management.

Penn State Executive Programs was recently ranked as the No. 1 provider in the world of customized executive education programs by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the research arm of The Economist magazine publisher. The EIU also awarded Penn State Executive Programs its Award of Excellence for open-enrollment programs, making Smeal the only U.S. provider to be rated excellent in both categories.

For more on all the offerings of Penn State Executive Programs, visit www.smeal.psu.edu/psep.

About the Center for Supply Chain Research
The Center for Supply Chain Research was founded in 1989 and has since become one of the nation's leading institutes dedicated to supply chain management research and education. Its faculty and affiliate members encompass a broad range of disciplines including business logistics, management science, operations management, business law, agricultural economics, and industrial engineering.

Supply Chain Management Review has ranked Smeal as the top college for supply chain management, according to a survey of academics and practitioners.

For more on the Center for Supply Chain Research, visit www.smeal.psu.edu/cscr.

REPORTERS & EDITORS: For more information, please contact Victoria Fryer in the Smeal College of Business Media Relations Office at 814-863-3798 or mediarelations@smeal.psu.edu.

Penn State's Smeal College of Business offers highly ranked undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, Ph.D., and executive education opportunities to more than 5,500 students at all levels. Featuring academic departments of accounting, finance, management and organization, marketing, risk management, and supply chain and information systems, the college is also home to major research centers such as the Center for Supply Chain Research, the Institute for the Study of Business Markets, the Farrell Center for Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Center for Global Business Studies, and the Center for the Management of Technological and Organizational Change.