The Sourcing & Procurement Organization

The Sourcing and Procurement Organization (SPO) is a Supply Chain Management (SCM) executive organization whose mission is to fundamentally transform SCM student education at major Universities in the United States and beyond, as well as to enhance SCM junior executive training globally. Both outcomes will be achieved through industry-based, experiential learning opportunities introduced into the curriculum or through supplemental educational enrichment activities and industry certifications. The intent of the SPO Educational Enrichment Program (SPO EEP) and the SPO Executive Training Program (ETP) is to take affiliated SCM students at elite programs or junior executives in their early career and better prepare them for career success. In short, our vision is to develop the best SCM students and junior executives in the world. The philosophy undergirding the SPO EEP is that world-class SCM education and training cannot rely exclusively on collegiate or industry curriculum, no matter how exemplary. The problem is that SCM education and training relies primarily on rote memorization of course lecture material, with subsequent multiple-choice exams to assess competency. The Chinese philosopher Confucius called this educational model into question more than 2,500 years ago, when he argued, “when I hear, I forget.” Modern educational research has supported this insight, determining that most of this memorized material dissipates within a week of the exam. Particularly with technical disciplines like SCM, it is far better to embrace Confucius’ final learning maxim: “but when I do, I understand,” which is foundational to the experiential learning model embraced by SPO.