In a postgraduate degree choosing process, it is essential to understand the view of who designed it. In the case of the Applied Supply Chain Management Postgraduate Program, one of these people is José Crespo de Carvalho, scientific coordinator of this program in partnership with the NOVA School of Science and Technology of the NOVA University (FCT NOVA) and ATEC.
Interview to José Crespo de Carvalho | Reading time 2 minutes
We invite you to read the three questions we asked José Crespo de Carvalho about Applied Supply Chain Management Postgraduate Program.
1. What does this program bring new in a technology era? Wasn't it better to do a more technological program?
This question is imperative. Until the processes of today's business and industry are understood it isn't worthy to implement technology. A technological layer on what we don't know about is a layer that will tend to expose the error. Look at Amazon's troubles when buying Whole Foods, a physical retail business. Considering the physical retailers problems as they seek to enter e-commerce. Nothing better than understanding the supply chain and how it works to understand what technology is needed. Besides that all modules will have a technological hybrid. They're not closed in the old days islands. No way.
If you look at some of the master's that have become worldly notorious in recent years, you will find out that they seek to integrate some dimensions: being applied, going through the operations world - broadly - and then completing with some technological components, such as the case of this applied program in a postgraduate program format.
2. To whom does this program apply to?
The target is vast. We can range from young people who are enthusiastic about the operations world and who want to develop their careers there - needing a structured program to support them in this regard - to professionals who are already in these areas and want to structure knowledge, gain new tools and understand many of the rationals they use or should use. I repeat: the target is extensive. But this is an advantage in that they will certainly make the program richer by sharing experiences and complementing basic training and knowledge. Mostly that no one is excluded, i.e., someone who has the will, drive, and maturity to do such a program.
3. Where do you think this program differs from competing for offers?
It is a program in partnership between Nova SBE (management) and Nova FCT (technology and engineering). We still went to get a critical player, ATEC because we think that an applied vision from a training center of excellence “instructed” by VW and Siemens would be very interesting. It is a “German” view of practitioners that is so lacking in Portugal.
Then in Portugal, there is a lot of offer but no supply chain management postgraduate program. At least in a transversal and extensive way. Is there a lot of competition? Yes. And that's good. Also because that's what motivates us to do more and better. Now, it is absolutely essential for us to bet on the core because it is from the fundamentals that we must start for everything else. Without the fundamentals, we are always lame.
