All organisations offer something to consumers – be it products, services or ideas. This is why the Discipline of Marketing and Supply Chain Management integrates the study of how products and services are developed, promoted, delivered, and sustained to shape professionals for a successful career in a competitive environment.
With Marketing and Supply Chain Management linking consumers and businesses, with organisations engaging with customers and offering appropriate products, branding, and pricing as well as communicating and delivering the offerings. The Discipline strategically pairs these dynamic fields to offer bespoke interdisciplinary education that transforms students into professionals who solve real-world business challenges. As well as develops and entrenches local and rural economies and holistically contribute to development of the nation.
Globally, the Discipline plays a pivotal role in utilising and producing academic knowledge to address the many social challenges facing the world today. These include but are not limited to – obesity and food related issues, vaccine hesitancy, overconsumption, waste, gender-based violence, and discrimination. The newly developed knowledge has relevance for policy development, sustainable development, organisational product and production strategies, procurement systems, logistics networks, as well as plays a crucial role in shaping citizen behaviours.
On the societal front, the Discipline serves an essential purpose in society by driving the trajectory of policy positions, facilitating sustainable economic growth, supporting and creating customer experience, and enhancing the character and quality of products and immersive services including contributing to the National Development Plan, The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the African Agenda 2063 and the United Nations (UN) 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Within South Africa, the Discipline is also a key driver in promoting social responsibility through facilitating students to participate in community-based projects as well as encouraging them to be part of strategic decision-making on boards of local organisations. This active engagement ensures that academic knowledge is transferred into meaningful societal impact.
The Discipline constantly keeps abreast of technological advancements and digital transformations in the marketing and supply chain management field. With the increasingly leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) for predictive analytics in consumer trends and supply chain operations, the use of digital research tools enhances data collection and analysis thus providing deeper insights into market dynamics.
As the integration of these technologies continues to reshape how businesses interact with consumers and manage extended supply chain enterprises, fosters greater agility, responsiveness and resilience in the rapidly changing global market, the integration of AI within Marketing and Supply Chain Management remains key.
