INTEGRATION OF FAITH AND LEARNING
Integration of Faith and Learning
Liberty University
Introduction
The strategies and systems that are currently used in supply chain management have
changed and developed over time. While there are new developments and technological
innovations that have revolutionized the way supply chains function, many core strategies that
are used have conceded over many centuries. For companies to find success the fundamental
systems put in place to govern the creation and distribution of products must be studied and
esteemed. While past methods have become modernized, there is wisdom to be gained by
looking as far back as Biblical times. 2 Corinthians 9:10 is just one example found in the Bible
that can help deliver clarity and wisdom for companies looking to find success spiritually and
functionally.
Biblical Perspective
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INTEGRATION OF FAITH AND LEARNING
2 Corinthians 9:10 says, “Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will
also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.
You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us
your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” In this passage Paul is encouraging the
Christians in Corinth to give freely, and that they will be rewarded for their giving. This verse
also displays God as the supplier of all of their needs. It is their duty to manage those supplies
with wisdom and generosity. This is just one verse of many that emphasizes the importance of
managing what God has given his children with efficiency and care. The same concept should be
applied to supply chain managers that are supplied with the materials and personnel necessary to
develop a product.
Importance of Supply Chain Management
Supply chain management is extremely crucial to a company as it oversees the process in
which a good is produced for a customer. Supply chain management oversees not only the
creation and manufacturing of a product, but coordinates each phase a product goes through until
it reaches the hands of a buyer. This process’s end goal is to deliver a product of the highest
quality in the most cost efficient, timely manner. Without an overarching system to organize each
moving part and component involved in a products creation and distribution process, a company
is left with the potential reality of failure. Components of supply chain management such as just-
in-time, outsourcing, strategic alliances, strategic warehousing, etc. all play a vital role in
streamlining a business’s product creation and distribution.
In his article, The Two Most Important Words In Supply Chain Management, Stowe
Kintzinger writes, “In a world with increasingly complex and interconnected supply chains,
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events occurring in one region will impact supply chains and related businesses in another”
(Kintzinger, 2016). A supply chain is in essence just that, a chain. A chain is useless if one of the
links in the chain is damaged or does not perform its intended function. If a component in a
supply chain is not operating correctly it has the potential to derail the entire process. This
derailment has an impact on any business that is involved in the supply chain. However, if a
supply chain is running smoothly it has unlimited potential to drive the success of the business. It
will cut costs with outsourcing, it will cut distribution times with strategic warehousing, and it
will create new opportunities with strategic alliances. The list of advantages of an efficient
supply chain does not end there.
Biblical Relevance in Supply Chain Management
In any management position the individual in that position has some level of
responsibility they are given. In many fields managers are supplied with personnel, money, and
other resources directly related to that industry. It is their responsibility to take what they have
been given and apply their training to perform the assigned task to the best of their ability.
Supply chain management is no different, and according to scripture being a Christian is not all
that different either. 2 Corinthians 9:10 is in a way a lesson in management. A manager must take
what he is given and learn how to maximize the efficiency of the system he or she is placed in
charge of. Paul isn’t telling the Christians to take what God has given them and make do. He is
telling them to take and multiply so that they may give abundantly. In the same way, supply
chain management must constantly seek new ways to run their operations as efficiently as
possible. Richard Howells, author of Supply Chain Futurists Predict the Impact of Digital
Transformation, states, “As a company, we must differentiate ourselves to our customers in the
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market in all that we do” (Howells, 2016). By utilizing these biblical principles in supply chain
management, businesses will see an abundance of success and consumers will take notice.
References
Howells, R. (October 26, 2016) Supply Chain Futurists Predict The Impact of Digital
Transformation. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com
Kintzinger, S. (January 18, 2016) The Two Most Important Words In Supply Chain Management
For 2016. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com
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