An Analysis of the Current Purchasing and Materials Management Educational Environment

What perceptual factors distinguish one purchasing program from another? Are there differences between the perceptions of academics and practitioners concerning the status and performance of purchasing programs? A questionnaire was mailed to a group of purchasing managers and academics asking them to evaluate certain aspects of the current academic environment. This produced a number of interesting results. Practitioners judge the quality of a purchasing program by the reputation of the faculty at the institution and the reputation of the curriculum. Not only do academies view these two criteria as valuable, but they add the research reputation of the institution to their set of useful criteria. With respect to faculty reputation, significant differences of opinion exist between practitioners and academics. For both groups the purchasing curriculum is judged by the content of the courses offered and not the number of courses offered in the program. Finally, if a school wants a successful purchasing program, it should stress job placement success.