An integrated framework for research and education supply chain for the universities

The exploratory study addresses the education supply chain, the research supply chain as major constituents in integrated educational supply chain management for the universities. As different parties are involved in the universities, this paper depicts the single-level, multi-tier, bi-directional supply chain for producing graduates with desirable quality and significant research outcomes for the end customer, i.e. the society. This framework provides two main contributions to the society, including human resource contribution and research contribution. The proposed conceptual framework for the universities provides a novel approach for decision makers of each supply chain components to review and appraise their performance toward fulfillment of ultimate goals, i.e. producing high-caliber graduates and high-impact research outcomes for the betterment of the society.