Dr Kim Hassall from the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Australia (CILTA) reveals one winner from recent transport problems
In many ways COVID was a catalyst for the massive loss of freight capacity in both the maritime and airfreight sectors. The disruption caused border closures and labour shortages all along the supply chain from production to distribution was compounded by various national responses to the pandemic, in particular by China. The impact of climate change and weather disruptions globally, not the least drought in Europe, escalated what was already a fraught situation. This was then further complicated by geopolitical issues such as tensions over Taiwan and the South China Sea and, of course, the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Aside from the tragic loss of life and infrastructure in Ukraine and the energy wars it has ignited, the conflict has put an enormous strain on wheat and fertilizer production, corn feed and seed cooking oils. These disruption to the production and transport of these key food production inputs from their two major suppliers has put the spotlight on future global food supply and production. In some countries, productive farming land is having its production potential curtailed, which is another alarming development.
What then can be considered a glimmer of hope emerging from these calamities? Such hope emerges from an unexpected area: Le Cordon Bleu (LCB), the international hospitality and culinary education network. With some 30 campuses and university partnerships in more than 20 countries, LCB is an accredited higher education provider in Australia with a business school in addition to its traditional offerings in culinary arts and sciences. Last year in Australia, LCB had twelve undergraduate and postgraduate courses approved by Australia’s tertiary regulatory body TESQA. This was unheard of in the tertiary sector environment, rarer than Makybe Diva winning three Melbourne Cups.
Congratulation go to LCB’s Australian Executive Dean, Professor Alan Bowen James, who happens to be a Fellow of the Australian chapter of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILTA). Barely had the ink dried on the release of the flyer for two of these courses – a hospitality-focused Master of Business Administration and a Master of Applied Hospitality Management – when LCB was inundated with applications, enrolling over 100 students in a matter of weeks.
What was the attraction? As Professor Bowen-James points out, these courses not only have hospitality and general business foci, but, as a distinct point of difference to similar courses locally and abroad, place a strong emphasis on supply chain management, an emphasis that is repeated at the undergraduate level in the newly accredited Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Business Administration. The construction of these courses was undertaken with focussed input from CILT-Australia with all supply chain subjects being mapped to the global logistics body of knowledge, the international Logistics ‘Key Knowledge Areas’.
A specific emphasis on ‘Food Logistics’ and ‘Food Systems’, including Food Security and Governance, may well have swung domestic and international interest, especially now with a looming global food supply chain crisis on the horizon. “The food supply chain has always been important, but now it’s critical,” according the CILTA’s chair, Kim Hassall. “Out of thin air an educational gem has emerged that focuses on food, supply chains and the recovery in hospitality. The timing could not have been better. Is education responding to current necessity, or has fate just leant a hand?”
According to Professor Bowen-James, the glimmer of hope arising from the apocalyptic spectre of plague, war, famine and drought a growing realisation of the fragility of supply chains, in particular those relating to food, and the need to learn about the whole supply value chain, not just how to prepare tasty and wholesome meals. “For the first time, we have had course enquiries about food security, sustainability and logistics,” said Professor Bowen-James.” In 2020 we formed the view that one of our major competitive advantages is a deep understanding of food ecosystems and logistics. While embedded in our curriculum, this knowledge was not as clear as it ought to be in our course offerings, hence the identification of supply chain majors and specialisations. We see this as the beginning of a new approach to supply chain education that extends it beyond technical transport and logistics, as important as these are, to a central focus in all management and business curricula. Without the supply chain, there is no value chain; and without a value chain, there is no economy. Food is the best way to start.”