Stamford University Bangladesh has launched a new academic symposium series, ‘Looking Ahead by Looking Back’, aimed at exploring contemporary challenges through their historical, theoretical and practical foundations.

The inaugural symposium focused on Supply Chain Management, with Prof. Dr Shams Rahman, Vice Chancellor of East West University, delivering the keynote address. The series was formally launched by Prof. Dr Sharif Nafe As-Saber, Vice Chancellor of Stamford University Bangladesh.

In his keynote, Prof. Rahman traced the evolution of supply chain management from Adam Smith’s concept of division of labour in The Wealth of Nations (1776) to the complexities of Industry 4.0. He discussed major developments including assembly lines, mass production, logistics and modern supply chain systems, highlighting the shift from managing individual production activities to coordinating interconnected global value networks.

He also examined how automation, artificial intelligence, data analytics, the Internet of Things (IoT) and robotics are transforming supply chains by improving visibility, flexibility, predictive capabilities and real-time decision-making.

The discussion further addressed the growing need for supply chains to become resilient, agile and sustainable amid geopolitical uncertainty, pandemics, climate-related disruptions and changing consumer expectations.

The keynote was followed by an engaging question-and-answer session, with students, faculty members and other participants discussing technology, industrial transformation, resilience and the future of supply chain management.

The symposium marked a significant addition to Stamford University Bangladesh’s academic activities, connecting historical economic thought with contemporary management practices and emerging technologies. The university said the series will continue to bring scholars and practitioners together to examine major contemporary issues through historical and theoretical perspectives.