Supply Chain View from the Field

Category Archives: MBA Supply Chain Programs

Updates from our MBA programs

1. Easy steps for supply chain students to ensure they remain unemployed…

   May 21, 2013
   by: handfield
   categories: MBA Supply Chain Programs, Supply Chain Management, Supply Chain Talent, Supply Chain Talent Management

   I recently visited with a large services company, and learned a few things talking to their supply chain recruiters that provided some great insights for students to think about. First, the managers I spoke with talked about things every student who is serious about finding a job should do before an interview: -       Be prepared [...]

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2. Do We Need More Lawyers in Procurement? Or Do Lawyers Need More Procurement Managers?

   March 29, 2013
   by: handfield
   categories: Contract Management, MBA Supply Chain Programs, Supply chain Relationships, Supply Chain Risk, Supply Chain Talent

   As I’ve continued with my research on the future faces of procurement, a consistent theme that has come up again and again is the need for increased interaction between the legal and procurement groups in organizations.  Today, this interaction is often poorly handled, with clumsy templates being exchanged between the two groups, and in some [...]

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3. Ralph Lauren’s Supply Chain: A Lot More Complex Then You Think!

   October 11, 2012
   by: handfield
   categories: BRIC Supply Chain, Global Distribution, Global Supply Chain, Inventory Management, Logistics, MBA Supply Chain Programs, Supply Chain Management, Supply chain Relationships

   Jeff Holcomb, Senior Vice President of Customer Operations and US Transportation at Ralph Lauren’s offices in Greensboro, NC spoke in my MBA supply chain class last week.  He told the story of when Ralph Lauren came to visit the Greensboro offices, and shared his previous experiences.  Apparently, Lauren once had an idea about creating a [...]

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4. They’re Posted! Latest Supply Chain Sustainability Benchmark Reports!

   July 3, 2012
   by: handfield
   categories: Aerospace Supply Chain, MBA Supply Chain Programs, Procurement Sustainability, Strategic Sourcing, Supplier Relationship Management, Supply Chain Management, Sustainability

   Every other year, a team of MBA students from the Poole College of Management take a one credit class I teach on supply chain sustainability.  As part of this class, students are assigned to teams to study a group of companies within a particular industry, and by applying the Supply Chain Sustainability index developed through [...]

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5. SCM Talent Management: Creating the Next Generation of Superheroes!

   April 25, 2012
   by: handfield
   categories: Category Management, Forecasting, MBA Supply Chain Programs, Supply Chain Management, Supply Chain Talent

   Our upcoming SCRC meeting  (April 30-May 1 in Raleigh, NC) is one that I am sure will peak a lot of interest in today’s supply chain professional.  The theme of this meeting focuses a topic that is at the top of almost every company I speak with today – supply chain talent management.  As organizations [...]

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6. Applying supply chain thinking to the supply chain talent problem

   February 1, 2012
   by: handfield
   categories: Global Supply Chain, MBA Supply Chain Programs, Supply Chain Management, Supply chain Relationships, Supply Chain Talent

   In a recent white paper published in October 2010, Jim Rice from MIT argues that there is a potential crisis for supply chain talent brewing.  A speaker from a large global manufacturing company spoke in my MBA Supply Chain Relationships class today, and shared his views on if this talent shortage really exists, and if [...]

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7. Regional government policies have raised problems for Chinese talent-seekers

   January 4, 2012
   by: handfield
   categories: China Supply Chain, Global Supply Chain, Logistics, MBA Supply Chain Programs, Supply Chain Management, Supply Chain Talent

   In this on-going blog theme on China, we explore some of the challenges experienced by companies seeking talented individuals for supply chain roles as they expand in Asia. Much of my thinking here is based on a joint paper I am working on with Yanghong Shi, a visiting scholar from the Shanxi University of Finance [...]

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8. Logistics Education in China

   January 3, 2012
   by: handfield
   categories: China Supply Chain, Global Supply Chain, MBA Supply Chain Programs, Supply Chain Management, Supply Chain Talent

   Though the advancement of higher education in China has produced more graduate students for entering level positions in foreign logistics companies, locating qualified candidates is a real challenge. Several of the recruiting personnel we interviewed from Western companies who expressed their frustration at finding the “right talent” for their supply chain roles. In general, the [...]

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9. The Critical Role of Procurement in the BP Oil Spill Cleanup: Part II

   July 4, 2010
   by: handfield
   categories: MBA Supply Chain Programs, Supply Chain Management, Supply Chain Risk

   In a prior blog, I discussed the important role that procurement is playing at BP.  Shortly after this event, I had a discussion with another group of executives involved in the cleanup, who emphasized the need to talented, agile individuals to assist with the complex set of supplier relationships that is involved in this incredible [...]

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10. From Raleigh to Dubai: A Post from One of our MBA Graduates

    June 6, 2010
    by: handfield
    categories: MBA Supply Chain Programs

    I recently received an email from one of our recent MBA graduates (Bert Coslow, class of 2009) who shared with me the exciting role that he is playing in his procurement organization (oil and gas industry).  He wrote: “My company recently sent me to Dubai on a short-term assignment. I’ve been here for three weeks, [...]

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