Corporate Social Responsibility

Sep 24, 2015

A Diverse Supply Base Isn't About Procurement…It's A Leadership Issue!

I was recently involved in a survey of best practices in establishing a diverse supply base.  The most important and common method for driving diversity objectives in the survey (in… 

Aug 14, 2015

Industrial Biotechnology: Designing the new bio-based supply chain of the future

In the recent issue of Industrial Biotechnology, Jay Golden and I published a set of insights related to the challenges that exist as part of the industrial biobased economy. As… 

Apr 20, 2015

SCRC Meeting April 27-28 on Supply Chain Risk: Building a Risk Management Capability

We are in the last stages of planning for our upcoming 31st Semi-Annual Supply Chain Resource Cooperative (SCRC) Meeting  on Monday and Tuesday, April 27-28, 2015 at North Carolina State University. The… 

Apr 9, 2015

Duke Energy CEO Talks About Leadership

Lynn Good, Duke Energy’s CEO, spoke at NC State this week, and shared her many thoughts on leadership and transformation.  Her vision for what is otherwise often considered a stable and… 

Mar 13, 2015

Q: Food vs Fuel? A: Wrong question…We need more efficient markets!

I have been working with Jay Golden at Duke University on the biobased forecasting project for the USDA, seeking to understand the current scope of the biobased product market (… 

Nov 10, 2014

How Does Procurement Create Value? Insights from CPO Speakers at Zycus Horizons Conference

I was attending the Zycus Horizons 2014 conference at Amelia Island today, listening to speakers.  In addition to the procurement executives, I also got to meet Captain Dick Phillips, the… 

Nov 10, 2014

Sustainable Luxury:  Managing Social and Environmental Performance in Iconic Brands (BOOK REVIEW)

“Luxury is a necessity that begins when necessity ends.”   – Coco Chanel In this blog, I review the new book “Sustainable Luxury” by Gardetti and Torres. Most people who buy… 

Oct 28, 2014

The Price of a Big Mac in Denmark: Worth the wages?

Bob Trebilock, editor of the Supply Chain Management Review, sent me an interesting email today that poses an interesting set of questions.  Bob writes: “A friend sent me an email… 

Oct 24, 2014

Global Luxury Management "Lifestyle" brands require push supply chain design customization

More and more global luxury brands such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and others are promoting themselves as Lifestyle brands, spanning many products including fragrance, home collections, apparel, paint, wallpaper, foods, and… 

Dec 16, 2013

Handfield's Supply Chain Analytics Predictions for 2014

2013 has certainly been an interesting year!   I’ve had the good fortune to be presented with opportunities for compelling discussions with a significant group of leading thinkers, senior executives…