Supply Chain Economics

Oct 29, 2024

Promises, promises…

An Upcoming Election and the Threat of Tariffs[1] One of the many promises we are hearing during this election is that tariffs will be levied against the Chinese, and that…

Sep 4, 2024

Is “Price Gouging” by Grocery Stores and Food Producers Really Going On?

It’s election season, and the accusations are flying! The price consumers are paying for food is one of the most controversial issues during this election season. Both sides are making…

Mar 7, 2024

Do Tariffs Really Impact China’s Global Supply Chain?

Co-authored with Clark Banach, PhD I recently had a fantastic discussion with Clark Banach, Program Director at Aletheia Research Institution and Futures Fellow at MERICS (Mercator Institute for China Studies),…

May 11, 2023

Shining a Light on the EV Supply Chain: A Poor Environmental and Human Rights Record

For years, the public has been going around buying electric vehicles, claiming that they are promoting “clean energy” and contributing to less global warming, feeling very smug about themselves. However,…

Jan 1, 2023

Ten Supply Chain Predictions for 2023

As we go into the first week of 2023, many are wondering what’s ahead for global commerce and supply chains. As I’ve done in prior years, I’ll make a few…

Sep 26, 2022

China, Taiwan, and Semiconductor Risks – Part 2

As I alluded to in an earlier post, the scenario of China invading Taiwan, and halting all semiconductor production is highly unlikely, for a number of reasons. First, the Taiwanese…

Sep 23, 2022

US Air Force Defense Acquisition and Contract Officers Come to NC State

We were proud to host a group of 20 contract officers from a number of different US Air Force bases across the country, including Wright-Patterson (Ohio), Hill (Utah), Pope (NC),…

Aug 19, 2022

Inflation is Here for Awhile… Let’s Start to Manage It!

I concluded the last of the three-part series with my good friend Tim Cummins from World Commerce and Contracting today on inflation, and the implications for contract management and supplier…

Jul 21, 2022

Antitrust and the Supply Chain: Protecting the Power of the Markets

At first blush, many readers are probably asking the same question: what does the DOJ Antitrust Division have to do with supply chain management?[1] I asked this question myself, when…

Jul 19, 2022

Recession ahead? One contrarian doesn’t think so…

I had the pleasure of hearing Professor Jason Miller from Michigan State University speak to the Center for Advanced Purchasing Studies members today, sharing with us a variety of fascinating…