Supply Chain Management Article Library

Oct 30, 2017

Flexibility of Online MBA Program Helps Veteran Select NC State

Daniel Marino, a student veteran and full-time regional sales manager, says flexibility of the NC State Jenkins Professional Online MBA was a contributing factor in choosing NC State Online and Distance Education.

Oct 27, 2017

Getting the Question Right is at the Heart of Supply Chain Analytics

“If someone asked me to come up with the answer to the world’s problems in an hour, I’d spend the first 55 minutes coming up with the right question.” –…

Oct 24, 2017

Overcoming the Objections to Being Transparent

In addressing some of the questions, one that came up is the fat that many companies are hesitant to act, because of their inability to construct an effective business case for transparency.  “What is the ROI?” is a common complaint.  The key to establishing the business case is not on market share, but through the velocity of material and decision-making, taking action in the face of uncertainty, using the most up-to-date information.

Oct 21, 2017

Creating the Right Team Culture for A Deluge of Data: Storytelling as a Core Capability

A core element in the LIVING supply chain is the concept around the “Anti-Control Tower”, of what has been called a “data democracy”.  An important shift in human behavior is…

Oct 18, 2017

Leadership Personified: Ken Frazier, CEO of Merck

I had the opportunity to hear Ken Frazier, CEO of Merck,  speak at the SC50 meeting.   Ken was a single child raised by a single father in Philadelphia, making his…

Oct 9, 2017

How Dance Can Help Students in STEM Disciplines

A proof-of-concept study finds participation in dance programs helps students develop skills such as creativity and persistence that benefited them in the classroom and beyond.

Oct 7, 2017

“Trust but Verify”: The Promise of Block Chains

As noted in previous blogs I've written, block chain is a technology that is emerging but has not yet been widely adopted except in pilots.  However, multiple industries are very interested in it, including life insurance companies, aircraft manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, food and tobacco, and electronics companies, to name a few.

Sep 27, 2017

Missy Cummings from Duke on Logistics Automation: We’re Going in Reverse!

I had the opportunity to listen to Missy Cummings, a Professor in the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University.  Missy shared some insights on automation in the logistics sector,…

Sep 25, 2017

Buyers, B-17 Bombers, and Heedful Interrelating…Musings for the Week

I had the incredible opportunity to fly in a B-17 bomber this past weekend, a replica of the Memphis Belle that survived 25 tours of duty in Europe.  I even…

Sep 18, 2017

Procurement Must Contribute to Competitiveness to Become Relevant!

Procurement is always thinking about cost savings, year over year.  But is this really a true measure of competitiveness? So procurement will have a budgeted amount for, say 4.5 cents…