Supply Chain Management Article Library

Sep 23, 2016

Procurement Must Transition into an R&D Based Organization to Exploit Big Data!

I had the opportunity to spend some time at IBM’s Research Triangle Park facility, (the actual hosting site for the Watson computer) this past week.  IBM hosted a roundtable for…

Sep 14, 2016

Outsourcing: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – Lessons from Nortel Networks

Jeff Townley, former Chief Procurement Officer at Nortel Networks, provided some fantastic insights in my MBA class this evening.  In so doing, he shared some great insights about “Outsourcing:  The…

Sep 14, 2016

1IT Enterprise publishes special issue on Big Data Predictions

The online magazine 1IT Enterprise recently published a special issue on some of the emerging predictions about Big Data in their latest ediction.  Many of the enterprises working in this…

Sep 13, 2016

CAPS Procurement Analytics Study Highlighted in Inside Supply Management

This month’s Inside Supply Management published by the Institute for Supply Management features an article announcing the launch of a study being undertaken by the Center for Advanced Purchasing on the…

Sep 9, 2016

Hanjin Bankruptcy Demonstrates Fragility of Ocean Freight Market Prior to "Black November"

The recent bankruptcy announcement of Hanjin, a major shipping line, on the Friday before the last Labor Day long weekend, was a shock to everyone working in the global logistics…

Sep 7, 2016

Oil and Gas Companies Consider Alternatives to Lump Sum Bid Contracts

A recent discussion with my colleague Tim Cummins at IACCM suggests that an increasing number of oil and gas companies are exploring alternatives to traditional “lump sum bid” contracts, that…

Aug 26, 2016

Seeing is Believing: Debunking the Myths of 3D Printing at Materialise

I spent a fascinating day visiting the Materialise 3D Printing headquarters in Leuven, Belgium yesterday. In the process, I and the team learned a great deal about the realities of…

Aug 25, 2016

Nike’s Global E-Commerce Distribution Center in Leuven Belgium

I had the opportunity to accompany a group of executives from Anheuser Busch Inbev on a tour of Nike’s global distribution facility in Leuven Belgium this week.  Shipments arrive from Nike’s…

Aug 23, 2016

Sustainable Procurement Finally Getting Its Own Standard

A new post discussed the development of a sustainable procurement standard developed by the International Standards Organization.  ISO 20400, Sustainable procurement – Guidance, has just reached a second draft international standard…

Aug 16, 2016

Spotlight on Poole College of Management Dean Annette Ranft

Annette Ranft comes to campus after serving as senior associate dean of academic affairs at the University of Tennessee’s Haslam College of Business. We sat down with Ranft to discuss her experience and how she plans to build upon the Poole College of Management’s success.