Knowledge@W. P. Carey -- Supply Chain Management

A Roadmap for Sustainable Supply Management

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:33:22 EST

Achieving environmental sustainability for supply management is a goal which may also help boost firms' overall competitiveness in these fretful economic times. But despite the hype surrounding everything "green" these days, many companies wishing to embark on environmental sustainability programs do not know where to begin. Before you set up strategies and tactics and develop metrics for supply management environmental sustainability, define what environmental sustainability means to your organization, says management Professor James Hershauer. A new report from the W. P. Carey School's CAPS Research helps companies learn to define, understand, create, measure, and test their supply management environmental sustainability plans.

Buyers Beware: Your Supplier May Be Your Next Competitor

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:21:26 EST

When executed correctly, strategic sourcing -- a multi-faceted approach to purchasing contingent on types of goods and services -- yields many benefits for both buying companies and their suppliers. But, by ignoring the complexity of strategic sourcing and focusing only on cost reductions, some aerospace buying companies have unintentionally turned their suppliers into competitors, according to new research by W. P. Carey professor of supply chain management Thomas Choi and his former doctoral student, Christian Rossetti.

No Firm Is an Island: Why Buyers Should Probe a Supplier's Network

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:42:48 EST

For any shopper who noticed how the price of hamburger and lettuce jumped after gas prices soared last year, this should come as no surprise: Buyers eventually feel the pinch when their suppliers' expenses surge. The reason? Buyers and sellers operate within networks that exceed the one-on-one, buyer-seller bond. That's why Thomas Choi, a professor of supply chain management at the W. P. Carey School of Business, thinks supply chain professionals would be wise to look beyond the supplier to its supply network. Without it, he argues, buyers are not examining all the factors affecting the strength and reliability of the suppliers they choose. Such shortsightedness leaves buyers vulnerable to supply troubles and missed opportunities.

Chinese Puzzle: Examining the Implications of Chinese Product Recalls, Part 2

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:24:07 EST

In light of recent product recalls, this question nags: Has Chinese product quality actually deteriorated, or not? Opinion is split. Some argue forcefully that Chinese products have suffered in recent years, or at the very least, were never of high quality in the first place. Others believe the country is being unfairly singled out -- victimized, in a sense -- simply because it happens to be the world's leading manufacturer at a time when product recalls in general are on the rise. Responding to an academic forum published in the journal, Management and Organizational Review, experts at the W. P. Carey School offer insights.

Chinese Puzzle: Examining the Implications of Chinese Product Recalls, Part 1

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:27:51 EST

In the summer of 2007, after a tumultuous year in which millions of Chinese-manufactured toys and other products were recalled for reasons ranging from high lead content to choking hazards, Chinese officials launched a massive campaign to restore worldwide confidence in the "Made In China" label. However, China's efforts to prevent product recalls haven't seemed to do much, and the roots of the problem -- or even a basic understanding of its scope and causes -- have yet to be defined. W. P. Carey professor of international management Anne Tsui recently organized an Editor's Forum in which leading business scholars examined the problem from various disciplines and perspectives. In a two-part series starting today, Knowledge@W. P. Carey will use the Management and Organization Review (MOR) forum as a jumping-off point to explore some of these questions, and attempt to answer them, through the expert analysis of W. P. Carey faculty and researchers.

Using Metrics to Enhance Purchasing

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:30:51 EST

Detailed metrics not only help purchasing departments measure and analyze performance -- they provide data that can spur organizational and procedural changes, and help companies proactively prepare for the unexpected.

Podcast: The Nickel and Dime Approach -- Are Those New Airline Fees a Smart Strategy?

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:54:52 EST

As higher fuel costs gobble up airline profits, the carriers are imposing new fees on passengers in an attempt to make up the difference. William A. Verdini, chairman of the supply chain management department of the W.P. Carey School of Business, wonders if this is a smart strategy.

No Anniversary Party for Controversial Cross-Border Trucking Program

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:54:52 EST

Congress and President Bush appear to be on a collision course over U.S.-Mexico trucking, but most likely trucks will continue to traverse the border, fostering the flow of international commerce, according to Arnold Maltz, a professor of supply chain management at the W. P. Carey School of Business. At issue is a small but controversial one-year pilot project that has allowed Mexican trucks to travel throughout the United States, although most of such travel has been in the border states. The pilot project ends September 6, and strong opposition to its continuation has been expressed in Congress by Democrats concerned about American jobs and highway safety, and by Republicans concerned about security and immigration issues.

Fugitive Denim: Globalization Tales of the Traveling Pants

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:31:57 EST

What do you look for when you buy a pair of jeans? Color? Cut? Designer label? Price tag? One thing is certain: Even if you buy what you think is the same make/label/origin, year after year, it is an entirely different item with a brand-new geographic story. If you want to get a handle on the facts and fancy surrounding this ubiquitous icon of American consumerism, check out Rachel Louise Snyder's "Fugitive Denim: A Moving Story of People and Pants in the Borderless World of Global Trade." Chances are, you'll never buy a pair of jeans again without recalling the amazing stories contained in her book.

Supply Management: A Changing Industry in a Rapidly Changing World

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 15:02:17 EST

What will a typical supply management organization look like in 10 years? It's hard to say for sure, but it likely will be complex, high-tech, supplier network-driven, and spread out across the globe. Companies will be asking more of supply managers -- they will be expected to contribute to revenue generation, innovation, collaboration, technology application and strategic management. A recent report co-authored by Phil Carter, a professor of supply chain management at the W. P. Carey School and executive director of CAPS Research, examines the challenges facing supply managers in the coming decade.

Trucks Across the Border: Direct Shipping Between the U.S. and Mexico Stirs Heated Debate

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 14:26:43 EST

In September, the U.S. and Mexican governments took a tentative first step towards the final goal of allowing unfettered shipping between the two nations -- a measure agreed upon under NAFTA but delayed since 1995. Proponents say freeing up trucks to directly deliver goods in their neighbor countries will cut shipping costs by millions of dollars annually, reduce pollution and ultimately benefit consumers in both nations. However, the measure also has a long line of opponents on both sides of the border. Arnold Maltz, a professor of supply chain management at the W. P. Carey School of Business, and Dawn McLaren, a W. P. Carey research economist, examine the pros and cons of cross-border shipping.

An in-depth look at the modern CPO

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 15:45:30 EST

Today's Chief Purchasing Officers are well-paid, well-educated, and well on their way to finally earning CEO respect, according to a new report from the W. P. Carey School's CAPS Research. Thomas Hendrick, Ph.D., professor emeritus of supply chain management at the W. P. Carey School, examines these and other attributes of today's CPOs to better understand the men and women at the top of the corporate procurement field.

Podcast: How strategic sourcing became the golden goose

Wed, 09 May 2007 15:47:18 EST

Strategic sourcing, including early supplier involvement and outsourcing, provides significant competitive advantage to companies and represents a fundamental change in the way firms drive the bottom line. Thomas Choi, professor of supply chain management at the W. P. Carey School of Business, looks back 20 years to explain how the relatively mechanical procurement function evolved into supply chain management, a sophisticated approach to managing cost, increasing quality and driving profitability.

Act fast! CPOs have little time to deliver big results

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 14:01:00 EST

After watching dozens of chief purchasing officers come and go as the leaders of supply chain operations in 30 of the world's largest companies, researchers came to a simple conclusion: The CPO's chair has become a true corporate hot seat. The study, "Supply Leadership Changes," was conducted on the behalf of CAPS Research, a nonprofit research organization supported by the W. P. Carey School of Business and the Institute of Supply Management.

Benchmark report: A snapshot of cross-industry trends in purchasing

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 14:01:00 EST

With this issue Knowledge@ W. P. Carey inaugurates a series of stories about the benchmark reports issued by CAPS Research, a research center co-sponsored by the W. P. Carey School of Business and the Institute of Supply Management. The first, its cross-industry report, reveals trends that have been developing over time. "The reports offer companies the opportunity to take a snapshot of where they are relative to their peers," says Steven Wade, director of benchmarking programs.

Focus on global sourcing: Strategies for success

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 14:59:34 EST

Across virtually all industries and geographic regions, manufacturers share one common goal: to increase profitability by decreasing costs. A growing number of manufacturers, both in the United States and around the world, have embraced global sourcing as a fast-track method for achieving that goal. However, when it comes to the effectiveness of most companies' global sourcing initiatives, there is plenty of room for improvement, finds a new study from Professor Robert Monczka of CAPS Research, a nonprofit supply chain research organization jointly sponsored by the Institute for Supply Management and the W. P. Carey School of Business.

Wanted: Internet logistics expertise

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 14:42:17 EST

Online retailers seek logistics service providers offering high-quality supply chain management knowledge. But new research by supply chain management professor Elliot Rabinovich shows retailers need to look before they leap into a contract with a provider.

Supply base complexity: Finding the right balance

Wed, 11 Oct 2006 15:33:54 EST

Finding the optimal number of suppliers to form your supply base is not easy -- nor is it the only factor buying companies must juggle in order to manage their suppliers effectively. New research from Thomas Choi, professor of supply chain management at the W. P. Carey School of Business, shows that companies need to go beyond just looking at how many suppliers they have in their supply base. They need to consider the three dimensions of supplier complexity, then calculate the impact of each on a variety of supply chain factors.

Forging New Links in the Supply Chain

Wed, 16 Aug 2006 16:53:06 EST

Manufacturers have learned to work closely with their suppliers to decrease costs and reduce time to market, but focusing on buyer-supplier relationships may no longer be enough to achieve competitive advantage. Thomas Choi, a W. P. Carey professor of supply chain management, is spearheading new research that examines the relationships between a firm's suppliers. He and his co-authors have discovered that sometimes a company's procurement and manufacturing success -- and ultimately, its bottom line -- is affected by the ability of its suppliers to work together effectively.

Counterfeit Meds Could Be As Close As Your Corner Drugstore

Wed, 07 Jun 2006 14:48:17 EST

American consumers pay top dollar for medications they assume are pure and unadulturated. But we don't always get what we pay for, according to researchers who are sounding the alarm about the growing presence of counterfeit drugs in the marketplace. A spokesman for the Food and Drug Administration recently reported that the global pharmaceutical market is "under unprecedented attack from a variety of sophisticated threats." Experts at the W. P. Carey School of Business concur, and they say intensive R&D efforts are under way to develop new methods of improving the security of the global pharmaceutical supply chain.