May 3, 2021 – Sime Curkovic Ph.D.

ROI and Your Core Competency (i.e., SCM?)

In 1990 C.K. Prahalad and Gary Hamel published The Core Competence of the Corporation that to this day is the most reprinted article in the history of the Harvard Business Review (HBR). It keeps getting reprinted because its premise is still very relevant (perhaps more so today). This core competency article argues that every organization needs to focus all of its scarce, limited, and valuable resources (manpower, machines, money, management, and material – the 5Ms) on...

Business analytics addresses an increasing demand in organizations of all types

Business analytics addresses an increasing demand in organizations of all types to understand data related to their operations. Investments in information systems throughout the enterprise over the last 10-15 years are generating tremendous amounts of data, and companies will spend at least the next 10 years developing processes that generate insight from those data. In addition to data generated internally, many companies are exploring the effects of external data, primarily present in...

Sustainable Supply Chain Strategies

Click for full access to ISO 14000 & Sustainability paper Many of the espoused criticisms of sustainability standards (i.e., ISO 14000) by managers seem valid on the surface but may actually mask an underlying strategic position of an organization. Our research demonstrates that companies who fully integrate a formal environmental management system (EMS) can reap significant benefits internally and externally in terms of a sustainable supply chain strategy. Standards such...

To stay competitive, companies are forced to outsource commodities and focus on their core competency

Today, to stay commercially competitive, companies are forced to outsource commodities and focus on their core competency and creative ways to increase product value. Traditionally, most buying organizations use a competitive bidding process to find a supplier for the selected commodities to outsource, whereas they will send out Request for Quotation (RFQs) to get bids from suppliers for the business. To get the lowest cost possible, typically, buying organizations will...

The primary elements for sourcing a supply partner

One of the primary elements for sourcing a supply partner is cost and a solid practice to have is receiving at least three quotes from highly qualified suppliers. However, there is more to an RFQ (Request for Quote) than just a financial breakdown of requested parts and/or services. The use of multi-round competitive bidding ultimately results in a pricing war between suppliers; a war that reduces their costs, but also reduces profit margins. This...

Sourcing New Product Innovation Success

Launching new products is both exciting and stressful, but also costly, labor intensive, time consuming, & data complex …painful. Our goal is to outline a repeatable method for success from idea to production that can reduce your product cost, timing, and risk. The new product and service development (NPSD) process is a major task for any firm. The NPSD process embodies all of the steps necessary to take the product...

The New Product Design Process and Design for Environment

Here is a copy of the research paper associated with this blog: Click here for details on my NPD and environment research This study examines the role played by environmental issues during the new product design process. These issues are studied through an exploratory research project based on case studies of ten companies. The firms studied can be categorized into one of five major groups: Innovators, Early Adopters, Early Majority,...

Robust Payment Terms and Creative Buyer-Supplier Financing

Industry is expected to see a multitude of suppliers complaining about cash-flow issues. But the supplier havoc, for the most part, does not need to happen. The solution might be as simple as robust payment terms and creative buyer-supplier financing. Large OEM buying organizations often try to negotiate not paying suppliers for as long 90-180 days after they actually receive material and/or services. As a function of being the customer...

Why Your Supplier Data Management Strategy is Key to Company Agility

A robust process and the supporting systems for managing information about suppliers can create a competitive advantage for companies and allow them to out innovate competitors. Large amounts of data, specifically supplier identification, qualification, and engagement information, has become overwhelming to track. The data required for processing, distributing or selling products and services is often inaccurate, inconsistent, and incomplete. The fact remains that most organizations have no real strategy when...

ISO 14000 as a Means of Achieving a Competitive Advantage

Click here for full access to ISO 14000 paper Formally adopted in 1996 by the International Organization of Standardization, ISO 14000 represents a new voluntary international environmental standard which will likely be adopted by the vast majority of corporations. While the literature is clearly divided in its assessment of ISO 14000, an underlying common theme is that the decision to achieve ISO 14000 certification constitutes a major undertaking for most...