Year: 2023

Students (some of my lecture notes from class):  Typically, buying organizations will use several rounds of the competitive bidding process to pick a low cost supplier. Buying organizations will send out RFQs to get bids from suppliers. RFQ stands for a Request for Quotation. In other words, please give us a quote for this business. Unfortunately, several iterations of the competitive bidding process can be very resource intensive, especially for...

My notes from class (lots of people gone, ugggh)... Students (I lecture fast, but here is a recap of it, I will finish this up next week also): These are basically my notes and transcripts from class lecture.  I would recommend reading forthcoming material slowly and/or multiple times.  It needs to resonate and register with you. My video/podcast explanations are pasted at the end of this email.  However, I think you...

Students: See the one-page financial statement on ROI (same one from class).   See: https://wmich.edu/supplychain/handout Let’s say you just started working for this company and you are a problem-solver that is obsessed with finding ways to do every part of your job better, faster, and cheaper.  Over a six-month period, you work very aggressively to reduce your organization’s direct material purchases/costs by 5%.  For example, you figured out a way to...

Students:  See attached.  It is a little older, but not in the least bit dated.  It is still very spot on.    I actually had a student very recently ask me:  …“if you could please go more in depth about what a Supply Chain Manager actually does on a day-to-day basis. I'm struggling to get an answer on what supply chain management really is inside of the workforce.”  My thoughts: ...

Subject: Read: People that read a lot make way more money (2.3 times more?!!!!)  Students: Here is an astounding fact - readers make more money - a lot more! It's true. According to a number of studies*, business people who read at least 7 business books a year earn over 2.3 times more than people who read only 1 book per year. Why exactly do readers earn so much more money?...

Subject: Read: Quickest way to six figures (supply chain management?!) Dream Jobs: Six-Figure Salaries and a Bright Future by Louise Tutelian Seemingly every week, another publication or website comes out with its list of the "Best Jobs of the Year" or the "Hottest Careers," purporting to show the best fields to get into for job stability and earnings potential. The problem with many of these lists is that the jobs and careers...

Subject: Read: My class lecture notes - ROI material from Lecture (this is very important for your exam)  Hello Students (here are my notes from class, I am taking notes for you!):I threw a lot of SCM "Finance" stuff at you in class.  That will be the most accounting we do in this class moving forward.  For a rehash see below (you can treat it like a podcast): The handout for...

Students: A SCM consulting firm (Gartner) has identified the Global Top SCM firms. They think this is a list of the companies that are the best in the world at SCM.  They would only consider companies that were publicly traded (you could buy stocks in them), did at least $10 billion a year in revenue, and had physical supply chains (would not include banks and insurance companies for example).  Those companies...

MEMORANDUM To:                   MGMT 280-0 STUDENTS From:              Dr. Sime (Sheema) Curkovic Date:               September 11, 2023 Subject:          Next HW Assignment Due:                September 18, 2023 Assignment #2 (resume/cover letter was #1) - Most of you are SCM majors and will eventually pursue careers in supply management related fields (e.g., purchasing, operations, logistics, etc.).  There are different types of certification associated with the supply management field.  I...

Subject: Read: GM's interview scoresheet attached - they are telling you how they will score you! Most firms use the STAR technique. The STAR method is a structured manner of responding to a behavioral-based interview question by discussing the specific situation, task, action, and result of the situation you are describing.  Students: FYI - FYI, it is time to start applying & interviewing for 2024 summer internships! Do not wait until Spring 2024 to find a Summer 2024...