Month: February 2025

Apple’s Core Competency is SCM? I thought it was technology/innovation?

 Apple's Core Competency is SCM? I thought it was technology/innovation? Students:Apple's Core Competency is SCM?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMLbnsKGRfoNotice how Apple went from $300B in cash to $200B and now to $165B.  Where did it go?  It appears that this company that outsources almost everything is taking ownership of very selective parts of its supply chain.  It will now start doing most of its own design work (i.e., chips, screens, etc.) & it will stop...

ESI = early supplier involvement & CE = concurrent engineering (everyone does this for their “core” material needs) ESI = early supplier involvement and CE = concurrent engineering, and they mean the same thing. Before companies go into production with new products, they have to design those products, it is called the new product development process (NPD).

Three Sample Exam Questions: If you try answering the questions, I will reply back with the answers... Students:ESI = early supplier involvement & CE = concurrent engineering (everyone does this for their "core" material needs) ESI = early supplier involvement and CE = concurrent engineering, and they mean the same thing.  Before companies go into production with new products, they have to design those products, it is called the new product development process...

Problem-solving at work requires that you measure the stuff that is important to your organization (i.e., quality, costs, service, etc.). For example, can a company be good at anything if it does not measure it in excruciating and accurate detail? No, they will be terrible at all things that they do not measure (i.e., customer satisfaction). However, measurement also implies that you have to make sense of very large amounts of data (and hence the desire for super advanced excel spreadsheet data analytics skill sets). And, further, the need to use technology to make the right decisions using data visualization tools like Power BI and Tableau (think dashboards and graphs and pie charts – old people like me prefer pictures that tell a story rather than looking at giant color coded spreadsheets to make decisions).

Which of the following are two data visualization tools taught in CIS 3640 of the Business Analytics minor?  ERP and SAPExcel and PowerPointTableau and Power BIRobotic Process Automation and 3D PrintingData Miner and PythonRFID and Smart Tags Problem-solving at work requires that you measure the stuff that is important to your organization (i.e., quality, costs, service, etc.).  For example, can a company be good at anything if it does not...

One of the most reprinted articles in the history of the Harvard Business Review (HBR). The HBR “Core Competence” Article…

 One of the most reprinted articles in the history of the Harvard Business Review (HBR). Students:The HBR "Core Competence" Article:You will notice there is a clean/clear copy attached and another copy with my notes on it. Shouldn't we all read one of the most read papers in business journal history?You could start with this lecture video first or save it for the end of this email (your call - start from the...

How do companies outsource strategically? Some companies (both large and small) are going beyond just outsourcing commodities to also outsourcing core/strategic parts. It makes sense for smaller firms with scarce resources to outsource commodities. A commodity by definition is something that several suppliers exist for and as a result of competition, someone else can do it better, faster, and cheaper.

Here are the same video lectures from the last email (tons of exam questions from these, treat these like a podcast, you can speed it up also) - note, when you watch/listen to these, make sure to rewind it to the beginning:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrBN_T9ogao&t=424shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay2orDXjP8o&t=8shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5SD4ugLMks&t=107sThese are basically my notes and transcripts from my lecture.  I would recommend reading forthcoming material slowly and/or multiple times.  It needs to resonate and register with you.___How do...

What is MRO? It is a type of indirect cost.

What is MRO? It is a type of indirect cost. Students:  I would watch this first, beginning at the 12:15 mark...  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n879P75eSUs&t=841s Per this lecture – Manufacturing companies that design and build stuff have three types of costs:  Direct Material, Direct Labor, and all other costs are Overhead.  Note, some of that OH spend is called “MRO” (stuff they need to run their factories).  More on MRO later.   When a MFG company sells something for $1, $.50-$.80 of...

Feedback from former student on consulting jobs after graduation…just in case you see some at the career fairs. There will be several at the MSU career fairs. Consulting is simply “problem-solving” for a client/customer. Does consulting appeal to you? “You get paid in direct proportion to the difficulty of the problems you solve” – Elon Musk

Feedback from former student on consulting jobs after graduation...just in case you see some at the career fairs.  There will be several at the MSU career fairs. Consulting is simply "problem-solving" for a client/customer.  Does consulting appeal to you?“You get paid in direct proportion to the difficulty of the problems you solve” - ElonMusk I just got the 2024 data results (problem-solving will not go away):https://naceweb.org/talent-acquisition/candidate-selection/what-are-employers-looking-for-when-reviewing-college-students-resumes? Students: Here is my perspective on...

Spending on diverse suppliers averages 3.6% of total spend (96.4% is with non-diverse suppliers – we will discuss this in class eventually) – finding and using a minority owned supplier might be a part of your future job. Your employer might expect you to have around 5-10% of your total spend with diversity suppliers, and it will not be easy. Why? There are not many and they tend to be small (and smaller suppliers tend to struggle with being price competitive).

Spending on diverse suppliers averages 3.6% of total spend (96.4% is with non-diverse suppliers - we will discuss this in class eventually) - finding and using a minority owned supplier might be a part of your future job.  Your employer might expect you to have around 5-10% of your total spend with diversity suppliers, and it will not be easy.  Why?  There are not many and they tend to be...

Feedback from Broncos who have GREAT gov jobs (no one spends more money and buys more stuff than the government – that’s SCM – buying stuff and spending money, but doing so well). MSU and WMU have a career fair for just these kinds of jobs. Note, there might currently be a hiring freeze on these jobs (we have new leadership in Washington and Elon is leading that charge). …and if you think government jobs do not pay well, here is a state of Michigan procurement job that pays $93,681.00 – $134,751.00

Feedback from Broncos who have GREAT gov jobs (no one spends more money and buys more stuff than the government - that's SCM - buying stuff and spending money, but doing so well).  MSU and WMU have a career fair for just these kinds of jobs.  Note, there might currently be a hiring freeze on these jobs (we have new leadership in Washington and Elon is leading that charge). ...and if you...

Feedback from Alumni, Delaying graduation, Emails (I was not expecting this one), Drugs & if you have a criminal record…

Feedback from Alumni, Delaying graduation, Emails (I was not expecting this one), Drugs & if you have a criminal record...  Students: Recent feedback from managers (WMU grads) about WMU students…    "Overall WMU students perform significantly better than other schools in Michigan." ..."Customer service skills – I don’t think that this is touched on much in the program (at least when I was a student), but it is a large part of...