Author: Sime Curkovic

Students: Do not forget to say thank you after those career fairs and networking…For more help, pasted below are links from Harvard, Yale, MIT, & WMU (112 pages). Many college grads struggle to land jobs due to a lack of preparedness: “Nearly 20% of employers said they’ve even had a recent college grad bring a parent to an interview.”

Students: Do not forget to say thank you after those career fairs and networking...For more help, pasted below are links from Harvard, Yale, MIT, & WMU (112 pages). Many college grads struggle to land jobs due to a lack of preparedness: https://lnkd.in/egfwBsKj. “Nearly 20% of employers said they've even had a recent college grad bring a parent to an interview.” Should college grads negotiate a job offer (i.e., a higher...

Great read (see our new apprenticeship program below): From article…“In some ways, it’s odd supply chain & procurement hadn’t come to the forefront sooner….Managing complex processes on paper or w/ spreadsheets is impossible…

Great read (see our new apprenticeship program below): From article…“In some ways, it’s odd supply chain & procurement hadn’t come to the forefront sooner….Managing complex processes on paper or w/ spreadsheets is impossible…All told, the supply chain may comprise as much as 37% of all jobs – 44M jobs…64% of companies are experiencing a supply chain talent gap...Colleges aren’t providing any coursework or training on Salesforce, Workday, or SAP. And if they’re not...

Today in class: 120 days?…A student asked me if these payment terms were an issue for smaller sub-tier suppliers (young students can be very observant).

Today in class: 120 days?...A student asked me if these payment terms were an issue for smaller sub-tier suppliers (young students can be very observant). “20 years ago, when a supplier delivered a finished product to a commercial aerospace customer, it generally was paid w/i 30 days. In the early 2010s, major OEMs increased terms to 60 days. By the late 2010s, terms reached 90 days, & today the standard...

Salary Data $$$. A very good read from Zetwerk. “Purchasing managers had the highest median salary of the jobs studied, at a $131,350 average. The overall median salary was $90,812. Logisticians have a 10-year projected growth rate of 18%.”

Salary Data $$$. A very good read from Zetwerk: https://lnkd.in/eHWZ7DGf. Also, a nice summary from SCM Review: https://lnkd.in/e_y2Yn5P. “Purchasing managers had the highest median salary of the jobs studied, at a $131,350 average. The overall median salary was $90,812. Logisticians have a 10-year projected growth rate of 18%.”More procurement salary data from CIPS: https://lnkd.in/evxDb7Kw.Great time to be a supply chain student: “…growth in procurement salaries overall in North America is 5% & the...

Notice SCM made the list: #5. Supply Chain (Logistics): $52,290. Note, WMU SCM grads (2022) have a median wage range of $65-$75K. I have been trying to explain SCM to high schoolers. It’s not that easy.

Notice SCM made the list: #5. Supply Chain (Logistics): $52,290. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/majored-one-18-subjects-ll-193945292.html Note, WMU SCM grads (2022) have a median wage range of $65-$75K. https://lnkd.in/dkGr4_uX. I have been trying to explain SCM to high schoolers. It’s not that easy. Parents like to see this: the number of US job postings for supply chain managers on LinkedIn more than doubled between 2019 & 2022: https://lnkd.in/gyWH5gxt. The U.S. supply chain accounts for 37% of...

The Food Marketing Conference is quickly approaching. It will be held March 26 – 27, 2024.

The Food Marketing Conference is quickly approaching. It will be held March 26 - 27, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sime-curkovic-61617a115_wmu-named-to-top-list-for-consumer-goods-activity-7165693947158147072-Dhgr?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop If you would like to attend, please complete your registration at the link below. I've attached the brochure so you can review the speakers and the full agenda. If you have any questions, please let me know. I hope you can attend! https://lnkd.in/gn4BHuZZ.Direct other questions to:Lisa YoutzyFood Marketing Program CoordinatorWestern Michigan University(269) 387-2132lisa.youtzy@wmich.edu11...

Here is my slide deck on Negotiation from the 1990s. I used to pack this into one class. Now, every WMU Supply Chain major has to take an entire course on Global Negotiation.

Here is my slide deck on Negotiation from the 1990s. I used to pack this into one class. Now, every WMU Supply Chain major has to take an entire course on Global Negotiation. Why? https://www.simecurkovic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Negotiation101.pdf https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sime-curkovic-61617a115_students-go-into-buyer-roles-very-early-in-activity-7086749197923717121-HEAc?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop Industry asked us to. It is our fastest growing class. Thank you Dr. James Eckert! See his 1 page cheat sheet at the end of the slide deck. Note: my students go into “buyer” roles VERY early...

We are talking about this in class right now (along w/ Negotiation): “OEMs had an avg profit margin of 8.1% in the 1st quarter, more than 2% higher than auto suppliers…while suppliers stabilized between 5-6%…The challenge for suppliers is that they’re suffering from higher material & energy costs, which they can only partially pass on to OEMs.”

We are talking about this in class right now (along w/ Negotiation): “OEMs had an avg profit margin of 8.1% in the 1st quarter, more than 2% higher than auto suppliers…while suppliers stabilized between 5-6%...The challenge for suppliers is that they’re suffering from higher material & energy costs, which they can only partially pass on to OEMs.” https://lnkd.in/gY__BVRs https://www.bain.com/insights/automotive-profitability-how-oem-and-supplier-margins-are-faring-interactive/?utm_medium=social_advocacy&utm_source=LinkedIn-dysi&utm_content=8e152660-72ab-465b-b5f9-aa01a0fdeb2a&utm_term=169324 Almost 1/2 of U.S. employees do not feel confident in their...

I asked chatGPT how complicated is it for an international student college graduate in the U.S. to get a green card. It looks VERY cumbersome. I wish it was easier and perhaps even automatic.

Note, this is almost 3 years old, but…"The H-1B visa is highly competitive. In fiscal 2021, program applications hit 275,000, a 15-year high. The program follows a lottery system where 85,000 applicants are selected at random. Today, that means a given applicant has about a 30% chance of getting in." https://www.visualcapitalist.com/the-data-behind-americas-h-1b-visa-program/ More Current: For the FY 2023 H-1B lottery season, USCIS received a total of 474, 421 eligible registrations. Given that a total of...

Success = Pick the right major (i.e., demand > supply) + Get work experience (i.e., internships related to major) + Pick the right first job (i.e., they pay a premium for your major because of supply/demand conditions and you are job ready day one because you have professional work experience).

Great read…Translation: Success = Pick the right major (i.e., demand > supply) + Get work experience (i.e., internships related to major) + Pick the right first job (i.e., they pay a premium for your major because of supply/demand conditions and you are job ready day one because you have professional work experience). Notice:“More than any other factor analyzed—including race, gender and choice of university—what a person studies determines their odds...