Author: Sime Curkovic

There is a difference between Logistics and Supply Chain Management…seriously, it matters (kind of). The majority of our SCM students go into “procurement”, but “logistics” is the fastest growing career path in our program.What's The Difference Between Logistics And Supply Chain Management? (And Why It Matters)In large part, thanks to logistics and supply chain management, the global working world is becoming an increasingly…www.forbes.com For a long time, we required a...

Procurement orgs need processes & “tools” to mitigate & negotiate on price increase requests in a strategic, data-driven manner (& we/I need to do a better job of teaching it). “In the survey of over 300 senior supply chain executives,…Rising inflation (57%) and the talent shortage (50%) also topped the 50% level of respondents’ biggest challenges…58% citing a talent shortage in data analytics, optimization, automation, etc.” https://lnkd.in/gMe5MPBP. From me: VERY consistent...

Leading the way with Lean Six Sigma: WMU students earn certification. Leading the way with Lean Six Sigma: WMU students earn certification. https://lnkd.in/g2VDbEPx. The ability to get certified in continuous improvement methodologies and Lean Six Sigma (LSS) techniques all before graduation is just one way students in the Haworth College of Business are preparing to become business leaders. A group of 13 graduate and 20 undergraduate students across the college’s academic...

FREE resources for Info on Suppliers, Customers, & Prospects. A former student working in B2B industrial sales, suggested the following list of free websites as a resource for research on competitors, customer supply chains, & prospect contact info. Gartner: “Supply chain management software revenue grew 9.3% in 2022, faster than most other application software markets, exceeding $24.7 billion. The growth rate in constant-U.S.-dollar terms (base 2020) was 14.7%, which was...

I tell my students: Long term in your careers, understanding SCM Finance will be critical. At the end of the day, SCM executives are evaluated on generating shareholder value (bottom line financial kind of stuff, of which has gotten very creative & complicated). I tell my students: Long term in your careers, understanding SCM Finance will be critical. At the end of the day, SCM executives are evaluated on generating...

Great time to be a supply chain student: “…growth in procurement salaries overall in North America is 5% & the avg salary for all N.A. supply chain pros was $105,418. Some highlights include the avg pay reported for Advanced Professionals ($126k) for roles such as a Procurement Director. Great time to be a supply chain student: “…growth in procurement salaries overall in North America is 5% & the avg salary...

Some employers are giving students a few days to make decisions on full time job offers several months before graduation. One student asked if that was ethical or even legal. Exploding job offers & do you want a full time job to begin in a job rotation? Some employers are giving students a few days to make decisions on full time job offers several months before graduation. One student asked...

Tableau and/or Power BI for college business majors?… This class is req’d of every WMU supply chain major: CIS 2640 — Applied Analytics Foundations (Excel on steroids & predictive analytics)…I get this kind of student feedback, see: https://lnkd.in/dQABdsXc. Also, we teach Tableau & Power BI in our CIS 3640 class (which is req’d in our Business Analytics minor) — 3 major focus areas: (1) Advanced excel functions, Power Query, Power Pivot,...

Is Python a must-have skill in the supply chain? How much Python do I need? Is Python a must-have skill in the supply chain? https://lnkd.in/dcEJuZJX. How much Python do I need? https://lnkd.in/e6Rmzpw. Our CIS 2650 is not just a Python class, but instead a Python class for analytics. https://lnkd.in/dcEJuZJX. I had a SCM professional ask: “I don’t even know basic python yet . I want to get to the more advanced items but...

How will AI impact your future? WMU offers new course on the intersection of AI and writing: https://lnkd.in/g476QVTS. As AI continues to grow in importance, more companies and potentially universities will likely establish executive roles such as VP of AI to oversee AI strategies…In the meantime, WMU is bringing together AI and the art of writing: “One of the key aspects of AI is the interaction between human intelligence & the...