Sime Curkovic – Page 4 – Sime Curkovic Ph.D.

I met with several managers at a career fair and I made the following observations. Note, the most common question now that I get from managers regarding feedback on students is: “How is their attention to detail?”. I think the reason for that is because many business professionals are working online/remote/hybrid and they are getting buried with data and communication (i.e., emails). So, how well do they manage all that detail? Personally, I think a lot of mistakes are being made that is creating supply chain chaos because people are not staying on top of all the details.

I met with several managers at a career fair and I made the following observations. Note, the most common question now that I get from managers regarding feedback on students is: "How is their attention to detail?". I think the reason for that is because many business professionals are working online/remote/hybrid and they are getting buried with data and communication (i.e., emails). So, how well do they manage all that...

Business Analytics Minor and AI (I think this minor keeps you from ever being a victim of technology). This is just my hard and fast sell on these skills sets. Please know that I do this simply to help you and it is never about judgement. Making sense out of large amounts of data is very important in problem-solving. “You get paid in direct proportion to the difficulty of the problems you solve” – ElonMusk Students (see the end of this for feedback from my former students):

Business Analytics Minor and AI (I think this minor keeps you from ever being a victim of technology). This is just my hard and fast sell on these skills sets. Please know that I do this simply to help you and it is never about judgement. Making sense out of large amounts of data is very important in problem-solving. “You get paid in direct proportion to the difficulty of the problems...

We should be teaching students AI “prompt engineering” tailored to their major because it is becoming a key skill in many careers. Prompt engineering is the process of designing clear, effective prompts to maximize the accuracy and usefulness of AI tools like ChatGPT. However, it’s not just about asking the right questions—it’s also about understanding how these systems work, recognizing when the information provided makes sense, and critically evaluating its accuracy.

We should be teaching students AI “prompt engineering” tailored to their major because it is becoming a key skill in many careers. Prompt engineering is the process of designing clear, effective prompts to maximize the accuracy and usefulness of AI tools like ChatGPT. However, it’s not just about asking the right questions—it’s also about understanding how these systems work, recognizing when the information provided makes sense, and critically evaluating its...

Speaking of 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? Industry asked us to. It is our fastest growing class. Note: my students go into “buyer” roles VERY early on in their careers (it often gets built into their job rotations). However, the supplier sales rep on the other side of the table is not early in their career (they often have > 10-20 years, if not more, work experience). So, LEARN to negotiate! Hint, use data.

Speaking of negotiation, here is my slide deck on Negotiation from the 1990s: https://lnkd.in/ebFG4Qbg. I used to pack this into one class. Now, every WMU Supply Chain major has to take an entire course on Global Negotiation. Why? 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...

Our new “apprenticeship” program: We concluded a co-op pilot program with a F500 company that was highly successful and has started its second iteration in. So, what makes this Co-op program different…

Our new "apprenticeship" program: We concluded a co-op pilot program with a F500 company that was highly successful and has started its second iteration in 2024. So, what makes this Co-op program different: https://lnkd.in/eGex9fzK. It is based on the European apprentice programs, whereby students work part time as an integral part of their studies. The advantages are that students learn from hands-on experience, while also earning college credits. It is not students with...

Should college grads negotiate a job offer (i.e., a higher starting salary)? Yes, but only if you know how to negotiate. I do have students that get offers in the $60K-$70K range & many successfully negotiate up to $65K-$80K. That is a 10-30% bump before you even start! Many people have to work a few years to get that bump.

Students:These links will take you to salary data at MSU and Indiana. As you can see, your starting salaries are right in line with the Big Ten schools. MSU 2023 Salary Data (for all business majors):https://broad.msu.edu/app/uploads/2024/01/Broad-Class-of-2023-UG-Results.pdf Alert from NACE: Students that get internships (you need to pass a drug test), get more job offers and they earn WAY more: Indiana University Salary Data 2023:Supply chain and operations management salary statistics, Class...

My SCM students often ask: What earnings can I expect in my career if it goes well? Elon Musk says: “You get paid in direct proportion to the difficulty of the problems you solve”. Another lesser known manager told my students: “The critical factor for this salary gap is that if you reach 35-ish years old and have never led a team, then it’s extremely difficult to move up to the next level.” Tons of data out there to be had and make sense of…

Students: I had someone ask me: What earnings can I expect in my career if it goes well? My narrow window of expertise requires me to answer this question in the context of SCM careers, but I think you can accurately extrapolate from it. Note, it goes well for most of my former students. Just keep learning and building your brand. My theory: In general, what do supply chain leaders make?...

From a colleague (this is gold): “Ideas for Using AI in Class Planning As educators, we’re constantly thinking about how we can keep our students engaged with interesting and relevant assignments. But crafting really engaging ones that also mimic the complex, real-world problems students will face as professionals can be laborious. In this article, Harvard Publishing shares how generative AI can help you create assignments that are more relevant and powerful for your students—and more efficient to produce.

From a colleague (this is gold): "Ideas for Using AI in Class Planning As educators, we’re constantly thinking about how we can keep our students engaged with interesting and relevant assignments. But crafting really engaging ones that also mimic the complex, real-world problems students will face as professionals can be laborious. In this article, Harvard Publishing shares how generative AI can help you create assignments that are more relevant and...

Students (see the crazy import data below, AI might be coming soon in a very big way): Supply chain management (SCM) presents unique challenges largely due to the lack of real-time visibility and the unpredictable nature of lead times. In an ideal world, companies would have full visibility into every stage of the supply chain—from sourcing raw materials to delivering the final product. If we knew exactly where every component was at any given moment, and if lead times were always consistent and predictable, the supply chain would be much easier to manage. In other words, SCM would be a piece of cake if we knew where everything was all the time from beginning to end. You can make a trillion dollars if you invent a technology that does that.

Supply chain management (SCM) presents unique challenges largely due to the lack of real-time visibility and the unpredictable nature of lead times. In an ideal world, companies would have full visibility into every stage of the supply chain—from sourcing raw materials to delivering the final product. If we knew exactly where every component was at any given moment, and if lead times were always consistent and predictable, the supply chain...

Do you know what your brand is? Become the Nike swoosh of your life! Most students put little effort into developing and promoting their brand (and networking in general). Do a SWOT analysis for yourself by identifying 5-10 traits for each category.

Subject: Do you know what your brand is? Become the Nike swoosh of your life! Most students put little effort into developing and promoting their brand (and networking in general). Do a SWOT analysis for yourself by identifying 5-10 traits for each category. Strengths and Weaknesses might be obvious, but Opportunities and Threats might be less obvious (but do your best). For example, an opportunity might be that you are a...