Author: Sime Curkovic

I am still going to complain about higher prices, but perhaps not as much. FYI, 70% of current contracts have price increase provisions?! Time to teach differently. See:

I am still going to complain about higher prices, but perhaps not as much. FYI, 70% of current contracts have price increase provisions?! Time to teach differently. See: https://lnkd.in/g_ByzrNU. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-which-countries-have-the-highest-inflation/ Great post & read below. Our SCM program is fortunate to be working w/ industry partners such as N-Alpha. This Spring our students are looking at raw material market data from multiple sources. We will visualize & analyze historical pricing scenarios...

I had a student ask: Shouldn’t I major in Finance or Accounting if I want to become a CEO? I said:

I had a student ask: Shouldn’t I major in Finance or Accounting if I want to become a CEO? I said: Well, being able to talk CFO talk is critical to long term success, but you might want to give this supply chain thing some thought…CEOs Will Come from an Unlikely Place: The Supply Chain..."...it’s clear that supply chain professionals are poised to become the most powerful executives in the world..."...

I have so many world class international students that are very hungry for American professional work experiences (i.e., internships) & they are often told by employers: we do not hire international students. Why? The paperwork? There is none for an international student if they are here legally (i.e., they are given a SS# w/ their student visa). I get it, it is complicated. Some do not have STEM degrees, so there is the chance they have to leave the U.S. one year after graduation (3 years if they are STEM). Why Hire International Students And What You Should Know Before You Do? Why International Students are The Talent You Are Looking For?…

I have so many world class international students that are very hungry for American professional work experiences (i.e., internships) & they are often told by employers: we do not hire international students. Why? The paperwork? There is none for an international student if they are here legally (i.e., they are given a SS# w/ their student visa). I get it, it is complicated. Some do not have STEM degrees, so there is...

Reminder: Yes, it is now time to start applying & interviewing for summer internships. There are already > 20,000 SCM 2023 internships posted & > 65,000 business related internships. Should current students negotiate an INTERNSHIP offer (i.e., a higher salary)? Yes, since many orgs are offering students 20-30% below market value. Large high profile F500 types get budgets for internships approved months ahead of time & they recruit nationally for the best talent. Help with online interviews & interviewing with robots (it is AI/machine learning technology). Practice before it really matters (this is mainstream now)…

Most employers will not even look at your resume if it looks like a lazy effort. Aesthetics matter! Here is some resume advice from MIT (25 pages): https://lnkd.in/g3xqeDyc. Here are some ideas from WMU (112 pages): https://lnkd.in/gipsXEsK. Reminder: Yes, it is now time to start applying & interviewing for summer internships. Large high profile F500 types get budgets for internships approved months ahead of time & they recruit nationally for the best talent. They often want...

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? 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 $50K-$60K range & many successfully negotiate up to > $60K-$70K. That is a 10-30% bump before you even start!

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? https://lnkd.in/ervskG5. My students came back to school from their summer internships and many of them received full time offers from their internship & many...

Are EVs really better than ICEs (today)? Many real researchers (not me) argue that new battery tech needs to be developed using more common, eco-friendly materials. That is why WMU is leading the charge (get it?) in battery research:

Another cool pic from VisualCapitalist.com. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/sp/can-electric-vehicle-targets-be-met/ Are EVs really better than ICEs (today)? Many real researchers (not me) argue that new battery tech needs to be developed using more common, eco-friendly materials. That is why WMU is leading the charge (get it?) in battery research: https://lnkd.in/gD4ZQECC This is a Michigan company! “Our Next Energy’s $1.6B investment creating 2,112 jobs in Van Buren Township will build on our economic momentum & secure the...

This interactive map shows every U.S. EV charging station. Look at the middle of the country.

This interactive map shows every U.S. EV charging station. Thank you visualcapitalist.com. Look at the middle of the country. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/interactive-ev-charging-stations-across-the-u-s-mapped/ Also-1,100 miles: The states of Illinois, Indiana & Wisconsin signed an agreement w/ Michigan to add charging stations & boost electric vehicle use AROUND LAKE MICHIGAN. The EV version of Old Route 66? Hmm.https://lnkd.in/gYSXZcUZ FYI: If the region surrounding the Great Lakes was its own country, it would be the 3rd largest economy in...

Notice: By 2035, more than 15 states are projected to be largely powered by solar & wind electricity. OK, just keep in mind that the supply chain for solar & wind is mostly in China, & the U.S. does not have a great strategy for rare earth metals & critical minerals (stuff EV batteries need & mining is not clean).

Notice: By 2035, more than 15 states are projected to be largely powered by solar & wind electricity. OK, just keep in mind that the supply chain for solar & wind is mostly in China, & the U.S. does not have a great strategy for rare earth metals & critical minerals (stuff EV batteries need & mining is not clean). Visualizing China’s Dominance in the Solar Panel Supply Chain: https://lnkd.in/gKDZezmR &https://lnkd.in/gUgErGf9 https://www.visualcapitalist.com/sp/how-battery-metals-can-power-energy-independence/...

Employers require these skill sets from their SCM professionals. Do you know…big data/predictive analytics, database mgmt, data mining, project mgmt, SQL, Python, PMO, Tableau, Power BI, etc.?

Supply Chain + Data Scientist (>500,000 unfilled jobs on LinkedIn!), orgs place a premium ($) on- 1. Advanced Excel (power query & pivot) & macros; 2. Data visualization (Tableau, Power BI & python w/ seaborn & matplotlib);3. Data mining/RapidMiner, machine learning & data science;4. Python & Jupyter notebook (data analytics & statistical libraries such as pandas, numpy);5. Relational data models (Excel data model);6. Graphic & statistical libraries (Seaborn, Matplotlib, Pandas, &...

Every WMU SCM major now has to take this class (Excel on steroids). Our Business Analytics minor teaches Big Data w/ skill sets such as: 1. Advanced Excel (power query & pivot) & macros…

Predictive Data Analytics ranked #2! https://lnkd.in/gthyAWf3. Every WMU SCM major now has to take this class (Excel on steroids). Our Business Analytics minor teaches Big Data w/ skill sets such as: 1. Advanced Excel (power query & pivot) & macros;2. Data visualization (Tableau, Power BI & python w/ seaborn & matplotlib);3. Data mining/RapidMiner, machine learning & data science;4. Python & Jupyter notebook (data analytics & statistical libraries such as pandas, numpy);5....