blog – Page 101 – Sime Curkovic Ph.D.

Process Management’s critical impact on the predisposition and progress toward managing risks in SCM

For the full report, see: For a copy of the full report with data Our group conducted research about the potential for managing risks in Supply Chain Management. This study showed that documenting the likelihood & impact of risks was not a key part of SCM and that supply chain risk information was not readily available to key-decision makers. Furthermore, very few firms are actually able to exploit risk to...

IT’s critical impact on the predisposition and progress toward managing risks in SCM

For a copy of the full report, see: For a copy of the full report with data Our group conducted research about the potential for managing risks in Supply Chain Management. Firms had information of what goes on in other parts of their supply chain. An issue on information was not suggested. Managers seemed satisfied with their supply chain group’s performance on “Visibility” (detailed knowledge of what goes on in...

Successful Supply Chain Risk Management Programs

In today‘s global economy, the response to supply chain risk has largely been “reactive”. Unmitigated risk can cause disruptions for a company's supply chain. Traditional, “cost down” procurement efforts often amplify and expedite supply chain risk (e.g. moving contracts from a troubled supplier, delaying supplier payments, competitive bidding, etc.). Procurement initiatives are often based on “Landed Costs” without considering the additional inventory and increased supply chain risk costs. Existing supply...

Indirect Procurement: A new global industry standard

Curkovic and alumni create new global industry standard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Avyihs_oBo When global consulting firm COPC Inc. planned the development of standards for indirect procurement, industry executives responsible for organizations were asked to participate on the project. Many of those executives were Business Broncos. And, when COPC identified the need for academic leadership for the project, it tapped resources from the Center for Integrated Supply Management and Dr. Sime Curkovic, Valluzo Faculty...

What sort of code of ethics should you hold yourself to?

As a student you are representing your university to all employers. Misrepresentations or inaccuracies concerning your qualifications on your resume or within your online profile are a serious violation of most schools' recruiting standards and could result in your loss of access to all of their placement related services. Here are examples... Misrepresentation Students are required to present themselves truthfully and ethically to employers, the University, and Career Services. GPA’s,...

Will technology replace supply chain jobs?

No, not if you develop your soft skills and learn how to use the technology to do your job better, faster, and cheaper (with a focus on strategic issues). My first SCM job was very tactical and has been replaced by technology and automation. Over half of our SCM students also minor in Business Analytics (e.g., big data/analytics, database management, data mining, project management, SQL, Python, PMO, Tableau, Power BI)....

Advice on getting a Ph.D. in business (i.e., SCM – any desire to be a college professor)?

I actually had a couple of students inquire about getting their Ph.D.'s in SCM. Pasted below is my generic response to students to sell them on the opportunity. Let's begin with: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HTWvJ-tSLU&t=936s Salary Ranges for Associate Professor Supply Chain Management. The salaries of Associate Professor Supply Chain Management in the US range from $136,000 to $204,000 , with a median salary of $170,000 . The middle 67% of Associate Professor Supply Chain...

Notice what happens to salaries as you get certified and get a graduate degree…

Careers in Purchasing and Supply Management Average Salaries (this is actually a few years old so the current numbers are even bigger) The Institute for Supply Management™ (ISM) surveyed supply management professionals during January and February to determine average salaries in the supply management profession. This report presents summary results of the survey that is based upon salaries earned during the calendar year. A full report is available to ISM...

How much Python do I need to know in order to excel in supply chain data analytics?

I am very comfortable in saying Python and R are the two most popular languages in analytics, but I think Python prevails. Python is a nice tool for statistics, machine learning and data mining. Most students that are learning Python for data analysis are likley learning in the Jupyter environment. This combination offers a wealth of data analysis and visualization tools, which are covered in our CIS 2650 (Data Analytics)...

If a company wanted to get started with using Robotic Process Automation (RPA), where and how should they begin?

Have you heard of Robotic Process Automation (RPA)? That is basically software that makes use of ML and AI to do routine manual SCM activities like process a Purchase Order. The process is manual, tactical, and clerically driven. However, that RPA software is learning from itself on how to do things better, faster, and cheaper. For example, RPA could start saying things like: I think we are paying too much,...