Category: Free Content

Posts in this category are accessible without membership.

I encourage my SCM students to get an Accounting minor because College Accounting to me feels like SCM Finance.v

I encourage my SCM students to get an Accounting minor because College Accounting to me feels like SCM Finance. 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). Also, more & more SCM VP’s (C-suite types)...
Sime Curkovic Free Content

Classes start next week. Should we be teaching Linear Programming to SCM students? Great read: Supply Chains Can’t Find Talent With The Right Skill Sets…

Classes start next week. Should we be teaching Linear Programming to SCM students? Great read: Supply Chains Can’t Find Talent With The Right Skill Sets…https://lnkd.in/gMe5MPBP. Notice the reference to “optimization”… https://www.simecurkovic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/LinearProgramming.pdf “When it came time to identify what the issues to hiring are, 64% said finding the right skill set as the top challenge, followed by 58% citing a talent shortage in data analytics, optimization, automation, etc.” The context mentions...

Teaching material on the complex, yet essential topic of “Supplier Selection”.

Teaching material on the complex, yet essential topic of “Supplier Selection”. FYI: more of my old school teaching material. My overhead transparencies from the 90s are NOT available upon request (they are lost). Yes, most of this is still VERY relevant today. Even “AI” agrees. See last 3 pages for list of chat prompts that could facilitate research on supplier selection. My teaching slide deck:Sime Curkovic on LinkedIn: Yes, most...

Secretary Miguel A. Cardona called college rankings “a joke,” & took aim at selective colleges’ obsession w/ them. From me: Pay attention to what matters most- maybe not rankings…especially at the undergrad level.

More rankings…These Michigan colleges were ranked (congrats!): Albion College, Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Hillsdale College, Kalamazoo College, Kettering University in Flint, Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan State University, Michigan Technological University, & University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2023/08/these-9-michigan-colleges-are-among-the-best-in-the-us-princeton-review-ranking-says.html. From me: if you are a student majoring in something, but your school is not on some list, do not worry about it! I am 99.9% certain that you are still getting a...
Sime Curkovic Free Content

It might be time for price risk sharing in buyer-supplier relationships – “Cost recovery mechanisms should not be judged in isolation. Inflation-driven cost increases & adjustments need to be addressed in a timely manner that is consistent, tested, & institutionalized & supported by OEM & supplier cost reduction efforts.”

70% of new supplier agreements contain inflation driven economic adjustment clauses with the use of indices being the most common. It might be time for price risk sharing in buyer-supplier relationships. https://lnkd.in/g_ByzrNU. Notice: “Cost recovery mechanisms should not be judged in isolation. Inflation-driven cost increases & adjustments need to be addressed in a timely manner that is consistent, tested, & institutionalized & supported by OEM & supplier cost reduction efforts.” See:...

Managing Price Indexing & Economic Adjustments During Inflationary Times? Has Strategic Cost Mgmt (i.e., Price Analysis) become a lost art? Price analysis is a subject that is often overlooked in supply chain education. 70% of new supplier agreements contain inflation driven economic adjustment clauses with the use of indices being the most common.

Managing Price Indexing & Economic Adjustments During Inflationary Times? “A commodity supercycle occurs when prices of commodities rise above their long-term averages for long periods of time, even decades.” Decades? Note, the push towards green energy & infrastructure investments, could lead to this “sustained” period of increased demand for commodities (think copper, nickel, lithium, etc.). Either way, it might be time for price risk sharing in buyer-supplier relationships.Has Strategic Cost Mgmt (i.e.,...

Break-even analysis: I go through this way too fast in my Intro Supply Chain class, but they get the point (it’s strategic and complicated). For example…Let’s pretend you are a junior buyer.

Great post as always. I go through this way too fast in my Intro Supply Chain class, but they get the point (it’s strategic and complicated). https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sime-curkovic-61617a115_entrepreneur-finance-business-activity-7037085979119165440-g1FO?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop For example…Let's pretend you are a junior buyer. Suppose that a make-buy decision is being made for an injection molded plastic part. In other words, do you make it yourself or do you outsource it to a supplier? The fixed costs of making...

We are teaching our students to look at raw material market data from multiple sources, visualize & analyze historical pricing scenarios, & simulate planned purchases & what-if scenarios against forward price curves. Why?

We are teaching our students to look at raw material market data from multiple sources, visualize & analyze historical pricing scenarios, & simulate planned purchases & what-if scenarios against forward price curves. Why? Over ½ of our students go into Procurement. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/n-alpha_scm-procurement-inflation-activity-7039881090961969153--4a7?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop Has "Strategic" Cost Management (i.e., Price Analysis) become a lost art? According to World Commerce & Contracting, 70% of current supplier agreements have price increase provisions: https://lnkd.in/g_ByzrNU.Solutions such as the N-Alpha Materialx platform...

My colleagues and I put this list together for multiple business disciplines. Data shows that people earn more and have more job security if they become engaged members of their professional discipline. One way to do that is to join industry specific associations related to their majors. Further, these associations often have certifications that externally validate you as a subject matter expert.

My colleagues and I put this list together for multiple business disciplines. Data shows that people earn more and have more job security if they become engaged members of their professional discipline. One way to do that is to join industry specific associations related to their majors.  Further, these associations often have certifications that externally validate you as a subject matter expert. Industry Certifications and Associations for Various Business Majors and...
Sime Curkovic Free Content