Category Archive

Relationships and power. Relationships in Supply Chains are not static; as corporate policy and the broader business environment change, so will the dynamics between buyer and seller. My previous post ‘Business strategy decisions and Supply Chain outcomes’ discussed the effect on Logistics from a change to a retailer’s pricing policy. But changing the pricing mechanism is also an example of … Read More

Decisions and costs. Your CEO makes an announcement about a change in policy. The statement may sound straightforward, but must Supply Chains be changed to meet the new objective? And does the CEO understand what the Supply Chain professionals will need to do and by when? These questions were highlighted by the actions of a major discount department store chain … Read More

Data and decisions. Put more and ‘better’ Supply Chain data in the hands of decision makers – does it result in better decisions? In articles written about big data, internet of things and other such technology advances, there appears to be an underlying acceptance that the hypothesis is proven  – but is this correct? The question was asked in relation … Read More

Who knows your Supply Chain strategy? The Supply Chain strategy of your organisation could be a hidden surprise to most employees or even managers. To understand the situation, consultants with a brief to identify improvements in areas such as profitability, productivity and new product introduction may often commence their assignment with an exercise. A blank card is given to a … Read More

Branding includes Supply Chains. Texts concerned with marketing are likely to emphasise that a brand is a name and symbol that identifies a product or service of a seller. A brand differentiate the organisation or product from competitors and involves investment in packaging, advertising and promotion. But is this really the extent of branding? The objective of a brand is … Read More