SCM Research

JULY 4, 2023

The emergence of generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) presents unique challenges to the academic research community. Many researchers are unsure how and when to report their use of such tools, and some even suggest that ChatGPT should be credited as a co-author. An enlightening editorial was recently published (Spanjol & Noble, 2023: Engaging With Generative Artificial Intelligence Technologies in Innovation Management Research—Some Answers and More Questions ).

SCM 262

SCM Research Journal Supply Chain Software 262

SCM Research

JUNE 9, 2023

Supply chain management (SCM) master’s programs often emphasize functional silos, as reflected in course titles such as “Operations Management” and “Logistics and Distribution Management” While these traditional elements are important, they risk overlooking transformative perspectives necessary in the face of today’s global challenges.

SCM 250

SCM Education Study Course 250

SCM Research

MARCH 30, 2023

We have just released a new report, entitled Circular Supply Chain Transformation: Challenges, Opportunities, and Trade-Offs for Circular Smartphones and Computers. It highlights the importance, opportunities, and potential trade-offs associated with circular supply chains for electronic devices in a way that makes it easier for decision makers to understand and navigate the circular transformation.

Supply Chain Transformation 143

Supply Chain Transformation Supply Chain Manufacturing Procurement Procurement Analytics 143

SCM Research

MARCH 12, 2023

Cobalt Wars is one of the most interesting ARTE.tv documentaries I have seen recently. It looks at the supply chain of cobalt, a key ingredient in the batteries of our smartphones and electric cars, and the political, environmental and social challenges associated with that supply chain. (French with English subtitles, also available in German. Not available in all regions.

Supply Chain 143

Supply Chain Supply and Demand Video Sustainability 143

SCM Research

FEBRUARY 20, 2023

Today I would like to introduce you to our new article entitled Thinking Differently About Supply Chain Resilience: What We Can Learn From Social-Ecological Systems Thinking , which is the result of an exciting collaboration with Mark Stevenson, Steven A. Melnyk, Simin Davoudi, and Lisen Schultz. We argue that the supply chain resilience literature should be expanded to include insights from the social-ecological systems literature.

Supply Chain 143

Supply Chain Journal Research Supply and Demand 143

SCM Research

FEBRUARY 6, 2023

As the recent debate about ChatGPT has shown, artificial intelligence tools are advancing rapidly. Today, I would like to introduce two AI tools that can be used to improve the language of academic texts. The first tool, Grammarly , can be integrated into programs like Word and suggests improvements, both in terms of errors and style. Grammarly has already found a large following among academic writers.

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SCM Tools Research 143

SCM Research

JANUARY 26, 2023

How should researchers construct research questions for their academic work? One intuitive answer is by spotting a gap in the existing academic literature. This is certainly an effective approach that follows the Popperian scientific method. In addition to gap-spotting, there is a second approach that deserves a little more attention: problematization.

SCM 143

SCM Research Course 143

SCM Research

JANUARY 2, 2023

As in previous years, I am making a prediction about what could be important topics in supply chain management research. Here are three predictions: (1) OpenAI has demonstrated the incredible potential of machine learning , and this will have numerous implications for the management of supply chains. It is important for our discipline to consider the potential and drawbacks of this technology at an early stage. (2) Supply chain resilience remains a critical issue.

Predictive Analytics Software 143

Predictive Analytics Software Supply Chain Software Supply Chain Germany 143

SCM Research

DECEMBER 7, 2022

OpenAI has attracted a lot of attention in recent weeks, and for good reason. The research institute, which focuses on developing artificial intelligence technologies and promoting their safe and responsible use, has made significant strides in advancing the field of AI. One area where OpenAI could have a significant impact is in the field of supply chain management.

Supply Chain Software 143

Supply Chain Software Supply Chain Optimization Supply Chain Strategy Optimization Software 143

SCM Research

NOVEMBER 10, 2022

Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Union is currently experiencing a massive increase in gas prices. This threatens the resilience of many supply chains. An analysis by the Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH) now shows that a small group of just 300 products causes a large part of almost 90% of the gas consumption of German industry during their manufacture.

Supply Chain 143

Supply Chain Ukraine Chemicals Analysis 143

SCM Research

OCTOBER 18, 2022

Once again this year, an SCM-related teaching case received an award at the Case Center Awards and Competitions : It is entitled Apple Inc: Global Supply Chain Management and written by P. Fraser Johnson. In this case, students are placed in the role of Apple’s CEO Tim Cook, who has to make a strategic decision about the company’s complex supply chain.

Supply Chain Software 143

Supply Chain Software Supply Chain Strategy Global Sourcing Strategies 143

SCM Research

OCTOBER 5, 2022

Something that I, as a reviewer and editor, have unfortunately seen too often in academic manuscripts is a lack of cohesion and coherence. Cohesion is the glue that holds sentences together. Coherence makes sure ideas connect to create a clear “whole”. In this video, Write to the Top looks at the elements that create strong cohesion and coherence.

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Video Research 143

SCM Research

SEPTEMBER 24, 2022

This year Raconteur has once again put together a very readable report entitled Supply Chain Resilience 2022. The authors ask, “As disruption continues to plague international supply chains, what can organisations do to build resilience and ensure efficiency?” And they provide answers: “From reducing waste and cutting costs to onshoring and upgrading systems, our Supply Chain Resilience report explores the strategies making the difference”.

Waste Reduction 143

Waste Reduction Cost Reduction Strategies Supply Chain Strategy Supply Chain 143

SCM Research

SEPTEMBER 3, 2022

Something that is long-established in other management disciplines but sadly almost completely neglected in the SCM discipline is research related to sensemaking. In short, sensemaking “involves turning circumstances into a situation that is comprehended explicitly in words and that serves as a springboard into action” (Weick et al., p. 409). Such research is concerned with subjective interpretations rather than objective truth and is therefore better suited to the study of social science phenom

SCM 143

SCM Supply Chain Research Study 143

SCM Research

AUGUST 15, 2022

As in previous years, the Journal of Supply Chain Management recently announced the winning paper of the 2021 Best Paper Awards at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management. And here it is: On Publicness Theory and Its Implications for Supply Chain Integration: The Case of Criminal Justice Supply Chains by Aline Pietrix Seepma, Dirk Pieter van Donk, and Carolien de Blok.

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SCM Journal Supply Chain Meeting 143

SCM Research

AUGUST 10, 2022

The International Energy Agency has just released a new special report entitled Solar PV Global Supply Chains. It examines solar PV (= photovoltaic) supply chains “from raw materials all the way to the finished product, spanning the five main segments of the manufacturing process: polysilicon, ingots, wafers, cells and modules”. The authors argue that “[p]utting the world on a path to reaching net zero emissions requires solar PV to expand globally on an even greater scale, raising concerns abou

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Global Supply Chain Material Savings Supply and Demand 143

SCM Research

AUGUST 9, 2022

Language in academic texts should not only be used to list arguments, to summarize methodical steps, or to report results. Too often, as a reviewer, I have read manuscripts that have not effectively used what I consider to be the most important function of language in academic texts: Above all, language should serve to communicate with the reader. In some cases, I could not believe how imprecise sentences were formulated, how unconvincing arguments were developed, and how the language simply lac

Research 143

Research SCM Course Report 143

SCM Research

JUNE 7, 2022

Should academic articles be interesting? At least that is the main message of the famous article That’s Interesting! Towards a Phenomenology of Sociology and a Sociology of Phenomenology by Davis (1971). Generations of Ph.D. students have read it, and those who have not should definitely do so. However, there are also authors who have criticized Davis’s arguments.

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Research Education Study 143

SCM Research

MARCH 15, 2022

The world is shocked by the Putin regime’s war of aggression against Ukraine – a war in the middle of Europe. It almost seems to me that our species has climbed back into the trees. This war already has many impacts on supply chains, and further implications will only become apparent with a time lag. Instead of taking the long necessary step to expand renewable energies, many EU countries have relied on cheap oil and gas supplies from Russia for too many years.

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Europe Ukraine Russia Food 110

SCM Research

FEBRUARY 23, 2022

Yesterday, the European Commission adopted a long-awaited Proposal for a Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence. It aims to “set out a horizontal framework to foster the contribution of businesses operating in the single market to the respect of the human rights and environment in their own operations and through their value chains, by identifying, preventing, mitigating and accounting for their adverse human rights, and environmental impacts, and having adequate governance, m

Sustainability 143

Sustainability Europe Government Supply Chain 143

SCM Research

FEBRUARY 8, 2022

The year 2022 has been going on for quite a while. I see the following topics at the top of the agenda in both academia and business: First, the last few months have been characterized by a large number of supply chain hiccups. Missing chips in the automotive industry have become a symbol of this development. Therefore, supply chain resilience is more important than ever.

Supply Chain Planning 143

Supply Chain Planning Supply Chain Scenario Planning Automotive 143

SCM Research

DECEMBER 21, 2021

In this video, Martin Parker, a Professor at the University of Bristol, UK, and author of the book Shut Down the Business School , argues that business schools encourage students to think that they should approach the future with the same tools that have created our problems. He thinks we need new schools, what Martin calls “schools for organizing” We should ask ourselves what SCM teaching might look like at such schools.

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SCM Video Tools Research 143

SCM Research

OCTOBER 20, 2021

This year’s Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics goes to David Card “for his empirical contributions to labour economics” and Joshua D. Angrist and Guido W. Imbens “for their methodological contributions to the analysis of causal relationships”. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences writes in a comprehensive article about the scientific background of this prize (PDF): “Taken together, […] the Laureates’ contributions have played a central role in establishing the so-called design-based approach in

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SCM Research Policies Analysis 143

SCM Research

SEPTEMBER 6, 2021

What distinguishes a good paper? The idea should be creative, the methodological approach should be flawless, and there should be a theoretical contribution. Sure. However, good communication with the reader is at least as important as all of the rest. Unfortunately, very often I have reviewed manuscripts that contain interesting theories, data, and results, but are simply not well-written.

How To 162

How To Journal Strategy Price Mitigation Strategies 162

SCM Research

SEPTEMBER 1, 2021

How can innovation and new business models transform global supply chains in the transition to a sustainable economy? On September 8, I look forward to joining Juliane Reinecke (King’s College London), together with our speakers from Anglo American and the World Economic Forum, to discuss this topic in a webinar on Supply Chain Transformation for a Sustainable Future.

Supply Chain Transformation 143

Supply Chain Transformation Sustainability Supply Chain Modeling 143

SCM Research

AUGUST 26, 2021

Survey research is one of the most important methodologies in our discipline. Over time, the demands on survey research in SCM have increased – for good reasons. In particular, the design of survey research must reduce the risks of both common method bias and respondent bias. In their important 2018 editorial, entitled Survey Research Design in Supply Chain Management: The Need for Evolution in Our Expectations , Flynn and her coauthors (2018) distinguish between four types of survey research de

Supply Chain Design 28

Supply Chain Design Survey Research Supply Chain 28

SCM Research

AUGUST 18, 2021

Every departmental coffee machine has probably already witnessed heated discussions on the subject of authorship. Indeed, there are no generally accepted standards for assigning authorship. McNutt et al. (2018) define authorship as follows: “Each author is expected to have made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; or the creation of new software used in the work; or have drafted the work or substantively revis

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Study Analysis Software Data 143

SCM Research

AUGUST 9, 2021

The Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was released today. Bringing together the latest advances in climate science, it addresses the most updated physical understanding of the climate system. Even without this new IPCC report, it should be clear that our planet is in an existential crisis: The scale and intensity of the recent floods in Germany have broken all records and the ongoing fires in Greece have reached biblical proportions; Greek Prime Mini

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SCM Greece North America Switzerland 32

SCM Research

JUNE 24, 2021

The influential Chartered Association of Business Scholars has just published its Academic Journal Guide 2021. What does this mean for the operations and supply chain management (OSCM) research community? I have looked at the ranks for 15 major OSCM journals. Once again, only the following OSCM journals were classified in category 4*: Journal of Operations Management , Management Science and Operations Research.

Journal 28

Journal San Francisco Manufacturing Procurement Procurement Analytics 28

SCM Research

MAY 17, 2021

In our new article, Two Perspectives on Supply Chain Resilience (Wieland & Durach, 2021), we provide a new definition of supply chain resilience: Supply chain resilience is the capacity of a supply chain to persist, adapt, or transform in the face of change. Based on our observation that SCM scholars have often taken an engineer’s perspective to interpret supply chain resilience, we argue that it needs to be complemented with a social–ecological perspective.

Supply Chain 28

Supply Chain SCM Journal Supply and Demand 28

SCM Research

MAY 5, 2021

The following tool was brought to my attention the other day: Connected Papers , “a visual tool to help researchers and applied scientists find and explore papers relevant to their field of work” It analyzes thousands of papers, selects the ones with the strongest connections to an entered paper, and generates a graph. In this graph, the tool arranges papers according to their similarity in terms of co-citation and bibliographic coupling.

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Tools Research Strategy Price Mitigation Strategies 143

SCM Research

APRIL 11, 2021

The Journal of Supply Chain Management is doing an excellent job of stretching the boundaries of our discipline. I know from various conversations with colleagues that I am not the only fan of the journal. I would like to give an example of a very powerful recent JSCM paper: Touboulic, McCarthy, & Matthews (2020). It is entitled Re-Imagining Supply Chain Challenges Through Critical Engaged Research.

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SCM Research Journal Video 143

SCM Research

APRIL 2, 2021

I recently read on LinkedIn how a department head bragged about how many papers his team published in highly ranked journals over the past year. This mentality has to stop because it does not lead to more, but to less quality. In fact, quantity competes with quality. Often “motivated” by the disincentive systems of their universities, many academics waste their time writing lots of papers that no one ever will cite.

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Quality Research Journal Just-in-Time 143

SCM Research

MARCH 8, 2021

One of the most interesting articles I have read recently is The Map Is Not the Territory: A Boundary Objects Perspective on Supply Chain Mapping by Fabbe-Costes and her coauthors (IJOPM, 2020). The authors argue: “Most past conceptions of SC mapping have involved identifying one map of a supply chain as a common reference point for all actors concerned.

Journal 143

Journal Supply Chain Supply and Demand 143

SCM Research

FEBRUARY 18, 2021

JSCM talked to me about my new paper, entitled Dancing the Supply Chain: Toward Transformative Supply Chain Management :

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Video Supply Chain Supply and Demand Research 270

SCM Research

FEBRUARY 1, 2021

A new World Economic Forum report, entitled Net-Zero Challenge: The Supply Chain Opportunity and co-authored with Boston Consulting Group, showcases “the opportunity that all companies have for huge climate impact through action to decarbonize global supply chains”. This report argues that addressing supply-chain emissions enables many companies to impact “a volume of emissions several times higher than they could if they were to focus on decarbonizing their own direct operations and power consu

Supply Chain 110

Supply Chain Boston Cost Reduction Strategies Report 110

SCM Research

JANUARY 29, 2021

The pandemic has caused a great deal of suffering to many people. More than ever, the crisis made the general public aware of the importance of supply chain management. In the beginning, many realized that supply chain disruptions can create problems with supplies of food, face masks, and medicine. Later, many recognized the importance of functioning SCM for vaccine distribution.

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Supply Chain SCM Supply Chain Disruption Just-in-Time 110