Trade and Media Publications

Inside Supply Management® is a leading publication for those within the procurement/sourcing and supply chain profession. Our magazine covers essential news, innovative trends, ISM Report On Business® coverage, research analysis, leadership profiles, career strategies and much more.

In his new book The New (Ab)Normal: Reshaping Business and Supply Chain Strategy Beyond Covid-19, published today, MIT Professor Yossi Sheffi explains how companies grappled with the chaos of the Covid-19 pandemic and how they can survive and thrive as the crisis subsides. Sheffi pays particular attention to supply chain’s role in helping companies manage and recover from the pandemic.

How should companies manage their supply chains in today’s uncertain environment? 

The impact of Covid-19 is much bigger, affecting consumer demand as well as supply chains all over the world, and likely to last quite a bit longer.

As we struggle to come to terms with the scale of the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the most frustrating sights is witnessing front-line health-care workers begging for more masks, protective gowns, testing kits, ventilators and intensive-care beds...The woeful performance of these health-care supply chains raises the question of how such glaring shortages happened. And just as important: How do we ensure that this doesn’t happen again?

The army is made up of distributors’ employees, fulfillment center personnel, logistics planners, pallet manufacturing crews, procurement professionals, transportation brokers, truck drivers, truck stop attendants, warehouse workers, wholesalers, and countless other specialists.

Bigger, well-capitalized companies have the financial strength to withstand the rapidly developing downturn, but most other companies are in tougher situations and survival for many will come into question. However, it is not too early for companies to think about how to position themselves for a successful, speedy recovery.

At least the hotel chain (Intercontinental Hotels) is responding to consumers’ professed increasing support for green products and services, right?

Some studies find that more than 80% of consumers say they will make personal sacrifices to address social and environmental issues. However, when actually buying goods, consumer support for environmental products largely evaporates.

This article was picked up or shared by the following media outlets: QZ.com NakedCapitalism.com Reddit.com Medium.com Qoshe.com Morningstar.com Facebook.com Vox.com and others. 

Quarterly July-September 2019 Issue pages 30-33

As the world economy started gathering momentum in 2017 and 2018, the volume of sea-borne trade began trending upward, albeit from a low, following the anemic recovery of the previous decade.

While prospects for the industry are positive in the next few years, trade protectionism and the possibility of trade wars are still concerning.

“Is the bike-lane fever breaking?” None seemed to address the argument. It is unconscionable to restrict the movement of hundreds of thousands of car users in the name of making life more convenient for a few hundred bicyclists.