Michael Porter introduced the Value Chain model in his seminal book, Competitive Advantage,1 in 1985. The value chain broke down activities of the firm (the enterprise) and how they collectively contribute to the value of products & services. How well activities perform and interrelate would manifest in the margins, which are the difference between valueContinue reading “Value Chains, Supply Chains, & Our Wrong Mindsets”
Author Archives: Ellery
Negotiations Won’t Solve Our Supply Chain Crisis
During a Philippine Senate hearing conducted on June 21, 2023, the chief commercial officer of Cebu Pacific Airlines apologised for recent passenger service disruptions in which he added: “We recognize that global supply chain issues are further worsening the situation and causing additional delays in aircraft deliveries. As a result, we have experienced delays rangingContinue reading “Negotiations Won’t Solve Our Supply Chain Crisis”
Challenges & Crises: The Two Types of Problems We Tackle in Business
We encounter all kinds of problems every day. And they go by different names, such as: These problems, especially while managing our enterprises, end up as either of two types: We categorise the issues clamouring for our attention as crises or challenges depending on how urgent and important either one is. A crisis demandsContinue reading “Challenges & Crises: The Two Types of Problems We Tackle in Business”
Comparing Supply Chain Management versus Supply Chain Engineering
What’s the difference between supply chain management (SCM) and supply chain engineering (SCE)? Supply chain management is the management of people, structures, & systems that underlie the relationships of functions which enable the flow of merchandise & services from their sources to their destinations and users. SCMs work with existing systems & structures as theyContinue reading “Comparing Supply Chain Management versus Supply Chain Engineering”
Freedom Comes via Control & Influence
Gurus and so-called motivational experts teach that we are free to decide our future, to do whatever we want, to believe whatever we wish. We can be whatever we want to be. We can pursue personal goals and choose our path to happiness. Viktor Frankl experienced life in several Nazi concentration camps through World WarContinue reading “Freedom Comes via Control & Influence”
Starting with the Symptoms
We encounter frequent symptoms with our supply chains. One reason is our supply chains are large in scope. Supply chains start from the source (e.g. mining of raw materials, harvest of agricultural crops), pass through a multitude of activities that supposedly add value (e.g., procurement, storage, manufacturing, handling, dispatch, transport), and end with our targetContinue reading “Starting with the Symptoms”
Managing Uncertainty
We’re like baby sea turtles when we begin our careers. We don’t know what awaits us as we venture out into the world. We learn to deal with a lot of uncertainty. A property manager proposed a project to build a warehouse that would require an expenditure of PhP 2,500,000.00 (USD$ 50,000). Three (3) outContinue reading “Managing Uncertainty”
The Convincing Need to Test Ourselves
We go to the doctor when we feel sick. We hardly go see the doctor when we are healthy. If we’re feeling all right, we think we’re okay; we don’t see the immediate need to get ourselves checked. Health experts have repeatedly advised us to get ourselves examined at least once a year. We’re supposedContinue reading “The Convincing Need to Test Ourselves”
Managing Performance
We as supply chain managers typically oversee the following: It’s all part of our job to be perfect in serving customers and productive in meeting the standards of our superiors. We manage demand to synchronise supply. We manage inventories to make available products & services and make sure we don’t have too much (or tooContinue reading “Managing Performance”
Managing Inventory
One common priority we have as supply chain managers is managing inventories. We make items available when needed but at the same time make sure we don’t have too much that ties up our enterprises’ money. Sometimes, inventory management takes so much of our time that it dominates our job more than anything else. InventoryContinue reading “Managing Inventory”
Ellery's Essays 