Several years ago, I approached an old classmate from high school who was in the construction business and asked him if he can quote me for a big project I was undertaking. He replied, “sorry, I’m too busy with other jobs.” Recently, I asked a friend if she can quote me for some equipment sheContinue reading “When Friends Become Customers”
Author Archives: Ellery
A Primer on the Process of Order Creation & Fulfilment
The process of customer order creation and fulfilment is a core task of many enterprises. An order creation & fulfilment process in a business-to-business (B2B) relationship typically consists of the following steps: Propose: Enterprise via marketing & sales presents product or service (i.e. item) to customers. Request: Customer expresses interest Quote: Enterprise provides prices, terms,Continue reading “A Primer on the Process of Order Creation & Fulfilment”
What Problems Will AI Solve?
The debut of artificial intelligence (AI) applications like ChatGPT in late 2022 ignited viral media firestorms around the world. AI is no longer science fiction. It is here. It has arrived. It is on our fingertips, demonstrating its power and ready for our use. With AI apps like ChatGPT, we can use our devices (i.e.,Continue reading “What Problems Will AI Solve?”
The Science Behind Management & Why We Need Engineering
In March of 1911, Frederick Winslow Taylor’s The Principles of Scientific Management debuted to the public. It was the height of the Industrial Revolution in the United States of America. Corporations were mass producing items and many Americans were employed in factories. Mr. Taylor’s Principles couldn’t have come at a better time as when itContinue reading “The Science Behind Management & Why We Need Engineering”
Why We Should Ask More Questions
Eight (8) utility posts fell on a busy street at Manila’s Binondo Chinatown district. The posts damaged cars and caused a power failure to commercial establishments. The power utility company, MERALCO, however, immediately removed and replaced the fallen posts. Power was restored within hours. Business on the street returned to normal. That wasn’t enough forContinue reading “Why We Should Ask More Questions”
Why We Need to Ask More (Right) Questions
We ask a lot of questions. But which questions do we choose to answer? Which questions do we delve into? Which questions become the bases of our lifetime quests? Both words, ‘Questions’ and ‘quests,’ have a similar origin: quaerere, to ask, seek. What we seek depends on what we ask. And the first things weContinue reading “Why We Need to Ask More (Right) Questions”
Enforcement is Not Necessarily a Solution
City traffic in Manila, the Philippines, is downright horrible. Driving a car in Manila is an adventure in patience and civility. It’s hard to be a nice person when we compete for road space in this city’s congested streets. Metropolitan Manila, formally known as the National Capital Region, is the urban centre and capital ofContinue reading “Enforcement is Not Necessarily a Solution”
The Basic Tasks of Management vs. The Basic Tasks of Engineering
Management is the predominant means in how we run our organisations. It’s been like that since the late 19th century, when we adopted capitalism into our society to cultivate the prosperity & wealth resulting from the Industrial Revolution. Business was getting more complex when it came to all the money we were earning. We neededContinue reading “The Basic Tasks of Management vs. The Basic Tasks of Engineering”
We Need Engineers to Solve Supply Chain Problems, Not Managers
We encounter lots of problems with supply chains. Customers complain about late and incomplete deliveries; Vendors charge higher prices for materials; Some products turned out defective; Manufacturing didn’t follow the production plan; Trucks didn’t show up to load for delivery; Expenses are running over budget; We don’t have enough skilled people for our operations. ButContinue reading “We Need Engineers to Solve Supply Chain Problems, Not Managers”
Value Chains, Supply Chains, & Our Wrong Mindsets
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”
