Tag Archives: crisis

Solving Problems in the Midst of Crises

We who are supply chain veterans have encountered many crises in our operations.  Over the decades since Keith Oliver (and Mr. Van t’Hoff) coined the term, supply chain management, we have had our share of challenging crises.  But even as many enterprises recognise their critical importance, supply chains remained a not well understood branch ofContinue reading “Solving Problems in the Midst of Crises”

We Need Engineers to Solve Supply Chain Problems, Not Managers

We encounter lots of problems with supply chains.  But how serious are these problems?  How do we as managers prioritise which problems we will put most of our time and resources into? When the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March 2020, governments immediately restricted the movements of people and merchandise. Continue reading “We Need Engineers to Solve Supply Chain Problems, Not Managers”

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”

Burning Platforms and How to Prevent Them

A proprietor who sells electrical products was experiencing a dramatic drop in sales.  He hires a consultant who comes from a large multinational corporation and asks him what can be done.  The consultant suggests that the proprietor develop a vision, mission, objectives, and strategies (VMOS) for his business.  The consultant conducts a team-building session withContinue reading “Burning Platforms and How to Prevent Them”

How NOT to Manage a Crisis

My manager apologized for coming in late for the meeting.  She came from her home at Marikina but got stuck in traffic because she couldn’t use the LRT-2 commuter train.  The LRT-2 station nearest to her home has been closed since October when two (2) rectifier transformers tripped and caused a fire.  (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/four-4-starting-points-getting-reliability-you-want-ellery-samuel-lim/) The LightContinue reading “How NOT to Manage a Crisis”