How long did the dinosaurs live on Earth? 165 to 180 million years, according to Britannica. That’s a really long time. Humans and ancestors have been on Earth for 6 million years. Homo sapiens, for about 300,000 years. Civilisation as we know it has existed for a mere 8,000 years. The universe began 13.8Continue reading “There is No Such Thing as a Benevolent God”
Tag Archives: people
Five Characteristics of Supply Chains
Supply chains had become popular in the 2020’s, thanks greatly to the era of the coronavirus pandemic when our world experienced major economic disruptions in transportation, production, and deliveries. Because of aggravations such as missed deliveries, shortages, and overstocked inventories, we pledged we’d do better in managing our supply chains. But we hadn’t done muchContinue reading “Five Characteristics of Supply Chains”
Formulating the Operations Strategy
Every enterprise has a strategy. Not all have an operations strategy. A strategy is not a vision nor is it a mission. A strategy is also not a goal and nor is it an action plan. A vision is a desired future state. Where do we want to be 1 to 5 years from now?Continue reading “Formulating the Operations Strategy”
People Aren’t Changing, We Are
The late reverend Fr. Rafael Cortina(†), S.J., the counsellor for my senior high school class in 1980, said it a few times: people aren’t changing; you are. Fr. Cortina’s context was as we young people grow up, we encounter changes in our environment. We think it’s the people around us who are changing but inContinue reading “People Aren’t Changing, We Are”
Tools are Just as Important as Talent
A mechanic once advised a trucking owner that his job is only as good as the tools he has. The trucking owner agreed and bought all the tools & supplies the mechanic needed. The owner was rewarded with trucks that hardly had breakdowns. If there were, the mechanic would immediately have the broken-down truck repairedContinue reading “Tools are Just as Important as Talent”
Products & Services: What’s the Difference and How Do We Maximise Their Value?
What’s the difference between a product and a service? A product is an item of value that benefits a user. A service is an activity that leads to the benefits for those availing of it. Products are tangible, i.e., as in solid, liquid, gas, or energy, or as virtual (e.g. software, streaming videos, speeches,Continue reading “Products & Services: What’s the Difference and How Do We Maximise Their Value?”
Finding the Right Management Style
“Different Strokes for Different Folks” are what we apply when we as managers deal with subordinates. “Different strokes” imply that we should behave differently toward different people. But behaviour just by itself might not be enough. A household of two (2) married relatives of mine has two (2) female domestic helpers and a male familyContinue reading “Finding the Right Management Style”
Finding Fault in Who versus in What
There seems to be a lot of finger-pointing going around. People pointing to other people as causes of problems: One country points to another for the coronavirus pandemic. One politician points to another for failure in stopping the spread of the virus; A restaurant owner blames a vendor’s delay in deliveries as reason for theContinue reading “Finding Fault in Who versus in What”
Six (6) Reasons Why We Need to Learn How to Manage Supply Chains
Why do we need to learn how to manage supply chains? The answer to the question may seem straightforward at first. We need to learn how to manage supply chains so that we can ensure the availability of products and services at the right quantity, right quality, at the time they’re needed, and atContinue reading “Six (6) Reasons Why We Need to Learn How to Manage Supply Chains”
What is a Manager, Anyway?
What is a manager? That was the first question the group of line managers asked me. I just got hired by as a management trainee at a consumer goods company and was on my first month at its Manila manufacturing facility, going through orientation. I was required to undergo a qualification test with senior managersContinue reading “What is a Manager, Anyway?”
Ellery's Essays 