Operations and Supply Chain Management Commons^™

Operational Architecture Models As A Determinant And Framework Of Return On Equity Structure, Aydin Dibonaventura

Bryant REDay (Research and Engagement Day)

Lots of data attained within standard business practices may be seen as very significant but straightforward and many individuals fail to acknowledge the additional value that these data based strategies provide. Businesses may undergo different management structures, unique operational strategies, or complex supply chain systems from one another, but they all manage to attain ROE results within the same range at the end of each fiscal year. The Dupont financial analysis is a commonly used methodology that dissects the basic ROE value into profit margin, asset turnover, and financial leverage. These three values allow those to not only digest what …

Supplier Risk Management Strategies And The Effect On Defense Contractor Operational Performance, Alexis Klein

Honors Projects in Global Supply Chain Management

The aerospace and defense industry consists of complex supply chain and operating environments that require a diligent focus on risk management. In this industry, supplier and risk management are two topics that have received increased research attention. The main findings in previous studies highlight the importance of close supplier management and its impact on supply chain performance of defense contracting firms. The goal of the present research is to better understand the relationship between supplier management and firm performance, specifically in the context of aerospace and defense sectors. The current study was completed by undergoing an extensive literature review and …

Reshaping U.S. Imports: An Analysis Of How Shifting Indicators Impact International Manufacturing Location Decisions & The Apparel Industry, Emilia Wojciechowska

Honors Projects in Global Supply Chain Management

United States imports have grown in recent years due to various geographic sourcing strategies. Each company that chooses to participate in manufacturing whether in-house, offshore, or nearshore has contributed to the economic growth of the US. In recent years, internal and external factors have affected the results of international trade. Indicators have been identified, but they are historically indicators that have not adapted due to the frequent changes in supply chains. The measurement of indicators allows for identification of the most influential indicators that impact the trends within U.S. imports. Significant indicators are dependent on the country and its available …

Effects Of Climate Change On The Agricultural Supply Chain In The American Northeast, Brian Villanueva

Honors Projects in Global Supply Chain Management

The purpose of this project is to investigate the effects that climate change will have on the agricultural supply chain in the Northeast United States. The goal is to provide risk mitigation methods to farmers and supply chain professionals for how to combat the rapidly changing environmental status quo. This was investigated by surveying 21 farmers about their opinions about the current state of farming and their optimism or pessimism on the future of farming. The findings reflected a great concern for the future of farming despite many alarming signals about the increasing intensity of storms. The conclusion was that …

The Future Of Last Mile Delivery: What Consumers Are Willing To Sacrifice To Make Sustainable Delivery Decisions, Lauren Lehoullier

Honors Projects in Global Supply Chain Management

The very last step in the supply chain is the final delivery of the good to the customer or consumer. However, the complexity of the geographic dispersion of customers and lack of logistical efficiency in this stage makes it the most expensive and the most polluting to the environment. Furthered by the rise in e-commerce and the rapid changing of our global climate, the future of last-mile delivery rests in the perceptions and behaviors of consumers. This paper aims to identify the current thoughts and feelings of consumers to determine the feasibility of future sustainable last-mile delivery while seeking to …

How Do Grocery Stores Utilize Centralized Versus Decentralized Production To Compete In The Power Perimeter?, Lucy Smith

Honors Projects in Global Supply Chain Management

Purpose - The grocery industry, one of the most important industries that individuals need to survive, has been pushed to the limits, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The grocery stores that were able to keep food on the shelves, despite all the delays and shortages that have been occurring, should have the most success, due to the availability of their product. Every business is looking for opportunities to be more cost efficient and effective and the processes to do so are heavily researched. The decision to centralize or decentralize the production processes is different for every store. They must consider …

Why, Did I Lose? Debriefing Quality And Its Effects On Justice, Protests, And Sales Loss Attributions, Timothy G. Hawkins, Mike Wittmann, Michael Gravier, Suman Niranjan, William A. Muir

Marketing Department Faculty Journal Articles

When suppliers lose in a competitive tender process, they need feedback to make accurate sales loss attributions and adjustments to their competitive strategy. Unfortunately, buyers seldomly provide sufficient feedback to enable diagnostics, learning, and adaptation. The purpose of this research is to explore a buyer's debriefing as an effective feedback mechanism. Based on data from a sample of 218 U.S. government source selections, a new construct, debriefing quality, is developed as a multi-dimensional construct comprised of: proposal efficacy information, procedural compliance and decision understanding information, and competitive intelligence information. Results show that debriefing quality enhances procedural justice and internal and …

Feeding Sustainability: The Environmental And Social Effectiveness Of Food Bank Supply Chains, Nicole Craig

Honors Projects in Global Supply Chain Management

ood waste continues to develop as a global issue, especially within the United States. According to 2020 data collected from the Economic Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, 10.5% of all households in the U.S. face food insecurity. Using grocery supply chains as a context, this study examines how food banks serve as sustainable resources for the distribution of recovered food to feed food insecure communities. Grocery stores, retailers, and other organizations acknowledge waste through the implementation of sustainable initiatives. Food banks and partnering agencies serve as an integral component of waste reduction. The primary data collection …

Syllabus For Diversity In A Global Environment, Eileen Kwesiga Phd

Resources

This class will introduce students to theoretical and practical ideas about diversity in organizations, increase understanding of the concept of diversity in organizations, reduce discrimination, and increase fairness and equality to employees, applicants, and customers. In this current work environment, cultivating an understanding of social justice and managing people for sustainability is imperative. It will improve students’ ability to understand and address diversity as a manager and employee with the intention of building new frameworks for people oriented responsible management. By taking this course you are joining many others in the world who endeavor to change our immediate surroundings …

Environmental, Social, And Governance Performance Of Top-Rated Supply Chain Companies: A Quantitative Assessment Model, Noah Tellier

Honors Projects in Management

The objective of this paper is to create a quantitative method to determine the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) score of a company in order to mitigate the subjectivity or bias inherent in current ESG scoring methodologies. An ESG score is a metric that tells a consumer how well a firm is performing in meeting Environmental, Social and Governance aspects that are relevant to the firm. This paper effectively develops a new ESG scoring system based off of the Global Reporting Initiative ESG standards framework. Using this framework, ESG scores were calculated for companies in the Gartner Supply Chain Top …

Automation And Distribution Center Labor Effectiveness: A Case Study Of Operations Company X, James Rizzitano

Honors Projects in Global Supply Chain Management

Distribution center automation has progressed rapidly in recent times, with substantial improvements in automated systems which improve worker efficiency. These improvements have enabled distribution centers to increase their total throughput, while lowering their labor cost-per-case. However, when a distribution center transitions from manual fulfillment to an automated warehouse execution system, there will be growing pains as the facility adapts. In this exploratory case study of Operations Company X, we observe one such facility that recently transitioned to use an automated warehouse management system. To best explore the happenings of this facility, an archival analysis of pre and post automation data …

Mitigating Global Supply Chain Risk In The Fashion Industry, Danielle Nikosey

Honors Projects in Global Supply Chain Management

Purpose – Many supply chains offshore manufacturing to countries such as China to take advantage of low-cost labor, substantial capacity, and expertise. Such low-cost country strategies create supply chain complexity and therefore increase risk potential. Using the fashion industry as a context, this study examines criteria that the fashion industry considers to mitigate risk when selecting their international suppliers.

Methodology – The primary data collection for this paper consisted of an extensive literature review and in-depth qualitative interviews with supply chain professionals of fashion companies. A variety of different businesses and professionals were studied for this research.

Findings – Examples …

Risks And Opportunities In The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Michael Gravier

Marketing Department Faculty Journal Articles

We are entering new territory where, to succeed, we must fundamentally understand how we as human beings think about our world and our relation to our technology.

Supply Chain Management Has Changed The World Economy, Michael Gravier

Marketing Department Faculty Journal Articles

I’m making a bold assertion: global supply chain management practices are single-handedly holding down inflation across the globe. Economists have been asking for a while now why inflation stubbornly remains below “ideal” levels, despite uses of various policy levers. There is some evidence that it could be due to the ability of modern global supply chains to continue to find new and cheaper sources of production—the power of competition—coupled with old fashioned managerial innovation.

Supply Chain Opportunity Costs About To Explode, Michael Gravier

Marketing Department Faculty Journal Articles

The cost of tariffs gets a lot of popular media attention, but it’s a shallow treatment of a complex disease. Yesterday Bloomberg ran a piece titled, “The Age of Global Supply Chains Is in Trouble,” about the worrying impact of export restrictions on global supply chains.

Of Telegraphs And Blockchains, Michael Gravier

Marketing Department Faculty Journal Articles

The point is that getting blockchain right will generate tremendous rewards and share risks across globally spanning supply chains—getting it wrong may stifle innovation and erode trust.

Technology Is Supply Chain’S Greatest Threat”. Supply Chain Management Review, Michael Gravier

Marketing Department Faculty Journal Articles

There are a lot of companies that could do more and need to modernize, yet the forthcoming generation of technology works against traditional supply chain management approaches.

Exploring The Effect Of Waivers To The Non-Manufacturer Rule On Contract Awards To Small Businesses, William A. Muir, Michael J. Gravier, Timothy G. Hawkins

Marketing Department Faculty Conference Proceedings

The U.S. government regularly participates as a buyer in industrial markets where products are customarily sold through indirect marketing and distribution chains, separating buyers from manufacturers. In many cases, these marketing, distribution, and store-front activities add significant value for buyers, such as through pre- and post-sale service and support, improvements to product availability, and reductions in per-unit pricing (e.g., via economies due to warehousing, transportation, and ordering processes). Accordingly, the government (U.S. Small Business Administration) has, in some instances, issued class waivers to the requirements of the “non-manufacturer rule” (15 U.S.C. § 657s) when no small business manufacturers exist for …

Certification Value To Consumers In The Coffee Industry, Alexandra Aubron

Honors Projects in Global Supply Chain Management

The coffee industry is a growing industry characterized by a complex system of interrelated economic, environmental and social issues. While having appeared initially as a response to environmental and social movements, certifications are now used by coffee retailers as a business tool to satisfy consumer demand for greater transparency. They are used as indicators that the coffee retailer is investing in traceability of its supply chain. The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of coffee certifications in practice by answering the following research question: are certifications successful in communicating the various traceability efforts made by retailers? To …

The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Some Supply Chain Managers Just Don’T Get It, Michael Gravier

Marketing Department Faculty Journal Articles

Whether you call it the Fourth Industrial Revolution or give it some other name, the source of competitive advantage is about to change, and your current strategy is most likely going to kill your business unless you prepare.

Wisdom Comes From The Young, Michael Gravier

Marketing Department Faculty Journal Articles

Leaders must engage their entire workforce and supplier and customer bases in order to maximize competitive advantage.

Leadership And The Democratization Of Supply Chains, Michael Gravier

Marketing Department Faculty Journal Articles

The Fourth Industrial Revolution will continue the democratization of technology.

2019: The Year Of Supply Chains Living Dangerously, Michael Gravier

Marketing Department Faculty Journal Articles

Failure to take action this year could leave you in danger of being left behind, and reduced uncertainty is a far cry from increased prosperity.

Tariffs Won’T Deter Industry 4.0, Michael Gravier

Marketing Department Faculty Journal Articles

It is easy to understand the frustration that drives some to support tariffs and protectionism. None of this means that the tariffs will work. And supply chains are the reason why.

The Half-Life Of Supply Chain Knowledge, Michael Gravier

Marketing Department Faculty Journal Articles

It hasn’t been true for decades that Westerners are the only ones living a middle-class lifestyle.

Feasibility Of Warehouse Drone Adoption And Implementation, Edward Companik, Michael J. Gravier, M. Theodore Farris Ii

Marketing Department Faculty Journal Articles

While aerial delivery drones capture headlines, the pace of adoption of drones in warehouses has shown the greatest acceleration. Warehousing constitutes 30% of the cost of logistics in the US. The rise of e-commerce, greater customer service demands of retail stores, and a shortage of skilled labor have intensified competition for efficient warehouse operations. This takes place during an era of shortening technology life cycles. This paper integrates several theoretical perspectives on technology diffusion and adoption to propose a framework to inform supply chain decision-makers on when to invest in new robotics technology.

Global Supply Chains Depend On People, Michael Gravier

Marketing Department Faculty Journal Articles

Any threat to use tariffs as an economic weapon will have limited effect because we don’t hold the same power we used to.

Infrastructure Fix Requires Innovating Our Regulatory Approach, Michael Gravier

Marketing Department Faculty Journal Articles

The real problem with infrastructure is the management process – or lack thereof.

The Impact Of Logistics Performance On The Success Of Trade Agreements, Kevin Arbeiter

Honors Projects in Management

The purpose of this capstone project is to determine whether or not it is possible to predict the success and effectiveness of new trade agreements by looking at fundamental factors associated with efficient supply chain management. Typically, free trade agreements are analyzed using economic factors such as Gross Domestic Product or labor gains and losses. When this is done to determine whether or not a trade agreement is successful, it is usually backwards looking and too late for a country to opt out without economic repercussions. The aim of this study is to determine whether it is possible to predict …

Making Sense Of Sustainable Seafood Certifications, Samantha Yoder

Honors Projects in Management

This project is aimed at tackling the issues regarding the varying seafood sustainability certifications currently in circulation. It aims to uncover the confusion, controversy, and differences that arise from the numerous governmental policies and organizations that issue seafood sustainability certifications. Furthermore, it will assess the primary motivations for each participant in the sustainable seafood supply chain, as the value derived from participation. Supply chain members considered include the fisheries that supply the seafood products, the various companies that issue the seafood certifications, the grocers that stock the numerous seafood products, the restaurants that serve sustainable seafood products, and the end …