Cranfield Knowledge Interchange

Opinion - 3PL Logistics in the Food and Drinks Industry

The food and drink industry has gone through a transformation over the last 40 years which has been driven by changes in its logistics. It is important to recognise where we have come from and why in order to understand the future challenges for the industry.

Marketing research: why academics and practitioners should get together more!

A gulf exists between academics and practitioners in relation to marketing research. A recent study found that the vast majority of marketing practitioners do not read academic marketing journals¦ academics were less likely to believe that market research should be business focused and useful to managers though they still found both characteristics important.

New Logistics and Supply Chain Management Programmes

Global business is becoming ever more reliant on logistics and supply chain management in order to keep pace with the demands of an increasingly interdependent global economy. This is why business leaders acknowledge that the supply chain can be a value creator and a source of competitive advantage.

Supply Chain Risk Forum

Today’s marketplace is characterised by turbulence and uncertainty. Demand in almost every industrial sector seems to be more volatile than was the case in the past. Product and technology life cycles have shortened significantly and competitive product introductions make life-cycle demand difficult to predict.

Aligning Market and Supply Chain Strategies (AIMSS)

Many companies face the dilemma whether to focus their efforts on the delivery of shareholder value or customer value.

Global Sourcing      

Cranfield Centre for Logistics and Supply Chain Management has been commissioned by the Department of Transport to examine the impact of global sourcing on supply chains.

Managing the Marketing/Supply Chain Interface

Conference, 24 November 2006

Part-time MSc Programmes at Cranfield School of Management

Enrolling for late January/February 2006 and 2007

MSc in Logistics and Supply Chain Management: Individual Student Thesis Project

Individual Student Thesis Project

Part-time MSc Programmes at Cranfield School of Management – January 2005

Maersk Logistics to Develop Masters in Logistics and Supply Chain Management

Starting in October 2004

Supply Chain Risk - the Hidden Threat to Business Continuity

A 3-year programme of government-funded research by Cranfield School of Management’s Centre for Supply Chain Risk and Resilience.

RFID: this year, next year or some time never?

It now appears that Radio Frequency Identification Tags will be taking off within the next two years although most of the high profile applications must still be seen as test beds to a large extent. If these prove to be successful, then the widespread use of RFID tags in supply chains could follow very quickly . . .

MSc in Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Individual Student Thesis Project

Are you facing a particular supply chain challenge where you could benefit from the ideas and recommendations of a highly motivated and dedicated individual?

From Supply Chains to Demand Chains

It is no coincidence that many successful companies have supply chains which are designed specifically to support their marketing strategies.

Supply Chains in the UK Aerospace Industry - Facing the Future

2003 marks a historic year in aviation. Almost a hundred years ago on 17 December 1903 the Wright Brothers achieved their pioneering flights at Kill Devil Hills in North Carolina, USA. This event changed the course of history. 2003 is a year to celebrate the past and embrace the future but what is the future for the aerospace industry?

Shrinking the Shrinkage Problem

Shrinkage is a large-scale problem in supply chains around the world yet the effort and cost expended in dealing with it is not delivering effective results.

Customer Responsiveness

Customer responsiveness: the new challenge for supply chain management As product lifecycles shorten, product offerings proliferate and demand becomes increasingly difficult to forecast, the challenges for supply chain management (SCM) continue to escalate. These challenges result from the fragmentation of many markets. When coupled with increasing market literacy and a desire for experiences rather than for products alone, the nature of consumer demand is being re-defined. The implications for SCM are that successful organisations of the future are developing the capabilities needed to match new models of demand with new models of supply, creating competitive advantage through customer responsive SCM practices.

PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT: THE SUPPLY CHAIN CHALLENGE

How is performance measurement regarded by working managers? Is it regarded as a necessary chore? Do the measurements add value to the business? Are the right things measured? Are the performance measures used tied in to corporate objectives? Is the performance measurement system in need of overhauling and simplifying? Is the performance data provided in a timely and understandable manner?

Risk Implications of Supply Chain Management

In recent years the issue of supply chain risk has been pushed to the fore, initially by fears related to possible disruptions from the much publicised millennium bug. Y2K passed seemingly without incident, though the widespread disruptions caused by fuel protests and then foot and mouth disease in the UK, and by terrorist attacks on the USA have underlined the vulnerability of modern supply chains.

THE INFORMATION EDGE

Information is a powerful tool, which can help you in every aspect of business life. Possession of information and the ability to convince management of its usefulness can advance the holder's standing and that of the company in the marketplace if applied correctly.

SUPPLY CHAIN RESPONSIVENESS KEY TO BHS TURNAROUND

When Philip Green unveiled the success behind the Bhs turnaround in a recent Financial Times article, it became official: the primary driver was not – as one might expect from a High Street fashion retailer – a new store concept, aggressive marketing or flashy new designers, but a radically improved supply chain. With inherited stock of nearly £200m and a further £300m on order it was necessary to get rid of poor product first and then move on to dramatically quicken the supply chain to meet the increasingly volatile and unpredictable buying habits of todays customers.

New Model to Help Companies Cut Costs in Supply Chain

Companies are increasingly under pressure to understand their supply chain costs and in particular to identify and eliminate major areas of waste. In fact, so important is this issue that Mars (UK), Bernard Matthews and McCormick (UK) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) are jointly funding a three-year research project on this topic.

Tax-aligned Supply Chains - Building Integrated Cross-Border Operational, Tax and Legal Models

Getting product to market in the most cost-effective way, from sourcing and assembly of raw materials through to distribution to the final customer, poses many questions on how best to manage and monitor the value chain.

E-implementation: a time based approach to extracting value from e-business

"Too many stores....get up a nice web site. They get people interested in their products. But haven't thought about how they are going to get their products to their customers. Even when they...get online orders right there was a 75% chance that goods wouldn't arrive on time."