Whether you call it the story of stuff, materials economy, or the story of sustainable, closed loop supply chains, this clip is a nice illustration of how we have traditionally looked at supply chains and their “externalities” and what that does to us. Watch it!
Gyöngyi
There are some jobs that are around to fix problems. It is good to know a good dentist, banker, insurance agent, or logistician – but would you want to be the one people only call if they have a problem to solve? At some point I wrote about the truck driver image of logistics, perhaps more fitting is one of a jack of all trades (in its original positive meaning*) as described in this blog. And here’s a recipe to the answer on what it actually means to be a logistician: McLogistics (in Swedish, but google translate my help 
)
No wonder there is still a confusion as for whether SCM is an umbrella term or to be equalled with logistics. With all these image problems, who wouldn’t want to be a supply chain manager instead?
Gyöngyi
*Funnily enough “jack of all trades” seems to suffer from a similar positive to negative transition in meaning as “Mädchen für alles”…
There is a nice infographic circulating about the history of logistics & SCM, according to which logistics education on the university level started as early as 1919. Here it comes (click on it to get to the original site):
The infographic puts the origins of logistics to about 1898, which our French friends may contest when referring to Napoleon’s general Antoine Henri de Jomini who allegedly coined the term as early as 1838. Military logistics, that is, even still referred to on the website of the French defence. Here are some nice quotes (in English) to him and also others about logistics. Enjoy!
Gyöngyi
This is admittedly a very academic problem of geeks. Just how should one cite a blog entry or a tweet? Here are some suggestions found of course on blogs
Most blogs and sharing platforms (sharing slides, pictures etc.) work with a creative commons licence. Logistikfokus explains what it means for a reference:
- Lastname, firstname (of the author of the blog entry), year, blog entry name, reference to the blog (e.g. Logistikfokus.se), URL
Tweets are quite similar but come with a funny twist, “tweet” in the end:
- Last name, first name (user name), “the tweet in its entirety”, date, time tweet.
At least this is the standard allegedly proposed (by tweet?) by the Modern Language Association.
Gyöngyi
There were some nice videos shown at the last CSCMP conference incl. a singing box that is an integrated part that makes the world go round Here’s the link to I’m a box. And to some other videos as well.
Gyöngyi
Jim Stock is on to a great project on the history of logistics, interviewing its luminaries. Here’s a link to the videos and their transcripts – though with the note that they cannot be downloaded. There are quite a few memorable ones among them, not the least because of getting a last glimpse of some, e.g. Tom Mentzer and Don Bowersox.
CSCMP now honoured Don Bowersox with naming its doctoral workshop after him (and what a workshop it was!). But the question remains, who is going to interview Jim Stock?
Gyöngyi
Posted in Conferences, Logistics, Popular science, Socks and sandals
Who says logisticians aren’t creative? Here is a song made by PhD students at LTH. Curtains open for “Mr. Logistics”
It was so hilarious I just had to repost it – thanks PO @ Logistikfokus.
Gyöngyi
Posted in Logistics, PhD, Socks and sandals
Technology is our friend in receiving alerts on what has been published lately: there are alert e-mails from publishers, even RSS feeds of journals*. You can sign up for your Emerald alerts or access Elsevier theme websites, Inderscience blogs or follow any through facebook/twitter/you name it. I.e., social networks help as well, though still the most targeted are research networks that send out CFPs and TOC alerts. Many of these are specialised, with groups in e.g. SCrisk mgmt sending out their own newsletters etc. And what is new, IJPDLM‘s TOC alerts are now sent out via Elmar as well, extending SCM to marketing scholars and hopefully sparking a debate between disciplines (and avoiding reinventing the wheel).
Gyöngyi
*Admittedly, not on this blog, but I have managed to integrate the feeds of some SCM journals on my academia.edu account
Once again an (Icelandic) volcano eruption is disturbing air transportation. This time industry is reacting in a different way, though:
- The Brits have left it up to individual airlines to decide upon cancellations – a bit like the old “truck or snake” dilemma, I reckon, i.e. do you prefer to be hit by technical failures (in mid air when the air plane collapses) or economic ones (back on earth when the airline goes bankrupt).
- Travel agencies want to introduce an insurance against natural disasters (a bit like the home insurances that already exist in this field).
- A movie is been made through facebook on things that happened to people stranded due to the ash cloud a year ago, with people asked to write their own characters. I reckon some more may be added now
Yet the situation of light cancellations, potential impacts on various industries that depend on air transportation, the impact rolling out up- and downstream in the supply chain is quite a déjà vu of April 2010… Or a “bon voyage” moment, as Matti Nykänen would say.
Gyöngyi
Posted in Socks and sandals, Supply chain disruption
After SC poetry, here’s corporate responsibility poetry – thanks to Cécile, Maria, Pasi and Veronika from the PhD course on Corporate Responsibility (Apr 2011)!
Flower power
Thank you for bringing us
to this place of dust.
Plastic, chemicals, e-waste
in your backyard, hard.
GMO, conservatives, additives on our plate,
is this now our fate?
Giant industrial production causing erosion,
where were the human emotions
and devotions?
No more bees and honey,
just pure money.
We, as new leaders
have changed the ways of you cheaters.
Shell, Exxon, BP and Chevron
now run with earth, wind, water and flower:
the power of love replaced the love of power.
