Academic Research
Retailers that make it harder to return stuff face backlash from their customers
In 2018, L.L. Bean ended its century-old “lifetime” return policy, limiting returns to one year after purchase and requiring receipts. The demise of this popular policy sparked backlash, with several customers filing lawsuits. It also inspired my team of operations management researchers to study how customers respond when retailers make their return policies more strict. Our key finding: Whether they often or rarely return products they’ve purchased, consumers object unless those retailers explain why.
UT Research Finds Female Truckers More Likely to Comply with Safety Regulations
The research co-authored by Alex Scott found that male drivers were 13.2 percent more likely to have received a major unsafe driving violation.
See and Be Seen: Is There a Business Case for Supply Chain Transparency?
Companies’ desires to achieve greater supervision and control over their supply chains are heightened in the post-pandemic business environment, and are understandable when one considers the business disruptions that have occurred. Whether driven by internal needs for increased control, by customer directives, or by the need to become compliant with emerging regulations, companies are aggressively seeking ways to achieve higher levels of visibility, traceability, and transparency for materials and finished goods, as well as the actors that facilitate their movement through supply chains.
Cost Avoidance: Not Everything That Counts Is Counted
The purchasing department holds the keys to organizational spending — in some industries, it accounts for more than 80 percent of the cost of sales. Purchasing meets its metrics by cutting costs, commonly recognized as spending less for an item this year than last. But purchasing also makes a significant contribution through cost avoidance, which means making a concerted effort to pay less for something than you would have otherwise, or to avoid an expense altogether.
A Logistics Logjam Is Coming – Are We Ready?
Two irresistible forces soon will crash together in the Western world: the e-commerce boom and the accelerating population shift to urban areas. When these two trends collide, they’ll create a challenge that United States and European logistics systems currently can’t handle.
Purchasing’s Hidden Dilemma: Conflicted Role in New Product Development Costing
Organizations that want to remain competitive make controlling costs and growing profit margins top priorities.
Can Supply Chain Integrity Predict Sustainability?
Led by values-driven millennial consumers, the market is putting considerable pressure on companies to be ethically responsible, part of the increasing focus on companies’ environmental, social and financial performance.
Breaking the Chain: GPO Changes and Hospital Supply Cost Efficiency
Procuring, transporting and storing medical supplies and devices can account for up to 40 percent of a hospital’s total operating expenses.
Crowdsourcing Last Mile Delivery: Strategic Implications and Future Research Directions
From the moment the first online consumer put an item in a shopping cart and clicked “buy now,” supply chain management has been scrambling to adapt its distribution strategies to fit the new reality.
Leveraging the Digital Supply Chain
Digital technology is poised to revolutionize supply chain management in the coming years.