Blog
Essential reading from leading researchers and scholars on the latest trends and topics relevant to global supply chain management.
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.
Major Supply Chain Organization Honors Tom Goldsby as Distinguished Fellow
The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) selected Thomas Goldsby for its 2024 class of CSCMP Distinguished Fellows.
Refocusing on Talent as North American Labor Faces Generational Transition
Today's businesses face an existential challenge to supply chain success. The talent challenge—from recruitment to retention—is exacerbated by changing generational perspectives on work as Baby Boomers retire and are replaced by Gen X, Millennial, and Gen Y leaders and employees.
Everything You Need to Know from the Fall 2024 Supply Chain Forum
From April 9–11, the Global Supply Chain Institute and the Department of Supply Chain Management welcomed hundreds of business professionals, industry leaders, and top students to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Beyond Supply Chain with Dollywood President Eugene Naughton
In one of our favorite recurring sessions at the forum, UT professor John Bell sat down for a wide-ranging conversation with one of the region’s most visible leaders, Eugene Naughton, president of The Dollywood Company.
Planning for Global Success with Schneider Electric’s Jen Kelly
The opening session at the forum featured Jennifer “Jen” Kelly, vice president of planning for Schneider Electric (SE) in North America. A global powerhouse in electrification, digitization and automation, SE is at the forefront of innovating the planning process to improve supply chain performance. It was ranked in 2023 and 2024 as the world’s leading supply chain organization.
Yemisi Bolumole Contributes to Federal Study and Publication on Long-Haul Driver Compensation and Safety
UT Knoxville supply chain management professor Yemisi Bolumole contributed to a nationwide study examining the impacts of compensation methods on driver retention and safety in the trucking industry. The report, which Congress requested, was conducted by experts recruited by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.
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.
UT Takes a Leadership Role at the Airport Ground Transportation Association Conference
Jeff Trombly of the supply chain management faculty recently helped to organize the AGTA Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2, 2024. UT is the only university actively involved with the AGTA, which consists of more than 200 members working for domestic and international airports, ground transportation operators, and the parking industry.
Understanding Organized Labor’s Impact on Our Supply Chain
With the reopening of the East Coast ports, the United States avoided another potential disruption to its supply chain. J.P. Morgan estimated that each day the ports were closed cost the US economy approximately $4 billion—a roughly $12 billion impact after three days of strikes. Yet the threat of a potentially longer strike isn’t over, only delayed until at least January 15, 2025.