Blog
Essential reading from leading researchers and scholars on the latest trends and topics relevant to global supply chain management.
AI and Supply Chain Operations: 5 Ways Logistics Companies Are Using Artificial Intelligence
Discover how AI is transforming supply chains and how UT's MS in Supply Chain Management can boost your career growth in this evolving field.
Third Annual SCM Summer Camp for High School Students Takes Place July 13-18 in Knoxville
This summer, UT hosts the third Supply Chain Management Summer Camp for high school students from July 13-18. Filled with hands-on learning, college readiness sessions, and visits to Supply Chain Forum partner companies, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience for any high school junior or senior interested in the discipline.
Six Best Practices for Supply Chain Organizations to Get the Most of Younger Employees
Our recent white paper identified at least six generational best practices to improve productivity and talent results in North American manufacturing. These are the results from interviews with senior leaders, from executives to plant managers, in 15 benchmark companies across six industries.
Online Master’s in SCM Student Delivers UT Graduate Hooding Ceremony Address
Yolanda Buendia Barrientos, a Cummins employee based in Mexico and graduate of the UT Master of Science in Supply Chain Management Online, gave the address at the Graduate Hooding Ceremony in December 2024. She is the first online student at UT ever to be given the honor.
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.