Industry-Focused White Papers
Researched and written by the University of Tennessee’s highly regarded business faculty, GSCI white papers explore trends, challenges, and innovative approaches to supply chain management. Research from these white papers has appeared in leading business and industry publications such as DC Logistics, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Supply Chain Management Review, and The Wall Street Journal.
Future-Ready Procurement
Foundational Capabilities and Leading Practices
Procurement has a problem with the future. Despite a rapidly changing business environment, many procurement teams are locked in organizational silos that were established a generation ago. Overwhelmed by traditional activities, they struggle to demonstrate procurement's potential to add value. Meanwhile, the constant need to deliver short-term cost savings hobbles efforts to chart a new, more strategic path. Leading-edge companies recognize these problems and ask tough questions to orient their procurement teams toward the future. Based on engagements with leading companies, our research team has identified foundational capabilities and future-oriented practices that can guide your company's efforts to transform procurement.
Unlocking the Potential of the Gen XYZ Labor Force
Supply Chain Management Best Practices & Strategies for a Changing Workforce
Megatrends and disruptions, like COVID-19, have fundamentally transformed the supply chain landscape. Within this report, experts with UT’s Global Supply Chain Institute explore how companies must frequently adapt by investing in digital tools, redesigning networks, and building agile, resilient capabilities. However, the most urgent challenge is managing the shift in workforce demographics. Namely, as Baby Boomers retire, members of Generations X, Y (“Millennials”), and Z take their place. This white paper provides insights and best practices from top companies on labor force development, recruitment, and retention to position Gen XYZ talent management as a pillar for supply chain excellence.
EPIC Index Update and Country Risk Report
Managing Risk in an Era of Global Supply Chain Disruptions
Present-day global supply chains face unprecedented risk. From environmental and climate-driven disruptions to geopolitical and regulatory requirements, today’s supply chain professionals must juggle economic and financial challenges as well as a variety of operational and technological disruptions. COVID-19 only highlighted the critical end-to-end supply chain risk mitigation challenges that supply chain managers have dealt with for decades. This white paper provides critical insights into modern-day global supply chain risks and an update to the EPIC Index originally published in 2014. Read on to see how this framework helps businesses assess supply chain readiness across economic, political, infrastructural, and competence perspectives.
Climate Change Risk and Supply Chains
How to Manage and Mitigate Climate-Related Supply Chain Challenges
With the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events increasing, supply chain managers and leaders face significant challenges. Climate change and recent natural disasters, such as Hurricane Ian, have caused substantial disruptions in operations and logistics, highlighting the vulnerability of supply chains. To address these supply chain challenges, professionals must ensure the resilience of their current supply chain operations globally while adopting smart future-proof strategies. This white paper provides valuable insights into climate change risk mitigation as well as a Climate Change Index to help your team make informed strategic decisions.
Leadership Development for Tomorrow’s Supply Chain Planning Professionals
Supply Chain Training and Talent Considerations for the Next Generation of Leaders
Supply chain planning is central to the strategic initiatives and goals of modern-day businesses. The demand for competent supply chain professionals is higher than ever. Demand will only grow as supply chain leadership leans heavily on planners to manage change, navigate new technologies, and manage ambiguity with flexibility and skill. This white paper is the product of a year-long engagement with senior supply chain leaders. Its key findings and core competencies provide businesses with the tools to ensure success in developing supply chain planning talent for the future.
Advanced Supply Chain Planning: Leading Edge Capabilities for Future Success
A Must-Read for Today’s Supply Chain Planning Manager
For the past decade, companies have faced unprecedented supply chain challenges. In response, supply chain planning emerged as a critical priority for business leaders responding to pressures and leading transformation. This white paper explores how companies can develop a robust supply chain planning foundation today and presents seven advanced planning capabilities they will need for competitive success in the future.
Meeting the Challenge of Supply Chain Agility
An Introduction to Supply Chain Agility and the Challenges Facing Today’s Companies
Leading companies are pursuing agile strategies, investing in digital, process, and physical capabilities that enable a rapid response to change. However, most organizations either misunderstand or rarely realize supply chain agility to their benefit. This applied research report was conducted in collaboration with Bush Brothers, Colgate-Palmolive, and IBM and introduces the concept of supply chain agility for business leaders and industry professionals. It provides a deep dive into the central challenges managers face in enhancing supply chain agility and offers practical advice for overcoming these obstacles.
Last Mile, Reverse Logistics, and the New World Order in E-Commerce Delivery
How to Deliver on the Modern Consumer's Demands
According to Shopify, “a successful last mile experience makes up 53% of total supply chain costs and comes with its own set of challenges.” While challenges associated with last mile logistics are high, consumer expectations are higher. Following the global shake-up in shipping and supply chain management caused by COVID-19, consumers now expect shipped goods to arrive fast and free. This has forced supply chain leaders to innovate, pivot, evolve e-commerce methods, and deliver in ways they hadn’t before. To help business professionals better understand the shifting last mile and reverse logistics landscape, researchers working with the Advanced Supply Chain Collaborative investigated this area as society’s emerged from the pandemic.
Modern Day Best Practices from Supply Chain Leaders
Winning Supply Chain Transformational Leadership Practices
The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented supply chain disruptions. But with these disruptions came increased recognition of the value provided by supply chain leaders, supply chain agility, and evolving supply chain best practices. This white paper and video illustrate what leading organizations are doing to succeed among new challenges, increased competition, and ever-changing dynamics. Inside are relevant supply chain best practices from top supply chain leaders, pulled from research and in-depth interviews with five global supply chain experts who have demonstrated transformational leadership in their industries and organizations.
How Investing in Supply Chain Agility Pays Off
Understanding and Valuing the Impact of Agility in Your Supply Chain
Everyone remembers the extreme toilet paper shortages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even today, shortages of new vehicles, supplies for home renovations, or baby formula are explained away as supply chain issues. Frustrating and all too common, these supply chain issues affect consumers and companies alike. So how can organizations and supply chain leaders nimbly navigate these disruptions? This white paper has the answer.
A Framework for Sustainable Procurement and Supply Chain Management
Unlocking Value Through Sustainable Procurement
Over the years, corporate sustainability has become increasingly important. In addition to being a competitive necessity due to rising consumer demand, corporate sustainability can be a valuable recruitment tool for talent-seeking, purpose-driven corporate cultures, as well as a business practice that boosts innovation and reduces costs. But how can companies achieve sustainability when synchronization and collaboration across the supply chain can be so difficult? This white paper provides a seven-pillar framework for sustainable procurement and supply chain management and guidance on how procurement executives can be successful, in-house sustainability catalysts.
Blockchain 101: When Is(n’t) Blockchain Right?
A Decision Guide for Supply Chain Professionals
Blockchain has become an industry buzzword, with blockchain for supply chain touted as a game-changer for business operations. Estimates suggest blockchain technology will generate over $3.1 trillion in new business by 2030. But, if the mention of blockchain leaves you scratching your head (or your colleagues rolling their eyes), you’re not alone. Challenging enough to understand its own, Blockchain ROI is even harder to determine. This white paper explains blockchain 101 technology, its potential ROI, and the costs and benefits of application. Authors also present lessons from blockchain pioneers, like Amazon, Mondelez International, and Pfizer. Provided with the paper is a toolkit for effectively determining if blockchain for supply chain is feasible for your company.
Supply Chain Design: Achieve Resiliency with End to End Supply Chain Agility
Advancing E2E Agile Resiliency in Supply Chains
Supply chain leaders have been through the wringer in recent years. While it’s easy to blame recent supply chain issues on COVID-19, experts warn that risks, uncertainties and supply chain disruptions will continue to challenge economies, marketplaces, and consumers alike. It’s never been more important to 1) evaluate how vulnerable your organization is to supply chain disruptions, and 2) add end to end supply chain considerations and agile resiliency capabilities into your supply chain design. This white paper offers practical “how-to” guidance for advancing and modernizing your approach.
Modern Takes on Transportation in Supply Chain Management
Industry Trends for Global Supply Chain Leaders
Transportation is the chief agent of motion in global supply chains. Ensuring continuous connectivity and visibility into where products are once they’ve shipped (i.e., end-to-end supply chain visibility) is a great challenge highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This white paper explores best practices, challenges, and predictions for transportation in supply chain management, as well as solutions for supply chain leaders when it comes to evolving transportation industry trends.
End to End Supply Chain Synchronization
Best Practices for Orchestrating a Winning Strategy
Successfully executed end to end supply chain strategies drive value by verifying that all supply chain activities, processes, and transitions are synchronized to the core business driver of the benchmark company. Everyone in the organization is on the same page, with supply chain leaders acting as orchestra conductors. However, successful implementation of end to end supply chain synchronization requires several elements for readiness. First and foremost of these is 100% commitment from business leadership. Download this white paper to explore what else you’ll need to build your winning strategy. Includes a toolkit, case study, best practices, benchmarking data, and more.
EPIC Supply Chain Framework
A Global Risk Assessment & Readiness Resource
In an increasingly unpredictable world, business leaders can better assess risk by using the EPIC Report and associated EPIC Supply Chain Framework, which measures supply chain readiness from four perspectives: Economy (E), Politics (P), Infrastructure (I), and Competence (C). The authors of this white paper evaluated 64 countries from 10 geographic regions, with a particular focus on how supply chain leaders can manage risk and plan, prepare, and measure supply chain capabilities both globally and for their organizations. This report is must-read information for today’s supply chain decision-makers.
Supply Chain Risk Management
Four Fundamentals to Managing Cyber Risks in Global Supply Chains
Managing cyber risks within global supply chains is one of the top challenges facing today’s supply chain managers. Yet a key insight from interviews conducted with more than 30 cyber experts for this white paper was that most supply chain leaders do not have a clear understanding of how to reduce risk. Industry leaders have clear cybersecurity strategies and build cybersecurity-centric cultures. If your company needs to shift to a solid supply chain risk management strategy, this white paper is for you.
Diversity and Inclusion in Supply Chain Management
Young Professional Women’s Perspectives on Supply Chain Diversity and Inclusion
More than ever before, supply chain management is center stage. The increased scrutiny and complexities of global supply chains highlights the need for organizations to onboard, develop, and maintain fantastic talent. Research shows that companies with more diverse management teams have 19% higher revenue due to innovation. Yet only 15% of supply chain organizations are led by female executives. This white paper shares the experiences of new female supply chain professionals to illustrate opportunities for supporting women in the workplace. It also provides a framework for building more gender-equitable workplaces.
Supply Chain Best Practices for Building a High Performance Organization (HPO)
Tips for Leaders and Teams
Both early career supply chain professionals and senior supply chain leaders understand that their work is directly linked to company success. People are the heart of the supply chain. So how do you build a high performance organization (HPO) where every member of the supply chain team meets and exceeds their goals? In this paper, we explore supply chain management best practices that answer that question.
End-to-End Supply Chain Planning Frameworks, Concepts, and Best Practices
"End-to-End Supply Chain Planning Framework and Key Concepts: Why Planning is the ‘Brains’ of the Supply Chain”
In a complex global supply chain environment, the role of a supply chain planner cannot be underestimated. Increasingly, business executives are recognizing the importance of supply chain planning, with an urgency to improve systems, staffing, and processes. Supply chain leaders are adding dedicated, highly qualified supply chain planners to eliminate waste as well as to lead and manage processes that will more efficiently deliver on corporate goals. This white paper provides supply chain planning frameworks, concepts, research, and best practices for planning as one of the essential roles of supply chain management.
Driving Shareholder Value with Your Supply Chain Strategy
Gain a Competitive Advantage with Supply Chain Best Practices
Chief executives know economic profit drives shareholder value, and savvy business leaders are confident that supply chain excellence is critical for gaining a competitive edge, both operationally and financially. However, some businesspeople do not understand the direct link between supply chain excellence and shareholder value. This white paper explores elements of this link, helping you acquire a basic understanding of supply chain best practices and learn how organizations use supply chain innovation to generate cash to grow their respective businesses.
Supply Chain Best Practices: A Guide to Evaluating & Improving Your End-To-End Supply Chain Integration Strategy
Supply Chain Integration Strategy Best Practices: Redefining the Value Derived from End-to-End, Integrated Supply Chains
When supply chain best practices are in place, end-to-end supply chain integration strategies greatly benefit companies. Integrated supply chain structures create a common strategy, vision, and culture focused on increased value and improved performance. Despite the benefits of an end to end supply chain integration strategy, some supply chain leaders have yet to adopt this strategy and the supply chain best practices that come with it. And, even if they are, there remain ways to expand and further optimize their approach. Authors of this white paper interviewed people from inside 16 leading companies across eight industries to answer those exact questions. They also provide helpful definitions and concepts, integration benefits, supply chain best practices, an integration toolkit, case study, and answer six key questions supply chain leaders should be asking themselves.
Best Practices for End-to-End Supply Chain Collaboration
Today supply chain professionals are busier than ever. Their attention is pulled in every direction they’re challenged to multi-task to achieve results. One means of lightening the load to drive innovation is supply chain collaboration. In this white paper, sponsored by SGS Maine Pointe, we share end to end supply chain collaboration best practices to help leaders improve corporate culture, value, and results.
Advanced Demand/Supply Integration (DSI)
DSI Best Practices and How To Avoid Ineffective S&OP Implementations
During field interviews about demand/supply integration (DSI), GSCI researchers uncovered a friction point that required further investigation. Across 18 benchmark companies spanning several industries, and through a partnership with global DSI expert Mark Moon, they found that: 1) Supply chain leaders support and believe in DSI and dedicate time, money, and resources to DSI processes and S&OP implementation, and 2) DSI and S&OP have been largely ineffective for decades. Download this white paper to dig into the supply chain best practices we’ve unearthed for creating the right culture and rewards to ensure DSI's success.
A Savvy Guide to the Digital Supply Chain
How to Navigate Technology in Supply Chain Management
Today’s supply chain leaders must be able to adapt and thrive in the face of new and constant disruptions to their organization’s supply chains. Recently, technology has been developed to mitigate the impact of these challenges. But adapting to new technologies and processes, on top of the daily tasks associated with your role, can be daunting. This white paper considers research that suggests supply chains, and the organizations that support them, are in the early stages of a digital transformation. It can serve as a guide for professionals who are evaluating and leveraging technology to build a supply chain that’s ready for the digital age.
New Product Initiative (NPI) Best Practices
Addressing Complexity & Enhancing Value through Proactive Supply Chain Leadership
The role of supply chain professionals has evolved significantly over the past two decades. With increasing complexity, leaders have emphasized the importance of proactively influencing and leading multifunctional processes and decisions. This shift is particularly evident in new product initiative (NPI) processes. In this white paper, a research team with UT’s Global Supply Chain Institute surveys and interviews industry executives, confirming the critical involvement of supply chain leadership in multifunctional NPI processes. It also defines the ideal of a modern-day supply chain leader and highlights supply chain best practices for enhancing value creation through NPI initiatives.
New Supply Chain Technology Best Practices
The Application of New Technology in the Physical Supply Chain
Keeping up with the latest supply chain technologies can feel like a full-time job. Understanding, adopting, and integrating the growing list of modern supply chain innovations is an even greater challenge. This white paper illustrates supply chain best practices for applying new technology advances to your physical supply chain and organizational strategy. In an era of unprecedented advances, Paul Dittmann outlines an easy-to-follow, well-researched guide for navigating innovation.
How to Enhance Supply Chain Sustainability through Transparency
Supply Chain Best Practices
In today's business landscape, supply chain sustainability isn't just a goal—it's a necessity. This University of Tennessee Global Supply Chain Institute white paper examines how top supply chain executives navigate sustainability challenges through enhanced supply chain transparency. From efficient product design to ethical labor practices, this paper explores strategies leading companies use to build resilient, sustainable supply chain systems. Learn how utilizing these supply chain best practices delivers long-term value and supply chain integrity.
Selecting and Managing a Third Party Logistics Provider
Supply Chain Best Practices for Managing 3PL Relationships
The role of third party logistics (3PL) providers has significantly evolved beyond traditional transportation and warehousing. Today's 3PLs encompass a broad range of supply chain services. While historically, third party logistics companies focused on physical distribution and logistics, now they are seen as strategic partners offering customized solutions across the entire supply chain. This white paper serves as a checklist for addressing selecting and managing a provider as well as 3PL-related supply chain best practices.
Best Practices for PLCM: Platform Life Cycle Management
Supply Chain Innovation Series: Platform Management and Beyond
Though certainly not a new hurdle, today’s supply chain leaders face increasing challenges in maintaining profitability. As supply chains become more complex, businesses can struggle to adapt efficiently. To navigate this complexity, some leading organizations turn to a supply chain strategy known as Platform Life Cycle Management (PLCM) to simplify and standardize supply chain operations. The Global Supply Chain Institute (GSCI) conducted research with 14 top-performing companies to explore PLCM supply chain best practices. This white paper, part of a Supply Chain Innovation series, offers practical insights and examples from companies successfully implementing PLCM strategies.
Preparing Supply Chain Leaders for Future Megatrends in Transportation
Supply Chain Best Practices in an Ever-Evolving Transportation Landscape
The transportation industry is significantly transforming as it faces a convergence of megatrends. Corresponding challenges will both affect and shape the future of global supply chains. Forward-thinking supply chain leaders recognize the importance of anticipating these changes and building the capabilities necessary to navigate them. This white paper identifies critical transportation megatrends that will redefine the industry, offering insight into the key strategies that industry thought leaders are adopting to ensure success in 2025 and beyond. Download the paper to explore these supply chain transportation insights and strategies and build a transportation framework that drives value and innovation.
Talent Management Best Practices for Supply Chain Professionals
Why Supply Chain Talent Should Be Your Top Priority
Global supply chain organizations are facing an unprecedented talent crisis. Rising complexities increase the demand for skilled professionals while talent supply remains low. With labor shortages across roles—from drivers to executives—organizations are pressured to rethink their talent management strategies. The most successful supply chain professionals view their talent as their most critical asset. Organizations can turn supply chain talent management into a competitive advantage for long-term success by adopting supply chain best practices and addressing key talent challenges.
Supply Chain Best Practices for DC Management
The ABCs of Distribution Center Management
Explore eleven essential themes for effective Distribution Center (DC) Management, including metrics and planning, warehouse optimizations, sustainability considerations, and people management. The future of DC management will require leaders with strong innovation, technical expertise, and employee engagement skills to meet the growing demands of logistics and supply chain operations. By combining industry expertise with data-driven insights, this white paper provides practical recommendations and supply chain best practices for managing cost-efficient, responsive, and secure DCs.
Global Supply Chain Best Practices and Insights
Fundamental Tools for Revolutionizing Your Global Supply Chain Strategy
In today's complex global environment, effective supply chain management is more critical than ever. This white paper provides actionable insights for supply chain leaders, focusing on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) over short-term cost-cutting and introducing the EPIC framework for global location assessment. Key takeaways include the importance of considering hidden costs, optimal supply chain network design insights, leveraging regional supply-demand hubs, and adopting best practices to enhance supply chain resilience and responsiveness. Whether you're navigating offshoring, nearshoring, or reshoring, this paper is a must-read for staying competitive in a dynamic global market.
Managing Risk in the Global Supply Chain
How to Manage Supply Chain Challenges and Risk
One constant when it comes to global supply chain management is risk. Despite the many challenges companies face, executives don’t always prioritize or formalize how supply chain challenges will be resolved. Supply chain leaders must therefore prioritize risk management and enact processes to identify and mitigate risk. This is must-know information for the modern supply chain professional.
Supply Chain Management Challenges and Best Practices
How to Improve Purchasing & Logistics Supply Chain Integration in Your Organization
For decades, supply chain leaders have focused on performance issues emerging from a lack of business alignment with supply chain operations. With significant business integration improvements and systemic processes like Integrated Business Planning (IBP) and Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP), our research has uncovered a new opportunity for supply chain optimization within the traditional supply chain functions. Firms that do not align purchasing and logistics are missing an opportunity to create value. Our team worked with hundreds of companies to identify supply chain best practices your business can implement, as well as to illustrate how high performers are “bending the chain” to better align these two key functions.
Game-changing Trends in Supply Chain Management
Supply Chain Evolution Defined by Ten Transformative Trends
Drawing on two decades of research and industry insights, this white paper highlights transformative trends redefining the field of supply chain management, including shifts toward agile strategies, customer-centric approaches, and enhanced information sharing.