Leadership

The State of the American Workplace: Employee Engagement Insights for U.S. Business Leaders report highlights findings from Gallup’s ongoing study of the American workplace from 2010 through 2012.

Worldwide, only 13% of employees are engaged in their work -- that is, they are emotionally invested and focused on creating value for their organizations every day.

Amazon.com is reportedly moving into warehouses owned by suppliers like Procter & Gamble (PG) to cut back on costs and shipping times, potentially giving the online retail giant an edge over competitors. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, some of Amazon’s important suppliers are sharing warehouse space with the company.

Focusing on tactics that will increase a supply chain’s productivity is essential to achieving positive customer satisfaction. There are some very effective ways to do this outside of systems, logistical infrastructure and analytics.

To meet the challenges ahead, it’s vital that we keep up on supply chain trends. We must read, watch and listen to what other professionals are saying and doing. Logistics and supply chain management are becoming core competencies in progressive, successful companies, both public and private, around the globe.

At the heart of the discussion about Apple's future is the tension between radical innovation, supply chain operations, and various manufacturing locations.

A rallying cry that has taken our country by storm. And it seems that those most eager to be swept into the tempest are our government programs. Public programs of every stripe and size across the nation are shifting from seeing themselves as accountable for creating and carrying out activities to being accountable for achieving results – meeting goals, effecting change, and improving the quality of their services.

Often performance management is introduced into organizations with traditional bureaucratic cultures, which have features that are antithetical to the basic concepts of performance management. Organizations that simultaneously work to change their culture while introducing and using performance measures are those who get a full return on their investment.

ReMaking America is the second volume on manufacturing policy edited by Richard McCormack. The first, Manufacturing a Better Future for America, came on the heels of the worst decade for manufacturing in our nation’s history. It set the stage for an unprecedented focus on “Made in America.” ReMaking America unveils a new story: one of hope. With the right policies, the authors argue, manufacturing may see a new dawn in America along with the wealth and growth opportunities needed...

Reshoring Initiative founder, Harry Moser recently participated in an Economist online debate, presenting in defense of the motion “Do multinational corporations have a duty to maintain a strong presence in their home countries?”

Our panelists, Dr. Irene Petrick, Penn State University Professor; Carl Pope, Former Executive Director, Sierra Club; Sridhar Kota, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan. Moderated by Scott Paul, President, Alliance for American Manufacturing, touch on the shift from low-cost/low-wage manufacturing, to a high-tech focus in the US.

Apple has asked its suppliers to increase production of the gold-colored iPhone 5S by an additional one-third after seeing strong demand, people familiar with the situation said. It isn’t clear whether there are currently supply chain constraints manufacturing the new iPhone.

Troy Alstead’s promotion to Starbucks CFO and group president of global business service proves that the CFO role involves more than traditional finance functions.

During a visit to Finland, Gartner director Peter Sondergaard said that Microsoft will be looking to exploit Nokia’s recognized expertise in materials and supply chain management.

Today digital technologies and borders open to the flow of ideas, goods, and services make it possible to build international partnerships for bringing innovation into production and into the market. We must take steps now to regain U.S. manufacturing momentum if we want to sustain the nation’s signature economic advantage: innovation.

With responsibilities that include more than 70,000 outbound deliveries a week to Starbucks retail stores, distribution channels and outlets worldwide, keeping Starbucks products flowing from suppliers to customers is, needless to say, a complex exercise.

The secret sauce behind Samsung's supply chain success is definitely "Best Practice Analysis". They study how other world's leading companies manage business and choose to adapt these best practices gradually.

Despite economic uncertainty and volatility, leading industrial manufacturing firms have posted significant gains in their operating margins. What is the secret to their success? These leaders have made peak performance not just a goal, but a top priority—and a centerpiece of their corporate cultures.

A program to audit suppliers across multiple tiers of the supply chain is an important first step. That process begins with a supplier code of conduct which provides a baseline for evaluating a supplier’s basic labor and human rights policies.

Each year, our analysts talk to and research the supply chains of hundreds of companies. Through these discussions, we note the trends: What are the leaders focusing on, where are they investing time and effort and what can be applied broadly? Three key trends stand out this year.