When Fred Smith started FedEx in 1973, he didn’t just disrupt an industry — he created a new one. Technology played a critical role in FedEx’s early successes, and that is still the case today. During a fireside chat I had with Fred Smith on January 26, 2023, to kick…

Labor issues command a lot of attention right now, and notably the challenge of how to find enough talent to meet current and future market demands. Central to this challenge is developing educational models that meet the changing needs of professionals and their employers. The supply chain industry is no…

Companies are trying all manner of ways to rid themselves of bloated inventories at a time when they typically build inventory for the end-of-year holiday season. How did they find themselves in such a mess? — Companies are trying all manner of ways to rid themselves of bloated inventories at a time when they typically build inventory for the end-of-year holiday season. How did they find themselves in such a mess?

Is globalization in terminal decline, or will it survive or even thrive in some other form? — Globalization — in particular, international trade — is under attack on so many fronts that its future viability is being called into question. At the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in May 2022 in Davos, Switzerland — perhaps the most well-known cheerleading platform for global trade — the term “(de-)globalization”…

Uber revolutionized passenger transportation by providing a third-party platform where consumers “compete” with each other for rides. Now, platforms that enable companies to “compete” for supply chain assets have emerged as a way to lower costs and increase efficiency through Amazon-like economies of scale. It is an intriguing development, but…

Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine intensifies the product shortage and price rise issues we have come to associate with Covid-19. — The good news — if anything about the conflict can be characterized as good — is that these issues may ease sooner than is generally expected. The not-so-good news is that the war in Europe could trigger the recession that many observers — including myself — have predicted owing to…

In these Covid-ravaged times, the last thing companies need is more bad news, but like it or not, the storm clouds of a global economic recession are gathering on the horizon. — Even though companies have their hands full dealing with today’s uncertainties, they are well-advised to start thinking about how to prepare for a downturn that could compare to the 2008 financial crisis. Outlook remains uncertain

The new normal is already here, and we need to take measures that enable us to live with it. — Regardless of the Omicron Covid-19 variant’s impact on our fight against the pandemic, its arrival reaffirms that the new normal is already here, and we need to take measures that enable us to live with it. Central to the task are government responses that support and even reinforce the defense…

The furor over a whistleblower’s accusations that Facebook profits from allowing its platform to spread disinformation has spotlighted the role of social media in propagating falsehoods online. A prime example is how such untruths hamper the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. However, adversity can be a rich source of opportunity…