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Supply chain management graduates develop a range of skills and knowledge that enable them to support decision making and continuous improvement efforts for the organization. This study examines how the continuous improvement courses in the supply chain management curriculum at a midwestern university were improved by focusing on the project based learning experience. The AACSB best practices for curriculum change proved to be an efficient and effective approach to making these active learning changes, and in providing greater value to the students and other stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compares experiences of occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) and other elementary school educators when supporting students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The aim is to establish collaborative methods for OTPs and other educators to support students with ADHD. Recommendations to overcome barriers to supporting students with ADHD are made based on study findings and current research. An online survey of OTPs and other educators was conducted. The survey asked about the barriers to supporting elementary students with ADHD, and the training resources that would improve the ability to support students with ADHD. Responses from 147 OTPs and 35 other educators were compared using two-sample proportion tests. The groups shared common barriers and preferences for training resources, however, statistically significant (p < 0.05) differences were found in; 1) the barrier of limited knowledge and training about ADHD, with other educators being more limited by this barrier; and, 2) the preference for video formatted training, with other educators identifying a higher preference for this option. The data suggest that there is an opportunity for OTPs and other educators to collaboratively develop ADHD training videos for all educators to foster the success of elementary students with ADHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Firms gain competitive advantage by improving the performance of suppliers and by sidestepping the snares common to such efforts. As manufacturing firms outsource more parts and services to focus on [...]

A new study investigates the impact of buying companies' development strategies on improving supplier performance. It is shown that direct involvement activities play a critical part in performance improvement.

Supplier development has become a viable supply chain management practice across industries as firms continue to focus on their core competencies and outsource a significant percentage of the costs of goods sold. Supplier development practices used by buying firms include formal supplier assessment and feedback, supplier incentives, competitive pressure, and direct involvement in improving performance through activities such as training and investment. Although it is apparent that such strategies and processes are used to some extent across industries, it is unclear if there are differences in supplier development approaches between product- and service-based firms. The findings indicate that service firms tend to rely on the competitive pressure of market forces to instigate supplier performance to a greater extent than product-based firms and that product-based firms tend to use assessment, incentives, and direct involvement to a greater extent than service firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the upstream supply chain management (SCM) and competitive performance in the automotive supply industry. Externally purchased materials account for 60% to 70% of the manufacturing costs of a new car made by the Big Three U.S. automakers. They are increasingly outsourcing non-core activities and relying on upstream first-tier suppliers to deliver competitive advantages. A variety of SCM practices have been implemented, such as developing suppliers, building closer buyer-supplier relationships, and just-in-time (JIT) purchasing processes. The first primary research question that the article explores is to what extent are these suppliers practicing supplier development, supplier partnering, and JIT purchasing with their upstream sources. Second question is how do these key SCM practices, both individually and collectively, relate to improved competitive performance. It examines performance in terms of flexibility, innovation, quality, and cost; focuses on several specific items within each of these categories and also analyze each category as a whole.

Faster, better, cheaper—these marching orders summarize the challenge facing new product development (NPD). In other words, NPD teams must find the means for speeding time to market while also improving product quality and reducing product costs. Cross-functional teams have proved effective for meeting these challenges, and such teams may extend beyond company boundaries to include key materials suppliers. Effective integration of suppliers into NPD can yield such benefits as reduced cost and improved quality of purchased materials, reduced product development time, and improved access to and application of technology. As Gary Ragatz, Robert Handfield, and Thomas Scannell point out, however, those benefits do not automatically accrue to any NPD team that includes representatives from a supplier's company. In a study of 60 member companies from the Michigan State University Global Procurement and Supply Chain Electronic Benchmarking Network, they explore the management practices and the environmental factors that relate most closely to successful integration of suppliers into the NPD process. The study identifies supplier membership on the NPD project team as the greatest differentiator between most and least successful integration efforts. Although the respondents reported only moderate use of shared education and training, the study cites this management factor as another significant differentiator between most and least successful efforts. Respondents listed direct, cross-functional, intercompany communication as the most widely used technique for integrating suppliers into NPD. To integrate suppliers into NPD, a company must overcome such barriers as resistance to sharing proprietary information, and the not-invented-here syndrome. The results of this study suggest that overcoming such barriers depends on relationship structuring—that is, shared education and training, formal trust development processes, formalized risk/reward sharing agreements, joint agreement on performance measurements, top management commitment from both companies, and confidence in the supplier's capabilities. Overcoming these barriers also depends on assett sharing, including intellectual assets such as customer requirements, technology information, and cross-functional communication; physical assets such as linked information systems, technology, and shared plant and equipment; and human assets such as supplier participation on the project team and co-location of personnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]