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Click on the links below to download the articles in PDF format.
 Focus
on Operations
James B. Ayers
Retail ME, November/December 2005
Retail’s mission is to match customers with the products they want.
This mission calls for two perspectives – often in conflict. One
skill set is “right-brain,” the aesthetic, creative, artistic side.
The other is “left-brain” or analytical and logical. Often the
viewpoints of right- and left-brained people collide.
 A Primer on Supply Chain
Management
James B. Ayers
Information Strategy: the Executive’s Journal,
Winter
2000
What is supply chain management? Supply chain
management (SCM) means different things to different companies. Why does
SCM take root in different ways? Cases from several industries
illustrate the spread in the way SCM is practiced in manufacturing and service
industries.
Rooting Out Supply Chain Costs
James B. Ayers
Optimize, October 2003
It takes more
than technology to keep your supply chain humming. CIO’s must understand
corporate strategy, cultural mind-sets, and operating processes to know
what's driving costs. The article points to four obstacles to making
this a reality. These are lack of clarity, variability, product design,
and information sharing.
 Costs: Getting to
the Root Causes
James B. Ayers
Supply Chain Management Review, November/December 2003
Well meaning supply chain cost reduction effort often miss their mark. Why
can't companies do a better job of addressing the real reasons for cost.
Five barriers make this important task difficult. Lack of focus, confusion
over real situation, motivation, boundaries, and rigidity in the
organization are five of these barriers. They are especially insidious
because they are hidden from view.
Reengineering the Supply Chain -- the Next Hurdle
Scott Stephens, Craig Gustin, & Jim Ayers
Information Strategy: the Executive's Journal, Fall 1997
New realities dictate new ways to reengineer
processes. Seven innovations will differentiate “Stage 3” supply chain
management from past practice. These practices will be necessary to
achieve cross-company collaboration. Stage 3 refers to the supply chain
level. Stage one is the department or function level. Stage 2 is the
business unit or company level.
Is Supply Chain Management the
Same as ERP?
James B.
Ayers
Information Strategy: the Executive's Journal, Spring 2001
Why aren’t more new systems successful? Two
reasons are often the root cause of failure. One is over-promotion of
software, even if the solution doesn't fit. The second is buyer
gullibility about the needs for and the benefits from the technology.
A Holistic
Approach to Supply Chain Management
James B.
Ayers
Medical Industry Information Report (MIIR), Spring 2000
Five tasks for effective supply chain management
must be pursued in a balanced way. Achieving balance in pursuit of those
tasks is critical. The SCOR model from the Supply-Chain Council can
help.
Demand-Driven
Supply Chains: It's Not Just the Product Anymore!
Jim
Ayers & Dave Malmberg
REPertoire, May 1998
Marketers must compete on extended product
features. The physical product is usually a “given.” The ability to
provide fast, customized services is often the most important feature.
Reaching high levels of sales effectiveness and ultimate market share
requires a "demand-driven supply chain," a supply chain that is, to the
extent possible, freed from reliance on forecasts.
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