Effective supply chain relationships lead to successful supply chain operations. Product design, manufacturing, transport, warehousing, inventory management, distribution and retailing – in a modern supply chain these operations cut across departmental, organizational and national boundaries.
Trade
Do you Speak my Language? Supply Chain Communication
English has become the number one international language of business. This would appear to hand a significant advantage to those who already have English as their mother tongue. Many multinational corporations (MNCs), including some that do not have their origins in an English-speaking country, such as Nokia of Finland and SAP of Germany have even adopted English as their standard corporate language. Indeed, approximately 36% of global business in now done through English and despite the rise of China as an international trading nation, English is set to extend its dominance. According to a recent study English is moving from being a “marker of the elite” to becoming “a basic skill needed for the entire workforce”.
The Whole is Greater than the Sum of the Parts
Q: Why bother with developing supply chain connections?
A: Because the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
The Globalization of Business and the supply Chain Management Concept
Changes in information and communications technology, international trade liberalization and advances in transportation have enabled the rapid spread of the supply and distribution networks of businesses out of local and national constraints and onto a global stage. This has dramatic implications for all businesses and not just for the large multinational corporations with their global operations dispersed across the world.
Leading Light
The recent announcement of Tesla’s new power storage systems got me thinking about the relationship between light, productivity, sustainability and the economy.The story of artificial light is a story of economic development. Before oil lamps and candles, people used to go to bed at sundown and slept in ‘two phases’ – first and second sleep. However, with the advent of artificial light, productivity patterns changed along with sleep patterns, as people’s activities became independent of the availability of natural light.
China, Ireland and the Infant Formula Market
Milk production has been growing steadily in the developed world. In the developing world there has been some whooping increase both in the consumption and production of dairy products. Of particular interest is the infant formula, which has been a commonplace in the west, yet a prized possession in some parts of Asia : people actually lock up trusted foreign brands in safes. India alone has been the largest milk producer accounting for 16% of global production and China is the fourth largest consumer (5 billion Euros worth imported in 2013). Even though the South Asian Region is progressing in milk production, it appears to lag behind in processing, especially Infant Formula.
Patrick’s Monday Vista #10- The Most Precious Commodity in the World
What is the most valuable and precious commodity in the world? Oil? Gold? Saffron? Or perhaps some rare Earth metal? The correct answer is; none of the above. The most valuable and precious commodity in the world is trust. An abundance of trust lubricates and accelerates positive endeavour in business, politics and personal relationships. In extreme cases the absence of trust leads to war, pestilence and famine. Even in the best case the absence of trust acts as a brake imposing costs and delay on progress in any enterprise.
India- Investing in Intellectuals
India- the mystical East- happens to be the second largest source of skilled human resources for the knowledge based global economy. India makes up for more than 30% of skilled workers brought to the US under the US H1B visa. India is not only a supplier of skilled manpower, rather also a key player in knowledge creation. Many of highly skilled Indians are working in top knowledge centers across the globe- NASA, ESA, World Bank and so on.
Patrick’s Monday Vista #8-¡Viva México!
If you were asked where in the world there is most at stake geopolitically you might be inclined to point to the Middle East, Russia or the Korean Peninsula. However, none of these places has the potential to affect the world’s premier power the United States in the same way as does Mexico. Something that is overlooked by many is that the future success of Mexico as it endeavours to take its place among the most developed countries of the world will be one of unsuspected global impact.
Ireland and Mexico – Historical, Social and Economic Links
A few years ago, I was asked to host an interculturalism programme for NEAR FM community radio station, the aim of which was to discover the similarities between Ireland and other countries through their writings/books/culture. It was a very interesting and enriching experience and it got me thinking about the many ‘links’, cultural and otherwise, that unite Ireland and Mexico.
