CSCMP Notebook

Who's your favorite supply chain superstar?

Nominations for CSCMP's 2015 Distinguished Service Award will be accepted through April 30, 2015.

Receiving CSCMP's Distinguished Service Award (DSA) is a little bit like being inducted into the Supply Chain Hall of Fame. Past winners include such luminaries as the late Don Bowersox, who literally wrote the book on supply chain management; H. Lee Scott Jr., who rose from the logistics and transportation department at Wal-Mart to become the retailing giant's president and chief executive officer; and Joe Andraski, who advocated for greater trading partner collaboration at both Nabisco and the Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Solutions (VICS) industry association.

Do you know a current supply chain superstar who is qualified to join their ranks? Then consider nominating him or her for the 2015 Distinguished Service Award. Nominations are due by April 30, 2015.

The DSA is given to an academic, consultant, or practitioner who exemplifies sustained, consistent, and excellent service to the discipline of supply chain management. Nominees should meet five criteria:

1. Recognition as a leader in supply chain management: The nominee should have a demonstrable track record across multiple aspects of the global supply chain. This may include improving company value or contributing to groundbreaking research.
2. Contributions above the normal expectations of the job: This could be demonstrated in numerous ways, such as mentoring or coaching other professionals or small businesses, using their supply chain capabilities to improve aid or disaster relief efforts, or working with educational and professional development programs.
3. Recognition as an innovator in supply chain management: Nominees' efforts should have resulted in an order of magnitude difference in the profession. They may have "changed the rules of the game" or applied existing concepts to achieve success in new areas.
4. Education of the supply chain management profession: The nominee must have enhanced the awareness of or the understanding of the profession, either through writing or through oral presentations.
5. Distinguished record of contribution to the discipline of supply chain management: The nominee should have made a broad impact across the supply chain, have a sustained level of outstanding achievement, and be well-recognized as one of the top achievers in the field.

Information about the nomination process, nomination forms, and a list of past winners can be found here.

Also, consider submitting nominations for other CSCMP annual awards: the Doctoral Dissertation Award, the Supply Chain Innovation Award, and the Emerging Leader Award. Information is available at cscmp.org, under "Career & Awards."

"Definitive Guide" series helps you master SCM's core areas

A new series of guidebooks from the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) explains the what, why, and how of supply chain management while providing practical advice on implementing best practices.

By definition, logistics and supply chain management (SCM) cover a lot of territory. As a practitioner, you're expected to know something about everything—transportation, procurement, inventory, order fulfillment, customer service, and much more. Not only that, you're expected to understand how all these pieces fit together. A tall order, but a new series of guidebooks from the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) can help explain it all while providing practical advice on implementing best practices in your operation.

The "Definitive Guide" series covers the following subjects: integrated supply chain management, inventory management, manufacturing and service operations, order fulfillment and customer service, supply chain best practices, supply management and procurement, transportation, and warehousing.

Each book is designed to help readers master the subject and apply what they've learned in daily practice as well as in strategic and tactical planning and problem solving. The books also analyze current challenges and emerging trends in supply chain management and explain how to reduce costs while improving performance.

In addition, The Definitive Guide to Supply Chain Best Practices includes case studies that were specially commissioned by CSCMP for the series. Case study topics include supply chain collaboration, advanced forecasting, management of inventory through cash-to-cash cycles, and transportation optimization.

Each book is co-authored by CSCMP and an expert in the field and is published by Financial Times Press. The books can be purchased individually or as a set. For details, click here.