The Goodman Chair for Logistics Management

In January 2005, Goodman (formerly Eurinpro) concluded a Chair Contract with Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School for a period of 5 years: ‘The Goodman Chair for Logistics Management’. The objective of this chair is to identify trends in logistics management through in-depth research.

Research

The research is conducted by members of the Operations and Technology Management Centre:

The research is being conducted on several tracks, including the following:

1. ‘Organising for Supply Chain Management’

Little is known on the exact role and profile of the Supply Chain Manager. Therefore, we have set up a survey to fill this knowledge gap in collaboration with INSEAD and S&V Management Consultants.

The survey seeks to find answers to questions such as:

  • which skills will be vital in 3 to 5 years for the supply chain manager?
  • is there a relationship between the educational background of a supply chain manager and the performance of his supply chain?
  • is there a relation between supply chain performance and the way the supply chain is organised?
  • which elements determine the way the supply chain is organised in a company?

2. ‘Logistics trends in the consumer electronics industry in Europe’

In this research track, we identify the trends in the logistics flows in the consumer electronics industry and, on the basis of these trends, we attempt to forecast the future shifts in the logistics flows in this particular industry. Research is carried out on a case-by-case basis, where the supply chains of several players in the consumer electronics industry are thoroughly analysed. As a result, a supply chain ‘map’ of each player is obtained, and by comparing the supply chains of the different players we deduce a generic supply chain model for this industry.

Event: Supply Chain Managers - who needs them?

On 10 April 2008, we organised an executive event on the role of the Supply Chain Manager and the Supply Chain Organisation. We welcomed 160 supply chain managers from a variety of industry sectors.

The results of our survey will be presented, including:

  • an in-depth analysis of the supply chain organisation
  • a broad analysis of the role and profile of the supply chain manager

At this event we have been focusing on the supply chain manager from different perspectives. The results of a large-scale survey gave an academic answer from a scientific study that has been conducted by Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School in collaboration with S&V Management Consultants and INSEAD. A headhunting expert elaborated on the skills of the supply chain manager that are needed now and in the future. A CEO gave a corporate view on the supply chain organisation. Finally the supply chain managers themselves gave their opinion in a panel discussion.