Skip to main content
Mobile
  • Finance, Accounting & Economics
  • Global Business Management
  • Management, Leadership & Organisation
  • Marketing & Sales
  • Strategy
  • Technology & Operations
HS Talks HS Talks
Subjects  
Search
  • Notifications
    Notifications

    No current notifications.

  • User
    Welcome Guest
    You have Limited Access The Business & Management Collection
    Login
    Get Assistance
    Login
    Forgot your password?
    Login via your organisation
    Login via Organisation
    Get Assistance
Finance, Accounting & Economics
Global Business Management
Management, Leadership & Organisation
Marketing & Sales
Strategy
Technology & Operations
You currently don't have access to this journal. Request access now.
Practice paper

Thriving in the digital age: The rise of the PAL supply chain and why businesses need a Copernican business revolution

Sean Culey
Journal of Supply Chain Management, Logistics and Procurement, 3 (4), 361-386 (2021)
https://doi.org/10.69554/QIQR7335

Abstract

For those unaware of the process of creative destruction and the waves of technological change powered by it, this is a confusing and disorientating time. Unlike the downswing period from the late 1980s until the crash of 2008, the past can no longer be confidently used as an indicator of the future, which creates havoc for those tasked with developing plans and forecasts. In this world of uncertainty and unpredictability, resilience and agility have replaced cost-cutting and offshoring as supply chain leaders’ primary objective. The COVID-19 pandemic that swept across the globe in 2020 rapidly changed consumer behaviours and forced businesses to close, sending the world into government-mandated lockdown. Businesses were presented with a choice: adapt, rely on government-sponsored life support — or die. Yet, some companies have seen opportunity in the uncertainty, embracing the theory that the best way to predict the future in these uncertain times is to create it. They are experimenting with the revolutionary new technologies that have emerged during this wave, creating new business models that transform the supply chain but also exponentially increase its complexity. But to take advantage of these new machines requires a new mindset and a willingness to embrace new methods and management processes, which is where many companies are struggling. This paper aims to explain why this period of rapid, transformative change is happening, what changes we can expect throughout the decade, and how supply chain and business leaders need to adapt to not just survive through the period — but thrive.

Keywords: robotics; artificial intelligence (AI); digitisation; transformation; innovation; disruption; Internet of Things (IoT)

The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.

Already a subscriber? Login or review other options.

Author's Biography

Sean Culey is an independent adviser on supply chain and business model transformation, the author of multiple articles and an award-winning keynote speaker. He is a visiting fellow at Cranfield University, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (FCILT) and a transformation adviser for the Association of Supply Chain Management (ASCM). He is also the UK’s only certified SCOR Master Instructor. He has 25 years’ experience in supply chain and business transformation, including ten years as the design authority on a US$600m global SAP implementation for Cadbury Schweppes, six years as CEO of a boutique business consultancy and Global VP of Marketing for a supply chain analytics company. He has worked with a diverse range of organisations across multiple industry verticals, including BAE Systems, UK Ministry of Defence, The United Nations, Avnet, USAID, Smith & Nephew, Sony, Saint Gobain and Warburtons. Sean is the author of the book Transition Point: From Steam to the Singularity, an in-depth examination of the causes of technological progress and how the current wave of change will disrupt our business models, economy and society at large, which was a finalist for Independent Book of the Year, 2019.

Citation

Culey, Sean (2021, June 1). Thriving in the digital age: The rise of the PAL supply chain and why businesses need a Copernican business revolution. In the Journal of Supply Chain Management, Logistics and Procurement, Volume 3, Issue 4. https://doi.org/10.69554/QIQR7335.

Options

  • Download PDF
  • Share this page
    Share This Article
    Messaging
    • Outlook
    • Gmail
    • Yahoo!
    • WhatsApp
    Social
    • Facebook
    • X
    • LinkedIn
    • VKontakte
    Permalink
cover image, Journal of Supply Chain Management, Logistics and Procurement
Journal of Supply Chain Management, Logistics and Procurement
Volume 3 / Issue 4
© Henry Stewart
Publications LLP

The Business & Management Collection

  • ISSN: 2059-7177
  • Contact Us
  • Request Free Trial
  • Recommend to Your Librarian
  • Subscription Information
  • Match Content
  • Share This Collection
  • Embed Options
  • View Quick Start Guide
  • Accessibility

Categories

  • Finance, Accounting & Economics
  • Global Business Management
  • Management, Leadership & Organisation
  • Marketing & Sales
  • Strategy
  • Technology & Operations

Librarian Information

  • General Information
  • MARC Records
  • Discovery Services
  • Onsite & Offsite Access
  • Federated (Shibboleth) Access
  • Usage Statistics
  • Promotional Materials
  • Testimonials

About Us

  • About HSTalks
  • Editors
  • Contact Information
  • About the Journals

HSTalks Home

Follow Us On:

HS Talks
  • Site Requirements
  • Copyright & Permissions
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
© Copyright Henry Stewart Talks Ltd

Personal Account Required

To use this function, you need to be signed in with a personal account.

If you already have a personal account, please login here.

Otherwise you may sign up now for a personal account.

HS Talks

Cookies and Privacy

We use cookies, and similar tools, to improve the way this site functions, to track browsing patterns and enable marketing. For more information read our cookie policy and privacy policy.

Cookie Settings

How Cookies Are Used

Cookies are of the following types:

  • Essential to make the site function.
  • Used to analyse and improve visitor experience.

For more information see our Cookie Policy.

Some types of cookies can be disabled by you but doing so may adversely affect functionality. Please see below:

(always on)

If you block these cookies or set alerts in your browser parts of the website will not work.

Cookies that provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. If not allowed functionality may be impaired.

Cookies that count and track visits and on website activity enabling us to organise the website to optimise the experience of users. They may be blocked without immediate adverse effect.