Sep 8, 2025

Aug 23, 2025 The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) has recognized internationally renowned academic and researcher Remko van Hoek for his lifelong commitment to furthering the supply chain profession by presenting him with the 2025 Distinguished Service Award . The University of Arkansas professor of supply chain management will also be inducted into CSCMP’s Supply Chain Hall of Fame , an institution that van Hoek himself helped to establish. Van Hoek said he was “deeply humbled” to receive the award, which is widely recognized as one of the top achievements in the profession. Past award Distinguished Service Award winners include H. Lee Scott, former CEO of Walmart Corp.; Fred Smith, former CEO and founder of FedEx; and Donald Bowersox, former professor and dean emeritus at Michigan State University, an influential logistics and supply chain management academic and researcher. Van Hoek’s work as a researcher has stretched both wide and deep. He has contributed to over 100 publications, including the international textbooks Leading Procurement Strategy (now in its fourth edition), Logistics Management and Strategy (now in its sixth edition), and Blockchain in the Supply Chain. His research has focused on topics such as risk and reshoring, sustainability, supplier diversity programs, and digitization. Recently van Hoek has published articles in the Harvard Business Review and MIT’s Sloan Management Review on Walmart’s efforts to automate supplier negotiations. Van Hoek also has extensive experience in the corporate world, serving in executive positions in procurement at organizations such as The Walt Disney Co., PwC, and Cofely, the energy and environmental efficiency services brand of the French multinational utility company GDF Suez. Van Hoek became a full-time professor of supply chain management at the University of Arkansas in 2018. Van Hoek says his return to academia was driven by the belief that he could best serve the field through teaching and research, which had the potential to reach thousands of professionals. “As a leader, it's your obligation to serve,” says van Hoek. “In academia, I teach hundreds of students a semester, not just a few 100 people that that happened to be in my organization. And so, I can do so much more toward that service mission.” Additionally van Hoek says working in academia on research gives him the freedom to innovate on a greater scale and then work with dozens of organizations to see those new ideas work in the real world. Throughout his career, van Hoek has been a long-time member and staunch supporter of CSCMP. In addition to serving on numerous committees over the years, van Hoek served as CSCMP’s board chair from 2017-2018. It was during that time the concept of creating a Supply Chain Hall of Fame was first floated. Van Hoek subsequently ran with the idea, securing funding to build a physical location for the Hall of Fame in Rogers, Ark., and hosting it through the University of Arkansas’ Sam M. Walton College of Business. He also wrote a book honoring and draw lessons from hall of fame inductees. (An excerpt of the book can be found here .) In the foreword to the book, Mark Baxa, president and CEO of CSCMP, says the following about van Hoek: “Remko cares deeply about the contributions he makes to everyone he meets and about his personal reputation, so he consistently does the right things for others in some magnificent ways. … Remko is always looking for opportunities to show people—not just tell them—how they might do things differently and better so they can achieve better outcomes.” Keep ReadingShow less Aug 15, 2025 The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) has approved a draft convention on “negotiable cargo documents,” which are standard forms that can serve as a universal bill of lading for any mode of transport. The commission’s vote recommends the new standard for adoption by the United Nations General Assembly when it meets in late 2025. According to the UN, bills of lading have been widely used as documents of title in the maritime sector, but the transport documents issued by rail, road, and air carriers (often known as “consignment notes”) cannot serve that function. That legal gap has created cash flow problems for small businesses when goods are transported via inland routes, limited opportunities for businesses in landlocked regions to trade across borders, and hindered the development of seamless door-to-door transportation services. Aug 15, 2025 Amidst a tide of economic uncertainty, American consumers plan to buy more gift cards this year, strategically using them to manage budgets, find deals, and control spending, according to research from branded payments provider Blackhawk Network (BHN). “Gift cards have become valuable financial tools for consumers navigating economic uncertainty, offering flexibility, convenience, and value that other gifting options often can’t match,” Jay Jaffin, chief marketing officer at BHN, said in a release. “Growth in eGifts and preference for purchasing and delivering gifts via app or social media networks indicates a continued shift toward digital-first shopping, particularly among younger consumers.” In additional findings on shopper trends, the research showed: Increased Consumer Demand Amid Economic Uncertainty: Consumers plan to purchase 10% more gift cards compared to 2024, showcasing the resilience of gift cards even amidst ongoing inflation and cost-of-living concerns. Growth of Digital Gifting via Messaging and Social Media: One-third of younger consumers have already purchased gift cards via messaging platforms, with nearly 60% expressing interest in using this channel. Significant Adoption of AI for Personalized Gift Shopping: Nearly half of consumers leverage AI tools to find the best deals, compare products, and personalize gift suggestions. Adoption rates among younger consumers are twice as high as older generations. Increased Use of Loyalty Programs for Gift Card Purchases: Younger consumers are participating in loyalty programs more than they have in recent years, and some are redeeming loyalty points for gift cards. Keep ReadingShow less Aug 14, 2025 The global food system is breaking away from traditional operating models as companies are discovering that protecting their margins requires rethinking entire operating models rather than making incremental improvements, according to a report from management consulting firm Kearney. The analysis shows how three disruptive forces—evolving consumer demands, supply chain consolidation, and rapid technology adoption—are reshaping operations across five connected ecosystems: broadacre, specialty crops, protein, ingredients and manufacturing, and distribution. To cope with that change, successful companies are following three enablers for success: automation and data integration, regional agility in production and sourcing, and consumer-aligned innovation, Kearney said in the report, “Food System Outlook 2025: Competing in a rewired food system.” “The global food system is facing fundamental structural and systemic change, and the old food system playbook doesn’t work anymore. Input costs have never been higher, consumer expectations are more complex, and technology is moving from optional to essential across every part of the food chain,” Rob Dongoski, Kearney’s global lead of the food and agriculture sector and co-author of the report, said in a release. “Companies that understand how the five ecosystems connect and move fastest to automate, build regional agility, and align with consumer needs will define what comes next.” Examples of the high degree of change include findings that input costs have surged 78% for fertilizer and 66% for pesticides since 2020, forcing companies to rethink operations. And in response to those shifting prices, 68% of consumers in 2024 reported purchasing more white-labled store brands to combat ongoing inflation. Looking ahead, the outlook identifies regional arbitrage opportunities as essential to creating a competitive advantage. “Companies with global footprints can leverage regional innovations, from South America’s sustainable aviation fuel projects to the Middle East’s food security investments,” notes Dongoski, “while regional players need strategies aligned with their home market positions. The question for these companies isn’t whether to invest in automation, new supply chain models, or technology-led efficiency, but how fast they can get on board.” Keep ReadingShow less