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Since it has been established that supply chain management has traditionally been a process-oriented field with not much focus on innovation, in a post-pandemic world, engineering managers have realized that research is needed to identify which aspects of global supply chain management have the greatest need for transformation and could benefit most through the application of entrepreneurial competencies. Along those lines, the authors of this paper have earlier proposed a research model, which includes a mapping between supply chain management process steps and entrepreneurial competencies along with proposed training and organizational changes to facilitate the implementation of a more entrepreneurial approach to supply chain management processes. Using a qualitative, grounded theory approach based on two case studies, the authors focus on two industries. The differences and similarities between the two industries will be compared in this paper; thus, showing engineering managers how the model could be applied to the two different industries considered in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the face of changing customer and competitor conditions in a post-pandemic world, and the impact these changes have on their supply chains, engineering firms must incorporate supply chain management along with strategic management efforts. In order to remain competitive and meet changing customer and competitor conditions, engineering managers should envision the functioning of their organization, from an operational perspective as well as from a strategic perspective. It is for this purpose that engineering managers must know how to tie in thinking strategically as well as operationally, when managing the supply chains/networks associated with their project(s) or organization. The above phenomenon is now affecting the German automotive industry, as the industry is moving towards solely producing electric vehicles in the next decade. This shift has caused engineering managers in the industry to examine their supply chain, and understand it from a long-term strategic perspective as well as from an operational perspective. This enables them to understand the structural changes that would occur in the supply chain, due to the herculean change of moving to producing electric cars. In this paper, the authors will examine the current status of the German Automotive Industry, as well as Porter's Five Forces Model and its application to the automotive industry and compare it to an operational perspective in the global supply chain; thus, demonstrating how an engineering manager must think both strategically and tactically, while understanding how the business environment could affect both the strategic as well as tactical approaches to be implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While Supply Chain Management (SCM) is a well-established field within the engineering management domain, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed problems and uncertainties for manufacturers that source materials and components globally. Such pandemic related disruptions and unpredictable demand patterns are rendering pre-pandemic best practices of SCM obsolete due to the volatile and complex interconnections between suppliers and the logistics of goods movements. The authors of this article propose that SCM and demand management be viewed through an entrepreneurial lens. Therefore, research is needed to identify which aspects of global supply chain management have the greatest need for transformation and that could benefit most through the application of entrepreneurial competencies. This proposed research model includes a mapping between SCM process steps and entrepreneurial competencies along with proposed training and organizational changes to facilitate the implementation of such changes. Additionally, the authors propose entrepreneurial training for supply chain managers, since these individuals are in the best position to innovate the SCM practices that are most susceptible to volatility and uncertainty in the post-pandemic era. Particularly since most current SCM training is process-based versus instilling an entrepreneurial mindset, this shift will help supply chain managers to think in ways that are more adaptive and innovative in the face of a turbulent environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]