How to Select the Right Sourcing Strategy | SupplyChainBrain

How to Select the Right Sourcing Strategy

Kate Vitasek, Faculty, Center for Executive Education, The Univ. of Tennessee

November 11, 2011

Kate Vitasek Icon

Kate Vitasek, a member of the faculty at the University of Tennessee's Center for Executive Education, discusses what companies should have in their "sourcing toolkits" to optimize their supplier-management programs. [Run Time (Min.): 11:09]

Related Content

Related Videos

Featured Product

Photo: iStock/Anastasiia Yanishevska

How a Leading U.S. Floral Distribution Company Reduced Warehouse Labor Costs by 45% with RFID

Recycled Tagging Fasteners: Small Changes Make a Big Impact

Mobile geolocation service for track delivery, cargo shipment and freight transportation. Logistic Import Export business (Elements of this image furnished by NASA)

Enhancing High-Value Electronics Shipment Security with Tive's Real-Time Tracking

Franchise business e-commerce online e-marketplace or digital marketing branch expansion for growth or use technology to analyze product consumer data website management plan for sale service concept.

Moving Robots Site-to-Site

Designing for Uncertainty: A Flexibility-First Approach to Warehouse Automation

Warehouse automation decisions are often based on assumptions about future volume, labor, SKU mix, workflows, and facility requirements. The challenge is that those assumptions rarely stay fixed over the life of an automation investment.

Upcoming Webinar Locus Robotics Thu Oct 15 2026 11a Et

Tracking of Contaminated Food Threatened by Strain on Public Health Budgets

The cyclosporiasis outbreak has put a spotlight on how U.S. states and the federal government work together to track foodborne illnesses.

Cyclospora cayetanensis. Photo: iStock/wildpixel

Why RFID Is Becoming a Strategic Advantage in Supply Chain and Logistics

Supply chains are under increasing pressure to handle higher volumes, tighter delivery expectations, and more complex flows with fewer resources and less tolerance for error. This article explores five key trends shaping the shift from basic operational visibility to measurable business value.

Scb 595 841 Service Department 2026 (4)

CSCMP's State of Logistics Report: Get Used to the Fog

Redesign the operating model, not just the network, the annual report's authors concluded.

Image: iStock/greenbutterfly

Agentic AI and the $706B Returns Dilemma

Today, dashboards flag costly return rates, suspicious refund activity, or locations with abnormal behaviors. The insights are helpful, but typically arrive after the fact.

Image: iStock/imaginima

The Growing Importance of ESG During Customer Returns

Every product that comes back into a supply chain activates a network of human touchpoints.

Photo: iStock / Olga Demina

Understanding The Hidden Tradeoffs in Circular Supply Chains

For supply chain leaders, the focus is determining where circular strategies create value, and where their complexity outweighs the benefits.

Photo: iStock.com/Rudzhan Nagiev

Mastering Returnable Transport Items (RTIs) in Peak Seasons

Returnable Transport Items (RTI) losses of 10–15% and lack of real-time visibility are critical bottlenecks in peak-season supply chains. RFID and BLE tracking enable end-to-end asset visibility, reducing costs, improving throughput, and strengthening operational resilience.

Thumbnail 595x841 For Rti Case

The Elements of Supply Chain Resilience and Effective Recall Management

Resilient supply are better prepared to manage a recall, thanks to proper preparation and training, integrated systems and data, and alignment with trading partners.

Photo: iStock.com/frankpeters

Proof in the Process: What Recalls Reveal About Supply Chain Readiness

Technology, regulation and global data standards are coming together to create more connected, transparent supply chains that can respond to safety risks with more speed and precision.

Photo: iStock.com/gustavofrazao

Why Returns Fraud Is a Top Priority for Reverse Logistics in 2026

Accessible and accurate returns data, collaboration between retailers and returns partners, and advances in software and AI, are all helping to tackle the growing problem of returns fraud.

Photo: iStock/ISMOLOEX

Holiday Returns to Reach $160B this Year

Return rates have more than doubled since 2019, and will reach 17% this holiday season.

Photo: iStock / Panuwat Dangsungnoen

Page 1 of 50