Emerging markets such as China and India have traditionally been regarded as hubs for low-cost manufacturing and sourcing for products sold in developed countries. However, stagnating growth in the developed economies is now forcing Canadian firms to focus on these emerging economies as target markets to sell their products.
Over 80% of the world's population lives in developing countries, providing a wealth of opportunity for companies that are able to profitably serve these customers. Many of the North American companies already derive a significant chunk of their revenues from emerging economies (e.g., BRIC countries), and expect this share to grow along with rapid economic growth in those countries.
Entry into emerging markets brings with it increased supply chain and operational challenges. Unevenly distributed populations and poor infrastructure pose major challenges for setting up a well orchestrated supply chain and logistics footprint. A heterogeneous consumer base, lack of proper intermediaries and lower price point expectations bring forth a host of marketing challenges for firms aspiring to take advantage of these new markets. A fragmented supply base, divergent quality profiles as well as legal and political issues create further supply chain management risks.
McGill University's 12th Annual Supply Chain Management Conference seeks to explore these challenges of operating in an emerging economy and answer some of these questions by bringing together a select group of senior supply chain management executives from some of the leading North American enterprises who can provide unique insights on how this is playing out in their respective companies and industries.
Marshall Fisher (Keynote Speaker),
UPS Professor, Professor of Operations and Information Management
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Claire Auroi,
Director, Supply Chain Business Development
Bombardier Aerospace
Paul Tonsager,
General Manager – Americas Global Shipping
CN WorldWide Inc.
Alan Taliaferro,
Senior Manager, Strategy and Operations/Supply Chain Management
Deloitte
Aaron Sydor,
Deputy Chief Economist
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
Bernard Betts,
VP - Worldwide Operations
Future Electronics
Steve Radewych,
Global General Manager - Supply Chain Management
Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd.
Senior Executives, Directors and Managers responsible for:
Supply Chain Design
Supply Chain Management
Materials Management
Procurement
Distribution, Logistics & Warehousing
Product Design
Manufacturing
Business Development, Strategy, Marketing
Information Systems & e-business
Finance and Accounting
Students interested in any of the above fields
And anyone interested in achieving competitive advantage through supply chain management.