CIPS recognised the profession’s stars of the future at its inaugural global celebration
2022 saw the launch of the first CIPS Symposium to celebrate students from more than 100 CIPS-accredited programmes across the globe. Students were given the chance to share their ideas, discuss current challenges and engage with leading voices from the world of procurement and supply in some thought-provoking sessions. Those selected as finalists also had the opportunity to present their research. Ranging from lessons learned from the NHS during the Covid-19 pandemic to the benefits of blockchain in procurement, there were a great number of entries from the profession’s rising stars.
Andrew Burden, CIPS university partnerships manager, said: “We were absolutely delighted to launch the Symposium this year and highlight the strength of our accredited network in bringing together students, academics and professional practitioners. We hope this event will expand each year as we champion collaboration and discourse in making these connections and showcasing some of the great talent emerging from our accredited universities.”
2022 student research finalists
The research pitches were an opportunity for students to share their findings with an audience of supportive and inquisitive minds through a 10-minute presentation and a Q&A. Take a look at the finalists and read their pitches below. You can also watch their presentations at: procurement.cipscomms.org/cips-symposium
Azibaolanari Okungbowa
Nigeria – MSc procurement and supply chain management at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen
Research title: The mystery of the black soot. The contribution of big data analytics in the reduction of Scope 3 emissions in the UK automobile industry.
While organisations are making an effort to reduce their emissions, many are focusing more on emissions within their operations, categorised as Scope 1 and 2. This research aimed to address the need for emissions data across the supply chain and the contribution of big data analytics to the reduction of Scope 3 emissions in the UK automobile industry.
Jorge Pastor Díaz
Spain – MSc logistics and global operations at University of Lincoln
Research title: Stakeholder coordination in humanitarian logistics – Industry 4.0 to the rescue.This research assessed intra-stakeholder coordination in humanitarian logistics. It examined cloud computing and the Internet of Things as potential coordinating technologies and gave practical recommendations aimed at improving the efficiency of relief efforts.
Nikeesha Tomlinson
UK – MSc logistics and global operations at University of Lincoln
Research title: Creating a resilient supply chain – lessons learned from the NHS amid Covid-19.
The Covid-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of transnational supply chains. In light of these challenges, this research set out to analyse the difficulties experienced by the NHS. Guided by these results, a set of recommendations was presented to help enhance the supply chain resilience of the NHS in preparation for future pandemics.
Arif Hasan
Bangladesh – MSc supply chain and procurement management at University of Strathclyde
Research title: Blockchain – benefits, challenges and the adoption of a roadmap in procurement processes.
Among all Industry 4.0 technologies, blockchain has a high impact and relevance on procurement processes. There are some inspiring cases where a blockchain-based procurement system has improved process efficiency. However, it is still in the evolving stage for most organisations. This research aimed to study blockchain technology and its drivers and also to look at the challenges to its implementation.
Pischanath Ariyapolkanoksin
Thailand – MSc logistics and supply chain management at University of Sheffield
Research title: The impact on the customer’s daily life of a last-mile drone delivery service.
In the near future, drone delivery services are likely to become commonplace. This is because the characteristics of drones make them more eco-friendly, faster and more flexible than traditional delivery methods, such as vans and trucks. This research attempted to identify the impacts, both direct and indirect, that drone delivery services may have on customers’ daily lives once such services are launched and increase in popularity.
Joseph Kumirayi
UK – MSc supply chain and logistics at Leeds Beckett University
Research title: How has the Covid-19 pandemic impacted the procurement of enterprise systems?
Software and programming companies showed increased sales during the pandemic. This research set out to discover if the decisions to procure enterprise systems looked at short or long-term use of the systems and business needs during the pandemic.
2022 three-minute thesis finalists
The three-minute thesis was a chance for students to consolidate their ideas and research discoveries in a compelling and engaging presentation.
Trisa Jain
India – MSc logistics and supply chain management at Cranfield University
Research title: Distribution challenges in expeditionary logistics.
This thesis evaluated the distribution process during disaster recovery and aimed to find the gaps and challenges in the process. After evaluating the bottlenecks in the distribution process, a functional overview framework was developed. The feedback on the framework was taken by experts in the emergency response sector.
Dafydd Lloyd Davies
Wales – BSc (Hons) logistics, procurement and supply chain management, University of South Wales
Research title: Small and medium enterprises’ experience of procurement social value in the construction industry in South Wales local authorities.
This thesis explored SMEs’ experiences of procurement social value in the construction industry. Primary research was conducted with 11 SMEs and 11 procurement professionals in South Wales’s local authorities, with the main barrier identified as resource. The main recommendation was to develop one standardised procurement social value pack across all South Wales local authorities. Dafydd’s three-minute thesis was voted the people’s choice winner!
Alastair McDonald
UK – BSc (Hons) logistics, procurement and supply chain management, University of South Wales
Research title: An investigation into the challenges of sustainable procurement.
This thesis critically evaluated the barriers to sustainable procurement and the impact on UK public sector procurement. This was achieved through 16 online, semi-structured interviews with procurement professionals working in ministerial departments, local authorities, groups and agencies in the UK public sector.
Are you interested in taking part in the 2023 CIPS Symposium?
Students, you can register your interest by asking your programme manager. For professional practitioners who would like to contribute, please email accreditations@cips.org.
For more information visit: procurement.cipscomms.org/cips-symposium