Professor Ricardo Ernst is the Deputy Dean of the McDonough School of Business and has been at Georgetown University for over 20 years, specializing in operations management and global logistics. He has over 25 publications in academic journals dealing with strategic analysis of logistics systems at both the macro- (strategic positioning, marketing/manufacturing interfaces) and micro-level (models and methods for inventory control, and classification procedures). His studies include the Asian semi-conductor industry, the US agriculture and automotive industries, the US and Latin American consumer goods industries, and the linkage between e-commerce and the required logistics infrastructure -- emphasizing e-fulfillment.
What brought you to Georgetown University?
To complement my PhD from Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, in Operations Management I joined Georgetown University, which offered me enormous opportunities to connect internationally and to grow as a professor and researcher in my area of expertise. I now teach undergraduates, MBAs, Evening Program MBAs and Executive MBAs, and co-direct Georgetown’s Global Logistics Research Program.
As a consultant I develop metrics and performance evaluations for the logistics requirements and challenges for coordinating complex supply chain projects of multiple companies including NGOs such as the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO); I recently participated in a logistics fact-finding mission to Africa with the Fritz Institute, which assists relief agencies in global
disaster management.
I am also the Editor-in-Chief of the Georgetown University and Universia virtual journal “Globalization, Competitiveness and Governability” [www.GCG.universia.net], which focuses on how globalization affects Latin American competitiveness and the governability of businesses and countries.
What is the effect of Globalization?
Globalization affects every country regardless of its economic, political or social situation, forcing us to seek and develop appropriate ways to undergo this process and to determine the essential conditions for countries, companies and individuals to really benefit from it.
The US, as the world’s largest economy, imports more than any other country, while other major economies (Japan, Germany) export more than they import. If the US economy slows, other economies (e.g., China, India) must strain to continue their current level of growth. Business schools provide students (future managers) the tools to holistically evaluate and solve business situations objectively and concisely with specific, tangible and measurable recommendations.
Today’s approach shifts from a vertical, functional (myopic) orientation to a horizontal, cross-functional approach. Companies are part of an entire supply chain. The “my company” against “your company” is replaced with “my supply chain” against “your supply chain.” Companies do not own supply chains; supply chains own companies. The rapidly changing global environment emphasizes it even more and does not subsidize inefficiencies!
Students who understand these challenges can evaluate and offer specific recommendations for action; that requires a combination of strategic high level frameworks with operational detail specific tools. The McDonough School of Business delivers this type of education.