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Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management

Steven Carnovale

Dr. Carnovale is an Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management at Florida Atlantic University and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management. He has previously held positions at the Rochester Institute of Technology and Portland State University. Specializing in interfirm networks, risk management, and global sourcing, Dr. Carnovale's research has been published in numerous journals. Before academia, he co-founded a marketing strategy firm and worked in various roles in the IT and marketing sectors.

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Contributor Brief·Steven Carnovale · 2 articles
Updated May 9, 2024

Counterintuitive friction reduction drives operational efficiency and revenue

Carnovale argues that business leaders must invert their default logic: removing friction in customer-facing processes and enabling anticipatory decision-making through analytics unlocks profitability, not cost control. He advocates that the path to competitive advantage lies in making operations easier for customers and predictive for operators—the opposite of traditional cost-cutting discipline.

billions annually

Retailers lose on returns despite being core revenue lever

“Making returns frictionless for customers turns returns into revenue.”

Returns Cost Retailers Billions

Operational philosophy shift: from prevention to enablement

Traditional approach: restrict returns to minimize losses3
Carnovale thesis: enable returns to build customer loyalty and data9
Predictive analytics: anticipate disruptions before they occur8
Prescriptive analytics: optimize before problems manifest8

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11%Traditional approach:
Traditional approach: restrict returns to minimize losses
Carnovale thesis: enable returns to build customer loyalty and data
Predictive analytics: anticipate disruptions before they occur
Prescriptive analytics: optimize before problems manifest

2 dimensions

Analytics advancement: predictive AND prescriptive capabilities required

Advanced analytics empower logistics leaders to anticipate disruptions and optimize operations before problems arise.

Predictive and Prescriptive Analytics Open Up a New Frontier

The counterintuitive path to profitability lies in making the process frictionless.

Returns Cost Retailers Billions

“Removing friction transforms cost centers into competitive advantage engines.”

Themes:Friction reduction as revenue strategy, not cost controlPredictive and prescriptive analytics for anticipatory operationsCounterintuitive competitive advantage through customer enablement

Latest article

Engineering & Construction · May 9

Predictive and Prescriptive Analytics Open Up a New Frontier of Smart Logistics Technology

Advanced analytics are empowering logistics leaders to anticipate disruptions and optimize operations before problems arise

Read article →
Predictive and Prescriptive Analytics Open Up a New Frontier of Smart Logistics Technology

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  • AM
    Alex M.·2h agoquestion

    What sparked your research into disruptive innovation?

    Curious what the original insight was that led you to the Innovator's Dilemma framework.

  • SL
    Sophia L.·1d agoidea

    Would love a deep-dive into EdTech adoption barriers.

    Your framing of sustaining vs. disruptive innovation feels directly applicable to school systems.

  • DR
    David R.·3d agoquestion

    How do you see AI changing the personalized learning landscape?