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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 efficiency: remove friction to unlock hidden revenue

Carnovale argues that operational leaders systematically misdiagnose their path to profitability by fighting friction rather than embracing it as a lever for growth. His thesis: the most valuable competitive advantages emerge not from restriction or control, but from removing barriers to customer action and operational visibility—turning traditional cost centers into revenue generators.

$billions

annual retail losses from returns alone

“Making returns frictionless transforms them from cost into competitive advantage.”

Returns Cost Retailers Billions

Carnovale's operational philosophy across domains

Predictive visibility into disruptions1
Frictionless customer transaction experiences1
Prescriptive optimization before problems materialize1
Analytics-driven decision acceleration1

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25%Predictive visibility
Predictive visibility into disruptions
Frictionless customer transaction experiences
Prescriptive optimization before problems materialize
Analytics-driven decision acceleration

2 sectors

where counterintuitive friction-removal logic applies

Advanced analytics enable 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 returns even easier for customers.

Returns Cost Retailers Billions

“Friction is the enemy of both revenue and visibility.”

Themes:Predictive analytics as operational foresight engineFriction removal as revenue acceleration strategyData-driven prescriptive optimization across supply chain and retail

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