Strategy . Influence . Innovation . Process

Part 1: Strategy & Influence Here is our first ‘best of’ -  a four part review of our thoughts and comments in 2010. Here in part 1 we profile ‘Strategy & Influence’ Expanding Procurements Scope and Influence Expanding procurements scope and influence is critical for CPO’s, if procurement is to develop its value contribution beyond [...]

“When the economic tide goes out, you find out who is swimming naked.” – Warren Buffet. This famous quote came to mind this week as I reviewed some recent articles, and leads me to conclude the CPO is wearing new clothes in the form of supplier relationship management (SRM). SM published What does good SRM [...]

” We have a client in Northern Scandinavia in the global parcel distribution business who has an urgent need for an interim logistics and distribution manager. They have a particularly heavy work load peaking on 24 December. The ideal candidate will be familiar with warehousing, packing, gift wrapping and large-scale parcel distribution. There is also [...]

The executive in the organisation to whom the CPO reports plays a vital role in breaking down corporate roadblocks, setting priorities and supporting procurement’s profile within the business. The CPO reporting relationship therefore has an important role in ensuring the effective contribution of procurement to organisational goals and strategies. Significantly, the reporting line sends a [...]

It is clear through listening across the blogosphere, that social media is coming to procurement – ready or not. As the profession’s old hands increasingly recruit from the “Facebook generation”, these bright young technology-minded individuals are going to have growing influence on the future of our profession and I believe smart organisations will start planning [...]

Vulnerability is not a word CEOs like. But the simple fact is, as leaders we are faced with vulnerabilities every business day. A guide for CEO’s, CFO’s and CPO’s on integrating supply chain risk management into the corporate business planning process Discover how implementing a enterprise level supply chain risk management process can reduce your [...]

Procurement has achieved great things with the strategic sourcing process. It provided a uniform, robust approach to sourcing which senior management and stakeholders could buy into to purchase most procurement categories inside their organisation. Its main focus to date, however, has been on cost reduction rather than growth. As a result, it didn’t achieve an [...]

Here we discuss how procurement leaders secure powerful savings and drive them to their bottom line by  approaching sourcing strategically to deliver and capture cost savings for their organizations Introduction: For many corporate procurement departments, the easy savings have all been captured. However, double-digit savings are still available for most companies if they take a [...]

The last in a three part guide for CEO’s, CFO’s and purchasing leaders on developing a corporate level capability to negotiate. In part 2 we discussed the negotiation tool kit. Here in part 3 we discuss:  “Dealing with Backdoor Selling” to ensure your company is organized and equipped to maintain the upper hand in negotiation [...]

The second in a three part guide for CEO’s, CFO’s and purchasing leaders on developing a corporate level capability to negotiate. In part 1 we discussed “Getting Started”. Here in Part 2 we discuss “The Negotiation Tool Kit” to understand the tools needed to build a corporate capability to negotiate and generate significant bottom line [...]