Tag: Procurement

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News You Can Use: 2/8/2017

  • Think employers must protect workers’ personal info? Think again

    For example, the workers in the Pennsylvania case turned over their personal information as a condition of employment, not for safekeeping, according to the court decision. Using reasoning employed in a case brought by account holders against their bank, the judges decided the safety of the information wasn’t guaranteed.

    Referencing another old case, the court said UPMC isn’t obliged to pay up if the stolen data resulted in purely economic losses but not damages to health, safety or property. That ruling drew on a decision where workers at a tire store sued for lost wages when the business shut down for a week when the property was flooded.

    http://www.networkworld.com/article/3158565/security/think-employers-must-protect-workers-personal-info-think-again.html

  • Time for procurement to become entreprocurial

    So what does Entreprocurial behaviour look like in practice?

    • It is the CPO who convinces the executive board that building new factories to service a new and competitive market is high risk, but that the supplier network is reliable enough to contract manufacture and distribute the products, and so it is a risk worth taking.
    • It is the procurement manager who not only secures a great innovation idea from an external party, but also takes personal ownership to turn that into an actual product.
    • It is the CPO who shifts the focus from the supply market to a focus on adding value to the customer.

    http://www.procurementleaders.com/blog/my-blog–guest-blog/time-for-procurement-to-become-entreprocurial-662294

  • How Journalism Was Corrupted by the Power of Privilege

    Journalism is a topic I care about deeply and will cover frequently on this blog. Getting facts to people in the best possible method is good for any career. That said, Gary was a bit heavy handed in his point, but the outsider view has value.
  • Why Silicon Valley is high-fiving over Trump’s SEC pick

    Perhaps more notably, says Tusk, Clayton “isn’t a policy activist. I don’t think this is someone with an ideological view about how security regulation should be expanded.”

    That’s in stark contrast to Mary Jo White, a former litigator who stepped down as the head of the SEC at the end of the Obama administration. White had visited Silicon Valley nearly a year ago and put investors and founders on notice that the SEC was becoming concerned by spiking valuations in the private sector, among other things. As we wrote back in October, the SEC seemed to be using an investigation into troubled Theranos specifically to expand its mandate into Silicon Valley’s startup ecosystem.

    https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/26/why-silicon-valley-is-high-fiving-over-trumps-sec-pick/?ncid=rss

  • How to create your own opportunities at work

    While it can be scary to work on a project with no obvious stakeholders, if it’s a truly valuable undertaking, it’ll prove itself. Other people will see its value as it develops, and you yourself will become more certain of it.

    Keep in mind, however, that it’s essential that you believe in the value of the undertaking. If you’re not sure it’s worth pursuing, get a second opinion from someone you trust (a close colleague, a mentor), or table it until you find another opportunity that makes your heart beat faster with conviction.

    https://www.fastcompany.com/3067743/career-evolution/how-to-create-your-own-opportunities-at-work?partner=rss

Photo: Javier Garcia

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News You Can Use: 12/28/2016

  • CEOs still don’t ‘get’ what their procurement teams do

    “While a stagnant economy proved a fertile breeding ground for successful cost reduction strategies, the function needs to adapt to the new environment and demonstrate its versatility if it is to always be seated at the board table. For example, highlight how the department’s risk management programmes minimise the potential impact that a disaster could have on the business bottom line or the added value it can bring to the company’s corporate social responsibility programme and show how procurement is driving innovation within the supply chain, giving the company that competitive edge.”

    http://www.supplychaindigital.com/procurement/4571/CEOs-still-dont-get-what-their-procurement-teams-do

  • Open source and the software supply chain

    You have two basic choices: either build your own internal means of vetting the code and applying product management processes, or rely on an intermediary to perform that function. You can make an argument for creating the processes for pulling down source code, determining legal compliance, applying patches, and getting it ready for production yourself, but it is expensive from a human resources point of view. You should base your decision whether or not to self-direct the process on its strategic importance to the company and some ROI analysis: If you build a team to manage that process for some software components, will you see a sufficient return on that investment?

    https://opensource.com/article/16/12/open-source-software-supply-chain

  • Kartik Gada: “The ATOM: The New Economics of Technical Disruption”

    Kartik Gada joined Google to talk about his e-book the ATOM. The book examines the new economics of technological disruption, and its impact on governments, businesses, and society. The Atom is a 14-chapter e-book that contains novel concepts, research, and policy

  • Follow-up to last week: Trump to tech CEOs: We’re there for you

    “We want you to keep going with the incredible innovation,” Trump said. “There’s nobody like you in the world, in the world, there’s nobody like anyone in this room. And anything we can do to help this go along, and we’re going to be there for you.”

    Among the issues the tech CEOs might discuss with Trump is his proposed curbs to immigration. Silicon Valley relies on bringing in large numbers of immigrants every year or keeping them in the U.S. after college. Making immigration more difficult or restricting the number of H-1B high-skill visas available could cause tech companies problems.

    http://www.cio.com/article/3150604/regulation/trump-to-tech-ceos-were-there-for-you.html

  • Procurement: Four opportunities ahead in 2017

    In 2017 we will see supplier relationship management (SRM) come of age. Sitting in a unique position between the supply base and the business, procurement has a real opportunity to leverage that position to bring new innovations into the business. Capitalizing on their supplier management role, we will see more procurement teams using insight and market intelligence to seek out new suppliers and different ways of working to leapfrog endless iterations of ‘business as usual’ to really drive change. Moving away from reacting to the business or finding a cheaper way of working, the more challenging business environment will see procurement teams looking externally for innovative suppliers that can revolutionize the existing business and make a significant impact on the bottom line.

    http://www.procurementleaders.com/blog/my-blog–guest-blog/four-opportunities-ahead-in-2017-657764

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News You Can Use: 7/6/2016

sn_suitcases_Mike Birdy

  • Your Procurement Sucks … and Here are 3 Likely Reasons Why.

    Invoices. RFPs. Catalogues. It’s not the 90s anymore, it’s the teens. If you don’t have a modern e-invoicing, e-RFX, and e-Catalog/e-Shopping solution there’s no hope of you ever getting your Procurement on track because you’ll never be able to process the mound of paperwork that is getting bigger and bigger every day as your organization grows and more invoices go in, more RFPs go out, more suppliers respond, and more suppliers send you their catalogues that get bigger every year.

    http://sourcinginnovation.com/wordpress/2016/06/16/your-procurement-sucks-and-here-are-3-likely-reasons-why/

  • Flipping the office telepresence model
    sn_telepresence_getty

    If you haven’t encountered a telepresence robot before, they look surprisingly humble. There is some variety in appearance, but the basic elements are: a screen that functions as a “head,” a “leg” or a “neck” for turning the “head” and a set of gyroscopic wheels for traveling. The model we use is made by Double Robotics and is essentially an iPad on a leg with wheels. Though it may seem simple, the technology is quite remarkable in what it can do for bringing people together.

    https://techcrunch.com/2016/06/18/flipping-the-office-telepresence-model/

  • Last Week Tonight With John Oliver: Brexit Update (Absolutely Not Safe for Work!)

    Seriously bad language on this one… you have been warned. 
  • Tech culture still pushing out women, study finds

    The research was conducted by having more than 40 undergraduate engineering students keep bi-monthly diaries, providing the study with more than 3,000 entries to analyze. The results were published in a paper titled “Persistence is cultural: Professional socialization and the persistence of sex segregation,” in the May issue of Work and Occupations.

    http://www.networkworld.com/article/3084460/careers/tech-culture-still-pushing-out-women-study-finds.html

  • Supply Risk Management Can Not Be Siloed

    even though there may have been hundreds of smaller incidents in the supply chain that resulted in small fines, unexpected cost increases, disruptions, and minor brand damage, if no single incident has been severe enough to get the C-Suite’s attention, something else will always be higher priority

    http://sourcinginnovation.com/wordpress/2016/06/17/supply-risk-management-can-not-be-siloed/

Photo: Mike Birdy

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News You Can Use: 2/17/2016

sn_toaster_Łukasz Popardowski

  • The Procurement Maturity Curve — savings at every stage

    Fortunately, the high priority placed on savings doesn’t lock Procurement in a race to the lowest price where we must compromise quality or functionality to shave off a few pennies. As Procurement matures and enterprise spend becomes better managed, increasingly strategic approaches can be applied to continue generating comparable levels of savings: switching to more innovative supply partners, introducing alternative materials or adopting a more appropriate commercial model.

    Truth be told, I shared the article for the image (I am sure it will find its way into a presentation at some point)
    sn_proc_maturity_determine
    http://www.determine.com/blog/entry/the-procurement-maturity-curve-savings-at-every-stage

  • Are tablets dead?
  • Now that AI has mastered ‘Go,’ are all our jobs next?

    Here’s an example: There are currently more than 230,000 taxi drivers in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics — not counting Uber or other alternatives.

    “Once driverless cars are mainstream, all those jobs are going to go away — those people are going to have to find something else to do to support their families,” Upadhyay pointed out. “That’s disruptive.”

    Additionally…

    “In a way, it’s looking through data from 20 million U.S. businesses — that’s something no sales rep can ever put in their head,” Upadhyay said.

    The effect, though, isn’t that companies get rid of all their salespeople and replace them with predictive-marketing software. Rather, it’s changing the human focus from predicting who will buy to closing the deal, he pointed out.

    “It’s moving from one skill that people were bad at anyway and shifting to what they’re good at,” Upadhyay explained. After all, marketers tend to be creative — “in cases like this, the machine is actually freeing people to do what they love.”

    http://www.cio.com/article/3030672/now-that-ai-has-mastered-go-are-all-our-jobs-next.html#tk.rss_all

  • Supply Chain Priorities for 2016:
    sn_proc2016_apqc
    https://www.apqc.org/blog/supply-chain-management-priorities-2016

Photo: Łukasz Popardowski

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News You Can Use: 12/2/2015

sn_umblrella_AdriannaCalvo

  • Would 50% of all procurement professionals really choose a different career?

    Once again, a certain level of job dissatisfaction within any sector is nothing new. However, the 50% number should be of concern to those occupying the executive suite both within, and external to the procurement industry. After all, it is hard to operate at maximum capacity when half your team is disenchanted and/or disengaged.

    https://procureinsights.wordpress.com/2015/11/23/would-50-of-all-procurement-professionals-really-choose-a-different-career/

  • Your Company Was Acquired. Now What?

    In my transition out of my company and my move into that of a board member, their team was pleased to see how well I had adapted from being the sole decision-maker into a role that was a bit more low-key, yet still highly influential. My philosophy is the same as when I ran my business. I listen more, speak less and let the team fail or succeed on their own merits. I have trust that they have the company’s best interests in mind and will succeed.

    http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/253177

  • Nestle admits to supply chain problems

    The investigation began at the tail end of 2014, according to the source. Around the same time, reports from the AP “tied brutal and largely unregulated working conditions to their shrimp, prawn and Purina-brand pet foods.”

    Apparently, many of the laborers come from poorer areas such as Myanmar and Cambodia, upon arrival they are charged a fee to work and then are trapped into working off unreasonable payments, explained the AP.

    http://www.strategicsourceror.com/2015/11/nestle-admits-to-supply-chain-problems.html

  • 7 Traits That Define Work Productivity Superstars

    5. Builds a reservoir of goodwill without asking for anything in return
    Good business and good working relationships must always be seen as unconditional, meaning not motivated by an expectation of future payback. The result will be people and organizations wanting to help you, rather than feeling an obligation to contribute.

    http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/253149

  • Do You Know the Rules for Ethical Supplier Interaction?

    Donations for charitable organizations are less obvious because everyone just wants to help a good cause, and what does it hurt if a supplier makes a decision to support your favourite charity? Well, it depends. How much? Does the supplier expect favouritism for the donation? Will the donation unconsciously bias you toward the supplier? Will there be a perception of bias? It’s tough.

    http://sourcinginnovation.com/wordpress/2015/11/27/do-you-know-the-rules-for-ethical-supplier-interaction/

  • Big Data: The Latest Rage in Supply Chain Management

    We’ve found with our clients, again and again, that big data can have a measurable impact on driving greater accuracy in planning, ensuring that companies make the right amount of the right product. Advanced algorithms and machine learning can facilitate increased forecast accuracy across a company’s SKUs, which drives greater turns, less waste, less inventory, and fewer stock-outs, which leads to higher EBITDA, lower working capital, and greater competitiveness.

    http://ww2.cfo.com/supply-chain/2015/11/big-data-latest-rage-supply-chain-management/

Photo: Adrianna Calvo