Industry News Archives - Page 41 of 51

March 16, 2016March 10, 2016

News You Can Use: 3/16/2016

Two-Thirds Of Americans Think Robots Will Take Our Jobs By 2065

http://www.fastcompany.com/3057695/the-future-of-work/two-thirds-of-americans-think-robots-will-take-our-jobs-by-2065
Procurement Managers See Pressure to Reduce Costs Ramping Up

“One clear differentiator we saw in the research this year was the recognition of the value of improved market intelligence,” says Sawchuk. “Procurement leaders are realizing that higher-quality information can help them drive greater business value. Big data has been a game changer when it comes to customer analytics, offering an unprecedented ability to quickly model massive volumes of structured and unstructured data from multiple sources. But procurement’s lack of maturity in market intelligence is a significant obstacle that must be overcome.”

http://www.scmr.com/article/procurement_managers_see_pressure_to_reduce_costs_ramping_up#When:16:45:59Z
Why Do Half of Millennials Still Live With Mommy and Daddy?

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/272152
Why Millennial Women Are Burning Out

A study from the University of Kansas found that women are burning out faster than men after looking at attrition rates of journalists. According to the research, women reported higher levels of overload and intention to leave the field.

The author of the study “examined the numbers through gender socialization theory, which claims that society puts certain expectations on people based on their gender from a very young age. Where women are more often expected to provide the majority of family care and raise children, men are expected to be the breadwinners and put work obligations before family. That was supported by the findings showing that women experience significantly higher rates of role overload, or feel that they are unable to complete their assigned duties in the work time allowed,” notes the University of Kansas study.

http://www.fastcompany.com/3057545/the-future-of-work/why-millennial-women-are-burning-out
In pursuit of HIPAA, a new compliance gap arises

The operations team was leaning toward encrypting the hard drives, because options that are fairly easy to deploy are available. I agreed that it would be easy to do, but I objected that the method wouldn’t really be effective from a security perspective (and encryption is one thing that should be all about security). When you encrypt a hard drive, you are ensuring that anyone who comes into possession of that drive can’t access the data. In other words, the only way such encryption would protect the company would be if the hard drive were stolen. Now, the likelihood is infinitesimally small that a bad guy is going to determine where our highly secure data center is located; get past the security guards, man traps and biometrics; and then figure out which of the hundreds of drives to pull out.

http://www.cio.com/article/3041649/security/in-pursuit-of-hipaa-a-new-compliance-gap-arises.html#tk.rss_all
eWorld: technology and talent trends that will shake-up procurement

Technology and talent are increasingly part of the same sphere and this hit home over the course of the day. Artificial intelligence (AI) may reduce procurement specialists’ need for cognitive capabilities in analysing what the procurement outsourcing & consulting company, Optimum Procurement Group, call ‘hard trends’ – for example demographic data suggest the aging ‘baby boomers’ will increase the public spending in public health facilities. This would modify the capability requirements of procurement professionals.

Certain roles and skills could be redundant in the future, yet, AI are not sophisticated enough in dealing with soft trends – i.e. something that may happen depending on several interdependencies – which requires more complex and agile analysis. Qualitative and soft skills are increasingly important capabilities in the procurement professionals.

http://www.procurementleaders.com/blog/my-blog–aaron-mo/eworld-technology-and-talent-trends-that-will-shake-up-procurement-604735
HR Analytics: How Should Big Data Be Used in the Workplace?

When employers use predictive models to decide not to train people who, for instance, are on the verge of being either fired or awarded promotions, they’re basing their decisions on what an algorithm says may or may not happen, rather than what employees are actually doing. People are unpredictable, and unknown factors can influence outcomes. Decisions that affect people should be informed by data, but made by people.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/271753
Metrics that count

In 2015, Gartner conducted a survey in conjunction with Supply Chain Management Review (SCMR) to address that question and to gain a better understanding of how manufacturing metrics are characterized, developed, and used to link manufacturing and supply chain performance.

http://www.scmr.com/article/metrics_that_count#When:20:26:46Z

Photo: Space X

March 9, 2016March 5, 2016

News You Can Use: 3/9/2016

‘CEOs’ to build on $2B in acquisition savings

Rung named 11 category managers on Feb. 25 to bring 10 commodity buying areas under better control by conducting spend analysis, market research, financial and supply chain risk analysis, and using this information to develop strategic plans specific to the category with clear metrics and outcomes.

http://federalnewsradio.com/acquisition-policy/2016/03/ceos-build-2b-acquisition-savings/
How to Advance In Your Career Without Becoming A Workaholic

Getting involved in projects doesn’t mean you have to say yes to everything. “Successful professionals often fear saying no or not being seen as a team player,” says Sherwin. But the key to getting ahead is actually setting boundaries and being strategic about the things you say yes to. Saying yes to a project that may give you a leadership role, for example, may help you to hone your leadership skills that you don’t get a chance to use in your current role.

http://www.fastcompany.com/3057356/lessons-learned/how-to-advance-in-your-career-without-becoming-a-workaholic
A Beginner’s Guide to Post-Merger Integration Sourcing

Given time and resource limitations within the procurement organization, it is often preferable to phase sourcing efforts. Starting with Indirect initiatives can yield some quick wins. Requirements in this space tend to be similar across companies, and generally involve fewer constraints, simpler specs and qualification procedures, and greater opportunities from increased volumes. Indirect categories typically provide shorter time to realization, to the satisfaction of the c-suite and shareholders. This is why categories such as professional services, travel, or IT and telecom should be prioritized.

http://spendmatters.com/2016/03/01/a-beginners-guide-to-post-merger-integration-sourcing/
Don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good…
Talk Isn’t Cheap: 8 Questions to Ask When You’re Booked as a Speaker

Finally, the most important question is: What do the organizers want out of this? Are you there to solve a problem that you’re unaware of? It’s really important that they set the stage for you, so you can kill it on stage. You don’t have to change up your whole talk to cater to a specific audience. You can make tiny little tweaks that make your remarks feel more customized to the audience, and to the goals of the conference coordinator.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/270091
6 Ways to Encourage Autonomy With Your Employees

The freedom of choice is a key element to autonomy, but too much choice can be detrimental. That’s why those who think autonomy means there are no boundaries are in error. In fact, firm boundaries — and a system to hold people accountable for results — are essential for autonomy to flourish. Within clear boundaries, people are empowered to determine how they will accomplish the tasks they are given.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/254030
The Simple Thing That Can Totally Transform Time-Suck Meetings

First and foremost, identify your objective, says Neal Hartman, management senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management. “Be critical about paring your agenda,” he says. “List key items that need discussion, a vote, or whatever other action is appropriate.”

http://www.fastcompany.com/3057361/how-to-be-a-success-at-everything/the-simple-thing-that-can-totally-transform-time-suck-meet

Photo: Daria Nepriakhina

March 2, 2016February 26, 2016

News You Can Use: 3/2/2016

How To Keep Your Cool When Your Friends’ Careers Are Moving Faster Than Yours

Instead of moping, view the success of your friends as an opportunity, says Michael Kaminowitz, creator of New York City-based Welli, a mental well-being app. “Ask yourself how they got ahead faster than you,” he says. “Did they work harder? Learn faster? Play the office politics game better?”

http://www.fastcompany.com/3056793/hit-the-ground-running/how-to-keep-your-cool-when-your-friends-careers-are-moving-faster-tha
Overcoming 5 major supply chain challenges with big data analytics

Sixty-one percent of companies regarded as leaders in supply chain management consider supply chain risk management very important. Those same leaders also recognize the need for capabilities that provide greater visibility and predictability across their supply chains (Source: Accenture). Big data can help assess the likelihood of a problem and its potential impact, and support techniques to identify supply chain risk. Combining the analysis of historical data, risk mapping, and scenario planning can enable a risk management approach for early warning.

http://www.cio.com/article/3035655/data-center/overcoming-5-major-supply-chain-challenges-with-big-data-analytics.html#tk.rss_all
What To Say When You’re Stuck In The Elevator With Your Boss’s Boss

Offer your congratulations. You can also congratulate your boss’s boss on an achievement, either his own, his department’s, or the company’s. If you saw him give a talk recently, don’t just say you liked it, explain why. If his department received an honor, mention that. If Q4 results were impressive, comment on that. People love to be recognized for success, and if you stay current with this sort of information—as you should—you’ll put a glow on the executive’s face.

http://www.fastcompany.com/3056838/what-to-say-when-youre-stuck-in-the-elevator-with-your-bosss-boss
Pirates: a cyber threat to supply chains

Among the central features of this new cyber-supported piracy, and certainly the feature which most proliferates media representations of the problem, is the vision of navigation systems attacks- pirates successfully diverting vessels with false GPS and Automatic Identification System data.

http://www.procurementleaders.com/blog/my-blog–alex-johnston/pirates-a-cyber-threat-to-supply-chains-602484
Former Disney IT worker to Congress: How can you allow this?

An internal meeting was called and Perrero gathered with co-workers, expecting good news of some sort. Instead, they were notified that had 90 days remaining at Disney and would be laid off on Jan. 30, 2015. But before that happened, they would be training their foreign replacements.

http://www.cio.com/article/3038414/careers-staffing/former-disney-it-worker-to-congress-how-can-you-allow-this.html#tk.rss_all
Bill Gates “Blindsided” By Report That He Sides With FBI In Apple Dispute

In an interview with Bloomberg TV this morning, Bill Gates said he was “blindsided” by and “disappointed” with reports that he sides with the FBI in its dispute with Apple over unlocking an iPhone connected to the San Bernardino killings. He said: “That doesn’t state my view on this. I do believe that with the right safeguards, there are cases where the government, on our behalf—like stopping terrorism, which could get worse in the future— …that is valuable.” He called for a healthy debate on the issue and said that we should strike a balance between privacy rights and legitimate security concerns. Gates also noted that the government has historically abused its powers, citing the case of former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover.

http://www.fastcompany.com/3057046/fast-feed/bill-gates-sides-with-fbi-says-apple-should-unlock-that-iphone

Photo: Dmitry Ratushny

February 24, 2016February 19, 2016

News You Can Use: 2/24/2016

Why the FBI’s request to Apple will affect civil rights for a generation

Apple is being asked to specifically create new software to circumvent their security controls. They aren’t being asked to use existing capabilities, since those no longer work. The FBI wants a new version of the operating system designed to allow the FBI to brute force attack the phone.

The FBI is using a highly emotional, nationally infamous terrorism case as justification for the request.

http://www.cio.com/article/3034229/ios/why-the-fbis-request-to-apple-will-affect-civil-rights-for-a-generation.html#tk.rss_all

Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter And Yahoo Quietly Add Their Support To Apple’s Fight Against FBI

The statement from RGS says: “It is extremely important to deter terrorists and criminals and to help law enforcement by processing legal orders for information in order to keep us all safe. But technology companies should not be required to build in backdoors to the technologies that keep their users’ information secure. RGS companies remain committed to providing law enforcement with the help it needs while protecting the security of their customers and their customers’ information.”

The RGS coalition is made up of 10 major U.S. technology companies: Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, Dropbox, Evernote, LinkedIn and AOL.

http://www.ibtimes.com/microsoft-facebook-twitter-yahoo-quietly-add-their-support-apples-fight-against-fbi-2312503
Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser on the Next Industrial Revolution

S+B: What does it mean to have every product you make incorporate sensors and be connected in the cloud? Is this your way of approaching manufacturing in every one of your diverse businesses?

KAESER: That’s exactly what it is. We’ve got energy generation. We’ve got energy management. We’ve got automation for manufacturing, and products for industries like oil and gas, food and beverage, mining, all that good stuff. And there are vertical software applications for certain industries. Those applications are all based on hardware that provides data through sensors. We look at that data, analyze it, and then make applications out of it. Think about turbines for a utility. We help the utility company analyze how much service its power plants need based on fuel consumption, the utilization rates, and the maintenance data.

http://www.strategy-business.com/article/Siemens-CEO-Joe-Kaeser-on-the-Next-Industrial-Revolution?gko=efd41
How to Motivate Millennials, By Millennials

1. Be liberal with trust, autonomy and creative freedom.
Millennials seek job environments where they are trusted by their supervisors and given the creative freedom and flexibility to make decisions and find their own path to success. Millennials are not drawn to instructions like those found with Ikea furniture — just give them the plywood, glue, a vision and a due date.

Also, one myth that should be dispelled about millennials is that they hop from job to job, because they are aimless or disloyal. Indeed, they do change jobs more often than most, but in most cases, it is because they are impatient with systems that stifle their ability to innovate, be empowered and ultimately stay happy. Gottstein attributes the fact that she has stayed with The Go Game for almost six years (a long time by millennial standards) because her bosses trust and provide her with a space to be creative and grow.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/270764
Cover Letters Are Dead: Do This Instead

Most companies today recruit online and receive applications through software systems that often don’t include a section for a cover letter,” she says. “Some industries, particularly those in Silicon Valley, receive a large amount of applications. The pace at which companies need talent has also grown exponentially, so finding the right person quickly is very important

They are suggesting adding a summary to your resume and highlight accomplishments.
http://www.fastcompany.com/3056444/the-future-of-work/cover-letters-are-dead-do-this-instead
Getting the most out of conferences

I see conferences as an important mechanism for expanding the universe of smart people you can have conversations with. In fact, most conference organizers have their value proposition all wrong. The primary benefit of attendance lies not in listening to best-selling keynoters. Does one really have to fly eight hours and spend thousands of dollars for information that could be collected simply by reading a book, listening to a podcast or watching a YouTube video? No, but by attending a conference, you gain the benefit of those outside-the-lecture-hall conversations with smart people working hard on the same kinds of problems you are.

Unfortunately, the way most conferences are designed today, the only places you can meet your peers are in the bathroom or during the overly compressed “feeding times.” Neither is the optimal venue for meaningful experience exchange or executive development.

http://www.cio.com/article/3033809/leadership-management/getting-the-most-out-of-conferences.html#tk.rss_all
The Most Innovative Companies of 2016
Buzzfeed… Really?
http://www.fastcompany.com/most-innovative-companies

February 17, 2016February 12, 2016

News You Can Use: 2/17/2016

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)

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:

https://www.apqc.org/blog/supply-chain-management-priorities-2016

Photo: Łukasz Popardowski