Tag: supply chain

Posted on

News You Can Use: 11/25/2015

sn_starrysky_Patrick Hendry

  • Why Your First Generation Sourcing Platform Is Not Ready For Modern Sourcing

    Many organizations that acquired these suites and applied them successfully saw year-after-year returns of 10%+ on the spend brought under management. And a few are even seeing some savings today, but just like the second auction saw little savings and the third auction saw a price increase, the year-over-year return is dropping. Why? Because while these first generation platforms were infinitely more powerful than anything that had come before, they weren’t designed to capture the full extent of complexity in an average category — complexity that has been considerably increased since the early days of sourcing due to increased outsourcing, increased globalization, increased regulation, and a constantly evolving global marketplace.

    http://sourcinginnovation.com/wordpress/2015/11/20/why-your-first-generation-sourcing-platform-is-not-ready-for-modern-sourcing/

  • How to Be Promotable

    Anybody (well, almost anybody) can do what they’re told. To get promoted, you have to go above and beyond. Taking on additional responsibilities without being asked is not only a great way to demonstrate your work ethic, energy, and skills, but it also lets your boss know that you’re ready (and able) to expand your scope. When you take on more than the norm, your boss can’t help but think that you’re capable of a bigger role. This includes showing that you’re willing to take risks by making innovative suggestions.

    http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/252879

  • Third of supply chain processes ‘inadequate’

    The findings also revealed that Europe and North America appeared to lag behind the developing world in terms of “process maturity” when comparing weighted averages, with fewer companies reaching the basic competency level. Some 32 per cent of firms’ processes in Europe and North America were found to be inadequate compared to 22 per in developing countries. This “surprising result” could reflect the tendency of processes to get worse over time and may also be a result of the move of manufacturing out of the old markets and the removal of good process discipline from those markets, the research suggested.

    http://www.supplymanagement.com/news/2015/third-of-supply-chain-processes-inadequate

  • Paris attacks demand ‘wake-up call’ on smartphone encryption

    “A lot of people in these terror groups have developed encryption techniques, and France has one of the most sophisticated systems for monitoring communications. If France didn’t pick up this attack in advance, it’s a wake-up call for all of us,” said Darren Hayes, assistant professor and director of cybersecurity at Pace University.

    Encrypted messages reportedly helped ISIS hide communications prior to the attacks, keeping security agencies from any advance warning of what was being planned. Some experts have blamed the attacks on the growth of cheap or free smartphone apps like WhatsApp or Chatsource that encrypt messages.

    http://www.cio.com/article/3005655/mobile-security/paris-attacks-demand-wake-up-call-on-smartphone-encryption.html#tk.rss_all

  • How to Power Through the Day Without Any Sleep

    Hanging around the coffee machine all day isn’t going to do much to give you sustained energy to make it through the day. While you may think gulping down caffeine will help you feel more alert, too much caffeine can cause you to feel jittery and anxious rather than focused. Dr. Lichten says 50mg to 100mg of caffeine is the optimal dose for alertness and focus. Opt for a short cup of coffee every four hours during the day, stopping at 4pm to prevent another poor night of sleep.

    http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/252892

  • A Race To The Bottom Or To Strategic Business Partner?

    This reaches far beyond top level competitor intelligence. This is the granular level information that can directly impact the financials of your organization. A good example of this would be working with sales teams. They will generally know the strengths and weaknesses of key competitors and their products. They may even know recent wins/losses of the key competitors. However, when you can work with them and let them know which individuals have recently left or are looking to leave the competitor and how this could impact the competitors delivery, this could have a genuine impact on the business. For example, if a Program Director has recently left a competitor, what was their succession plan? How will this impact the competitor’s delivery on future programs?

    http://www.eremedia.com/sourcecon/sourcings-tipping-point-a-race-to-the-bottom-or-to-strategic-business-partner/

Posted on

News You Can Use: 10/14/2015

sn_oldcar_Will Langenberg

Photo: Will Langenberg

Posted on

News You Can Use: 9/30/2015

sn_girlwater_Christopher Campbell

  • 10 Intelligence Insights For Category Managers in 2015

    The demand for consultancy will depend often on the complexity of the processes and interactions involved with the sector and the individual business. For instance, sectors with a highly regulated environment will often use management consultants to help implement strategies with regard to new rules or to more effectively traverse the landscape of existing regulations.

    http://www.procurementleaders.com/blog/my-blog–rhiannon-evans/10-intelligence-insights-for-category-managers-in-2015-568843

  • Healthcare firms three times more likely to see data breaches

    Plus, healthcare organizations are in the process of moving all their data to electronic health records, and are increasingly sharing that data with healthcare providers, clinics, insurance companies, and other industry participants. That means that criminals have a broader attack surface, and the defenders aren’t as battle-hardened as those in other industries.

    http://www.cio.com/article/2985541/cyber-attacks-espionage/healthcare-firms-three-times-more-likely-to-see-data-breaches.html#tk.rss_all

  • Using Cloud Computing To Manage Global Risk Of Doing Business

    There has been no other technology development that has had a greater impact on the reduction of risk of operating a supply chain than cloud technology. Cloud computing has made it possible for companies to stay in touch on a real time basis with thousands of their suppliers spread all across the globe round the clock. The conventional ERP-based solutions configured to manage supply chain systems internally by inter-connecting departments within the organization do not prove to be very well positioned to handle the business processes required to manage suppliers. This is largely because supplier networks can be extremely complex and have a very large geographical footprint making them susceptible to developing faults with great ease. Supplier networks that are cloud-based are in a position to yield more options and offer additional risk management capabilities for smart companies that have switched to this technology.

    http://www.hostreview.com/blog/150923-using-cloud-computing-to-manage-global-risk-of-doing-business

  • The 20 jobs with the biggest salary increases this year
    Nothing shocking here, but interesting to review. 
    http://www.fastcompany.com/3051405/the-future-of-work/the-20-jobs-with-the-biggest-salary-increases-this-year
  • Dropbox wants shadow IT to drive enterprise adoption

    There’s one key thing that Dropbox has going for it: users inside companies are already using its product without the authorization of administrators. When the company goes to pitch a large business like News Corp. on adopting Dropbox for Business, salespeople can already point to the thousands of users of its technology inside the company.

    http://www.cio.com/article/2985095/dropbox-wants-shadow-it-to-drive-enterprise-adoption.html#tk.rss_all

Photo: Christopher Campbell, unsplash

Posted on

News You Can Use: 8/26/2015

sn_blueprints_SergeiZolkin

  • The hazards of go-to people

    For the staffers who are not the go-to people, things often don’t work out too well either. They can end up in a self-reinforcing cycle of unhappiness and poor performance. When they realize that they are not one of the go-to people they might miss out on the opportunities to work on exciting or important things, since they are not considered dedicated and capable.

    http://www.cio.com/article/2973120/leadership-management/the-hazards-of-go-to-people.html#tk.rss_all

  • Target’s Big Issue: Modernizing Its Supply Chain

    From September, Mulligan will be overseeing a reorganization of Target’s supply chain system. CEO Cornell described the present system as “an incredibly complex supply chain, built to serve an outdated linear model in which product flows from vendors through distribution centers to stores.” Now what is needed is a new structure that goods can flow in multiple directions as orders are made, including orders from customers for store pick-up or home delivery. The outmoded way is costing Target money and time, neither cheap commodities.

    http://seekingalpha.com/article/3458396-targets-big-issue-modernizing-its-supply-chain

  • Amazon sounds like a hellish place to work (the complete saga):

    Oh, and if you have any shred of a personal life or bodily ailment, Amazon is probably not the best place to work. The Times notes several disturbing cases wherein employees have been criticized for scaling back their hours to take care of sick and dying family members or small children. A woman who had thyroid cancer was given a low performance rating after she returned, while another woman suffering from breast cancer was put on a “performance improvement plan” because her personal “difficulties” had interfered with fulfilling her work goals.

    http://gizmodo.com/working-for-amazon-sounds-utterly-soul-crushing-1724325816
    To add more (from the NYT):

    Amazon employees are held accountable for a staggering array of metrics, a process that unfolds in what can be anxiety-provoking sessions called business reviews, held weekly or monthly among various teams. A day or two before the meetings, employees receive printouts, sometimes up to 50 or 60 pages long, several workers said. At the reviews, employees are cold-called and pop-quizzed on any one of those thousands of numbers.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/technology/inside-amazon-wrestling-big-ideas-in-a-bruising-workplace.html?smid=tw-share&_r=1

    And now, the NYT backs off (seriously?)

    In addition, the evidence against Amazon, while powerful, is largely anecdotal, not data-driven. And anecdotes can be used and interpreted in any number of ways. A reader, Len Edgerly of Cambridge, Mass., wrote to object to parts of the article, particularly a story from Mr. Bezos’ childhood in which he tries to make his grandmother quit smoking by blurting out precisely how many years of her life she had already lost, causing her to burst into tears.

    http://publiceditor.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/08/18/was-portrayal-of-amazons-brutal-workplace-on-target/

  • Monitor Financial Distress in Your Supply Chain

    Manufacturers should prioritize, understand, and address troubled supplier situations with advance awareness. That’s why companies should continually analyze their contracts to maximize leverage, and understand available legal options. To alleviate the pressures of financial distress, manufacturers should exercise common law and statutory remedies in order to purposefully tweak standard terms and conditions of new contracts (or negotiate changes to existing contracts). The terms of these contracts significantly impact the manufacturer’s ability to re-source production to a healthier supplier, recover tooling, and utilize certain remedies.

    http://www.natlawreview.com/article/monitor-financial-distress-your-supply-chain

  • The 4 Levels of Organizational Alignment

    No matter how SMART goals are, they’re irrelevant if they aren’t actively communicated. This is a top-down process, meaning employers need to play an active role in communicating the company vision. Whether it’s through company-wide newsletters or calendars, weekly meetings or goal-management software, keep employees up to date on progress toward goals.

    http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249312

  • 8 Team-Building Mistakes Richard Branson Would Never Make

    During an Entrepreneur blog post, Branson said, “You need to give your people the freedom to get creative, to come up with their own ideas and run with them. If someone comes to you with an idea for a business, why not ask that person to launch a startup? Over the years some of our employees’ ideas have resulted in our setting up businesses. This has helped us to enter new markets and, more often than not, succeed. Your company should act as a springboard for ambitious employees, not a set of shackles.”

    http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249616

Posted on

News You Can Use: 8/12/2015

sn_swings_AaronBurden

  • FDA tells hospitals to ditch IV pumps that can be hacked remotely
    This is the world of the “Internet of Things” (IoT)

    The Food and Drug Administration “strongly encourages” hospitals to stop using Hospira’s Symbiq Infusion System, because it’s vulnerable to cyberattacks that would allow a third party to remotely control dosages delivered via the computerized pumps. Unauthorized users are able to access the Symbiq system through connected hospital networks, according to the FDA and the Department of Homeland Security’s Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team. ICS-CERT reported the vulnerability on July 21st and the FDA released its own safety alert on Friday, July 31st.

    http://www.engadget.com/2015/07/31/fda-security-warning-hackers

  • Formality The Key To Supplier-Enabled Innovation

    So, in my mind, two things must happen for CPOs to begin their journey into SEI. First, they must convince themselves of the scale of the opportunity that exists. And, second, they must convince the rest of the senior team the same. It sounds simple, but a formal programme can only be put in place with the backing of key stakeholders, a significant financial investment and patience. Get it right, however, and the returns will be career defining.

    http://www.procurementleaders.com/blog/my-blog–david-rae/formality-the-key-to-supplier-enabled-innovation-555593

  • 7 Habits to Work Proactively, Not Reactively
    (Hmmm… who am I sending this message out to *cough**spoons*cough*)


    Try not to overthink. Just DO.
    If you over-think, a 5-minute email could take 30. A few additional Powerpoint slides could take half a day. We tend to overthink when we feel insecure. So shift into a vibe that allows your inherent awesome instinct and abundant intelligence to do its natural work and just get it done. As the saying goes, “Done is better than perfect.”

    http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/248866?ctp=BizDev&src=Syndication&msc=Feedly

  • The Unlikely Source of Your Next Big Breakthrough

    Get to know your own backyard. We all have an extensive network of supply-chain support — from our Internet providers to our credit cards, banks, and other financial-service systems to the couriers who send and deliver our packages. Most of us have only a cursory understanding of what these people can actually do for us. We may know the main benefits of these programs, but we remain in the dark when it comes to knowing how they can enhance our innovations. Build relationships with your support teams. Make calls and sight visits to these places. Educate yourself about the capabilities of your supply chain. What you learn will likely surprise you.

    Go to show-and-tell events. There are tons of innovation sources in supply-chain sectors of all kinds, but you won’t know about them if you’re not exposed to them. Attend information fairs and showcases hosted by universities, governmental organizations, and trade associations. Meet new people, ask tons of questions that speak to your particular needs. Talk to the people you travel with and listen to the solutions they’ve conjured up for their situations. You may be able to reapply them to your organization. Remember that these forms of communication are not limited to your competitors or the individuals in your industry but open to people in all areas closely and remotely related to your own.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-degraff/the-unlikely-source-of-yo_b_7880176.html

  • Google will now tell you when a restaurant is too busy
    This is amazing 

    A new feature in Google will show users when local restaurants are booked up and stores have the most foot traffic. The Google Search tweak is rolling out today on mobile for some users, and shows graphs—presumably based on geolocation from smartphones—indicating when a given venue is busiest during the day.

    http://www.fastcompany.com/3049165/fast-feed/google-will-now-tell-you-when-a-restaurant-is-too-busy

  • Three things that make CEOs stupid

    Power, of course, is the first problem. When things are going fairly well, the CEO has a ton of power, and often, that power makes things appear to work, even when they’re not the right thing to do for the long-term. As a result, there’s no market that is correcting the bad decisions, at least not right now.

    http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2015/07/three-things-that-make-ceos-stupid.html

  • The Walking Dead’s Robert Kirkman on career pivoting…
    http://www.fastcocreate.com/3049162/creation-stories/robert-kirkman-creation-stories?partner=rss&utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=webfeeds