Insights

01/12/2016 | Negotiation | Insights

Ten Years of Red Sheet

What the last 10 years have taught us about negotiation. The Red Sheet® negotiation approach is the tool of choice by many negotiators and companies the world over, whether in sales, purchasing, HR, project management or security services. As the Red Sheet negotiation approach celebrates its 10th anniversary, this month we reflect on what these exciting 10 years have taught us about ... More Info

01/09/2016 | Supplier Relationship Management | Insights

Why we need SRM like never before

Adapting to survive… why the fittest companies demand the evolution of procurement with SRM at its core. Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) is the trending topic of the moment in procurement circles, but what is driving this heightened interest? Jonathan O’Brien considers why we need SRM like never before and how we can make it happen. In today’s operating environment, companies need to better know and move ... More Info

01/08/2016 | Supplier Relationship Management | Insights

Bribes, Lunches and Chai Pani

Avoiding Bribery and Corruption in your Supply Chain. Dealing with suppliers could potentially put you at risk bribery and corruption. In much of Northern Europe, North America, Australia and Japan, such practices are rare and regarded as unacceptable (Global Corruption Barometer, 2013 – http://www.transparency.org/gcb2013). They could also be illegal. Elsewhere, it could just be how business is done and is simply ... More Info

01/08/2016 | Negotiation | Insights

The great negotiation race – what we really need to do now Brexit is real

10 Brexit negotiation tips!  It’s hard to find an article that isn’t asserting a view on Brexit right now, but it’s even more difficult to find one that gives real help and guidance on what business leaders, politicians and the rest of us need to get on and do. There is much talk of the need for negotiation, and lots of it! This article ... More Info

01/08/2016 | Supplier Relationship Management | Insights

Why contract management is much more than the name suggests

10 tips for successIf we engage a supplier to work for us we have a contract with them, whether formalized or not. All we need to do is manage them to this contract and what we have agreed between us. Then, if they don’t perform, we have legal remedies open to us. Easy, right? In theory, contract management should be straightforward, yet it ... More Info

01/08/2016 | Supplier Relationship Management | Insights

What lurks in your supply chain?

Why and how supply side CSR is something we must take seriously. Pick up an annual report and you are highly likely to read a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) statement setting out the company’s commitment to making the world a better place. Progressive organizations turn policy into action and can proudly demonstrate a range of initiatives that have achieved a successful social, environmental or ... More Info

01/05/2016 | Negotiation | Insights

In today’s global market, surely we no longer need to consider the old-fashioned idea of cultural differences when negotiating? Wrong!

Ten questions to help understand and plan for cultural differences. International commerce means the world is fast becoming a smaller place. As a result, it is easy to assume that, if organizations are interacting routinely across geographic boundaries and conducting business in one increasingly universal language, there is no longer a need to consider our cultural differences. Cultural differences shape who we are, ... More Info

01/02/2016 | Supplier Relationship Management | Insights

Measuring the financial benefits of strategic sourcing

A guide to help CPOs better demonstrate how their function adds value to the organization. It’s all about savings, savings, savings! Once upon a time such a statement would have rung true for most procurement functions. But times have changed. In a post-recession and ever more volatile, fast-changing and unpredictable world, the leading companies are organized so that procurement functions are focused on ... More Info

01/02/2016 | Category Management | Insights

The problem with RFPs

Are they an essential tool or are we limiting the potential that the supply base can offer? RFP’s (Request for Proposal) and, indeed, RFQs (Request for Quotation) are key tools in a buyer’s toolkit. These are almost certainly managed through an online platform and have become increasingly routine where there is an opportunity to run a competitive process. But do they really help bring advantage? ... More Info

01/11/2015 | Supplier Relationship Management | Insights

Unlocking innovation from your supply base

How to really do itIt’s difficult to read an article on innovation without seeing Apple mentioned somewhere. The common association of Apple with innovation is old news, but few stop to think about how this actually happened and the lessons that can be learned from this. Apple’s innovation wasn’t the sole outcome of a bunch of clever people working out of a lab in ... More Info
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