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
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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
Positive Purchasing, the specialist training and consultancy business, is launching two new online academies at P4H2016 in Birmingham on 13 July 2016.The Procurement and Supply Chain Academy for the ... More Info
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
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
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
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
How to ensure Category Management is successfully embedded across an organization. “What benefits will Category Management deliver to my organization?” This is a question I am regularly asked. It is expected that I will produce a magic savings number, backed up by hard evidence to justify the claim, and form the basis for a business case. My answer is simple, “It depends!”
It ... More Info
I was delighted to be asked to write a third edition of Category Management and felt this was validation that not only had the text made a difference to the world ... More Info
“How do I know what I should pay for this?” is a fair question when planning a negotiation and one I frequently hear being asked, especially by those just starting out. There is a common misconception that somewhere out there lies a magic tool or approach used by the professionals to gain this insight. Sadly, there’s not!
In some cases, with a bit of prior effort, research ... More Info
