Procure IQ

Earlier this year I told that that this is the year of the tiger … and China is going to roar as it is on track to overtake Japan as the 2nd largest global producer of GDP. But this is just the beginning. China is expected to become the global leader in scientific research in a mere 10 years (Financial Times [FT]) and the global leader in GDP within 25 years (The Economics Journal). According to the FT article, Thomson Reuters, which indexes scientific papers from over 10.5K journals, analyzed the performance of the BRIC over the …

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It seems that the fashionable thing to do these days if you’re a Supply Management technology provider is to build a “Quick Start” platform and promote a rapid initial implementation, and the “obvious” rapid ROI that will result. Coupa, Rosslyn Analytics, and Aravo, among others, have all been making noise about their new SaaS platforms that allow for rapid results. And while each platform will give you rapid results if you listen to their advice and apply it properly, I’m starting to worry if this is the right thing to do. Just like a narrow focus on “cost …

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The purpose of Basel II, the second of the Basel Accords (which are recommendations on banking laws and regulations issued by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision), was to create an international standard that banking regulators can use when creating regulations about how much capital needs to be reserved to guard against financial and operational risks. In essence, the goal was to reduce risk and insure trade even in the event that a series of major banks collapsed.But did it, in fact, accomplish the exact opposite? In two recent articles in the financial times which addressed the …

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Besides the fact that you’re probably as fed up as I am at the ridiculous compensation packages that many Executives are getting these days despite the fact that they are on their way out the door having just tanked the company, there’s also the fact that their focus on short term gain is hurting the company and your ability to do your job. You want to switch to sustainable sources of supply, because you know that the long term savings (as energy, water, and carbon costs are all poised to go through the roof) will dwarf any short term …

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And the ability to tell Wall Street to take a hike. I was absolutely disgusted when I read this piece on the intersection of Wall Street and Private Equity with the Supply Chain and saw the following:one large retailer had the opportunity recently to save an expected $50 million from a supply chain network redesign project, included shifting from a number of smaller distribution centers to larger ones. The project had a great ROI and the capital was available — but the company delayed the project just because of the potential for Wall Street to view the project as …

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In addition to the presentation of 18 theses around the continued scarcity of energy resources, Volume 1 of the Transportation & Logistics 2030 report on how supply chains will evolve in an energy-constrained, low-carbon world by PriceWaterhouseCoopers and the Supply Chain Management Institute also identified some (emerging) opportunities for transportation and logistics operations that are worth close scrutiny by any provider looking to differentiate themselves in the marketplace.The report provided opportunities in four areas: Products & Services Finance & Accounting Processes & Organization Strategy & Policy Today, we’re going to overview the products, services, finance, and accounting …

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This article, from the October 12, 2009 print edition of Canadian Business (and Yahoo Finance), got my attention. After all, I’m a well educated Ph.D. who can build some of the most complex mathematical and computer models in the world, and I often don’t have a clue what these people are trying to, or should I say not to, tell me. (And that’s why I don’t have a personal financial advisor who oversees my financial decisions and plan to keep it that way.)And we have essentially the same problem as supply management professionals every time a new sales …

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About a year ago, Bob Matthews of Paladin Associates penned a great post over on e-Sourcing Forum. It’s the Fourth Quarter … Do You Know Where Your Cash Went?. It’s a good question … and one that is as poignant as ever. Do you? If you don’t, now would be a really good time to find out. There are a number of sourcing service providers with expertise in spend analysis that can quickly get you on the right track …

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Today’s guest post is from Drew Hofler of Ariba (Working Capital Solutions).In our last post, we noted how the last couple of weeks have really driven home how important cash flow and access to credit is for suppliers right now as well as how the last couple of weeks have also served to illustrate the credit dichotomy between large, cash-rich, investment grade companies and their mid-sized & smaller suppliers in the current economic environment.While suppliers are finding it difficult to access short term cash flow through traditional markets, they do have options and there are alternatives that are becoming more …

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Today’s guest post is from Drew Hofler of Ariba (Working Capital Solutions).The last couple of weeks have really driven home how important cash flow and access to credit is for suppliers right now. They have also served to illustrate the credit dichotomy between large, cash-rich, investment grade companies and their mid-sized & smaller suppliers in the current economic environment.On the one hand, economic indicators are beginning to show that the economy is stabilizing and that the recession may officially be over (e.g. a recent article in the WSJ reporting that GDP grew by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter). On …

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