The glory days of the Private Equity (PE) world are certainly not over but they are changing. Firms today are struggling to attract new investments and to manage the portfolio companies they own.
The days of the quick buy and sell are long gone. The PE firms today are faced with attempting to figure out how [...]
Read the rest » Supply Excellence
Much debate has raged over the impact President Obama’s new universal health care law will have on business. To date, most of the analysis has focused on the impact the rule will have on businesses’ insurance and benefits costs. But a little-known tax-reporting provision in the law could be far more costly and burdensome procurement [...]
Read the rest » Supply Excellence
There’s more than one kind of agility.
These days, agility is a key aspect in any discussion involving “The Cloud”. One of the primary benefits of the move to Cloud Computing is the ability to quickly respond to changing needs and disparate environments.
However, it’s important to recognize that agility does not refer only [...]
Read the rest » Supply Excellence
Yesterday, Apple confirmed that they purchased Intrinsity, a small company in Austin, TX known for their very fast performing mobile device chips. The NYTimes reports that the move helps Apple’s products, such as the iPad, hold a ~50% edge over competitors in terms of processing speed since the Intrinsity designed chip runs at about 1,000 [...]
Read the rest » Supply Excellence
I recently posted about the Strategic Sourcing & Procurement LinkedIn group member call on commodities that’ll be conducted this Friday, but wanted to provide a couple updates for those who’d like to listen or participate. Below are the details, format and experts we have lined up.
First, the 1-hour call is this Friday, April 30th at [...]
Read the rest » Supply Excellence
Spring has sprung. The markets, manufacturing and perhaps even … employment may be emerging from hibernation. And while we’re all happy to see the economy awakening from a brutal recession (please don’t hit the snooze button), it will mean some changes as we shift from buyer’s market conditions. Indeed, we’re already seeing commodity prices rising, [...]
Read the rest » Supply Excellence
In the New Normal, it’s never been more important to understand where your organization sits relative to your peers and competitors. This is particularly true when it comes to commerce management strategies and approaches. A majority of companies are using some form of advanced commerce management techniques to help meeting their goals – [...]
Read the rest » Supply Excellence
An interesting article appeared in Bussinessweek.com regarding the new approach that the Chrysler Corporation is attempting with its supply base. Chrysler Chief Procurement Officer Dan Knott is attempting to undo the past few years of hardship that the economy and Chrysler has bestowed on its suppliers. Collaboration around accelerated payments and working capital management will [...]
Read the rest » Supply Excellence
It’s an understatement to say that the global economic recession has heightened focus of cost cutting and elevated the importance of spend management within most every organization. Yet, I have become increasingly troubled by the advice executives I speak say they are getting from vendors, analysts, or even their own IT departments when they ask [...]
Read the rest » Supply Excellence
While there are early signs that economic growth is returning to many parts of the world, it’s important to not put Supply Risk Management initiatives on the shelf.
A recent World Economic Forum report, “Global Risk Report 2010″ highlights the very real risks that all organizations face every day.
While the risks are many and range from [...]
Read the rest » Supply Excellence