Procure IQ

About a year ago, in Supply Chain Social Networks: Useful Resource or Productivity Killer, I reviewed the new kids on the supply chain social network block, SCM Professionals and iProcurement.org, in my effort to determine whether they offer supply management professionals benefits above and beyond regular social networking.I noted that they had blog, news headline, and presentation sharing capabilities — which are useful if the blog posts, presentations, and news articles contain useful information, as well as the ability to form groups, but that they also had all of the banes of time-wasting social networking sites, such as latest activity …

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A recent post over on the Harvard Business Review Blogs pointed out Three Questions Executives Should Ask for the New Year based upon eight characteristics of top performers and four characteristics of under-achievers identified by Melissa Raffoni of Raffoni Ceo Consulting and author of Managing Time in the HBR Pocket Mentor Series. According to Raffoni, who identified the following eight characteristics of top performers: they set clear measurable goals they seek feedback they communicate thoughtfully they act thoughtfully they are decisive they have …

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A recent article over on Discovery News that headlined that Employees With Flex Time Put In More Hours is a must-read. Consider the headline findings: working the usual nine to five may not be the ideal schedule for employees or employers workers with flexible hours are not only more satisfied with their jobs, they also work more intensely the findings also apply to remote workers and employees with reduced office hours Basically, as those of us who work flex, or who have worked in flex environments know, it’s a boon to …

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2010 should bring a flurry of new acquisitions with many established companies looking to expand product lines and increase growth within the organization.
Of these companies looking to expand through acquisition, raising capital expense to fund the ne…

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In the beginning, there was the reverse auction. Industry visionaries applied reverse auctions to their sourcing events for commodity and competitive categories (in the mid nineties) and saved a small fortune (which sometimes exceeded 30%, 50%, and even 70% of previous category costs). They were heroes and the world was good.Then, a couple of years later when they circled back to the first categories and held another auction, something unexpected (to them) happened. The total savings shrunk considerably. The average savings, expressed in terms of percentages, dropped from the mid double digits to the (low) single digits. The savings often …

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A couple of years ago, the Harvard Business Review ran an article on Radically Simple IT that noted that the fundamental problem with enterprise IT projects, which continue to be a headache for business leaders, is that these systems are constructed using a cathedral approach. Like the great cathedrals erected in Europe in the middle ages, enterprise IT projects are costly, take a great deal of time, and deliver value only when the project is completed. Furthermore, they yield systems that are inflexible and cement companies into functioning the way their businesses worked several years ago, when the …

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Effectiveness, is key to competing in today’s business environment. Logistics is a process, a supply pipeline which connects you with your vendor/supplier and your customer.
Whether you compete domestically or globally competitors, vendors, suppl…

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Have you ever considered taking the air or reconfiguring your current packaging?
Many companies do not take the time to analyze their current packaging of finished product once the product has been prepared for the end-user.
Many times I have walked th…

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A lot of supply chain 20xx lists are produced each year, and while many aren’t worth a second glance, Dan Gilmore over on Supply Chain Digest has one of the best top 10 lists on what supply chains will look like in 2015 that you’re going to find. But what’s even more important than the items on his Supply Chain 2015 is why supply chains are being forced to change. I’ll attempt to answer that a bit in this post. Fuel Prices Will Spike Again … to $200 a barrel Global demand …

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Is it the grid and the possibility of another great blackout (due to a lack of breakers)? Is it the unpredictable terrorist act that could blow up a pipeline in North America (which includes friendly Canada)? No, it’s Sciurus Carolinensis! One little squirrel in one little circuit-breaker in one little substation can knock out power to 9,000 homes with a single nibble, as FirstEnergy customers in North Royalton found out on Tuesday. …

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