Global

Ronald Dworkin: Trust and Treating Each Other as Equals

Posted: 12/22/2017 - 05:08
Author: Kate Vitasek

This month’s column features big thinker Ronald Dworkin. I like Dworkin because he tackles and integrates major ideas in ethics, morality, equality, justice and the “unity of value.” One of his most famous of many books is entitled Justice for Hedgehogs. 

Don’t let the humorous book title fool you; there’s no question that Dworkin is a heavyweight. Dworkin is a Professor of Philosophy and the Frank Henry Sommer Professor of Law at New York University and Emeritus Professor of Jurisprudence at University College London. 

Will RSO Change the World in 2018?

Posted: 12/22/2017 - 04:55
Author: Kit Cox

In 2017, organisations started to get serious about automation. Research from the wider automation industry has revealed a lot about how businesses are developing and controlling their automation programmes. I was recently at the RPA (Robotic Process Automation) and AI (Artificial Intelligence) in BFSI (Banking, Financial Services and Insurance) show in London; here’s a snapshot of the top automation concerns amongst the event attendees I spoke to: 

IT Managed Services: Mitigating Risk and Maintaining Leverage

Posted: 12/15/2017 - 23:19
Author: Torey Guingrich

The managed services market has been an interesting one to watch from a consultant’s point of view. There was a heavy trend towards outsourcing many key areas within IT, only for the pendulum to begin swinging to the other end of the spectrum where clients are now pulling some (or all) of those same services back in-house. Nevertheless, your organization is likely to use some level of managed services within the IT organization given constraints on budget, resources or expertise.

The Value Of Unproductivity

Posted: 12/14/2017 - 06:07
Author: Mathew Daniel

In ‘The Fog’ ("Mad Men" Season 5, Episode 3), SCDP’s creative director, Don Draper, delivers a memorable line for today’s procurement managers and professionals. After being endlessly nagged over the waste of office supplies, alcohol and time by the company's CFO, Lane Price, Draper levels this profound declaration: 

"You came here because we do this better than you. And part of that is letting our creatives be unproductive until they are." 

Embarking on RPA? Educate First

Posted: 12/06/2017 - 09:00
Author: Ian Barkin

“RPA is more complex than you think”, as said by my wise colleague, David Brain.  In fact, not only is the technology itself complex, but the successful deployment is also largely dependent upon extensive planning and collaboration among key stakeholders. That’s why it’s critical that champions and executives prepare the organization for RPA implementation as a first step in the process.  

The Best Processes for RPA

Posted: 12/02/2017 - 01:15
Author: David Brain

A common question when considering Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is what process would be the most optimal one to automate. When looking for a candidate process, you should be focused on a couple key requirements. First, you will want to identify a process that is rule-based, so it doesn't require any human judgment capabilities in its operation. If you have processes that have human-judgement elements, they may still be suitable for RPA but you'll need to hand out that portion of the work to be done by an individual and then pass back it back to the robot.

Considering Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

Posted: 12/02/2017 - 01:09
Author: David Brain

Customers embark on an RPA journey for a variety of reasons. For some it's about not being able to grow organically with the traditional models of adding new people into the mix. For others, it can be a desire to achieve greater cost certainty and overcome the challenges of moving work offshore and the uncertainty that it brings into today's political climate. Regardless of the reasons why companies embark on the journey, a common outcome is sought -  a high-quality service with a reduced cost of operating.  

Procurement with Purpose

Posted: 11/07/2017 - 03:15
Author: Kirsten Allegri Williams

Education is the great equalizer. Yet when it comes to capturing opportunities to learn, there is a significant divide between the “haves” and “have nots.”  Technology is a powerful tool that can change this, and non-profit organizations across the country are beginning to leverage it to bridge the gap.

 

Fueling Innovation and Choice

Avery W. Katz: Dealing with the Incomplete Contract

Posted: 11/04/2017 - 03:14
Author: Kate Vitasek

Avery W. Katz, professor of law at Columbia Law School, tackles the conundrum of “incomplete” contracts. The challenge? How organizations can fashion a contract that is both economically flexible enough for a business relationship to move forward efficiently and legally secure enough to satisfy the parties’ legal departments.

Intelligent Automation Inspires New Plans For Onshoring

Posted: 11/04/2017 - 03:01
Author: Chris Niccolls

Offshoring and outsourcing don’t exist in a vacuum. These are processes that take advantage of and are influenced by technology, politics and the larger economy. Look at the last big round of offshoring at the start of the century. It didn’t just “happen” without any reason. Very specific changes facilitated this age of outsourcing.

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