Procurement

The 2017 CPO agenda: keeping pace with and enabling digital transformation

Posted: 05/13/2017 - 05:16
Author: Patrick Connaughton

According to The Hackett Group’s 2017 Key Issues Study, 84% of procurement organisations believe that digital transformation will fundamentally change the way their services are delivered over the next three to five years. Yet only 25% say that procurement has the right resources and competencies today to execute that transformation. Nevertheless, the enterprise’s “march to digital” continues unabated, with double the number of respondents reporting transformation initiatives are under way this year.

What are the benefits of outsourcing recruitment assessment for SMEs?

Posted: 05/13/2017 - 04:24
Author: Nick Davis

Recruitment is a serious matter for businesses of all sizes. It is a pricey process, both in terms of time and money. As such, we all enter into recruitment hoping to land an incredible employee who will add value to your organisation for years to come. Unfortunately, things don’t always turn out that way. Sometimes, despite our high hopes for a given candidate, we are let down and have to let them go.

Why multiplying compliance risks demand a calculated strategy

Posted: 05/11/2017 - 07:43
Author: Karen Gray

In the past, compliance risk was a top-of-mind issue among select industries: regulators appeared to have banking and financial services, along with energy and extractives, under a constant microscope. But as supply chains expanded across oceans and continents, and countries legislated regulations to address bribery and corruption, terrorist financing and human trafficking, compliance risk grew for all types of organisations. Now the pressure is on you.

Will the UK save £1.6bn on procurement after Brexit?

Posted: 05/05/2017 - 19:59
Author: John Cassels

In its campaign against the UK's continued membership of the European Union, 'Vote Leave' claimed that EU procurement rules, which govern the purchase of goods and services by public sector bodies, cost UK taxpayers £1.6bn a year. It also claimed that 1.9 million days a year are lost to red tape delays.

Is it likely or possible that the UK can save this money and time cost by changing the public procurement rules after Brexit?

Current system

Is procurement the key to unlocking innovation within organisations?

Posted: 04/22/2017 - 02:10
Author: John Holmes

Depending on your business sector, the department you work in or your job function, innovation means different things to different people. Procurement professionals may view innovation as a long-term strategy, given the tremendous potential for delivering efficiencies and cost savings over time, while other business functions may see it differently. Their interest might be focused on enhancing performance and processes, delivering slicker workflows or increased speed to market.

How retailers can drive sustainable savings through strategic sourcing

Posted: 04/11/2017 - 23:42
Author: Milan Panchmatia

Growing economic uncertainty has seen many businesses look to procurement for a means to increase savings and ultimately drive growth. This is especially true in the retail industry where common issues include mounting costs, struggling suppliers, increased competition and expanding supply chains. On top of this, savings must be achieved without affecting the quality of the end product or customer experience.

The 'mid-market reality check': what are the real procurement priorities for UK medium-sized businesses in 2017?

Posted: 03/07/2017 - 08:03
Author: Mark Cook

There always seems to be plenty of commentary around what’s driving innovation and growth in both large enterprises and startups. By comparison, the mid-market seems slightly neglected; this seems an oversight given the crucial role it plays in the UK economy. Although this market segment represents just 1% of UK firms, medium-sized businesses are increasing revenues by an average of 6.7% each year and the mid-market is expected to boost the economy by 18% over the next five years.

Outsourcing realities: What business executives need to know

Posted: 03/07/2017 - 07:26
Author: Paul Singer

Congratulations! It’s been three years since you decided to outsource accounts payable. Or, accounts receivable, or customer care, or payroll, or HR, or procurement, or any one of a dozen business process functions typically outsourced, in part or in full. You’ve finally stabilised operations, established consistent market standard processes, addressed the fears from the field, started realising those projected savings, and convinced IT that it is possible to improve response time without creating a horrific security breach.

OPINION: Design thinking should be life-centric…

Posted: 02/28/2017 - 08:20
Author: Ravichandran Venkataraman

As the drone flew over the factory in North Carolina and captured pictures and videos both inside and outside the factory, little did the company whose factory was being photographed realise that their practices would be questioned. Here is a factory that processes pig meat. The way the factory is designed is to optimise the number of pigs and the weight of these in order to get maximum production out of it. So, what is wrong with all this?

Contracting for emerging technologies: change with the changes

Posted: 02/21/2017 - 05:15
Author: Megan Paul

Emerging technology services have revolutionised the sourcing industry. These disruptive technologies like autonomics, interface technologies, big data analytics and other computing technologies have permitted smaller companies to successfully challenge established incumbent businesses. Specifically, as incumbents focus on improving their products and services for their most demanding (and usually most profitable) customers, they may exceed the needs of some segments and ignore the needs of others.

Sustainable procurement: a necessity for businesses of the future

Posted: 02/18/2017 - 02:02
Author: Pierre-Francois Thaler

As regulations and consumer pressures shift and organisations are increasingly exposed to risk – reputational and beyond – the procurement industry faces a critical juncture. This dynamic has created a business environment where sustainable procurement programs are no longer just nice to have, but an integral organisational function that is responsible for protecting and improving brand reputation, driving revenue and mitigating business risk.

Avoiding the black hole of marketing procurement

Posted: 02/14/2017 - 06:51
Author: Thom Mead

John Wanamaker once commented, “I know half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half.” Likely this is often said of marketing as a whole - and in fairness, applies to other business functions as well. Have you struggled with this conundrum when considering your sourcing options for marketing spend? Proper mechanisms to track performance, ROI, and effectiveness need to be in place to ensure that the money spent is adding value and not being spent because you have always done it that way.

Q&A: Raleen Gagnon, ManpowerGroup Solutions

Posted: 01/20/2017 - 03:19
Author: Raleen Gagnon

Outsource got together with Raleen at last October's SIG Summit in Carlsbad, California, to hear about some of the key developments in the global labour market - and how procurement departments need to refine their approach to procuring people...

Outsource: Raleen, let’s begin with an introduction… Can you tell our readers what you do at ManpowerGroup?

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