“What business strategy is all about is, in a word, competitive advantage. The sole purpose of strategic planning is to enable a company to gain, as efficiently as possible, a sustainable edge over its competitors. Corporate strategy thus implies an attempt to alter a company’s strength relative to that of its competitors in the most […]
Logistics: an opportunity for competitive advantage Read More »
Today companies face increasing levels of competitive pressure and challenges to maintain and improve profitability. There is also increasing pressure from customers and shareholders, necessitating that managers seek ways of reducing costs, while at the same time improving performance. In a series of SmartProcurement articles, Tafara Svosve (Msc Supply Chain Management; CMILT) will focus on
Importance of logistics in supply chains: a micro perspective Read More »
Travel managers have traditionally been encouraged to keep their travel costs under control and to not use travel as a tool to achieve results. These notions are being challenged by travel management companies, which believe that travel should be seen as an investment instead of purely a cost. After all, how can a business grow
How are you measuring your corporate travel ROI? Read More »
This was the finding of Scopen Africa, whose information – obtained from the Agency Scope 2017/2018 study – indicates that 54% of advertising and media agency negotiation processes are led by marketing, while in 41% of those processes both parties (marketing and procurement) are present. The study also found that 63.7% of marketers are influenced
Understanding the role of Procurement will help agencies secure more client wins Read More »
The digital marketing category has opened businesses up to new opportunities and challenges. While marketing now has the capability to reach more customers, procurement now has the numbers and visibility of the supply value chain for the marketing category. However, the digital revolution has also handed the procurement function a chance to reset historical squabbles
Frenemies – making ‘cents’ of advertising spend Read More »
Management methodology in some municipalities is changing for the better, says Stephen Bauld. During 2017, Bauld spent a great deal of my time working on behalf of contractors, raising issues related to construction projects with municipal staff at every level. He has seen a commitment by senior management to make systems better and to listen
New ways needed to procure construction projects in 2018 Read More »
Corporates, suppliers and travel management companies (TMCs) need to work together to help improve transparency and reduce the impact of fragmentation on costs and efficiencies. What is fragmentation? It’s when staff try to book travel within their travel policy but are forced to access different sites to source that travel other than the company’s preferred
Is fragmentation in corporate travel playing havoc with your policy? Read More »
Traveller non-compliance is an increasing area of concern among travel buyers and managers internationally, with great efforts made to persuade travellers of the benefits of compliance that extend beyond “because the company said so”. A recent study conducted by FCM Travel Solutions and the African Business Travel Association (ABTA) revealed that the level of
Do SA business travellers toe the travel-policy line? Read More »
We’re in the throes of the 4th industrial revolution, where technology has changed the way we live and do business. Research shows that by 2020, half of the world’s business travellers will be millennials. With this in mind, it’s not surprising that the role of travel management companies has evolved way beyond making travel
Is your travel technology a strategic procurement partner? Read More »
The fourth Industrial Revolution, characterised by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the Iines between the physical, digital and biological spheres, builds on the digital revolution (known as the Third Industrial Revolution) that has been occurring since the 1950’s, said the World Economic Forum. ‘4IR’ has seen the emergence of technologies in procurement,
What is procurement’s future in the 4th Industrial Revolution? Read More »
