Procurement Strategy Archives - Page 28 of 37

Market Intelligence – information to assist the modern procurement professional

Leave a Comment / Benchmarking, Procurement Strategy / Editor

Alan Low of Purchasing Index (PI) tells SmartProcurement that the world of commerce is an ever more challenging place for Procurement professionals: • Senior management is recognising Procurement professionals’ contributions within organisations, with the result that procurement is asked to procure more commodities, such as marketing and IT. • They have to market themselves and […]

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Warehousing in China? Challenges to consider

Leave a Comment / Global Sourcing, Low Cost Sourcing, Procurement Strategy, Smart Sourcing, Tools & Tips / Editor

This month SmartProcurement publishes the second article in a series considering China’s warehousing options, as presented in a report by C.H. Robinson Worldwide. This month considers the challenges of warehousing in the world’s second largest economy. Challenges to consider While the benefits of a warehouse solution in China make it a viable opportunity for many

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Procurement transformation: more than squeezing suppliers’ margins

Leave a Comment / e-Procurement, News, Procurement Strategy, Professional Development, SRM Supplier Relationship Management, Technology / Editor

Transferring pressure onto your suppliers’ margins is not sustainable in the long-term. In fact, it is the shortest route to supply disruption as you will risk supplier failure, Duncan Jones, Principal Analyst for Forrester Research, told supply chain leaders at SAP and SmartProcurement’s CPO Forum early in March. He noted that successfully implementing a new

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Red flags that your suppliers may be facing difficult times

Leave a Comment / Procurement Strategy, SRM Supplier Relationship Management, Supplier Management / Editor

The recession has made it clear that organisations of all sizes in all geographies face the possibility of going out of business, which would have a ripple effect both upstream and downstream. In a perfect world, relationships with suppliers would be truly collaborative, with the supplier communicating well in advance of failure or disruption. But

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2.9 % rise for January PMI

Leave a Comment / PMI, Procurement Strategy / Editor

The seasonally adjusted Kagiso PMI posted solid gains in January, gaining 2.9 index points to reach 54.6 – the highest level since April 2010. The improved reading provides further evidence that the PMI decline to below 50 in September / October 2010 was largely the outcome of temporary (strike related) factors, reports the Kagiso website.

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Procurement Communities of practice – plugging into the world

Leave a Comment / Procurement Strategy / Editor

Along with resources and labour, knowledge is a necessary factor in the production of goods and services. However, unlike other production factors knowledge promotes greater performance when it is shared. Zak von Gordon, CPO of the Aveng Group spoke to SmartProcurement about Communities of Practice (COP), a type of knowledge sharing based on social networking

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Marcus: Commodity inflation risk increasing

Leave a Comment / Commentary, News, Procurement Strategy / Editor

Reuters – South Africa faces rising risks to its inflation outlook due to commodity prices, and inflation may move to the upper end of the 3 to 6 percent target range sooner than expected, Reserve Bank Governor Gill Marcus said. In a speech posted on the Bank’s website, Marcus said rising global and domestic prices

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Developing Standard Bank’s procurement purpose – an investment in people

Leave a Comment / Education, Procurement Strategy, Professional Development / StaffWriter

In a bid to elevate the status of its procurement function from a transaction focused back office into one considered to be a value enabler for its business units, Standard Bank South Africa (SBSA) is creating a talent nursery, using a defined procurement competency framework to underpin the career progression path of its people, Meshern

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Social Commerce – Social media in supply

Leave a Comment / Education, Procurement Strategy / StaffWriter

Can social media be relevant in a professional environment – let alone in Purchasing & Supply? Francois Naude, founder of Marketsqr Supply Network, told SmartProcurement that in a time when customers report good experiences in web forums more than twice as often as they do via call centers or mail organisations must care about social

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The contents of an ethical purchasing policy

Leave a Comment / Procurement Strategy, Public Sector Procurement, Risk Management / Editor

Several SmartProcurement World 2010 speakers discussed the high levels of corruption exposed daily throughout the African continent – South Africa itself being the victim of many improper business practises within all sectors of the national economy. It was widely agreed that organisations need to reform their policy and procedure handbooks to ensure that positive steps

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