By Rebecca Ellinor Tyler Small businesses are the engine room of an economy, providing jobs and fresh ideas. Here’s how to ensure that your business is SME-friendly… Join us at Smart Procurement World for a session on re-igniting the spirit of entrepreneurship and accelerating SMMEs to go mainstream. What capacity and contractor development initiatives work […]
How to partner with SMEs for success Read More »
Much has been said about Japanese automakers and their ability to build close ties with their suppliers. However, in times in which the gap between strategic suppliers and all others is becoming even bigger, and strategic suppliers that will have a much greater influence on a company’s growth agenda, it is worth re-examining what companies
How to build superior supplier relationships like Honda Read More »
By Francis Churchill In 2017, Vitality, a UK health insurance firm, decided to do a 360-degree review of its supply chain. The firm, part of Discovery Limited, had recently restructured and rebranded, and wanted to have a clear idea of what it’s relationships with suppliers were like. Sourcing and supplier managers Duncan Campbell-Marsh, Frances Cooke
How to conduct a supplier review: a case study Read More »
By Linda Ashok A content, communications and branding professional So many things are slated to change in 2020, the milestone year! But what matters most is your career; how is it going to prepare you as a procurement manager? Okay, let me clarify that there isn’t any significant difference between a Purchasing or Procurement Manager.
10 Best practices for procurement managers in 2020 Read More »
Vendor compliance programs have become a major roadblock to retail store success. But who is to blame? Retailers and suppliers point that finger at each other. One expert says there is a “state of chaos” with retailer vendor compliance programs for both bricks-and-mortar and online stores. A Supply Chain Digest Retail-Vendor Benchmark Study does not
Abusive compliance practices hurt retailers and their suppliers Read More »
The SEED Engine is currently running its annual The Real State of Entrepreneurship Survey. In 2018, more than 1 500 entrepreneurs participated in the survey. The survey findings were enlightening, but not unexpected: enterprise supplier development (ESD) programmes that are intended to assist entrepreneurs are proving to be of little value to the majority of
‘ESD programmes not relevant and funding remains a problem’ say entrepreneurs Read More »
Procurement and supply chain professionals have such a broad range of skills and cross-functional business knowledge that it makes us all ideal mentors. Mentors share their professional knowledge/experiences and act as positive role models to mentees in need of some direction. This is especially true when engaging with suppliers and mentoring young entrepreneurs partaking in
10 things that I have learnt about mentoring Anzisha fellows Read More »
The war for talent is 20 years strong and has changed the way companies recruit and retain talented employees. While great strides have been made in how companies treat employees, many are still in the dark ages when it comes to how they treat their suppliers. Just how backwards? Well, what would happen if employees
Don’t treat your employees like suppliers Read More »
Stakeholders can and will influence the outcome of a project, especially if they are likely to be directly affected by it. If you thus fail to meet the expectations of key influencers, projects will be delayed, will only be partially workable or, at worst, doomed. Elaine Porteous unpacks the process of winning stakeholder support in
Stakeholders are your customers: ignore them at your peril Read More »
From left to right: Goodall Gondwe, Minister in Finance, Economic Development & Planning, Malawi; Margaret Mwanakatwe, Minister in Finance, Zambia; Mizinga Melu, CEO of Barclays Bank, Zambia. Delegates at the inaugural Africa Procurement & Enterprise Development Summit (APEDS) threw their weight behind a drive to ensure that the public and private sectors harness procurement for
Harness procurement for socio-economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa Read More »
