Supply Chain Management Article Library

Aug 11, 2015

Re-thinking supply chain risk: Protection at any cost?

I have been having a number of fascinating interviews with Chief Procurement Officers this past week on the subject of procurement analytics and supply management risk.  This is part of…

Aug 1, 2015

Needed: An Analytics Platform to Support the New Face of Procurement Transformation

As organizations continue to discuss the notion of procurement value transformation, there is a noticeable gap between the stated intentions of organizations to pursue value, and their actions as they…

Jul 22, 2015

Legal Experts Need to be Front and Center in Negotiating Software Contracts

I had the opportunity to engage in a negotiation seminar with a large insurance company last week, and had the team work on a software contract role play.  In the…

Jul 17, 2015

A Tale of Two Procurement Books: Cox's Sourcing Portfolio Analysis (Cox) & Strategic Sourcing in the New Economy (Keith et al.)

A new face of procurement is emerging which is recognizing that a new set of value drivers must be developed in the face of massive environmental changes. Some of the…

Jul 14, 2015

Andrew Cox's "Sourcing Portfolio Analysis": More of the Same

Against the many new articles and books being produced on the changing face of procurement and the importance of value creation and collaboration, Andrew Cox’s new book “Sourcing Portfolio Analysis” came…

Jun 30, 2015

The State of Strategic Supply Management in the Canadian Oil Industry

I visited Calgary, Alberta this week, and found it to be an odd environment indeed! Oil has leveled off at $60/bbl, major companies have all gone through major budget cuts, have cut headcount…

Jun 24, 2015

The American Red Cross: A New SCRC Partner Company Engages the Influence Model!

I had the opportunity to visit with the American Red Cross in Charlotte, NC yesterday, and held a negotiation workshop with the supply chain directors and managers.  This was at…

Jun 17, 2015

USDA Announced Release of BioBased Economy Study Completed by NC State and Duke University

I am delighted to share with readers of my blog the announcement of a new report completed by Jay Golden from Duke University and myself, that was released today at 11…

Jun 10, 2015

Review of "Procurement Value Proposition" misses the point…ISO "Mr. Impossible"!

A recent review by Peter Smith of my new book, “The Procurement Value Proposition”, co-authored with Gerard Chick, provides some solid support for the message Gerard and I were seeking…

Jun 4, 2015

Newly minted MBA from NC State heads off to Apple's Supply Chain Organization

One of my recent students from last year, Gaurav Chhabra, just graduated this semester, and landed a job in Apple’s supply chain organization.  I had a chance to catch up with Guarav…