Purchasing

Link This | Email this | Blog This | Comments (0)

Decisions, Decisions
April 9, 2007

The universe puts us in a position to make decisions and choices that will determine the next fork in the path.Change your decision – and you find yourself on a different path.

In a recent editorial in Industrial Distribution Magazine, Jack Keough reviews a presentation by Bob Reynolds, the 2006 chairman of the board of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors presentation at the association’s annual summit in Washington, D.C.

As presented, one of the major concerns facing any industrial distributor (should not be limited to distribution) is finding and retaining talented workers. Reynolds emphasized the need to use competitive pay, benefits and a proper work/life balance to attract workers, but said a different set of attributes, such as creating new opportunities for employees, is needed to retain talented workers.

Bob states “If we short change training and development in our industry – given changing demographics and the increasing competition of good people – we do so much at our own peril. We need to integrate training with our business strategy and leverage that training to achieve solid bottom-line business results.We must set an expectation of continuous learning for all employees in all stages of their careers.”

Studies show that employees often leave their companies not because of pay – which many might expect – but because of lack of training, or lack of growth opportunities. Employees want to be challenged on the job, with training being crucial to their motivation and success.

Employers are seeking new hires just out of college.The Murphy Enterprise Center in cooperation with the University of North Texas Co-Op office is sponsoring a Mean Green May Job Fair in Dallas on May 18.Universities are working hand in hand with businesses in all areas of the country to assist their students in the job hunt.

An interesting article by Meg Carter, Inside Track.

The Search for Meaning after College

Today’s college graduates do not expect to have one job for life, but they do expect their job to give them the opportunities to advance in their careers.To quell the faux work that can seep up through the cracks of the generation gap.Managers must adapt to give young employees the attention they crave.When American Express set out to motivate its young employees, it initiated more frequent performance reviews, flexible work options, and opportunities to move laterally in the company to acquire more skills.The company thus provided a more meaningful, career-oriented context for the work.

What is a Co-op?UNT’s Cooperative education (Co-op) and Internships program integrates classroom theory with work experience specific to a student’s major.The primary focus is to give the students a broader educational experience through work.Many times, these positions can also lead to full-time employment upon graduation.

Co-op at its best involves a partnership among students, employers and the university.

How is Co-op different from an Internship?Employers often use the terms interchangeably, but internships last only one semester (usually summer), whereas co-op positions have the opportunity to be multiple semester, as long as the employer is happy with the student and vice versa.

Employer Benefits – Employers find that using a co-op or intern:

Provides you with an excellent pool of well-prepared employees

Improves your personnel selection process by using actual on-the-job performance as a basis for permanent hiring decisions

Increases your cost-effectiveness of recruitment and training.Studies show employers save money by using co-op to identify and train personnel

Increases your retention rates among permanent employees recruited and hired through a co-op program

Enhances your human resource flexibility with effective short-term employees

Strengthens your relations with colleges and students.Through evaluations, advisory boards and other means, employers can work with colleges to ensure an effective curriculum

Allow you first access to students

The Institution for Supply Management-Dallas affiliate has been working with UNT sponsoring a student chapter, providing scholarships, providing programs and offering co-op and internships for the students.Companies like J. C. Penney, Commercial Metals, Texas Instruments and many more have taken advantage of this opportunity.Check with your local universities for information.It is great to get back on campus.

As companies grow, their leaders must know how to create, or at least encourage, employee motivation.Management must furnish the opportunity for training and continued education.The sales force on an average receives 40 hours per year in training.Purchasing and Supply Management employees receive very little training.

Much of the support given to employees to belong to professional organizations and attend seminars and conferences has been cut back by the employer.When presenting the comparison of training between sales and purchasing, you always get the same old story “Sales is the ones that bring the money in to the company.”The old saying,

“You can’t do business from an empty wagon” is true, however who keeps that wagon full.

Posted by Mary Walker on April 9, 2007 | Comments (0)