CAREER TURNS
CAREER TURNS focuses on issues of professional development and change within the procurement field - or is it the purchasing field?
Book review: The Supply-Based Advantage
Do you have supplier problems? You should read “The Supply-Based Advantage: How to Link Suppliers to Your Organizations Corporate Strategy” by Stephen C. Rogers. It’s published by the American Management Association.Rogers is a senior consultant with the Cincinnati Consulting Consortium, concentrating on purchasing and supplier management, and an adjunct professor at Xavier Un ...... Read More
Comments (0)RFID hits home
When you think of RFID, you think of Walmart. All we heard was the demand from Walmart that their suppliers should comply by using RFID. I had got to the point that I would bypass articles on the subject.However, the June issue of Logistics Management had a story on Kimberly Clark’s use of RFID and since Kimberly Clark is a supplier of mine, this caught my attention. It has amazed me that ...... Read More
Comments (0)Instant messaging: The future of communication or passing fad?
Communication methods are certainly progressing at a rapid rate lately. We sit at our desks, hear the phone ringing and the dinging of our computer that a new email is coming in, and now we have the great “instant messaging" to communicate live, real-time, one-to-one. Instant Messaging (IM), or chatting, is universally available at a low cost. This has been popular for personal use, but IM ...... Read More
Comments (2)Speaking to the Board
At last you have been recognized for the program you have been working on for months. You are great at sitting at the computer, writing programs and hitting those keys all day, but now, your boss wants you to present your program to the board. It’s not like you have a month or two to prepare, the board meeting is next week. How can you be ready? I would like to give you a brief overview of ...... Read More
Comments (0)Sharing events with strangers
Have you ever been invited to a meeting and you hesitated to go as you felt you would know no one in the room? Concerned that they all would be strangers to you? I think most of us feel that way in some settings. In today’s business world, we might be made to feel that way with our co-workers, far-flung around the country and the world. Some people just have a knack for connecting with othe ...... Read More
Comments (0)The ins and outs of Parliamentary Law
Have you ever met someone that was really versed in Parliamentary Law? Did you know you could get certified, CPP? In fact, it’s a good thing for purchasing professionals or any business professional to at least investigate. (Being able to run an efffective meeting is a skill most of us can use). The National Parliamentary Education Project of the American Institute of Parliamentarians ...... Read More
Comments (0)Is Supply Management moving forward?
In the last 10 years, supply management has evolved from purchasing to procurement to supply chain management to supply management. Supply management leaders strive for us to be viewed as a profession, however we all realize that we are still struggling against being viewed as a vocation. But our world–and our supply chains–are changing fast. In the business environment today, supply ...... Read More
Comments (3)Are you a skilled risk taker?
Risk taking is an art, and many live by the rule “ask forgiveness not permission.” At its core, risk taking is the willingness to accept new ideas and change even though there may not be a guaranteed improvement. One of my bosses was big on “ask forgiveness not permission.” I might add he led us in to a lot of hot water sometimes, however it paid off. Hi ...... Read More
Comments (0)Highlights from the District 25 Toastmasters Conference
Have you ever attended a Toastmasters Conference? If you’re not familiar (I’ve mentioned them before in this blog), it’s a fun, entertaining and also educational group to be a member of. My local chapter had its conference so that is how I spent the weekend. Among the things that go on, they have a Table Topics Contest, where six people are asked a question and have two ...... Read More
Comments (0)Embracing the Latest Web 2.0 Innovations
Web 2.0 describes the changing trends in the use of World Wide Web technology and web design. Web 2.0 aims to enhance creativity, communication, secure information sharing, collaboration and functionality of the web. This is a Wikipedia Definition which any one can post to this definition on the website. Web 2.0 represents many applications. These include accounting, business planning, mark ...... Read More
Comments (0)What buyers can learn from Johnny Appleseed
When it comes to supply chain strategies, there are a lot of examples we can look to from the past to help us in today’s market. But there’s one you might not have ever looked at: the real-life legend of Johnny Appleseed, a barefoot pauper wearing a tin-pot on his head who planted apple trees across the American wilderness in what is now Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. Jonatha ...... Read More
Comments (0)Survey Results: What’s in a name?
In my recent informal survey on job titles, 42% of those responding said the terms that best describes their field is supply management. But 70% of the responders desired the title of “buyer”. When asked what their titles were, there were so a variety of titles and positions that I won’t even name them, but they are all what we have heard before. When asked ...... Read More
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