By Jake Kanter In our web story this week Public sector tenders 'confuse' suppliers, we revealed that the methods some government buyers are using to advertise contracts is causing "confusion" among suppliers. The use of national websites, including supply2.gov and CompeteFor, as well as regional and service-specific sites means vendors are unsure where best to [...]
By Jake Kanter In the recent issue of SM Emma Crichton, business manager at Capita Interim Management, discusses the difference between good interims and the downright greedy ones. She says in the past it was not uncommon she received calls from an interim at 8am on a Monday morning threatening not to start their booking [...]
By Paul Snell According to a recent article in the Financial Times, rising cost inflation has claimed another victim: the £2 chicken. Rising food prices have seen the cheap bird disappear from shelves, as supermarkets put up prices for consumers. But, according to National Farmers’ Union economist Richard George, the price of raising chickens has [...]
Britain’s gold rush at the Beijing Olympics has been utterly compelling. No doubt it has been the buzz of offices up and down the country, with surreptitious staff fuelling quiet updates to willing ears.
By Delwyn Cummack In this issue Emma Clarke talks to associate professor of philosophy, Angie Hobbs, about the notions of flourishing and happiness first raised by ancient philosophers Aristotle and Plato. Hobbs says buyers can learn a lot from the study of philosophy and that it can help them deal with some of the ethical dilemmas [...]
By Paul Snell News of record profits for mining firm BHP Billiton is not likely to be celebrated by purchasers, with the rise in income thanks to the boom in commodity prices. But even BHP has been hit with cost increases of more than $1 billion, shouldering the rising prices of fuel, logistics and explosives. [...]
By Jake Kanter We are all familiar with mascots, whether they are the fuzzy face of your favourite football team, or the marketing tool on the front of your cereal box. For many, this is just a cuddly distraction, but some businesses believe a vibrant figurehead can really add value. A story in the FT [...]
By Delwyn Cummack In this issue's Knowledge Zone, Philip Hesketh, author and speaker on the psychology of persuasion, tells buyers how to persuade people by motivating rather than manipulating them. He says in order to be persuasive, you should make things fun for your team, build positive relationships, show people why they should want to [...]
By Paul Snell The surge in metal prices has at least been good for one thing – reducing the number of cars abandoned on the streets and country lanes. But according to the Local Government Association, the high demand for metal has created a new problem – gangs of thieves stealing thousands of drain covers. [...]
By Delwyn Cummack In this issue's Adviser, we answered a question from a reader in Egypt who wanted to find out more about global sourcing. Our experts' advice for buyers considering global sourcing was to develop relationships with colleagues, gain the buy-in of key markets, and run a pilot on smaller, less-critical areas. Do you [...]
