By Paul Snell Figures out today from the government show that unemployment is on the up, rising by 60,000 between April and June, with the slow economy getting the blame. There has been news of large firms, particularly those in the financial services industry, making large job cuts, and I’m sure buyers will not be [...]
You may recall this blog a few months back which featured the results of a survey saying that business leaders were more likely to excel at sport than in academia. There was a bit of paper talk recently that US presidential candidate Barack Obama is “too thin to win” – that his slim stature is [...]
By Jake Kanter Last Friday, we revealed the OGC’s new plan for sustainable procurement in government. It marked yet another set of initiatives for public sector buyers. They will be asked to adopt strategies including using shared services and encouraging more efficient use of workspace, as the government strives to meet sustainable operations targets set [...]
By Jake Kanter The Beijing Olympics kicked off today with a spectacular opening ceremony at the national stadium. The arena is known as the Bird's Nest because of its elaborate weaved steel structure, but for all its decadence, its price tag is unclear. The same cannot be said for London 2012. The Olympic Delivery Authority [...]
In this issue's feature "Small island big ideas", buyers in New Zealand say the profession there is around a decade behind that in the UK/Europe but will catch up quickly. If you work (or have worked) in a country outside of Europe, how do you think the state of the profession compares? Is it behind [...]
Last week we reported that Sir Ian Blair, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service, faces an investigation over his involvement in the award of a consultancy contract in 2002. The deal in question was agreed with management consultant Impact Plus, which is owned by Andy Miller. Miller is reported to be a close friend of Sir [...]
In our story yesterday, ‘IT procurement low on FDs’ agenda’, we revealed how financial directors don’t understand the benefits e-procurement could bring to their organisation. It is thought e-procurement can help police IT spend and secure value from IT budgets. Is this something you have had to overcome at your organisation? What are the biggest [...]
One element of good leadership is making sure staff understand the big picture and how their role fits into it. In this issue, Steve Trautman explains how leaders can convey the big picture to their teams and ensure they ‘get it.’ He recommends making a list of ‘testing questions’ for employees, including “How do we measure [...]
The coming of August means many of you will be flocking abroad in search of some consistent sun and a break from work. But can buyers ever really step away from the day job? Holidays do tend to throw up the odd trip to the market, or casual stroll around the souvenir shops. This will [...]
