By Jake Kanter Prepare yourself for the ultimate test of your procurement knowledge. Below is a link to 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire'…the purchasing edition. It follows the same format as the famous ITV quiz, but all the questions are procurement related. The other twist means that instead of winning a million, you can [...]
By Delwyn Cummack In this issue's supplement debate, Alec Pettigrew and Robin Jackson discuss whether low-cost country sourcing (LCCS) is the cheapest option. Pettigrew, managing director of Asian Sourcing Link, argues: "The benefits of LCCS are two-fold – not only are the costs of the products lower, but it also allows the company to get [...]
By Jake Kanter It seems more and more companies are requesting some form of government "bail out" these days. Look no further then the three giant US motor firms, Chrysler, Ford and General Motors (GM), who marched to Washington last week to ask for $25 billion. As my web story yesterday reveals, they were turned [...]
By Jake Kanter Watching the Pre-Budget report unravel yesterday was very compelling. Chancellor Alistair Darling launched into a series of bold announcements and all corners of Parliament could be heard gasping, heckling and bellowing agreement. The headlines will be snatched by plans to slash VAT for 13 months, roll out tax cuts amounting to £21 [...]
By Delwyn Cummack A report into energy supply by Ofgem has found that information provided to small firms by energy suppliers is insufficient and often not trusted. (News, 13 November) The report found it was difficult for SMEs to find useful price comparison data and to know if advice they received from third party intermediaries [...]
By Paul Snell SM has written extensively over the last few weeks about the impact of the economic downturn on buyers and suppliers. And now recruitment firm Edbury Daley wants to hear the experiences of buyers on the front line. It’s keen to find out how exposed your organisation was to the crisis, how it [...]
By Delwyn Cummack This issue's SM100 (our survey of 100 purchasers) found that 66 per cent do not think sustainable procurement is less of a priority in tough economic times. Sustainability advisor Blake Lee-Harwood said unless the economy hits "ground zero", sustainable procurement will continue to be high on the agenda: "Companies which are good [...]
In the current issue of SM, Kate Fryer, head of ethical print procurement at Ink Print Management, argues for closer working between business functions to improve ethical buying. “Taking the lead with marketing when you have so much more in-depth product knowledge then becomes easy. If you can demonstrate you can make improvements without a [...]
By Jake Kanter You know the economy has turned ugly when Premier League football clubs start charging their players for canteen food in an effort to cut costs. According to this story in the Sunday Mirror, Chelsea FC plan on doing just this. It is thought that the club's chief executive Peter Kenyon has requested [...]
By Rebecca Ellinor As we report in the latest issue of SM, corporate insolvencies are on the increase and a dramatic upswing is anticipated. A rising number of companies are going under, and it’s crucial for buyers to try to mitigate against the risk of their suppliers folding. It means, as we report in the [...]
