McKinsey: Getting the Supply Chain of the Future Partially Right (Part 1)
If you’re curious about general high level trends and forecasts in the supply chain that are likely to impact specific procurement and supplier management strategies, it’s worth checking out a recent McKinsey Quarterly article (re…
Ten tech-enabled business trends to watch
McKinsey Quarterly published a really insightful list of tech-enabled business trends that are shaping business today. The first one maps to something I have been spending a lot of time in lately, companies using communities to drive support costs down while improving the experience of support, build better products, and capture the marketing potential that [...]
Friday Rant: When Finance Takes Over Procurement
In my spring 2010 “predictions” conference presentation (which I’ve now given almost half a dozen times), one of the scenarios I posit for the future of procurement in the next five years is that finance will take a much more active stance and roll within the procurement function. I don’t think I’m alone in this [...]
Friday Rant: Quick, Target the Consultants! When McKinsey Gets a Haircut…
Over a Belgian ale at my local low-budget yet high-end gastropub in Chicago (Hopleaf) last week, I caught up with my good friend Kevin Brooks. Kevin is an extremely forward-thinking fellow when it come to contemplating where the procurement sector is going and what organizational priorities will be. And he’s usually — except when he’s [...]
Friday Rant: Insider Trading and Procurement
A colleague sent me a link to an article last week about an insider trading scandal involving both a CPO and his/her spouse. The CPO will go unnamed in this context because it’s not relevant to the general issue at hand. Still, the issue of ethics and integrity in procurement, finances, outsourcing and shared services [...]
Aravo’s $50K Supply Risk QuickStart (Part 1)
Last week Aravo announced a new $50K Supplier Risk QuickStart program that offers one of the first affordable and integrated software/services programs to tackle multiple areas of supply risk. Having been briefed on it, and knowing Aravo’s overall ap…
2010 Prediction: Demand for Sourcing and Supply Chain Consulting Strikes Back
Earlier in January, I offered up twelve predictions for 2010 and said that I’d tackle them in more detail in the coming weeks. The first on my list is one that I’ve been thinking about extensively over the last few months, and gathering facts to supp…
Anil Kumar Pleads Guilty — But What’s the Lesson for Procurement?
Over on The Financial Times blog, John
Gapper provides some details and analysis of Anil Kumar’s guilty plea
in the Galleon insider-trading scandal. For those who have not been
following the situation closely, Anil Kumar, a former McKinsey D…
McKinsey Bids Adieu to Anil Kumar
Late this afternoon, a Reuters story hit the wire confirming that Anil Kumar, a former McKinsey Director, was no longer with the firm following an internal investigation. Reuters quotes an email note from McKinsey spokesman Michael Stewart noting tha…
