- 28
- MAY
- 2010
Hitting the source
Author: Jonathan Webb - Categories: CSR & Green
Brewer SAB Miller's scientists, based in South Africa, have announced that they've developed a secret technology to produce significant energy savings, which will be rolled out to their breweries throughout the world. Although the brewer has not revealed details, it reveals an industry that is thirsty for sustainable beer production solutions. more
- 27
- MAY
- 2010
Managing the management consultants - storming the bastion
Author: Kevin Monahan - Categories: Best Practice & Benchmarking
Who manages the management consultants is one of the fundamental questions facing procurement organisations that have become ever-more reliant on the services they offer. Back in 2009 our research suggested that this was a top concern among senior procurement executives and was fast emerging as a priority category for realising potential savings – even though our study appeared to back up the theory that it was one of the 'last bastions' of spend to bring under control. With this in mind, it seemed natural to make this spend category the major focus of the first in a series of PIU workshops, which will be hosted both in the UK and Europe throughout 2010. more
- 25
- MAY
- 2010
Ariba Discovery will be the eHarmony of the Commerce Cloud
Author: Mark Perera - Categories: Spend Analytics, Technology & Apps, Procurement Strategy, Working Capital
At yesterday's analysts' presentation, the Ariba management team laid out their vision of the future for the spend management company. At the heart of this vision is a movement away from 'spend management' to become pioneers of the 'commerce cloud'. In short, Ariba's Commerce Cloud does not really offer any new products to its customer base, but it marks the point where all current Ariba solutions are now available On-Demand and are, in theory, fully integrated. more
- 24
- MAY
- 2010
Cow compooting
Author: Jonathan Webb - Categories: CSR & Green
HP believes that a cattle herd of 10,000 can power 1,000 servers in their data centres. Unleashing the power of the cow may energise a new generation of eco-friendly technology facilities. more
- 24
- MAY
- 2010
Procurement knowledge can lead Africa to development
Author: Jonathan Webb - Categories: Direct Spend, Procurement Intelligence
Unreliable supply chains, incomplete logistical systems and poor procurement systems have stymied African economic development for decades. Yet there are many opportunities for procurement professionals in the industrialised economies to make long-lasting and serious contributions to the continent's long-term economic success. more
- 20
- MAY
- 2010
E-lancing the TOIL
Author: Jonathan Webb - Categories: Technology & Apps, Category Management, Procurement Intelligence, Indirect Spend
Procurement departments are pioneering new recruitment strategies to generate cost savings for their companies. One of these is 'crowdsourcing', which allows staff to be re-employed on a contract basis. The in-direct costs of staff - like holidays, health costs, TOIL (time off in lieu), and even facilities costs - can be circumvented through restructuring HR's employment and recruitment patterns. more
- 18
- MAY
- 2010
Market intelligence to stand the test of time
Author: Maggie Slowik - Categories: Procurement Intelligence
If anyone had been brave, or imaginative, enough to write a script detailing the dramatic events of the past two years, then it's likely it would have been turned down by Hollywood's biggest film makers for being too far-fetched. more
- 14
- MAY
- 2010
Government rain clouds let in the sunshine
Author: Jonathan Webb - Categories: Technology & Apps
IT government procurement policies can stimulate business development within economies. Mandating procurement spend sourced from targeted areas, however, is a waste of tax payers' money. more
