Category: Creative Solutions
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C-Suite Smackdown Continued: Who Else Could Lead Your Supply Chain?
Continuing our conversation from last week, let’s talk about some of the less common spots a supply chain team can fit into an org chart. Last week we looked at having the supply chain leader report to the CEO, CFO, COO, CRO, and CAO. This week, let’s look at the Chief Lean/Optimization/Continuous Improvement Officer (CLO),… Read more
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Guide to Dubai for the Female Professional
Before I went to Dubai on a business trip last week, I went hunting for a “woman professional’s guide to Dubai” and turned up short. So after networking with a friend of a friend who had been to Dubai before the pandemic and gathering my own data, I decided to write the quick guide I… Read more
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Stuck in Supplier Diversity Limbo? Get Real Results
Many supply chain teams have supplier diversity initiatives, targets, and goals. These are typically not even new programs, as many of them have been on the agenda for ten, thirty, or even fifty years. They have survived multiple supply chain leaders, multiple CEOs, and multiple CFOs the way few things do other than cost savings… Read more
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Navigating Supply Chain Worries: Turn Concerns into Action
The award for “most eye-catching headline of the week” in my news feed goes to sponsored content from GS1. The headline was “Stop doom-scrolling your supply chain” and (as sponsored content) is advocating for increasing visibility tools. The article cites three main areas of supply chain concern remaining: geopolitical factors, climate change/natural disasters, and logistics… Read more
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Robots vs. Relationships: Will AI Wipe Out Supply Chain Jobs?
A Visual Capitalist article on the impact of artificial intelligence on various job categories wandered across my news feed a couple weeks ago, and I’ve been pondering it ever since. Following the data trail, this data was a visualization of a white paper by the World Economic Forum (WEF) from September 2023, focused primarily on… Read more
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Elevating Negotiation Mastery: Strategies for Success Beyond the Basics
In our ongoing exploration of negotiation dynamics, it’s high time we delve into fundamental aspects: the basic parameters and rules that underpin successful negotiations. Gone are the days of fixating on the physical placement at a negotiation table—our current era emphasizes virtual interactions, with participants toggling mute buttons and cameras on and off. Nonetheless, several… Read more
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Strategic Negotiations: Building Value Beyond the Bottom Line
Now that you’ve used data to find market rates to negotiate great pricing and you’ve changed the rules to create win-win scenarios with suppliers, where else can you find value in a negotiation? In non-price parameters. As supply chain or procurement professionals, our role is not to simply cut costs. Our role is to build… Read more
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Unlocking Value: Change the Negotiation Rules to Achieve Win-Win Outcomes
In negotiations, achieving a win-win often involves rule adjustments, not to deceive the other party but to enhance value for both sides. Let’s explore a couple of strategies that can transform the negotiation landscape. Quantity Discounts and Bundling: Boosting value in negotiations is frequently tied to increasing volume, and many goods and services are incredibly… Read more
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Negotiate Smarter, Not Harder: A Deep Dive into Data-Powered Procurement Methods
The last time I searched for an image depicting negotiation, all I found were variations of two shaking hands – unmistakably two white men in suits. This time, as you can see, there were more diverse options. In today’s business landscape, negotiations rarely play out as two people, regardless of gender, age, or attire, simply… Read more
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Strategic Scoping: Maximizing Value and Minimizing Risk in Procurement
A good scope of work pays dividends in supplier clarity, accountability, and cost. Any time a company can reduce risk through certainty, both supplier and buyer will win. Read more