by Janice Marquardt | Jan 20, 2026 | Definitions, Supply Chain Career
This topic is sticky. It’s ugly. It feels dangerous to talk about. And it’s an issue that impacts multiple departments, not only the supply chain. Worst of all, it’s an “ism.” Today I’m going to tackle the big ugly topic of nepotism: where it tends to show up, what it...
by Janice Marquardt | Jan 13, 2026 | Definitions, e-Auctions
“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Would an e-auction by any other name cause the kind of visceral reaction the word “e-auction” does? Words have power, and they also change over time. We can lose a job through layoffs, reductions in force,...
by Janice Marquardt | Dec 23, 2025 | Creative Solutions, Definitions
In many households this time of year, ‘tis the season of decorated trees and wreaths; stockings and candles. Some homes receive the royal treatment: garlands up and down every staircase, fully coordinated trees in multiple rooms, and a perfectly arranged nativity...
by Janice Marquardt | Dec 9, 2025 | Definitions, Uncategorized
The job market for procurement is weird right now. My LinkedIn feed is covered with people looking for work (especially after being laid off from big tech) and yet it’s also full of supply chain and operations leaders looking for strategic procurement talent. My...
by Janice Marquardt | Nov 18, 2025 | Definitions, Org Chart, Processes
I once had a supervisor who was obsessed with what he called “the 4-box model” of procurement. His version graphed supply chain complexity/risk on the y-axis and supply chain cost on the x-axis, classifying suppliers into one of the four resulting quadrants. Low cost...
by Janice Marquardt | Oct 7, 2025 | Definitions, Org Chart, Processes
A perennial favorite topic in procurement is category management. It’s one of the first steps in improving an organization’s supply chain maturity and is a huge step in going from a purchasing team of PO-cutters and expediters to building real, strategic, long-term...
