2012-02-16T03:05:26Z http://blog.sourcinginnovation.com/atom.aspx Quick Blogcast tag:blog.sourcinginnovation.com,2012-02-15:668830eb-91a8-4ee6-a5b6-934ee122bcdd the doctor 2012-02-15T10:00:00Z 2012-02-15T10:00:00Z As chronicled in a recent issue of StoreFront BackTalk, a recent try at not shutting down completely Left Home Depot Customers Running in Circles (which is terrible as there was no danger and there should have been no doubt*). Basically, what happened was that on Wednesday, February 1st, Home Depot took its web site offline to upgrade IBM Websphere from v. 6 to v. 7 (in a blatant display that it doesn't understand e-Commerce very well, but that won't be the end of Home Depot either, so that's ok). This wasn't the problem -- the problem was that, ... tag:blog.sourcinginnovation.com,2012-02-14:2879f869-3bf6-48a9-903b-0708bf6d3ce4 the doctor 2012-02-14T22:06:00Z 2012-02-14T22:06:00Z Don't forget to take advantage of this great offer and Download Sourcing Innovation's "Spend Visibility: An Implementation Guide" - The Definitive Book on Next Level Performance for FREE! No Registration Required! But don't take Sourcing Innovation's Word For It! Listen to these reviews from leading bloggers in Supply Management: A Rare Medium Well-Done Vinnie Mirchandani, Deal Architect This book gets to the science of spend analysis vs. treating it as an art. Jason Busch, Spend Matters The guide is well thought-out, practical, and well-written. Stephen Guth, Vendor Management ... tag:blog.sourcinginnovation.com,2012-02-14:feaca5ee-4936-47a5-9bbd-156741821ed3 the doctor 2012-02-14T10:00:00Z 2012-02-14T10:00:00Z In our last post we discussed how we can't go a day without another FREE software solution being offered to our business and that we don't believe these offers because everything has a price, even if it's not immediately obvious or we are not the ones to (initially) pay it. Referencing a recent piece on From Free to Fee from ChainLink research which discussed how the definition of value has been redefined in the digital age, we discussed what people now expect for Free and why these expectations are not always in line with reality because someone has ... tag:blog.sourcinginnovation.com,2012-02-13:9cf0bb14-3c5b-43a6-af4d-779c69215187 the doctor 2012-02-13T10:00:00Z 2012-02-13T10:00:00Z It seems we can't go a day today without another FREE software solution being offered up for your business. But is it really free? What does it really cost your business to use it? The reality is that everything has a price, and the price for a business is typically a lot higher than the price for an individual. So what is the price? Good question. Let's start with a recent research brief from ChainLink Research on From Free to Fee. First of all, the move to 'Free' has redefined the ... tag:blog.sourcinginnovation.com,2012-02-12:15640c7a-4b09-4a46-b90e-6527f1c50add the doctor 2012-02-12T09:59:00Z 2012-02-12T09:59:00Z Over on Deal Architect, Vinnie Mirchandani wrote a great post on the 7 Signs You've Outsourced Too Much of Your Analysis that was great. In a Top 10 Letterman style list, Vinnie notes that: 1. The T-shirt collection in your closet, your jar of pens and your collection of USB drives are a gallery of vendor logos. 4. Your most anticipated report or post is a Magic Quadrant, Wave or some other vendor ranking write-up. and ... 7. Even your kids don't want to join you on your 10th trip ... tag:blog.sourcinginnovation.com,2012-02-11:be83f755-01ea-418f-8570-3f28c3c17fe3 the doctor 2012-02-11T10:00:00Z 2012-02-11T10:00:00Z LOLCat to the rescue! ... tag:blog.sourcinginnovation.com,2012-02-10:16a239d5-946d-45c2-8808-53ca84d24399 the doctor 2012-02-10T09:59:00Z 2012-02-10T09:59:00Z On January 1, 2012, the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act (SB 657) want into effect. it's an example of "name and shame" legislation, which requires companies to report on specific actions taken to eradicate slavery and human tracking in their supply chain. The idea is that if slavery and human trafficking is in your supply chain, you'll have to tell the world and the resulting consumer and shareholder pressure will force you to achieve the social goals of doing whatever it takes to eliminate human trafficking and slavery. If your company ... tag:blog.sourcinginnovation.com,2012-02-09:c89c7903-2d11-4d76-a9e1-f420f15cda5b the doctor 2012-02-09T10:00:00Z 2012-02-09T10:00:00Z Late last year, Apparel ran a good article on How Bloggers' Influence Can Benefit Fashion Brands that is worth a read by all Supply Management Professionals because blogs can be used to influence more than just consumer trends in brand preference. They can be used to influence trends in technology, transition, and even talent management -- the three T's of the modern Supply Management organization. How? We'll get back to this -- first we'll discuss the article. The article notes that leading creators and distributor of fashion are working with bloggers big and small ... tag:blog.sourcinginnovation.com,2012-02-08:3ed2fc9a-63e8-4ed7-a98f-95b414ce6dee the doctor 2012-02-08T09:59:00Z 2012-02-08T09:59:00Z Chief Executive recently ran a good, but short, article on Talent retention that said More than Money: Culture is the Key to Employee Retention that is worth a read by every Supply Management Director looking to recruit and retain talent, which, due to a lack of talent development programs, is in short supply at many Supply Management organizations. Noting that in this economy, however, companies can't afford increased salaries and lots of perks for employees, the article also notes that, however, that though employees do care about how much they're making, there are many other things that ... tag:blog.sourcinginnovation.com,2012-02-07:1f3e2e1f-fd79-4e81-9fcf-a063995a8c6e the doctor 2012-02-07T10:00:00Z 2012-02-07T10:00:00Z A recent issue of eSide Supply Management published a piece on Strategic Cost Management and the Supply Base that, while full of good advice, might be misleading to an up-and-coming Supply Management practitioner who needs to be set on the right road early on. However, before I can explain, let's review the key points from the article. The article started off great when the author noted that: It might sound obvious, but when faced with a cost improvement challenge from your ...