“How do we bring the ‘Amazon effect’ into our organization?” many executives ask. Amazon is changing how consumers view the world; procurement professionals cannot afford to ignore consumers’ perceptions of how simple...
Read MoreAutomation within the job market is one of the key issues of our time. It often provokes speculation of a future resembling science fiction narratives that have been around for decades. On the extreme end, there’s SkyNet...
Read MoreWell over 100 years ago, the gasoline powered internal combustion engine revolutionized the “modern” transportation industry. Back then, the term modern could be used for technologies like the linotype machine or the electric...
Read MoreIf you only paid attention to newspaper headlines you would be forgiven for thinking that the retail sector is collapsing one store at a time. The truth, as always, is not black and white. Some businesses have failed to adapt to...
Read MoreTalking about the return on investment of a spend analysis can be a tricky subject. On one hand, procurement professionals typically see the value of a spend analysis right away. “We don’t know what we don’t know” is a quick...
Read MoreWhile walking outside on my way to an early meeting, between sips of coffee I was jarred awake by a passing car with the music of Van Halen blaring through the speakers. As a fan of “early” Van Halen I snickered to myself...
Read MoreI don’t gamble very often. When I do, I tend to lose. These two facts established, you can probably guess that I spend very little time in casinos. When I do venture into one, however, I’m there for hours. Why, you ask? We’ve...
Read MoreThe management of purchased services continues to lag relative to other categories of spend. And while the reasons are varied and debatable, virtually no one argues the availability of big savings opportunities. So what gives?...
Read MoreI like to think about translation like access to fresh water. Not so long ago — and still in many parts of the world — getting water was hard. You’d get up first thing in the morning, get a bucket, walk (sometimes for miles) and...
Read MoreBlack Friday is the American retail phenomenon that is the day after Thanksgiving and billed as the start of the Christmas shopping season. Billions of dollars are spent by consumers enticed by heavily discounted items from all...
Read MoreOn December 1, leaders from China and the U.S. broke bread with their enemies and reached consensus to halt the mutual increase of further tariffs until March 1, 2019. As of now, the total U.S. tariffs applied exclusively to...
Read MoreIn 1897, while Mark Twain was in London on a speaking tour, someone started a rumor that he was gravely ill. Another rumor was that he had died. When a newspaper reporter asked Twain for his response to these rumors, he replied,...
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