Dear Colleague,
Welcome to the February issue of CPO Agenda’s e-newsletter. This month we have a special focus on globalisation and global sourcing.
Earlier this month I talked to Michael Treacy, a US-based business consultant and author, who argues that CPOs are at the forefront of global economic change, because of their involvement in a wide variety of outsourcing and offshoring deals. You can read my interview with him below.
You’ll also find links to a number of other articles we’ve previously published on this subject, including roundtable discussions we held with groups of Scandinavian and Italian procurement leaders in Stockholm and Milan last year.
Kind regards,
Geraint John
Editor-in-chief
Interview
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They may not realise it, but CPOs are at the forefront of transforming the global economy for the better, says business strategist Michael Treacy |
Offshoring jobs to lower-cost countries remains a hugely sensitive political issue in the West. But for Canadian-born academic-turned-consultant Michael Treacy, it is just a natural – and unstoppable – facet of economic globalisation. He has no time for what he regards as the “populist claptrap” championed by CNN presenter Lou Dobbs, who accuses US companies of “selling out” America, arguing that in the coming years more and more of us will be competing for our jobs on a global basis.
Treacy, a popular conference speaker who has presented at Aberdeen Group’s CPO Summit in Boston for the past two years, also believes that procurement leaders are driving this trend in many industries and that they are generally doing the right things for their companies, even though they may not fully comprehend the long-term consequences of their actions. Read the full interview...
Globalisation articles from our archive:
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What capabilities do you need to operate in a global market?
A CPO Agenda Executive Debate
Globalisation is changing the way companies – and their sourcing organisations – do business. CPO Agenda invited a group of Italian procurement leaders to Milan to discuss the challenges it throws up
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Heading east
by Nick Martindale
With Asia both a key source of suppliers and a major business market, a growing number of western multinationals are choosing to base their CPOs in the region
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How do you execute global sourcing quickly and effectively?
A CPO Agenda Executive Debate
With interest in low-cost sourcing growing, we invited a group of Scandinavian procurement leaders to Stockholm to share their experiences
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A clearer world view of services
by George Yip, Yacine Chibane, Melanie Knight and Leyton Lark
In-house or outsourced? Onshore or offshore? Tight or light control? Picking the right sourcing option for services isn’t easy, but a new model can help guide your decision
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Buy-in for global buying
by Denis Kenny, Marc Debets and Matthias Daemmig
The major barrier to success in global sourcing is often not finding capable suppliers overseas – it’s overcoming resistance to change at home
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In China for the long haul
by Benjamin Schmittzehe, Rolf Schimrock and Kai Kuan
Big cost savings may be the draw, but investing time and effort to find the right Chinese suppliers and build strong relationships will pay off in the long run
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For other articles on globalisation click here to visit our special collection |
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Awards
NEW FOR 2008! International purchasing project of the year
CPO Agenda is sponsoring the CIPS Supply Management Awards 2008 – the biggest programme of its kind anywhere in the world. This year’s categories include “international purchasing project of the year”, where judges will be looking for evidence of a successful project involving sourcing activities and/or teamwork stretching beyond the country in which the organisation is headquartered.
The deadline for entries is 11 April 2008. For more details click here
Coming soon
Feature articles in the spring issue of CPO Agenda, published on 25 March, will include:
Procurement’s status: Consultant and coach Dick Russill on why the cost savings focus and service mentality of procurement functions is holding the profession back
Innovation: A case study looking at how the global plastics company Rehau is using ‘innovation scouts’ in purchasing
Sustainability: How the carbon emissions debate is reshaping business priorities, and what CPOs can do to play their full part
Interview: Barbara Lavernos, CPO of L’Oréal, talks about the cosmetics giant’s focus on corporate social responsibility and its philosophy on supplier relationships
Look out for details of these and other articles in next month’s newsletter…
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