Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Edition 16 (October 2008)
PREVIOUS EDITIONS
David Rae, Editor
Unless you've been living on the moon, you might have noticed that the financial markets have taken a turn for the worse since the last issue of Procurement Leaders hit your desk. Of course, that's putting it mildly – Alistair Darling, the British chancellor of the Exchequer, probably put it most accurately when he said the economic outlook was the worst it's been for 60 years.
He was nearly fired for that comment, but then politics has never put the truth at the top of its list of priorities...
The awful truth is that we are standing on a precipice the like of which has rarely been seen. The Wall Street Crash of 1929, and the Great Depression which followed, are probably the closest parallels. And while both have toxic property investments and a fear of the unknown at their core, that's where the similarities end.
More from the editor
PROCUREMENT FEATURES
- A safe pair of hands
Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:08:00 - Number crunching
Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:26:00 - Team Players
Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:11:00 - Mark Selawry - Five star service
Wed, 22 Oct 2008 08:51:00 - De Vries doubles Dutch role
Wed, 22 Oct 2008 08:25:00 - Not so Far East
Wed, 22 Oct 2008 08:17:00 - Three cases for Africa
Wed, 22 Oct 2008 08:06:00 - Delivering results
Wed, 22 Oct 2008 07:56:00 - Chemical reaction
Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:39:00 - Tapping old conflicts
Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:31:00
PROCUREMENT OPINIONS
The recent drop in commodity prices certainly looks like a reason for optimism. But companies should make the most of it while they can, if it isn't already too late, because all the indications are it might only be a lull before a long and violent storm. Opinion: First choice suppliers
Deutsche Post World Net's Hugo Eckseler will be hosting the company's first supplier awards day this October in a move which he hopes will improve the collaboration and knowledge sharing between his suppliers and internal business partners. Opinion: Let the cull begin
An economic recession provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity for procurement professionals to step up and demonstrate their worth to the wider business. But if they're not on top of their game, they could face a very uncomfortable time indeed.
PROFILE
Featured Profile: Mark Selawry
When you have just gone through a $26bn takeover, $21bn of which is debt, cost management takes on a whole new level of intensity, as Hilton International’s Mark Selawry tells David Rae.
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