Saturday, February 04, 2012
Edition 22 (October 2009)
PREVIOUS EDITIONS
David Rae, Editor
At a recent event I attended in the scholarly surroundings of Oxford, Leif Bohlin, the chief executive of Swedish technology company IBX, my host for the day, told a story about how his 12-year-old son was in the market for a new skateboard (read the blog here).
He had asked his dad to pick up the board the next time he was in the States, found himself a good deal on axles from an online auction site and had bought the wheels locally after doing an online price comparison check.
You might think there's nothing remarkable about the tale but, when you think about it, the process of buying a skateboard had turned into a global sourcing event, which combined traditional methods with more advanced, modern techniques. Perhaps more importantly, it was all managed by a 12-year old.
The story struck many chords with me...
More from the editor
PROCUREMENT FEATURES
- Moves: Thomas swaps bank role
Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:43:00 - Protectionism on the rise as Obama rules on tyres
Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:32:27 - Roundtable: Marketing spend, New York
Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:28:16 - Marketing spend: To retain or not to retain…
Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:23:10 - Editor’s letter: The art of buying
Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:16:14 - Technical difficulties: Technology systems fail to make the grade
Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:09:19 - Public sector faces procurement battle
Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:04:24 - Ask the experts: Is it a ‘V’ or ‘W’ shaped recession?
Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:59:00 - New sun rises on Japan
Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:47:37 - Investor CFO on the value of procurement
Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:32:53
PROCUREMENT OPINIONS
Economic View: The end of the beginning?
Pledges of monetary and fiscal stimuli will help thaw frozen credit markets, aiding the flow of global goods and services. But a more targeted policy is needed – a task made all the more difficult by the lack of reliable data and accurate measurement tools on trade finance, writes Philip Thornton.
Inside view: Dare we call ourselves a profession?
Rather than worrying about how they are perceived by the rest of the organisation, procurement professionals should focus on continuing
to provide a critical and valuable service to the business. Maybe then they will secure the recognition and respect they truly deserve, writes Neil Deverill.
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