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Kraft Buys Into the Mirage of Vendor Rationalization
In yet another example of the "when will they ever learn" category, About.com's Martin Murray's article "Kraft To Rationalize Vendors" reported that the company "announced that it is planning to cut its supplier base in half, affecting more than 30,000 businesses, but possibly saving Kraft more than $300 million a year." Putting aside for a moment that enterprise-wide rationalization strategies rarely deliver the sustainable savings that are expected - it would be interesting to see how the $300 million per year number was actually calculated - history has shown that the "sifting" process usually results in a supply base composed of the least desirable vendors.
An Advocate for the Little Guy: How CABiNET has provided an Important Voice for High-Tech SMEs in Canada (CABiNET Profile)
“Shared Services is different from the diametrically opposite model of Outsourcing which is where an external third party is paid to provide a service that was previously internal to the buying organization, typically leading to redundancies and re-organization. There is an on-going debate about the advantages of Shared Services over outsourcing. It is sometimes assumed that a joint venture between a government department and a commercial organization is an example of Shared Services but in fact they are quite different. The joint venture involves the creation of a separate legal commercial entity (jointly owned) which provides profit to its shareholders. It is difficult to see what is being shared rather than bought. Such joint ventures are really a form of outsourcing.”

Procurement considerations when dealing with a merger? (A PI Q&A)
Network Member Question Aside from the basics of spend analysis and eliminating redundancy, I’m curious to hear of other’s experiences in dealing with merger/acquisitions and how the cultural elements were addressed in terms of promoting the use of preferred vendors and the adoption of expense management policy. What are some best practices to promote optimal adoption of the governing policies and procedures in the absence of spend management technology? Paul Nilsen Purchasing Manager – Willis North America New York, NY

Development of SAAS Based Applications
Member Question: Many research firm has predicted SAAS is going to become a next level Application Development. 1.How can i convert a existing applications into SAAS based Apps. 2.What are requirements need to develop a SAAS based Applications. Question Submitted By: Rajasekar Nonburaj Business Intelligence Consultant India

Virginia Ranked No 1 in U.S. Report - Does Canada Need a Similar Study?
In yet another example of the value of collaboration over compliance the Commonwealth of Virginia was ranked alongside the States of Washington and Utah as a top performer in the PEW Center’s Grading the States 2008 report. According to the PEW organization’s web site the report, which is designed to assess the “quality of management in the 50 states,” focuses on four key areas of government practice.

Reader Response to SMEs Once Again Voice Concerns Over GoC Shared Services Strategy
Reader Comment And the second point is - is this a boondoggle in the making? My understanding is that departments are not falling over themselves to buy in to this initiative. But they have to subscribe, at least on paper, if they want funding from Treasury Board. I suspect many departments are paying lip service, waiting to see how it will all unfurl. Does anyone have a good knowledge of what the real situation is?

Other yes virginia Related Articles

If the Shoe Fits - The Soul of Customer Service
My Aunt Virginia worked selling shoes in a downtown department store. I remember listening to adult conversation, while I played. She talked about other clerks not caring for anything other than the sale and the resulting commission. Aunt Virginia's main concern was always the fit.
Yes Virginia Revisited Why some eprocurement initiatives succeed and others dont
In a recent post that appeared in my Procurement Insights Blog titled The Ariba Interviews: Re-engineering the Future of On-Demand, I reviewed a series of interviews I had with a senior executive from Ariba as well as members from the company’s PR firm. Of the considerable feedback I received as a result of the posting the most interesting (and insightful) comments came from the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Yes Virginia! There is more to e-procurement than software! (Part 1)
My recent post on the series of interviews I had with Ariba garnered considerable interest and feedback. By far the most interesting (and insightful) comments came from the Commonwealth of Virginia. What was compelling about the Virginia response was their willingness to provide a perspective from what they referred to as the “other side of the fence.” What was refreshing is that the subsequent interview revealed an extremely capable group of people whose passion for procurement was only rivaled by their commitment to a vision. A vision that was centered on gaining a thorough understanding of the processes that defined the Commonwealth’s procurement practice as well as the unique requirements of a diverse group of internal and external stakeholders.

Virginia Ranked No 1 in U.S. Report - Does Canada Need a Similar Study?
In yet another example of the value of collaboration over compliance the Commonwealth of Virginia was ranked alongside the States of Washington and Utah as a top performer in the PEW Center’s Grading the States 2008 report. According to the PEW organization’s web site the report, which is designed to assess the “quality of management in the 50 states,” focuses on four key areas of government practice.

Place Those Small Bets, Quickly!
Nothing goes so well with that first cup of coffee as having your biases confirmed! In yesterday's Wall Street Journal ("In Search of Growth Leaders"), University of Virginia/Darden Graduate School of Business Prof Sean Carr, et al., lay out a growth model. There are, more or less, two flavors of companies:

Overcoming the challenges of an ineffective RFP process: Improved collaboration through intelligence synchronization (QStrat Profile)
I have had close to 30 reader responses to my recent posts on the utilization of the RFP or e-tendering process for the acquisition of goods and services. While there have been successful demonstrations of its utilization relative to MERX (MERX: An Evolution to a Broader Market), and of course the Commonwealth of Virginia’s eVA program (Yes Virginia! There is more to e-procurement than software), the majority of respondents do not view the current process has being effective. (Note: links to the above referenced articles are available through the Web Resources section at the conclusion of this post.)

The JLARC Review: The Phantom Echoes of Public Sector Supplier Discontent? (Part 1)
“. . . Because we are not reviewing whether eVA is successful or not, but rather how it impacts one group of users and potential users, the questions do not focus so much on the elements of success that are addressed in Yes Virginia! But try to get at small business impact” e-mail from Chief Legislative Analyst, Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (April 2009)

Watching Valentina
It has been a fun few weeks around my house. I’ve had two lovely visitors from Germany, my girlfriend Valentina and her mom, Barbara. Of course, we’ve had a blast traveling around and seeing the sights of Virginia and DC and blathering away in our own bizarre mix of English and German. What struck me, though, was how much I learned from watching Valentina.
The Sign of a True Sales Pro - Admitting We’re Never Too Good for Coaching
Ringggg. Ringggg. Not my favorite sound in the evening. It was Virginia, someone I knew, trying to explain why I needed her services. I hung up feeling like I had dodged the bullet for now…and went on with my evening. Later she called back for advice on what she could have done differently to improve her call. That is a sign of great professionalism.

Perceptual Positions
Perceptual Positions is an NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) technique devised by founders John Grinder and Richard Bandler. Its origins are rooted in the theories of the various psychologists which Grinder and Bandler modelled while developing NLP, including Milton Erickson, Fritz Perls and Virginia Satir.

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