How Suppliers Drive Innovation
LinkedIn
March 05, 2021
Supplier collaboration continues to be under-recognised and under-leveraged, Customers are getting more fickle, and supply chains are under pressure like never before. In this workshop James explored why it's so challenging to deliver on these goals, how we can work more collaboratively with our suppliers to do so, and what we should use as our measure of success. We also looked at what strategies Procurement teams are putting in place to supplement their development teams with innovations from suppliers.
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Tags: Innovation, Supply Chain, Procurement
Building A Network One Node At A Time
The DIgitalist
January 08, 2020
All networks are originally pitched on the efficiencies that their participants will receive. But when they achieve critical mass, network effects take off, and the real value is in data, information, and insight. This blog celebrates the life of George Laurer, the inventor of the humble UPC barcode.
Reach down to any item on your desk, turn it over, and study the building block of a network that started off delivering efficiency but ended up delivering information. Then consider your own participation in business networks. You may have joined for efficiency, but the real value of these connections is the intelligence they can yield.
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Tags: Digital Transformation, Procurement, Sustainability
Predictions For The Future Of Procurement
Digitalist
December 16, 2019
Technology holds huge promise in the procurement sector, but making the most of it requires a rethinking.
Observers have been predicting the evolution of procurement for many years. Yet the results of new technology initiatives have been disappointing, according to the latest research from the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS). Why is procurement failing to evolve, and how can leaders turn this around?
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Tags: Procurement, Supply Chain, Sustainability
The Value Of Experience Data Involves More Than Just A Survey
Forbes
December 12, 2019
Businesses also struggle with getting good experience data from their customers. Its tempting to relentlessly badger them at the point of sale, just like the nervous husband handing over a hastily bought scarf. “Do you like it?”, “Do you like it?”
With gift-giving you have the opportunity to correct your mistake next year. It would be a foolish husband who monitored his wife's non-usage of the shoes he carefully selected, or ignored the relentless mocking of the embroidered oven-mitt from the year before. But many companies collect the experience data, employ clever data scientists but don't take the final step of doing anything about it.
After all, your wife may humour your annual failure to come up with an innovative present: your customers will not be so forgiving.
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Tags: Customer Experience, Procurement, Sustainability
Getting Experience Data needs more than just a survey
LinkedIn
December 03, 2019
As I think about choosing my wife's Christmas present, I have a nagging fear than I am a poor present-chooser. But she always says she loves the present. What's going on? Just asking people if they like something is not enough to truly evaluate their experience. Just like your wife and kids, your customers don't always tell you exactly what they think. You won't always get brutal honesty from formal channels such as customer surveys or focus groups. Just asking “Did you like it” does not give all the information, because it lacks the context, and tends to measure a single point in time rather than a long term experience.
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Tags: Customer Experience, Procurement, Sustainability
Towards 2020: Predictions for the future of procurement
Procurement and Supply Australia
November 27, 2019
Technology holds huge promise in the procurement sector but making the most of it requires a rethink. Observers have been predicting the evolution of procurement for many years. Yet the results of new technology initiatives have been disappointing, according to the latest research from the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS). This article looks at why procurement is failing to evolve, and how leaders can turn this around.
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Tags: Procurement, Supply Chain, Sustainability
Adopting the rigour of the Clinical Trial
LinkedIn
November 02, 2019
Optimal decision making needs Experience Data, not just Facts and Figures. In a clinical trial, as well as numerical data such as blood pressure or pH levels, a good test protocol will ask the patient about any side effects such as headaches, sleep loss or fatigue.
Procurement also needs to move beyond Facts and Figures and look at Experience Data, driving data-based decision making to add Value. That’s why we say that more than ever, the CPO needs to move out of their traditional role and assume the role of the CVO, the Chief Value Officer. And just as the BMA injects rigour and discipline into the pharmaceutical world, Procurement Leaders need to be in the vanguard of moving to decisions based on data: both Operational and Experience Data.
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Tags: Customer Experience, Procurement, Sustainability
SAPAribaLive, Sydney : That's a Wrap
LinkedIn
September 10, 2019
Over 700 Spend Management professionals joined SAP Ariba and SAP Fieldglass in Sydney on September 10th 2019. Here's James's write-up of the action and a sketch of the content, as he saw it.
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Tags: Procurement, Supply Chain, Sustainability
Autonomous Procurement – the next evolution
LinkedIn
August 23, 2019
Welcome to the world of Autonomous Procurement, where Procurement Professionals are augmented by Machines, and focus strategic relationships which require their human creativity and empathy.
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Tags: AI, Procurement, Sustainability
Intelligent Spend Management can be the key to Experience Management
LinkedIn
August 02, 2019
To improve Customer Satisfaction, you may be looking in the wrong place: frequently Suppliers hold the key to an improved Customer Experience. The only way to satisfy this discriminating consumer is to hold your suppliers to account, to make sure that they also have values aligned to yours. Suppliers hold the key to an enhanced customer experience.
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Tags: Procurement, Supply Chain, Sustainability
Leadership lessons from the Maestro
Import from medium.com
June 19, 2019
Roger Nierenberg conducts at SAPAriba Live, Barcelona 2019We’ve done sports metaphors to death: what can business leaders learn from the relationship between an orchestra and its conductor?An evening like no otherAt our recent SAPAriba LIVE in Barcelona, we were treated to an evening like no othe
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Tags: Leadership
10 Trillion Dollars Later: 20 years of Ariba Network
Linkedin
April 25, 2019
On April 2nd 1999 a small burst of XML was sent via a new web service called ariba.com. This XML coded the purchase of 10 3m Cat5 cables to be sent from Compucom to Cisco. The order was for $47.50 and was order number 000000001 on what was to become the Ariba Network.
Twenty years later, on April 2nd 2019 at the recent SAP Ariba LIVE event, Ariba veteran James Marland looked back at the previous 20 years, and how the foundations of the world's largest network were laid.
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Tags: Digital Transformation, Procurement, Supply Chain
Sydney Opera House: the Architect & the Engineer
Medium
January 29, 2019
Earlier this month I made my first visit to Sydney. Like most first time visitors I was suitably impressed with the Opera House. The engineer called upon to build the Opera House (who has just died) had challenges similar to the demands on modern Supply Chain Professionals. Lets take a moment to remember engineers, and Supply Chain Managers, who stop the roof caving in.
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Tags: Digital Transformation, Supply Chain, Sustainability
Sydney Opera House: the architect & the engineer
Import from medium.com
January 28, 2019
Sydney Opera House: The Architect & the EngineerThe engineer called upon to build the Opera House had challenges similar to the demands on modern Supply Chain Professionals.Sydney Opera House. Picture Credit James Marland © 2019Earlier this month I made my first visit to Sydney. Like most fir
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The Lunar Eclipse and the Nature of Predictions
Medium
January 21, 2019
Earlier this morning I set my alarm for 0300 for the Great Lunar Eclipse, where the shadow of the earth would full across the face of the full moon. This movement of astronomical bodies had been predicted literally hundreds of years ago.
If Eclipses are so easy to predict, how come no-one in the London saw the recent Lunar Eclipse, and what does this teach about the nature of predictions.
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Tags: Analytics, Big Data, Predictive Analytics
Looking at B2B sales from the other side
LinkedIn
January 18, 2019
In Sales, as in Chess, sometimes to get insight you need to look at the position from the other side of the table. So, if you sell into B2B it would be useful to hear how Procurement teams are viewing 2019 and what priorities and strategies they are putting in place.
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Tags: Sustainability, Procurement, Sales
Understanding Your Customer’s Experience: Are You in Orbit or Just Flying By?
Medium
January 02, 2019
The two NASA probes both successfully executed critical maneuvers this week: one was a fly-by and one was a close orbit. This got me thinking about the way that companies engage with their customers in the Experience Economy.
The next evolution of enterprise applications requires a real-time connection between the system of action and the system of record. You need both the trajectory to visit all of your customers, yet at the same time the ability to develop deep relations with them so you can deliver the experience they want.
No longer do companies have to make a choice between the fly-by and the close orbit.
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Tags: Big Data, Customer Experience, Predictive Analytics
How many ghosts do you need?
Medium
December 19, 2018
Scrooge needed three separate spirits to answer questions about the Past, Present and Future. Today’s Business Leader needs just one. The blog looks at the three fundamental questions of business: What happened? What is happening Now? What will happen in the future? It used to be the case that three separate IT systems were needed, but modern Intelligent Enterprise systems can answer questions about the past, present and future at the same time.
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Tags: Big Data, Digital Transformation, Predictive Analytics
Moving from Anecdote to Empiricism
Medium
December 06, 2018
Modern science has its origins in medieval alchemy: the difference was in the use of data. Businesses also need to transition to data-backed decision-making. Its comforting to want to stay in the world of anecdotal-decision making. Stories have mighty persuasive power, but business leaders need need to get away from alchemy, and introduce data-backed decision-making into the Enterprise.
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Tags: Big Data, Predictive Analytics, Procurement
Advancing Decent Work in Global Supply Chains
Import from medium.com
November 30, 2018
Extract from a presentation to the UN Forum on Business & Human Rights making the case for why procurement departments should be perceived as part of the solution to improving Human Rights in Global Supply Chains.Human Trafficking, Forced Labour, Child Labour, Indenture Workers, Decent Work. Th
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Tags: Sustainability, Supply Chain, Procurement
SAPAriba showcases the Intelligent Enterprise at Network Live
linkedin
October 17, 2018
SAP Ariba announces live Cloud Infrastructure in the Gulf to support the Intelligent Enterprise.
What's old is new again. While my ancestors were running around in Dark Ages Britain, Arab scholars were building the foundations of mathematics with Al-Gebra, and the Al-Gorithm. More strikingly, at the same time, Arabic traders were popularising a new number system, which we now call Arabic Numbers. So this seemed a fitting place to talk about how mathematics and algorithms are underpinning the Intelligent Enterprise.
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Tags: AI, Big Data, Cloud, Procurement
Whatever happened to Data Mining?
Import from medium.com
October 13, 2018
The concept of Data Mining has been increasingly displaced by Machine Learning. So why is that?You don’t hear much about Data Mining these days, so I pulled up a quick Google Trends analysis to compare usage over the last 5 years. The trends are quite compelling, and show that since August 2015 t
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Tags: Big Data, Digital Disruption, Procurement
The Evolution of Procurement
LinkedIn
October 11, 2018
In a spirited panel at the SAP Ariba London Summit, panellists debated the evolution of procurement
As noted on my previous blog (The Changing World of Procurement), it is surprising when a technology company organises a conference, and technology is not the main part of the conversation.
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Tags: Procurement
The Changing World of Procurement
LinkedIn
October 10, 2018
When an IT company hosts a conference, surprisingly, not once talking about IT can provide the most compelling reason to invest in technology after all. James Marland reviews the Future of Procurement event hosted by SAP in London, where the topics were career, talent, purpose and change management in the profession.
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Tags: Procurement, Supply Chain, Sustainability
What this week’s Nobel Prize can teach us about data
Medium
October 02, 2018
This weeks Nobel prize for medicine shows that the body’s own immune system can be activated against malignant tumours. There are parallels to the way companies should activate “dormant” data to protect themselves.
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Tags: Big Data, Procurement, Supply Chain
Let's get Real about Purpose
Medium
September 27, 2018
It’s embarrassing, isn’t it, to still be talking about slavery in 2018, 150 years after the first anti-slavery campaigns? It’s time for companies to get real about their responsibilities to society. To have impact you need to make big changes to big things. That doesn’t mean don’t experiment. But don’t settle for just tinkering with things.
It’s too late for tinkering, and the stakes are too high. What’s your Big Idea?
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Tags: Procurement, Supply Chain, Sustainability
Let’s get Real about Purpose
Import from medium.com
September 27, 2018
Pat McCarthy, SVP, SAP AribaPat McCarthy, SVP at SAP Ariba, shared philosophy on Procurement with Purpose at the recent Procurious Big Ideas Summit.Let’s get RealIt’s embarrassing, isn’t it, to still be talking about slavery in 2018, 150 years after the first anti-slavery campaigns? It’s
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Tags: Sustainability
Transformational Philanthropy: how to use business for good
LinkedIn
September 25, 2018
At the recent Carlyle Global Partner Summit in Monaco, five leaders stoked up the crowd with their experiences of the transformational power of philanthropy. This blogs reviews their panel. It is inspiring to see these women leaders coming together and challenge conventional thinking around how business can be used for good.
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Tags: Procurement, Supply Chain, Sustainability
Who is the Steward of your most valuable asset: your Brand?
Import from medium.com
September 21, 2018
In this blog, James Marland exhorts Procurement and Supply Chain Leaders to become Stewards of their company’s Brand.What’s your company worth?50 years ago a Balance Sheet consisted of plant, machinery, raw materials, Finished Goods and land. These are the tangible assets of any company.Howeve
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Tags: Sustainability, Supply Chain, Procurement
Becoming a Digital Leader
Import from medium.com
September 13, 2018
Image © Thinkers 360In the era of Digital Transformation and Digital Disruption, is the very nature of leadership changing as well?Many of our models of leadership in corporations are derived from the military. The idea of a manager who has “subordinates” sounds very much like a brigadier who
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Tags: Procurement, Leadership
How are you guarding your Crown Jewels?
Medium
September 11, 2018
At the Tower of London this week, I was inspired by the Crown Jewels: it got me thinking about who guards your company’s Crown Jewels?—?your Brand. Your brand is the Crown Jewels of your company. It might not contain the Koh-i-Noor diamond but according to reports of Brand Equity top brands are valued in the Billions. SAP’s for example is valued by Forbes at $25Bn. And just like the jewels in the Tower of London, you need the best security possible.
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Tags: Procurement, Supply Chain, Sustainability
Sometimes you have to step back to see the big picture
Medium
August 29, 2018
In this blog James looks at what we can learn from the ancient masters of glass when we consider what is needed to make an enterprise truly Intelligent .
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Tags: Digital Transformation, Predictive Analytics, Procurement
SAPAriba wraps up the Asia tour with a sell-out in Tokyo
LinkedIn
August 02, 2018
I visited Sony in 1999 to make the first Japanese connection to the Ariba Network: the growth in our Japan business since then has been epic. This report summarises the event, including key quotes and my observations.
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Tags: Procurement
Always let procurement by your Guide
Procurious
May 23, 2018
As we move from the Age of Mandate to the Age of Guidance, there is an enormous opportunity for procurement professionals to make themselves known and heard.
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Tags: Leadership, Procurement, Sustainability
Why business ethics should be a pivotal part of every organisation’s strategy
Business Reporter
May 22, 2018
Being purpose-focused is essential to engaging customers and employees and being perceived as relevant, admired, and innovative by investors, partners, communities, and public entities. Modern-day procurement leaders are starting to use the phenomenal buying power of their organisations to address some of these big social challenges. What legacy do you want to leave?
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Tags: Leadership, Procurement, Sustainability
Want to Build a Trade Network? Go Dutch!
Import from medium.com
April 27, 2018
SAP Ariba President Barry Padgett praises the Dutch East India company as a pioneer of Global Trade Networks.Any company who is looking to build a network on Blockchain, can learn from the Dutch East India Company, the most successful company. Ever.If you are from the Netherlands, happy Koningsdag
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Fordlandia & the end of the Vertically Integrated Company
Import from wordpress feed
February 08, 2018
Ford was the high water mark for Vertically Integrated companies, who tried to own the entire value chain from Raw material to finished product. Modern Value Chains span multiple companies, but does your IT system
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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement
Can you see the join?
LinkedIn
February 02, 2018
Any woodworker knows that a bond between two pieces of wood is always a point of weakness. Like any design project, success depends on building a strong foundation, starting with the technology platform. So much of our lives rely on technology. But that technology must work consistently. It must be user friendly. And it must be strong and stable over an extended period.
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Tags: Procurement
Let’s talk about the Future of Procurement
SAP Community Network
January 02, 2018
James Marland, SAPAriba’s VP of Network Growth shares his New Year thoughts on the future of Procurement As we talk about the Future of Procurement it’s certainly tempting to talk about all the new stuff.
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Tags: Procurement
Transforming Procurement with SAP Ariba
Import from wordpress feed
December 12, 2017
Any woodworker knows that a bond between two pieces of wood is always a point of weakness. Imagine you need to design a table top that is two meters long but you only have two
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Provenance: the $450m Question
LinkedIn
November 21, 2017
The highest price ever paid for a painting was exceeded this week, but how does any buyer know exactly what they are getting?
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Tags: Culture, Procurement, Supply Chain
Provenance: the $450m Question
Import from wordpress feed
November 20, 2017
The highest price ever paid for a painting was exceeded this week, but how does any buyer know exactly what they are getting? The big question of the week: is this painting by Leonardo da
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Data-based decisions: for Physicians and Procurement
Import from wordpress feed
November 11, 2017
James Marland was the host at SAPAriba’s recent Future of Procurement conference at the Royal College of Physicians, London. I gave up Biology for Greek at aged 13, so the professionals I welcomed were not
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A "Cambrian Explosion" of Opportunity
LinkedIn
May 25, 2017
At SAPPHIRE NOW, Bill McDermott invited Michael Dell on stage to talk about Digital transformation. Michael used an interesting expression, saying that there was a "Cambrian Explosion of Opportunity" in front of companies as a result of the new digital technologies.
So what was the Cambrian Explosion, and why did Michael use this metaphor?
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Tags: Digital Disruption, Digital Transformation
Supply Chain Risk – You can’t have Vanilla
Import from wordpress feed
May 24, 2017
Vanilla is the default choice when choosing ice cream. But Vanilla itself is a critical ingredient, and standard simplistic supplier management may not be enough for your business. Madagascar produces 80 percent of the world’s
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A “Cambrian Explosion” of Opportunity
Import from wordpress feed
May 24, 2017
At SAPPHIRE NOW last week, Bill McDermott invited Michael Dell on stage to talk about Digital transformation. Michael used an interesting expression, saying that there was a “Cambrian Explosion of Opportunity” in front of companies
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The History of Digital in 3 Business Cards
Import from wordpress feed
December 02, 2016
Look carefully at your old business cards; they tell the story of an increasingly digital world. When I got new business cards through the years, I always kept one and flung it in the back
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Don’t drop the baton between your processes
Import from wordpress feed
August 08, 2016
I have to confess, I am excited about the Olympics which start tonight, especially as I have tickets for the Athletics including the Sprint Relays. There’s something exciting about the skill and drama of exchanging
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Maddest of all is to see life as it is and not as it should be – Cervantes
Import from wordpress feed
June 01, 2016
The classic, Don Quixote is reckoned to be the first modern novel, and was written by Miguel de Cervantes, a Madrid resident. He had the misfortune to die in the same year as Shakespeare, so
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Procurement's role in re-balancing the market economy
Intelligent Spend Management at CEE e-Procurement Summit
"Risks of reputational impact"
Mind the Gap between insight and action
Interview with T360 on becoming an Influencer
Digital Disruption is happening across all industries
The Changing nature of Procurement
A Panel Discussion on the Evolution of Procurement
Debating the Purpose of Procurement
Data-based decisions: for Physicians and Procurement
Why Spend Management is the Key to Experience Management
2018 United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights
Building the Intelligent Value Chain
Summary of the SAPAriba Live Amsterdam event
Recap of AribaLive Las Vegas
Preview of procurement with purpose at SAP AribaLive
Cassandra: Cursed with ability to predict but the inability to effect change
Even the board game Monopoly is going digital! How about you?
Who is the Steward of the Intangibles in your Company?
Becoming a Digital Leader
