Backsourcing
Find out how bringing services back in-house can save money.
Balanced Scorecard
Get a rounded view of performance, not just the financial numbers
Benchmarking
Make your business the best it can be by looking at what else is out there
Better Outbound Marketing
Get your business noticed and generate sales revenue by actively promoting it
Budgeting Processes
Good budgeting can be the difference between losing money and increasing value by up to 149%
Bullwhip Effect in Supply Chain
Understand the dynamics in your supply chain to control costs
Business Innovation
Evolve your products and services to bring new opportunities for revenue and growth
Business Process Improvement
Your business costs can be streamlined and dramatically cheaper with the right process flow
Business Process Re-engineering
Radically rethinking how work gets done can dramatically improve performance
Buyer-Seller Improvement Teams
Work more closely with your suppliers and customers to deliver better mutual benefits
Capability Management
Build “signature processes” that boost the bottom line and make it hard for your competitors to copy your success.
Capacity Requirements Planning
Know what resources you need when and where - to ensure greater efficiency
Cash Flow Statement and Management
Discounts can be negotiated and margins increased by 5%-10% with effective invoicing and payment flow
Cash Management
Manage your cash flow effectively and efficiently
Category Management in Purchasing and Supply Management
Take a rigorous approach to getting the best value from your supplies spend
Centralisation / Decentralisation
Sales can increase 8% quickly by making the right centralise/decentralise decision
Centralised/Decentralised Procurement
Know how to get the best value from your procurement team and processes
Change Management
Change management can be hard; master the key success factors
Closed-Loop Supply Chain
There may be value in reusing the products your customers have finished with
Co-creation
Don't just think you know what your customers want - start generating higher profits by working together with customers on products and services
Co-sourcing
Savings of 30% could be on offer with the right co-sourcing decision
Coase Theorem
Understand how to reach efficient outcomes when disputes arise that could disrupt your business operations and profits
Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment
Reduce lead times by 18% by working collaboratively with your trading partners
Collaborative Relationships in Procurement
Know when to work in a collaborative, or adversarial, relationship with your suppliers
Commissioning
Commodity Strategies
Secure, and get the best price, for your key supplies
Competitive Intelligence
Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer? Keep one step ahead by knowing what your competitors are doing
Continuous Improvement
If you are not doing things better your competition will be. You can lose at least 20% sales if you do not keep offering more to your customers
Contract Management
In an ongoing relationship, the most of the value comes after the deal
Cooperation and Mutuality in Procurement and Supply Chain
Reduce your supply chain costs by working cooperatively with your suppliers
Coopetition
Smart companies work together to save money on some shared costs - but still stay fiercely competitive in other areas.
Corporate Social Responsibility
A very effective way to make your business stand out from competitors
Cost-Volume-Profit Analysis
Assess your fixed and variable costs to know what sales you really need to break even
Countertrade
Crisis Management
Before catastrophe strikes, know your Business Continuity Plan
Critical Path Analysis
Turn your new ideas into revenue with good project management
Cross-Docking
Improve the efficiency of your logistics with cross docking
Cross-Functional Supply Management
Improve your responsiveness to customers by joining up your internal teams
Cross-Training
Make sure your organisation is robust by broadening the skills of your people
Database Systems and Management
Manage your databases to get deeper insights into your staff and customers.
Delivering Policy Through Procurement
You can use your purchasing budget to achieve bigger objectives than cost cutting
Delphi Forecasting Method
In complex situations, Delphi can help you analyse the options
Demand Management
Understand, respond to and manage customer demand to grow sales and margin
Demand Management in Public Procurement
Demand management is driving new cost-reduction agendas - learn how to deliver real value.
Demand-Driven Supply Chain
Setting up a demand driven supply chain can result in 35% shorter cash-to-cash cycle times than typical companies
Division of Labour
Speed up production; get your products to market quicker.
Double-Loop Learning
Learn from mistakes, and learn to adapt and anticipate change, with double loop learning
Due Diligence
Know what you are really buying or selling, and with who, with due diligence
e-Auctions
e-Auctions can deliver savings of 10%+, but are not without risk
e-Business
Your business could generate many mutliples more revenue by maximising your online capabalities
e-Commerce
It is essential that your online presence reflects your business well. Do it right
e-Sourcing
e-sourcing can deliver major savings, but must be embedded into your overall strategy
Early Supplier Involvement
Working closely with suppliers when you are developing a new product can bring fresh innovations into the design and smoother roll out later
Economic Cost
All decisions have an opportunity cost
Economic Order Quantity
Order the right amount of goods and services to optimise costs and profits
Economic Production Quantity
Optimise your profitability by only stocking and making what you really need
Economic Value Added
EVA gives you an investor's view of the profit and value in your business
Economies of Scale and Scope
Operate at the right size and in the right ways to achieve the best value for money
Emergent Change
Planned or not, change will happen in, and outside your organisation - understand this to stay on track
Empowering Employees
Your staff will work harder and be more loyal if they feel trusted and able to make some of their own decisions
Enterprise Resource Planning
Save time and money using ERP - take the next step to better business performance.
Ethical Purchasing/Ethical Procurement
Ethical business can support the long term value of your brand
Exit Strategies
Before you get in to a contract, know how you will get out when the time comes
Fintech
Flat / Horizontal Organisation
Reducing the number of managers even in a small company can have a positive effect on business performance and results
Forward Integration
As your business grows it could have a long term profit impact to acquire other functions/companies associated with delivering your products or services
Franchising
Around 92% of all UK franchisees reported profitability over the last 12 months - generate additional revenue using proven business formats
Freedom of Information Act 2000
Build public trust by handling information requests professionally.
Future Supply Chains
Being future proof is key to long term business success. Understand what your supply chain might look like and be prepared for the changes
Global Procurement
Some of your materials may come from abroad, if so it is important to understand how best to manage this process
Green Logistics
Lower your business costs whilst being environmentally friendly
Group Dynamics
Understand how people interact and how to get the most from your staff and teams
Group Norms
Build better teams to drive profits and success.
Group Purchasing Organisations
It costs less to buy in bulk. Can your business make substantial cost savings and improve bottom line performance?
Horizontal vs. Vertical Integration
Understand where there might be opportunities for your business to collaborate - it could be in similar or different areas
Human Resources Information Systems
Your people are your most important assets, make managing them more effortless.
Improving Product Differentiation
Being different is essential to fulfil the sales potential of your business. Be sure to understand and exploit it
Information Database Marketing
Marketing your business to the right people is key in generating sales and revenue
Information Management
Be sure your business decisions are based on the right information
Innovation Diamond
Innovative companies generate more revenue, break new ground in the market, and have more satisfied, loyal customers.
Innovation in Public Procurement
The Government is increasingly looking to include smaller firms in public sector contracts. Understand how this is happening so your business can benefit
Innovation Management
Innovate or die. You need to keep generating new ideas and value in your business to stay ahead. Understand how to make sure it happens and manage it
Insourcing
As your business grows it might be better to hire and retain key staff and competencies than buy from outside your company
Intellectual Property Management
Protecting your big ideas is critical to success. Companies like IBM make up to 3,300% more by managing their Intellectual Property well
Internal Strategic Integration
When all business functions are aligned to the overall strategy the collective results are likely to improve
Just-In-Time
How to manage stock and inventory levels at the absolute minimum to keep working capital free
Kaizen
A way to drive co-operation, commitment and improvement in your business at every level. Ultimately helps your business to stay ahead
Knowledge Capital
Knowledge and intellectual capital are assets that need to be recognised in most businesses these days. Be sure to know what they are and how to protect them
Kraljic Matrix
One of the dominant strategic tools guiding purchasing activities in organisations
Lean Manufacturing / Production
Eliminating waste from your organisation can impact on your costs dramatically
Lean Supply Chain
Keep as much excess out of your supply chain as you can - your business will be more efficient and cost effective
Lifecycle System Approach
Being able to manage your products and services over their lifecycle is key for your business success
Lifetime Customer Value Analysis
The most successful businesses such as Google use this technique to make more money, more often and for longer
Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Improve logistics – help your organisation better utilise production capacity.
Long Tail
Similar to Pareto's 80/20 - approximately 80% spend will be covered by 20% of the suppliers and conversely 20% of the spend will be comprised of a long tail of suppliers - 80%. Whether you are a buyer or supplier you need to know how to manage this
Loosely-Coupled vs. Tightly-Coupled Supply Chain
Collaborating in a supply chain can create a competitive advantage through sharing information, making joint decisions, and sharing benefits
Maintenance, Repair and Operating Supplies
Improve your position in terms of MRO procurement - reduce costs and increase efficiency.
Management by Walking Around
If you wait for people to come to you, you’ll only get small problems. The big problems are where people don’t realise they have one in the first place
Managing Global Virtual Teams
Smaller firms can work virtually too - follow these guidelines for optimal productivity
Managing Open Innovation
Sometimes new ideas can come from outside of your business. Managing this can be a challenge yet offer huge potential
Marketing Services Procurement
Using a specialist marketer could be a quick route to raising awareness of your business
Mass Customisation
Raise the bar for your customers by giving them unique product and service experiences.
Mass Production
Radically improve your efficiency and bring products to market even faster.
Material Requirements Planning
If your business is producing goods this is a must-know technique
Matrix Management
The world's best companies work seamlessly across departments, learn how to make your management the best it can be.
Multidivisional Organisational Structure
New Product Development
Know when and how to develop new products to add to your portfolio and drive up revenue
Nominal Group Technique
Involve your people in making decisions for the business and they will work with you to help your business achieve its full potential
Operations Management
Balance costs with revenue to achieve the highest net operating profit possible.
Operations Strategy Matrix
Make sure your strategic decisions about how your operations are going to work are the right ones based on sound principles
Optimised Production Technology
If you can minimise and production bottlenecks you will be able to maximise the profitability of your business
Organisational Behaviour Modification
This technique can be used to motivate and encourage employees to help your business achieve its potential
Organisational Cybernetics
Outsourcing
Dramatically cut costs and increase efficiency and learn how to outsource effectively, safely and profitably.
Paradigm and Paradigm Shifting
Pareto Analysis
20 per cent of the efforts of your business generate 80 per cent of the returns according to this principle
Positive Risk Management
Take a positive approach to risk management and learn how to realise unexpected benefits and opportunities for your business.
Power
Understand how the balance of power can work in your favour and when to be aware that it might not and help your business to rise above
Procurement Transformation
Re-think the way your business buys - the cost savings could be significant
Public Goods
Work with government and build important, high-quality relationships.
Purchase to Pay Process
The quicker your purchasing function is, the more time there is available for looking at growth and profitability
Purchasing Cards
Purchasing cards can be useful to consider in order to reduce the amount of time spent on paperwork and allow more time to focus on growing your business
Purchasing Consortium/Consortia
Consider purchasing consortium – increase buying power and ability to achieve low prices.
Purchasing Strategies
Have a clear plan for what you need to buy to make sure costs stay low and profitability is maximised
Purchasing Structures/Models
Make sure the buying for your business works in the right way and keeps your costs down
Qualitative and Quantitative Modelling
Learn the best way to model to make your next project a real success - don't leave profits to chance
Quality Management
Buy cheap, buy twice. Garbage in, garbage out. Make sure your business is a quality business
Queuing Theory
If your business involves service systems, maintenance, or shop floor activities, understanding this principle could increase your profitability
Relationship Models
Work with other businesses and people to maximise value in both your business and collaboratively
Research and Development
Find new ideas, and only launch new products that are right for your business and market
Resource-Based Strategy
Make use of what your business already has to either grow into new markets or increase profit in existing ones
Reverse Engineering
Sometimes starting from the end and working backwards can bring the best business results. However there are risks that need to be considered
Reverse Supply Chain / Reverse Logistics
Your business can often re-use materials and processes produced in the supply chain. Doing this well can lead to large cost savings and increased profitability
Risk Management in Purchasing and Supply Management
Be fully aware of any risks in your supply chain at all times as it could affect your business's ability to sell your products or services
Safeguarding
This technique provides a definition of safeguarding and explores the legal requirements, application methods and measures of success.
Sales Intelligence Solution and Sales Force Automation
Understand how best to manage your sales opportunities and maximise revenue
Sales Process and Sales Cycle
Every business sells in different ways and length of time. Make it as clear and short as possible to maximise revenue
Satisficing
On occasions the ultimate best outcome is not possible, but it will still work in favour of your business
Scenario Planning
Prepare for different futures to be well best placed to capitalise
Scientific Management
Your business might benefit from understanding whether a more rigid approach to division of work will bring better results
Scientific Retailing
Leading companies secure repeat customers by using scientific retailing techniques - learn how and start growing your sales and profit today
Sensitivity Analysis
Before committing any cash identify the areas that might slip or outperform so your business is fully prepared.
Shared Services in Procurement and Supply Chain Management
As your business grows, sharing some of the different buying functions could bring substantial savings
Shutdown Point
Avoid costly production shutdowns - keep your business going, keep your business growing.
Simulation
Before you go headlong into a new idea simulating the possible outcomes can help you to be more prepared for what might happen
Six Sigma
Understand how to match what your business is producing to your customers' needs
Skunkworks
If you have a new idea for your business it can often be made to happen quicker if you set up a team that is "out of the business"
Social Network Analysis
Social Networking can be a powerful source of new ideas that can open up opportunities for businesses everywhere
Sourcing
Companies that source materials and components well can make huge cost savings - Volkswagen increased operating profit by 50% by changing the way they did it
Spend Analysis
Spending money is easy - know where your business expenses are and get the right price
Split Sourcing
Don't become dependent on just one supplier - source goods and services more strategically and drive down costs.
Strategic Alignment
Learn how to outperform the competition by matching your strategy and resources.
Strategic Business Units
If your business has different product or service lines you could make more money by treating them as separate business units which need their own strategic direction
Strategic Procurement
Make sure you are buying the things that fit with your strategy and not just buying as you need. This approach can save your business huge unnecessary costs
Strategy Map
Strategy maps are essential roadmaps to achieving growth and profits and to understand all your options and get ahead.
Successful Project Management
Running your business well involves many simultaneous projects - manage them effectively and ensure your business succeeds
Supplier Evaluation
Make sure you know how your suppliers are performing - it is critical to your business and will help show cost saving opportunities
Supplier Incentivisation
If your suppliers are aligned with your business's aims they are going to work as hard as you to deliver. Working together with them will bring business results
Supplier Performance Management
Are your suppliers helping or hindering your business? Making critical decisions can hinge on knowing which supplier to go to when you need something urgently
Supplier Relationship Management
Having good relationships with your suppliers is key - it can get you that contract that needs a quick turnaround if your suppliers like working with you
Supplier Segmentation
If you group your suppliers properly you will understand where the majority of your costs are going. Then you can work on reducing them and increase profit margin immediately.
Supplier Selection
Choosing the right supplier could be the difference between success and failure of your business as outside purchases are typically 40%-60% of the final cost. Firms like MacLaren look for their suppliers to contribute up to 80% of the end value
Supply Base Management
How many suppliers does your business have? Could you strike better deals by having less? Understand this technique and you could be making cost savings immediately
Supply Chain Complexity
Reducing complexity will often unleash high performance. If your supply chain is becoming a barrier to performance, understand what you need to do to make it simpler to manage
Supply Chain Finance
Unlock the power of your invoices and release cash to help you grow
Supply Chain Integration
Speaking to all of your suppliers regularly may open up collaboration opportunities which can save you money and maybe even open up new money making ventures
Supply Chain Management
It is business critical to manage your supply chain well. Cutting costs raises profit immediately
Supply Chain Network Design
If your business has many suppliers it is crucial to understand their inter-reliance and the timing impact so you can manage it
Supply Chain Operations Reference Model
How does your business measure up against some of the larger firms out there in terms of managing suppliers?
Supply Chain Performance Measures
Improve supply chain performance – chose the right indicators and make sure it is properly measured.
Supply Chain Risk Management
Is you business reliant on 1 or 2 suppliers? Do you have a back up plan in case any of them don't deliver their end of the bargain?
Supply Chain Security Management
DO you know all of your suppliers, and how secure are your processes? This is your business's money being spent after all
Supply Chain Visibility
Don't just think you know where money is being spent, KNOW you know
Survivorship Bias
Survivorship bias is the focus on survivors instead of a broader context that includes those that did not survive. It appears in many arenas: athletics, business, entertainment. For every success, there are others who did not succeed. To properly judge success we must also view failure. Lacking this broader context, we make less-informed decisions.
Sustainable Procurement
As your business grows, understand how to make your buying practices sustainable
Sustainable Supply Chain
Systems Thinking
Train your managers and employees in systems thinking - help them see the bigger picture to really drive results and profitability.
Tactical vs. Strategic Purchasing
Do you have a clear plan for what your business is buying and why? If you do this right you could save 20% or more on spend
The Golden Thread
Having a clear strategic direction is essential to maximise performance. The concept offers a review of the Golden Thread model, explaining how it can be applied within an organisation and highlighting some of its strengths and weaknesses.
Theory of Constraints
Uncover the weakest links in your production processes - make more profit by being more efficient
Third-Party Marketplaces
There might be a cheaper way to find your components or mass-sell your products via market places. Understand how they work
Time Series Models
Business success depends on making more accurate forecasts - stay ahead of the curve with time series modelling
Time to Market
If you are too slow to market you could lose 33% profitability. Understand the steps involved and get it right to maximise profit
Total Cost of Ownership
The total cost of your goods or services are more than just the production costs. Make sure you understand this before setting your price and you could see profitability soar
Total Quality Management
Deliver the best quality you can and your business can succeed
Traditional / Open Loop / Forward Supply Chain
Have a solid understanding of the steps involved in the supply chain and work out which is best for your business
Transformational Leadership
what are the characteristics of people who drive businesses to the next level?
Triple Bottom Line
As your business grows, understand the measures that large organisations are judged on
Types of Innovations
Increase your profits by entering new markets, developing new products and overhauling your business processes.
Value Analysis
Get to grips with what really drives the cost and value in your product or service
Value Chain
Know which areas of your business will set you apart from your competition and use it to sell to get ahead
Value Chain Management
Being able to manage the value chain well will help deliver bottom line performance
Value-Added Network
You could save valuable time and money by using a VAN for much of your supplier related documentation
Vendor / Supplier Rating
Even with relatively few suppliers it is important to know how they rank so you can look at getting discounts for the ones you use the most
Vendor Managed Inventory
A possible way to free up your time from stock management to be able to focus on growing your business
Virtual Integration
Use technology to bind together a dispersed network of suppliers- facilitate significant growth in information exchange.
Virtual Organisations
How to manage your staff if they are on the road or working from home
Warehouse Management Systems
Getting the right system for your business could save substantial costs and improve your bottom line.
Warehousing and Inventory Management
Make sure you are carrying only the right amount of stock and free up working capital.
Working From Home
The concept provides a definition of working from home (WFH) and explores not only its key benefits and measures of success, but also the challenges that employees and employers can encounter when working remotely and ways to overcome them.