A Global Research Center for Strategic Supply Management

Please log in to view publications.

  LOGIN

News

Effective immediately, all items mailed to CAPS Research should be sent to the CAPS Research street address: CAPS Research, 2055 E. Centennial Circle, Tempe, AZ 85284. The CAPS Research P.O. Box address is no longer in use for any mailings.  
Read the May 2013 CAPS Research Newsletter   click here
"Value Chain Management and the Changing APAC/China Landscape" is the theme for our Asian Executive Roundtable on May 31. 
Take a five-minute guided tour of Knowledge Central, CAPS Research's searchable knowledgebase for current major sponsors.  click here

Upcoming Events

16th Asian Executive Roundtable
May 31, 2013
Shenzhen, China

14th Annual Best Practices Workshop
Oct 7 - 9, 2013
Phoenix, Arizona

View  Events Page

Advanced Benchmarking

There's a shift occurring in the world of benchmarking driven by the needs of supply management professionals in the post-Great Recession business climate. The benchmarking team at CAPS Research, through relationships with global supply leaders, is tracking this shift and responding by creating advanced measures to deliver data that is both strategic and dynamic to sponsor companies in specific industry sectors.

Strategic
What's being measured must move beyond transactional or tactical measurements, such as measuring an organization's supply management operating expense, or the percent of employees considered operational versus strategic. These measurements are certainly important, however, new layers in the metrics structure must be developed that examine the performance of strategic processes. CAPS Research includes measuring risk assessments, or suppliers' commitment to environmental sustainability.

Additionally, benchmarking's impact is greater when accompanied by other types of research, especially primary, business research. This kind of research provides a broader context about important factors related to the benchmarking topic, and is the sort our organization draws upon.

It's also becoming more critical to identify best practices and best-in-class indicators with more input and help from business practitioners. Often, third-party benchmarking organizations do not receive business input when determining what to measure. CAPS Research leverages a more strategic approach by collaborating with our industry advisory groups and vast network of business executives.

Dynamic
The advanced benchmarking that is emerging in response to changes in the profession and business must also be dynamic. Dynamic benchmarking means less reliance on a single, static perspective. CAPS Research is refreshing data with core topics of interest at certain key intervals to capture a fuller picture. Examples of such core topics include social responsibility, cost savings, organizational alignment and talent management. Touch points can take place over a few months and will provide "living data" that fills in the landscape more completely. Such periodic updates create a dynamic picture that is timely and more in-tune with market and business pressures.

A Better Map
Supply management executives and managers who take advantage of CAPS Research strategic and dynamic benchmarking will gain a perspective of the landscape that others can't see. It's the difference between looking at a regular map versus a topographical map that clearly outlines the rise and fall of the terrain. Information coming from such a perspective means making decisions based on metrics that are more reliable, accurate, and filled with insights not otherwise seen. This means avoiding organizational or business ruts that can stall strategic initiatives before they advance farther down the road.

To speak with the benchmarking experts at CAPS Research, email them at metrics@capsresearch.org, or call +1 480-752-2277.

Recently Posted Research Publications

Date Publication   Authors
3/22/2013 SnapShots 2013 - Supplier Selection and Qualification Strategies
(Snapshots Benchmarking Report)
View Benchmarking Team
1/25/2013 DOE NNSA Contractors Benchmarking Metric Report 2012
(Industry Benchmarking Metric Report)
View Benchmarking Team

Research in Progress

If you would like to learn more about one of the research studies below, please contact us at Research@capsresearch.org.

Benchmarking: Cross Industry
Benchmarking: Environmental Sustainability
Benchmarking: SnapShots
Focus Study: How Chinese Companies Purchase (expected completion May 2013)
Focus Study: Managing Commodity Price Volatility and Risk (expected completion August 2013)

See What Our Sponsors are Saying about CAPS Research:

"Supply chain leaders are continually faced with the challenge of delivering competitive advantage to their organization. My involvement with CAPS goes back to the mid 1990’s as a member of a committee formed to initiate a competitive benchmarking study of the packaged food industry. Over the years these studies have been invaluable. Additionally, I have found value in looking beyond the food industry to capture insights from CAPS research across diverse industries in our economy."

Timothy W. Coats
Vice President - Worldwide Sourcing
General Mills, Inc.

CAPS Research strictly adheres to the ISM antitrust policy in all of its activities and events.