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   A Global Research Center for Strategic Supply Management

Email Newsletter, 10/30/2007

New research jointly sponsored by CAPS Research, A.T. Kearney and ISM indicates that supply managers are concerned about a variety of forces that will impact company and supply management strategies. Foremost among these concerns is the impact of China, India, and other large, developing countries on the competitive landscape. The impact is expected to be felt on both the demand and supply side, and will create opportunities as well as challenges. In response to these forces companies will shift their business models, adopt different strategies, pursue new revenue streams, further squeeze costs, make their asset base as lean as possible, and reshape their capital structures. Overall, the mission and role of supply management will be changed in a variety of ways. Based on an analysis of the survey data, focus sessions, and one-on-one interviews, the research team concluded there are seven main families of strategies that will have the greatest impact on supply management success in the future: developing category strategies that are robust and forward looking; developing and managing value-adding relationships with suppliers; designing and operating multiple supply networks to meet the needs of specific market segments; leveraging technology for internal productivity and external effectiveness; collaborating internally across functions and externally with suppliers and customers; attracting and retaining supply management talent and managing the future supply management organization.

Review this focus study:
Succeeding in a Dynamic World: Supply Management in the Decade Ahead

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CAPS Research recently published the October 2007 Cross-Industry Benchmarking Report that updates the information published earlier this year. The 20 standard benchmarks were calculated from data provided by 233 companies representing 15 industry sectors. One of the more popular benchmarks is "Purchase operating expense per purchasing employee" which was reported to be $110,746. This 'average of averages' indicates that purchasing operating expenses have increase of 2.91% over the last year. If your company did not participate in the survey process, contact the benchmarking team (metrics@capsresearch.org) to learn how you can get a report that will let you compare your company’s data alongside industry averages.

Click on the following link to access one of the most requested reports at the CAPS Research web site:
Cross-Industry Report of Standard Benchmarks

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The 2007 Information Technology (IT) Market Basket contains a 'shopping list' of 37 popularly referenced IT goods and services and is one of four market basket price benchmarking reports posted to the CAPS Research web site this year. Each of the market basket line items is uniquely identified by name, manufacturer, and part number or product identification. Survey participants checked whether they purchased the actual item described or a functionally equivalent item. Shortly after the survey closed, CAPS Research provided each respondent a custom report showing their prices in relation to the aggregated prices of all other participants. In the 2006 report, the average cost of a 17" flat panel monitor was $216.07, and in 2007 the average cost was $199.94. If you want to look at the report that shows the average (mean) and median prices for actual items and equivalent items, the average and median market basket price totals, and the percent of companies who indicated they purchased actual items or equivalent items, just click on the link below. If you want to participate in the next IT Market Basket of Goods benchmarking survey, contact the benchmarking team at metrics@capsresearch.org.

To access this report, click on the following link:
2007 Market Basket Report for IT Goods and Services

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For more information about CAPS Research programs and products please contact us at Research@capsresearch.org.

Sincerely,
Phillip Carter, D.B.A.
Executive Director
CAPS Research

CAPS Research is a global research organization jointly sponsored by the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, and the Institute for Supply Management™.