This edition of the monthly newsletter provides
information about the CAPS Research documents that are now available at the CAPS
Research public web site (www.capsresearch.org). Please note that all first-time
visitors need to create a user login profile to access the research documents.
Newly Published Resources at www.capsresearch.org
Critical Issues Report: Green Corporate Strategies and Implementation from the
Supply Management Perspective
Sustainability and green business practices have become hot topics in today's business
climate, yet many firms struggle to understand what "green" and "sustainable" actually
mean in terms of their operations and objectives. This report delves into some definitions
for the words 'green' and 'sustainability'; identifies the drivers for adopting
a green business strategy; makes the business case for green business strategies;
and provides recommendations for establishing internal and external green strategies.
The report's author, Bryan Ashenbaum, Ph.D., also notes that broad-based standards
or benchmarks to quantify and measure green initiatives have yet to emerge. The
report also includes a case study that details The Auto Club Group's decision to
create and implement a green strategy that could be internally applied, and then
rolled out to it's supply base.
- Click
here
to access the Critical Issues report, "Green Corporate Strategies and Implementation
from the Supply Management Perspective."
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2008 Year in Review:
Benchmarking
What does 3M Corporation, AAA (The Auto Club), and Zurich Financial Services have
in common? These companies, along with 452 other companies, participated in CAPS
Research 2008 Benchmarking Programs. Some interesting statistics to consider:
Total number of surveys released in 2008: 17
Average number of responses per survey: 27
Average number of surveys that each company participated: 2
The most popularly referenced benchmark report in 2008 was the Cross-Industry Report
of Standard Benchmarks comprised of 20 standard benchmarks that include data provided
by 249 organizations representing 16 different industry sectors. This highly regarded
report includes key performance indicators for different industry sectors including
purchasing operating expenses, training spend, diversity spend, and total spend
as a percent of revenue.
- Click
here
to access the October 2008 Benchmarking Cross-Industry Metric Report.
Benchmarking opportunities in January and February 2009:
Aerospace/Defense Industry Advisory Committee Meeting and Survey Release
Automotive Parts Manufacturing Survey Release
Utilities Industry Advisory Committee Meeting
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Focus Studies
Focus Studies are comprehensive reports from in-depth research projects examining
critical issues in supply and supply chain management. The projects are led by leading
academics and practitioners. In 2008, CAPS Research published three Focus Studies:
Dec 2008 Supply Management's Strategic Role in Environmental Practices (public access
2-2-09)
Aug 2008 Supply Strategy Implementation - Current State and Future Opportunities
Jan 2008 An Investigation of Supplier Development and Its Role In New Product Development
In 2008, the most frequently downloaded Focus Study is one that was first published
in Oct 2007:
Succeeding in a Dynamic World – Supply Management in the Decade Ahead
What could change in the decade ahead and how might those changes affect the future
of supply management? This top downloaded focus study concluded that success will
be based on how well supply executives plan and execute in seven critical areas:
(1) developing forward-looking category strategies, (2) engaging, developing and
managing key suppliers, (3) designing and operating multiple supply networks, (4)
leveraging technology enablers, (5) collaborating internally and externally, (6)
attracting and retaining supply management talent, and (7) managing and enabling
the future supply organization globally.
- Click
here
to access the Focus Study: Succeeding in a Dynamic World: Supply Management in the
Decade Ahead.
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Critical Issues Reports
Four Critical Issues Reports were published in 2008. These reports are the output
of Critical Issues Conferences and other discussion forums. The reports include
research and case studies on select procurement and supply topics. Last year's most
popularly referenced Critical Issues Report was:
Measuring Purchasing Effectiveness
As supply executives try to optimize their organizations and drive more value to
the company, they're looking for ways to measure performance, contribution, efficiency,
and effectiveness. This most accessed Critical Issues report discusses several aspects
of measurement systems and models, including: what is appropriate to measure, how
are measures constructed, what metrics are important, how can measurements be used
to drive improvement, can measures impact forecasting, and what are general lessons
companies have learned.
- Click
here
to access the Critical Issues report: Measuring Purchasing Effectiveness.
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PRACTIX
There were two Practix articles published in 2008. The most popularly downloaded
report reflects the experiences of a small group of supply management executives
in the pharmaceutical industry sector, but it is likely that their experiences are
quite similar to those of many supply management executives across different business
sectors.
Business Process Outsourcing in a Pharmaceutical Company
This report focuses on a six-step outsourcing decision-making process that starts
with an assessment of outsourcing opportunities (step 1) and ends with knowledge
transfer (step 6) to ensure an efficient and effective transfer process has been
established.
- Click
here
to access the Practix report: Business Process Outsourcing in a Pharmaceutical Company.
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The CAPS Research 2008 Annual Report provides a financial summary,
a listing of the Board of Trustees, and a listing of all CAPS Research sponsor organizations
as of December 31, 2008.
- Click
here
to access the 2008 CAPS Research Annual Report.
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Other News:
- Let's discuss the value proposition of CAPS Research sponsorship! Contact
the marketing team, email: research@capsresearch.org.
- Are you ready to facilitate your organization's transformation to excellence? CAPS
Research will release the next Executive Assessment questionnaire Jan. 27, 2009.
This highly regarded and effective assessment process helps supply management leaders
determine the importance placed on their organizations critical supply strategies.
The assessments are designed to help senior executives facilitate their organization's
transformation by validating the current implementation state of their critical
sourcing and supply chain strategies. For information on how to participate, send
an email to dmaciejewski@capsresearch.org.
- Save the Date! The 20th Annual International Executive Roundtable will be held Apr.
15 - 17, 2009 in Scottsdale, Arizona. This year we celebrate 20 years of hosting
Executive Roundtables for chief purchasing officers. The theme is, "Supply Management:
Strategies for Superior Results in Turbulent Times." Amid unprecedented business
uncertainty, there is no better time to gain insights into successful strategy steps.
If you would like more information regarding this event, email researchevents@capsresearch.org.
Knowledge Central:
The following reports and information are now published on
www.capsknowledge.org
which is a sponsor-only searchable archive of CAPS Research studies, leading-edge
practices, benchmarking reports and best practices presentations:
Focus Study: Supply Management's Strategic Role in Environmental Practices
CPO Insights: Improving Contract Management, Execution and Control
CPO Insights: Non-Monetary Recognitions and Rewards for Outstanding Employee Performance
Please note that only CAPS Research sponsor organizations have full access to Knowledge
Central. If you haven't already done so, I encourage you to click on
Knowledge Central Overview
for a short, five-minute guided tour of our Sponsor web site, Knowledge Central.
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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™.
To access the newsletter and press release archives click
here.