Jason Busch

2012 Supply Chain Predictions

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:45:17 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...there's a high probability we'll be "looking at an inflationary" 2012. Input costs, from potatoes to cotton to oil are likely to rise. Because of this, "large-scale companies are going to have to ask themselves how to significantly reduce costs" in the context of a consumer market where prices for most finished goods have to remain flat at best...most important for procurement and supply chain leaders, the need to target input costs means..." more

Demystifying the Cloud Panacea

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:22:46 GMT

Jason Busch writes "[by Mark Schaffner, VP Marketing at Verian]...In the cloud, your hardware, network, technology stack and maintenance are someone else's responsibility -- but that doesn't mean you can "set it and forget it." ...there are things still left on your plate, namely supplier risk...and oversight. If you're fully prepared to handle the remaining responsibilities, you'll gain maximum value from its benefits. We've offered...[5] suggestions...Choose your weapons wisely...Befriend the firewall...Anticipate the auditing..." more

Top 3 Causes of Supply Chain Disruptions

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:54:29 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...Consider financial services...where natural disasters and product quality can have entirely different consequences on the "virtual goods" supply chain. According to BCI's latest analysis of trends...the top three leading sources of disruption were...1) unplanned outage of IT or telecom systems; 2) adverse weather...3) Cyber attacks...From what we've heard from insiders, at least a significant portion of the top 50 discrete manufacturers in the US have had their systems..." more

Critical Skills Gap Emerging in Procurement and Supply Chain Teams

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 18:07:57 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...This skills gap is often characterized as having broader cross-functional management awareness and general management skills, coupled with the abilities to formulate ideas, plans, and initiatives that manifest both global governance but local execution uniqueness. It is also characterized as supply chain management teams possessing the skills to not only master their functional responsibilities, but more importantly..." more

Festering Skills Gap Emerging in Supply Chain Management

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 18:06:21 GMT

Will You Overpay for These IT Purchases?

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 15:47:51 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...IT spending is coming back to life -- but will today's businesses buy more wisely? One way to improve how well you source IT is to better understand which IT purchases are more susceptible to overspending...we believe companies will overspend the most on the following types of purchases in Q2:..." more

Shell's CIO Radical Supplier Management Focus

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:35:11 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...great presentation...by Gregg Parsley, an executive in the Office of the CIO at Royal Dutch Shell, who runs IT sourcing and procurement...Gregg breaks down individual areas into what he terms the "Holy Trinity" of supply management. The first of these areas is category management and "knowing demand." The second is contract management; "allowing and enforcing discipline within..." more

Supply Chain Reality from Top Performing Organizations

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 23:24:00 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...far outside the world of consultant studies and high-level procurement transformation initiatives, there are other changes taking shape in the supply chain...They're coming from the trenches of top performing organizations with a deep understanding of local and global supply market environments that are often serving as market makers, setting strategy for..." more

Supply Chain Reality from Top Performing Organizations

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 19:06:40 GMT

Tips on Lessoning the Impact of Rising Fuel Costs on Supply Chain

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 02:47:44 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...I discussed the impact that rising fuel costs will have on supply chain spending in the coming months. While you may not be able to control the cost of fuel, companies can offset the impact of higher costs by tightening spend in areas of shipping where they do have control. Here are a few tips...Rising fuel costs may be inevitable, but paying more for shipping doesn't have to be. Most companies can negate or lessen these increases by..." more

Rising Cost of Fuel to Impact Supply Chain

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:58:14 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...Supply chains will feel the impact from all sides. Simply put, you're going to pay more to produce and ship products, and it will be difficult for end-consumers to absorb them...the overall impact that rising fuel prices will have on the economy will be significant as consumers react. These are just a few examples of the immediate impact rising fuel costs..." more

In Software Implementation Automating Doesn't Equal Optimizing

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 20:02:37 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...Here are three factors that impact software adoption rates: [1] Business fit [2] Software ease of use [3] Creating or changing a business process before..." more

Strategies for IT Cost Allocation

Sat, 08 Jan 2011 00:42:41 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...IT managers need to communicate the value of IT and reduce costs while maintaining quality. As a result, they need more visibility into the full costs of IT services to understand the cost burden placed on IT by specific business units. There are many methods for determining this "cost allocation" -- the trick is finding the best approach to provide the most accurate data.Allocation strategies fall into six main categories:..." more

Strategies for IT Cost Allocation

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 19:44:35 GMT

CSR Positioning Trend: Working with Localized Suppliers

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 23:19:28 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...the concept of local — or at least regional — sourcing is one that we’ll see even more of in 2011. This will happen across industries, extending beyond the grocery business. But it won’t just occur because we want to be more “green.” In fact, I see a number of reasons for an increase in working with more localized suppliers in general. Many of the reasons below have nothing to do with CSR initiatives:..." more

Integrating Social into Procurement and Supply Chain Applications

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 15:25:29 GMT

Jason Busch writes "Reading...about the convergence of social media with HR applications once again made me think about the possibilities of integrating greater social activity into the very core of the tools we use as procurement and supply chain professionals in our professional lives every day...Not convinced? Think about how we do hiring today, especially for senior roles…" more

Supplier Management Deals Accelerate Market Momentum

Sat, 18 Sep 2010 00:48:37 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...If, as Hiperos suggests, Microsoft ends up using their platform to "register suppliers, streamline AP processing, monitor data privacy risk, evaluate performance, track diversity status," among other areas, their case should serve as a useful model for others to follow..." more

Supplier Management Deals Accelerate Market Momentum

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 19:11:17 GMT

When the Numbers tell a Risky Inventory Story

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 21:55:15 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...companies are hoarding cash and ordering less at all levels of the supply chain. The obvious risk in this scenario is that any changes in demand or supply at one tier in the supply chain can have cascading multiplier effects elsewhere in the chain based on current inventory levels, capital availability, etc. What’s a potential solution to the issue?...how we could use optimization versus how it’s typically put into practice today…" more

SaaS Cost and Contracting Pitfalls

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 21:34:47 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...On the surface, SaaS sounds perfect ... and, for many companies, the decision is a no-brainer. For others, the value of SaaS is harder to determine. However, the decision to use a SaaS application and the vendor selection process involves more than just evaluating benefits. Most companies are unaware of the precautions they should take and they select..." more

China's Economic Policy Pivots Around Banking

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 17:37:24 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...The Reuters analysis suggests that the People's Bank of China, their equivalent of the Federal Reserve bank, will focus on maintaining liquidity in the market to "ensure banks have money to lend" to support both public and private (if you can call it that) sector investment and growth. Among other activities, we might continue to see..." more

Today's Supply Chains are Global and Susceptible to Crisis

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:38:50 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...Today's supply chains are global and highly susceptible to crisis situations, whether they stem from natural disasters, political or economic strife. While these types of events can't be predicted, the end customer in the supply chain still expects a reasonable level of service no matter what the conditions may be...Here are four things you can do starting now..." more

Why a "We-Buy-Local" Ad Campaign Could Backfire

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:24:15 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...But McDonald's has ignored two basic problems...Locavores are picky and passionate about this issue, and quick to call companies on fudging these claims; and there's no legal definition of what constitutes local sourcing..." more

"Ruralsourcing" is the New Outsourcing

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:27:58 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...As the national unemployment rate hovers near 10%, some companies are starting to eye job-hungry areas of the country as prime candidates for the kind of outsourced work that once would have gone overseas. Dubbed "ruralsourcing," "rural outsourcing" and "onshoring," the practice relies on two simple premises:..." more

Can American Manufacturing Be Saved?

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:22:10 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...Cases such as this highlight how US manufacturers -- even those further down the supply chain -- can enhance their operations to better serve the needs of customers that have been let down by the supposed benefits of sourcing globally. If we're interested in saving and hopefully creating manufacturing jobs in the US, perhaps we should take a lesson from..." more

Understanding Your Supply Chain to Mitigate Risks

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:08:35 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...the complexity of the "blame game" goes far, potentially far beyond BP, and deep into the multi-tier supply base...Now is as good a time as any to really sit down and actually take action toward understanding your supply chain to mitigate risk and insure against any sort of disaster, on any size or scale. In most cases, these efforts will save..." more

Software and Services Can be Hard to Mix for Smaller Providers

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:35:04 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...a few key lessons that procurement organizations should take away...exactly what you're buying from a smaller to medium-size provider...If the vendor has attempted to build a competency in both software and services delivery...it's a near certain supply risk sign in my view...they'll under deliver and overcharge in at least one of the areas..." more

Supplier Relationship Development Affects Supply Chain Strategy

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:08:19 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...many of these manufacturers like HP are hiring some of the best minds in the business to build their capabilities...This ex-sourcing guru is now managing a team of individuals tasked with working with global suppliers to reduce costs, improve quality and reduce risk...it's pretty clear the importance of supplier development to their overall supply chain strategy..." more

Suppliers of DNA May Soon be Compensated With Potentially Vital Information

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 14:17:02 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...This process of informational exchange will inevitably present many challenges. While "a special oversight board including geneticists, ethicists and advocates weighs whether the data are scientifically valid enough to share with interested families," it remains to be seen whether the tangled web of U.S. insurance providers... will" more

When Finance Takes Over Procurement

Fri, 28 May 2010 23:22:06 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...if you look at research reports from The Big Five, Hackett, McKinsey and others, it's pretty clear that managing volatility (e.g., demand, commodity, currency, banking) is a top concern for both CFOs and treasurers...the intersection of these areas falls squarely on the supply side of the business as much as the buy-side. Today, far too few procurement organizations have proven..." more

Expected Customer Momentum in SaaS Area

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:36:44 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...we're coming off the bottom of the recession, and not to mention that fact that the previous quarter is one in which many enterprise software companies often turn in their best performance of the year, this quarter will be very important to watch. In my view, based on the activity that I'm seeing in the market, here are three things I expect from the quarter:.." more

Data Integration, Data Quality and Business Intelligence Rise as Hottest Software Segments

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 22:50:10 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...Why business needs should shape IT architecture, provides a great deal of insight into to why doing so is more important than ever before..." more

Starbuck's Example of Leveraging Procurement to Improve Product Quality

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 16:57:16 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...Starbucks' Johnathon Baker, who serves as VP Global Procurement, raised a very common theme among fast-growing organizations regardless of industry -- the importance of getting past single supplier relationships to maintain continuity of supply..there are other lessons in Starbucks' investment in procurement, given the high trajectory growth curve of the company. For one..." more

Quantifying Risk, Supplier Management and Moving Away From PPV

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 15:12:42 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...supply risk management remains all too often disconnected from category management inside companies and procurement organizations. Yet, according to Beroe's research, 42% of companies claim supply risk is their number one focus area..." more

Is Green Procurement Really a Key Competitive Factor?

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:40:02 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...all companies approaching green procurement should prioritize three things to start. First, expand the definition of what green and sustainable means -- sustainable relationships with suppliers built on trust...Second, make any green program pay for itself out of...Third, focus on program measurement...start by embedding technology at the core to automate..." more

When Data Misleads and Becomes Disruptive

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:40:12 GMT

Jason Busch writes "...organizations of all sizes and sophistication are gaining access to an ever-increasing amount of information to make decisions...more information in and of itself isn’t necessarily a positive thing...Consider, for a minute, the following examples of how data can mislead an organization, potentially lending credence to the ignorance-is-bliss argument:.." more