Articles | A.T. Kearney PAS

Dec		The Big Challenge is Big Data in 2013 Bank Systems & Technology Without the capacity to mine mountains of customer data across multiple channels, banks won't be able to offer the integrated and consistent multi-channel experience customers demand today. By Eric Stettler

2012 Special Issue		In a Holding Pattern CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly Although there are some bright spots in the air cargo market, generally flat cargo volumes coupled with increasing capacity are keeping things fairly calm for now. By Josh Brogan

2012 Special Issue		Hungry for a Better Strategy CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly Traditional approaches to transportation management won't stand up in today's truck transportation market. Shippers and carriers need a new recipe for doing business together. By Michael Zimmerman

Sep/Oct		What Makes an Effective CPO? Supply Chain Mangement Review A recent A.T. Kearney study shows that industry leaders increasingly use a variety of metrics to establish the link between procurement savings and overall business performance, including unit cost, inventory levels, total cost of ownership, and days payable. By Kate Hart and Enrico Rizzon

Jul/Aug		Challenged by Complexity? Quantify It! Supply Chain Management Review Complexity is a fact of business life today. It cannot be eliminated. Firms that know how to manage complexity are typically their industry's leaders. What do these companies know that others have yet to learn? By Khalid Khan

Mar/Apr		The Case for Supplier Development Supply Chain Management Review Companies need a focused supplier development program as part of their overall Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) intiative to manage risk and promote cost savings. By Mike Hales and Raj Arumugam

Mar 27		Procurement Performance Management – mehr als nur KPI's… BME Externe Ausgaben sind oft einer der größten Kostenblöcke in Unternehmen. Folgerichtig werden aus der Einkaufstätigkeit harte monetäre Effekte erwartet. Was ist nun der „richtige“ Wertbeitrag des Einkaufs für das Unternehmen und wie kann er glaubhaft nachgewiesen werden? Welche Ressourcen werden für die Einkaufserfolge aufgewendet? Oder kurz: Wie wird der Einkauf richtig gesteuert? By Peter Scharbert

Nov		Driving Spend Management Through Advanced Analytics Supply Chain Management Review Companies that have been successful in implementing a spend management process have done so by building a sophisticated analytical approach into their procurement and sourcing functions. By Amy Still, Stacy Rhone and Debra Rosenbaum

Oct		Assessment of Excellence in Procurement Study: Focus on Australia CIPS Australia A.T. Kearney's Assessment of Excellence in Procurement (AEP) is one of the most comprehensive studies in the supply management industry. Produced every three to four years and including global organisations from various industries, the AEP provides a broad, complete view of procurement's current state and future trends. In 2011, CISPA partnered with A.T. Kearney to better understand the Australian market as it compares to other markets. By Enrico Rizzon

Autumn		Matters arising: How to increase spend compliance CPO Agenda Despite the pressure to cut costs, procurement organisations still face opposition to initiatives to channel indirect spend through preferred suppliers. By Carrie Ericson

Sep/Oct		The Evolution of Supply Management Supply Chain Management Review The supply management function—and the professionals working in it—have made steady progress from an administrative afterthought to a strategic driver of business success. By Carrie Ericson, Simon Rycraft

Sep		Time To Tell Your CPOs to Collaborate With Suppliers Industry Week How to create value by collaborating inside and outside the organization. Today, reducing costs is no longer enough. Companies want value and they want their chief procurement officers (CPOs) to deliver it. How can CPOs get the job done? By first identifying and then collaborating with their key suppliers. By Mike Hales, Oliver Zeranski, Hendrik Disteldorf PDF \| Kindle \| iPad

Aug		Decision Point Supply IN Demand, supplement to Inside Supply Management Start your career path off on the right foot by carefully choosing your first job. An A.T. Kearney Procurement & Analytic Solutions souring analyst discusses how she selected the best employer that met career goals. By Amanda DeCook

Mar/Apr		Driving Top-Down Change from the Bottom Up Supply Chain Management Review Most center-led procurement organizations have a "to do" list of planned improvement opportunities that are expected to be significant sources of benefit. However, no matter how significant the savings are, most organizations encounter problems when they try to drive standard procurement and supply chain processes from the top down. By Kristen Etheredge, Damon Beyer

Mar/Apr		Value Focused Supply, Linking Supply to Business Strategies Supply Chain Management Review The ongoing pressure to cut sourcing and procurement costs is certainly understandable. But simply saving money on external spend will no longer be enough to survive, let alone prosper, in the years ahead. What's needed instead is a new, longer-term approach that closely links supply management with business strategies. By Robert Monczka, John Blascovich, Leslie Parker and Tom Slaight

Jan		Building an Effective Knowledge Management Programme VIP Magazine Hugo Evans and Helen Clegg discuss how they have had the opportunity to build a knowledge management programme and embed it into the core operations of A.T. Kearney Procurement & Analytic Solutions. By Hugo Evans and Helen Clegg This article has been reused with the permission of Free Pint Limited, publisher of VIP. All other rights reserved.

Jan		Toward Excellence in Compliance Management Supply Chain Management Review The best procurement compliance programs combine people, process, and technology to gain proactive end user compliance across the organization. By Carrie Ericson and Falyne Chave

Nov 1		Sourcing Success Under Tight Time Pressure Supply Chain Management Review Guidelines can help supply management professionals "do the right thing" and "do things right" in a hectic, time-pressured environment. By Chris Ahn, Ricardo Ruiz-Huidobro, Kumar Venkataraman, and Michael Hu

Autumn		Staying Close to Shore CPO Agenda Three years ago, expectations were high for a massive expansion in the outsourcing of indirect procurement. So what happened? By Jan-Fokke van den Bosch and Simon Rycraft

Oct/Nov		Indirect Procurement: Too Many Missed Opportunities Inside Supply Management While the expected trends in indirect procurement are progressing more slowly than anticipated, new areas of savings and value creation are apparent. By Jan Fokke van den Bosch, Alec Bounds, Simon Rycraft and Julia Trampel

Sep/Oct		Jump-Starting Your eSourcing Program Supply Chain Management Review For those procurement organizations still playing catch-up when it comes to eSourcing, all is not lost. The leaders have shown the way. By Carrie Ericson and Gregg Brandyberry

Jul 1		Putting the "I" in "Team" Supply & Demand Chain Executive Five keys to solidifying your reputation as an "i"nfluential supply management executive By Mark Clouse and Chris Windfelder

May/Jun		Mending the Broken Link in Healthcare: A New Approach to Sourcing Durable Medical Equipment Supply & Demand Chain Executive A case study on utilizating collaboration optimization for the healthcare industry. By Carrie Ericson and Dia Lasisi

Spring		Is There a Hole in your Synergy Strategy Bucket? CPO Agenda During mergers and acquisitions, procurement has a critical role in ensuring that IT costs are kept to a minimum and that software lives up to expectations in the new organisation. By Simon Rycraft and Claude Fidelin

Jan/Feb		iCPO, We've Got an App for That! Supply Chain Management Review The building blocks for change in the supply management space are firmly in place. They are so solid, in fact, that the pace of change is accelerating faster than most people had anticipated. What does the future hold for tomorrow's procurement leaders? This look into a day in the life of our iCPO, circa 2016, provides a glimpse. By Carrie Ericson, Hugo Evans and Joe Raudabaugh

Jan/Feb		Planning for Success in 2010 Supply Chain Management Review A few key planning steps can lead to supply management strategies that will jump start the New Year, as well as success for longer-term objectives. By Carrie Ericson, Simon Rycraft, Kunal Mehta, and James Rooke

Jul 1		Optimize Your Contract Labor Supply Chain Management Review Companies can maximize cost savings and productivity improvement by ensuring that the "right number" of contractors with the "right skills" are the "right match" for the work at the "right price". By Kristen Etheredge, Suzanne Dorf and Tejal Thakkar

May 1		Outperforming the Market Price Reduction In a period of declining market prices, procurement organizations must deliver and measure price reductions in excess of the market, while exceeding goals for quality, service, and innovation. By Marc Hochman and John Moyer

Mar 1		Procurement's Chance to Shine Supply Chain Management Review Procurement professionals today have a huge opportunity to make a powerful impact on business performance. By Marc Hochman and Robert Boll

Jan 1		The Great CIO/CPO Collaboration Opportunity Supply Chain Management Review The potential benefits of a strong alliance between the chief procurement and information officers are enormous. Heightened operational efficiency, greater individual recognition, and superior business results are just the beginning. By Carrie Ericson, Mirko Martich and Juan Llanos

Winter 2008-09		How the Stars Shine Brighter CPO Agenda Despite volatile market conditions, a major new study shows that stand-out procurement functions continue to extend their reach and value contribution. By Wolfgang Steck and Simon Rycraft

Nov 1		Crafting a Successful Global Strategy Supply Chain Management Review The pace of globalization continues to foster opportunities, challenges, and uncertainties for companies around the globe. World exports grew more than two times as fast as world GDP growth from 2000 to 2006, and the trend is consistent across all regions and industries. By Mirko Martich, Sean Monahan and Sumit Chandra

Oct 1		Supply Quality: Today's Pressing Priorities Supply Chain Management Review In today’s global environment, assuring product quality throughout the supply chain has become more important—and more difficult—than ever. The guidelines presented here can help companies meet that challenge. By David Hanfland

Sep 1		Buying in a Sellers’ Market Supply Chain Management Review Suppliers have become more powerful than ever, which means buyers must adjust quickly to a new playing field. To help supply management professionals make that adjustment, A.T. Kearney has developed The Purchasing Chessboard. By Christian Schuh and Ramon Romero Perez

Aug 1		Podcasting: A New Way to Create, Capture and Disseminate Intellectual Capital Information Outlook In today’s web 2.0 world, leading-edge organizations need to harness the many different ways of capturing knowledge. By Helen Clegg and Susan Montgomery

Jul/Aug		Accelerating the Procurement Transformation Supply Chain Management Review With certain key success factors in place, you can speed the transition from a tactical paper-pushing procurement function to a strategic supply chain organization. By Carrie Ericson
May/Jun		Huge Potential in Contract Labor Substitution Supply Chain Management Review As companies battle to reduce costs and improve cash flow, some are finding that a new approach to contact labor can deliver significant results. By Mike Hales and Christian Hagen

Apr 1		Get Control of Your Inventory Supply & Demand Chain Executive To a chief financial officer, inventory is often a line item on the balance sheet that measures inventory turns against the income statement. This COGS analysis provides an overall view of how much inventory is held across the company's supply chain. What it doesn't provide are the reasons why the inventory is there in the first place. By Sumit Chandra, Mirko Martich, Shalin Shah and Kumar Venkataraman

Jan/Feb		Low-Cost-Country Sourcing eSide Supply Management Maturing labor and supply markets. Rising costs of delivered goods. Increased supply chain risks. Growing awareness of environmental impact. All these factors herald Latin America's rising popularity as a low-cost-country sourcing alternative to Asia. By Ricardo Ruiz-Huidorbo

Dec 13		Tailor Catalogs to Capture Savings Purchasing.com Most companies put enormous effort into clinching the sourcing deal with a supplier, but less effort into teaching employees outside the procurement organization how to buy under the new contract terms. Online catalogs can solve the problem. By Randy Watson and Suman Sakar

Nov 1		The Sustainable Supply Chain Supply Chain Management Review The best companies view sustainability not only as a chance to contribute to social goals, but also as a powerful source of competitive advantage. By Daniel Mahler

Nov 1		The Future of Suppy Chain Management - Part 3: Oganization + Talent Supply Chain Management Review What lies ahead for supply management? Part 3 focuses on the future organizational structure for supply management and the related talent considerations. By Philip L. Carter (Executive Director for CAPS Research) and Joseph R. Carter (Department of Supply Chain Management for W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University)

Oct 1		The Future of Suppy Chain Management - Part 2:Technology, Collaboration, Supply Chain Design Supply Chain Management Review What lies ahead for supply management? Part two of this three-part series examines this critical question within the contexts of enabling technology, collaborative relationships,and supply chain design. By Thomas H. Slaight, John D. Blascovich and Joseph R. Carter (Department of Supply Chain Management for W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University)

Oct 1		What Supply Management Can Learn from MySpace Supply Chain Management Review The social networking technologies our teenagers have embraced possess capabilities that can be leveraged to tackle some tough supply management challenges. By Joe Raudabaugh

Sep 1		The Future of Suppy Chain Management - Part 1: Category Strategies and Supplier Management Supply Chain Management Review What’s in store for supply management—and supply management professionals—in thedecade ahead? An in-depth study conducted by CAPS Research, the Institute for Supply Management, and A.T. Kearney tackled this question head on. In this first of a three-part series, presented are the findings on two key areas of the research: category strategies and supplier management. By Robert M. Monczka and William J. Markham

Sep 1		Key Partner Management Supply Chain Management Review Taken cost reduction with your supply base as far as it will go? The next level is to build partnerships with key suppliers that add real value to the relationship. By Mike Hales

May/Jun		New Technologies Boost Procurement’s Potential Supply Chain Management Review By leveraging the capabilities of today’s technologies, supply management leaders can enhance the value they deliver to their organizations. By Marc Hochman

May 1		Succeeding in a Dynamic World: Supply Management in the Decade Inside Supply Management Finding report on A.T. Kearney, CAPS Research, and ISM study on the future of supply management. By the Editorial Staff

Apr 1		Taming the Corporate Legal Spend Supply Chain Management Review What’s needed is a total cost view that targets equal improvements in both the rates (prices) and quantity (number of hours) of the legal services provided. By Daniel Mahler

Apr 1		From CPO to CEO Inside Supply Management The road to the corner office may not be such a long haul after all, based on a recent advancements by supply management professionals. By John Blascovich

Mar 1		Bringing Rigor to Risk Management Supply Chain Management Review Risk management takes on a challenging new dimension in today's extended supply chains. Meeting that challenge begins with a robust planning process. By Kish Khemani

Winter 2006-2007		Value-Based Sourcing: Comparing Apples with Oranges CPO Agenda A.T. Kearney consultant Jules Goffre explains how moving from a sourcing process based on minimising cost to one based on maximising value means embracing supplier differences. By Jules Goffre

Jan/Feb		Want a More Flexible Supply Chain? Supply Chain Management Review Risk management takes on a challenging new dimension in today's extended supply chains. Meeting that challenge begins with a robust planning process. Randy Garber & Suman Sarkar

Jun 1		How to write an RFP for Information Products Information Outlook A.T. Keareny Knowledge Mangement Experts share compelling insights on how to write a sound RFP. By Helen Clegg and Susan Montgomery

Mar/Apr		Complex Services and Strategic Sourcing Unite Electric Perspectives Companies in many industries use strategic sourcing to develop long-term relationships with contractors. The objective is to plan and manage procurement of products or services from a systemwide “strategic” level to complement a company’s larger goals. In most cases, by sourcing from a strategic level instead of purchasing materials and services on a localized, as-needed basis, companies have cut procurement costs from 5 to 10 percent per year on average. By Vance Scott & Everett Johnson

Spring		Thinking Outside the Box CPO Agenda CPOs can help their firms escape the clutches of patent-protected, monopolistic suppliers using a process called 'invention on demand'. By Christian Schuh and Boris Piwinger

Dec 1		Seven Steps to Sourcing Information Products Information Outlook By Helen Clegg and Susan Montgomery

Oct 6		Eprocurement Supply Management By Haydn Jones

Jun 1		Out with the Old European Leaders in Procurement Handing your procurement functions over to a third party to source and manage can make a huge difference to your organization's efficiency, but only if you get it right. By Haydn Jones

Spring		Scaling New Heights CPO Agenda What separates the leaders from the followers in procurement today? A major benchmarking study offers some answers. By Jules Goffre, Wim Plaizier and Jesper Schade

Dec 1		The ROI Case for e-Sourcing Supply & Demand Chain Executive Procurement professionals increasingly are turning to e-sourcing tools to help them save time by accelerating their strategic sourcing efforts. By Carrie Ericson