Strategy articles from CPO Agenda.com, the business review for procurement leaders.Successful buyer-supplier partnerships require deep understanding and joint problem-solving. Here's a practical approach to making it happenhttp://www.cpoagenda.com/previous-articles/winter-2006-7/features/winning-together/Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:23:45 GMTWed, 03 Jan 2007 15:45:23 GMTThu, 20 Mar 2008 09:23:45 GMTrestricted82Procurement's contribution to sustainable shareholder value is often far from visible. With financial pressures growing, CPOs need to make the links - and fast http://www.cpoagenda.com/previous-articles/winter-2006-7/features/charting-your-financial-impact/Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:58:32 GMTThu, 18 Jan 2007 10:31:39 GMTFri, 29 Feb 2008 10:58:32 GMTrestricted247Procurement's remit is expanding, but how far should it go? We invited a panel of leading professionals to debate the issue in Europe's capital, Brusselshttp://www.cpoagenda.com/previous-articles/winter-2006-7/features/executive-debate/Fri, 28 Mar 2008 11:54:55 GMTThu, 18 Jan 2007 12:05:41 GMTFri, 28 Mar 2008 11:54:55 GMT249Aligning procurement and supply strategy with brand-building and marketing is vital for long-term success - yet many firms fail to do it http://www.cpoagenda.com/previous-articles/autumn-2006/features/backing-the-brand/Mon, 17 Mar 2008 11:57:57 GMTWed, 31 Jan 2007 09:30:06 GMTMon, 17 Mar 2008 11:57:57 GMT336To unlock the true potential of procurement, effective corporate tax planning must be a key component of your company's strategyhttp://www.cpoagenda.com/previous-articles/autumn-2006/features/tax-and-spend/Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:07:14 GMTWed, 31 Jan 2007 09:58:15 GMTMon, 17 Mar 2008 12:07:14 GMTrestricted337To avoid the risk of bankrupting key suppliers, companies need to ensure that free cash flow is distributed fairly along their value chains http://www.cpoagenda.com/previous-articles/summer-2006/features/sharing-pays-dividends/Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:10:27 GMTTue, 06 Mar 2007 15:47:02 GMTFri, 28 Mar 2008 12:10:27 GMTrestricted519Proactive CPOs thoroughly assess the value of outsourcing some of their procurement activities - even if they then choose not to do it http://www.cpoagenda.com/previous-articles/summer-2006/features/learning-to-let-go/Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:36:02 GMTWed, 07 Mar 2007 11:58:15 GMTMon, 17 Mar 2008 16:36:02 GMT539If close relationshipswith strategically important suppliers are to flourish, then creating a shared and more inclusive vocabulary is essentialhttp://www.cpoagenda.com/previous-articles/summer-2006/features/talk-a-common-language/Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:18:07 GMTThu, 08 Mar 2007 10:12:15 GMTMon, 17 Mar 2008 17:18:07 GMT549The car giant's European purchasing boss talks about its 'tough but fair' approach to supplier relationships, and the challenges of applying this model outside Japanhttp://www.cpoagenda.com/previous-articles/spring-2007-issue/features/the-toyota-wayspring/Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:17:33 GMTTue, 20 Mar 2007 14:52:16 GMTThu, 28 Feb 2008 15:17:33 GMT640Global research reveals that a lack of alignment between customers and their most important suppliers is restricting long-term value creationhttp://www.cpoagenda.com/previous-articles/spring-2007-issue/features/getting-closer-to-key-suppliersspring/Sat, 29 Mar 2008 16:38:47 GMTFri, 30 Mar 2007 11:02:43 GMTSat, 29 Mar 2008 16:38:47 GMT761Supplier relationship management is becoming a strategic battleground within organisations. And procurement isn't the only function jostling for supremacyhttp://www.cpoagenda.com/previous-articles/spring-2007-issue/features/a-winning-positionspring/Sat, 29 Mar 2008 16:39:44 GMTFri, 30 Mar 2007 11:53:15 GMTSat, 29 Mar 2008 16:39:44 GMT763Everybody in business these days, it seems, wants to be 'world class'. But what does this mean in practice? In the first of six CPO Agenda Executive Debates taking place in major European cities during 2007, we invited a panel of British procurement leaders to London to discuss the issuehttp://www.cpoagenda.com/previous-articles/spring-2007-issue/features/executive-debatespring/Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:32:40 GMTFri, 30 Mar 2007 14:42:48 GMTFri, 29 Feb 2008 10:32:40 GMT766It’s competitive, it’s threatening and, to some, it’s sinister. Welcome to the world of the Black Box, the Deal Shaper, the Discoverer and the Maestrohttp://www.cpoagenda.com/previous-articles/summer-2007-issue/features/thinking-on-a-different-levelsummer/Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:58:38 GMTWed, 13 Jun 2007 09:51:15 GMTMon, 31 Mar 2008 11:58:38 GMTrestricted1142Getting optimum value from major suppliers requires a more sophisticated approach to negotiation skills and behaviourhttp://www.cpoagenda.com/previous-articles/autumn-2007-issue/features/negotiating-with-strategic-partners-autumn/Thu, 28 Feb 2008 10:31:40 GMTTue, 09 Oct 2007 14:10:35 GMTThu, 28 Feb 2008 10:31:40 GMTrestricted4235CPOs are having to contend with soaring prices for many commodities. But there are strategies that can mitigate the impacthttp://www.cpoagenda.com/previous-articles/autumn-2007-issue/features/upward-pressure-autumn/Thu, 21 Feb 2008 16:27:29 GMTTue, 09 Oct 2007 15:56:00 GMTThu, 21 Feb 2008 16:27:29 GMTrestricted4254Choosing the right form of collaborative buying can be a confusing project. Here's a model to help guide the decision-making processhttp://www.cpoagenda.com/previous-articles/autumn-2006/features/strength-in-numbers/Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:20:01 GMTFri, 19 Oct 2007 15:13:02 GMTMon, 17 Mar 2008 12:20:01 GMTrestricted4789Lean Six Sigma techniques can drive real improvements in supplier relationship management projects, and deliver significant business resultshttp://www.cpoagenda.com/previous-articles/spring-2006/features/a-perfect-match/Tue, 18 Mar 2008 13:02:11 GMTThu, 01 Nov 2007 13:58:47 GMTTue, 18 Mar 2008 13:02:11 GMTrestricted5163Organisational design is a minefield for the unwary. Adopting a more systematic and authoritative approachis central to the success of CPOshttp://www.cpoagenda.com/previous-articles/winter-2005-issue/features/managing-the-matrix/Tue, 18 Mar 2008 13:09:54 GMTFri, 02 Nov 2007 14:34:35 GMTTue, 18 Mar 2008 13:09:54 GMTrestricted5259Bouncing back quickly from a supply chain disruption requires careful planning and design, strong supplier relationships and a flexible culturehttp://www.cpoagenda.com/previous-articles/winter-2005-issue/features/weathering-the-storm/Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:02:07 GMTFri, 02 Nov 2007 15:02:19 GMTTue, 18 Mar 2008 21:02:07 GMT5265Big cost savings may be the draw, but investing time and effort to find the right Chinese suppliers and build strong relationships will pay off in the long runhttp://www.cpoagenda.com/previous-articles/winter-2005-issue/features/in-china-for-the-long-haul/Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:09:39 GMTFri, 02 Nov 2007 15:07:52 GMTTue, 18 Mar 2008 21:09:39 GMTrestricted5267