Research & Insight

Business Challenge

Cost Reduction & Avoidance

We’ve Only Just Begun

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

Jane Drasites, Director, Benefits Delivery for BP Amoco, swears that the first year in an outsourcing relationship is just like a marriage. Some marriages don’t work very well. When Amoco (prior to its merger with BP) signed an agreement in 1993 for Hewitt Associates to handle its HR functions, it was positive it had found the right mate. Unfortunately, they didn’t go for some counseling before they tied the knot, and the honeymoon didn’t last long.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It

Outsourcing Center, Bruce McCracken, Business Writer

As the 20th century closed, the winds of change blew at gale force in marketing and media, harkening the arrival of the Internet. A revolutionary communicative medium was permeating America and the world. The avenues of business were not unlike the midway of a carnival concerning the new marketing channel with barkers shouting strange terms: e Commerce, IT, New Media, Dot Com.

Decreasing Delivery Headaches

Jerri L. Ledford, Business Writer

Any company doing business on a global scale knows what a hassle supply chain management can be. Everything from procurement to receiving becomes a difficult task when multiple currencies, customs departments and logistics are considered. And it’s that difficulty that drove Hong Kong-based global logistics management company, United States Consolidation (USC), Ltd., to look to an outsourcing supplier to ease the pain of supply chain management (SCM).

Supplier Supplies Capital, Engineers to Save Energy and Money

Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer

Farmland Industries, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is the largest co-op agribusiness cooperative in the U.S. In addition to the brand Farmland Foods, the company makes nitrogen- and phosphate-based fertilizers. Because the company uses a tremendous amount of natural gas, it has its own risk management operation. Its energy traders evaluate the price situation, working with various commodity traders, and then take futures positions in the natural gas commodity market.

Getting Started on the Right Foot

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

Success in an outsourcing relationship must be built on the right foundation, and that happens only when the buyer clearly and objectively describes to the supplier exactly what it wants to buy. That’s what Xcel Energy did when it entered into its successful outsourcing relationship with IBM Global Services.

Close Encounters of the HR Kind

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc. (PSEG) is a holding company in the electric and gas business with several affiliate companies in generation and distribution services in 12 countries and in 12 states in the US. Dealing at times with regulation, deregulation and increased competition, this is a company that must set and achieve its goals. One prime target for improvement in the early 1990s focused on human resources.

How to Spend Resources Wisely

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

To survive in our rapidly changing world, companies need agility to make progress in the shifting sands in the business arena. So today’s executives seek advice on how to survive or even get ahead of the pack. One of the most crucial survival tools is outsourcing, and Siemens Business Services (SBS) has a proven track record in helping its clients streamline workflow, reduce costs and improve time to market through outsourcing.

Drexel Deepens Its Impact

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

As the world increasingly becomes defined by technology, Drexel University (DU) is committed to driving innovation and being a leader in technological advancements. Drexel stays in the headlines, having created a number of nationwide firsts. In November 2000, its 62-acre campus became the first major 100% wireless university in the U.S. Other firsts include distribution of speech recognition software to all students and staff, the nation’s first online techno-MBA and an online affinity bank. DU students and faculty have access to a wide array of information technology (IT) resources and support services.

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