Dennis Winkler, Director, Jim Matthews, Managing Consultant, Alsbridge
Executives are all asking similar questions of their shared service organizations (SSO): “How do I get to the next level of shared services and realize more value?” “How do I change my SSO model to expand services and go global?” “How do I drive continuous process improvement initiatives?” “How do I deal with social media …
Outsourcing Center, Karthik Nagendra, Business Writer
Some years ago, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) was going to power supply chain systems to the next level. Retailers like Target, Metro Cash & Carry and Walmart adopted it, only to discover that there were several challenges. Integration with SCM was one—tracking everything down to the last part/unit using RFID was turning out to not …
Simon Shah, Redwood
Today’s business enterprise is in a state of continuous change—the pressure to optimize performance while lowering costs is enormous. The real-time expectations of the ‘now’ economy is no longer limited to manufacturing and shipping but is driven by information services, an increasingly mobile workforce and time-sensitive legislation. This means that quick response, transparency and real-time …
John Harney, Business Writer
What if the New York Times replaced Pulitzer Prize winner Gretchen Morgenson, cited for her “trenchant and incisive Wall Street coverage”, with a writer in India to save four-fifths of her salary? Absurd, you say? Absurd or not, doing so seems to be a developing trend in American newspapers. Though it’s unlikely a writer of …
Robert Joslin, Managing Director, Alsbridge
Hint: 12 Months Out is TOO Late When should you start working on your next outsourcing contract? Many organizations do not address the end of a contract until the last year of its term. The notification period in the contract, typically six t-to12 months, usually triggers this discussion. However I believe this is a mistake. …
Outsourcing Center, Patti Putnicki, Business Writer
The past few years have not been kind to retailers. Sluggish economies, shrinking margins and a more cost-conscious consumer have taken their proverbial toll. “We’ve seen retail sales increase by 5 percent to 6 percent, yet profits declined from 3.5 percent to 2 percent. So, even though stores are selling more, they’re making less,” explained …
Outsourcing Center, Staff Writer
Enterprise IT and compliance groups agree on one thing for certain: their cloud environments could use some work on the security front. Less than half of the 1,018 IT security practitioners and enterprise compliance officers surveyed by the Ponemon Institute, which conducts independent research on privacy, data protection and information security policy, believe their organizations …
Outsourcing Center, Patti Putnicki, Business Writer
It’s not easy being an independent insurance agent these days. Margins are down, the market is soft and direct sellers are promoting a virtual, ‘click-and-pick’ approach to an industry traditionally built on personal relationships and trust. To increase profitability, these agencies have to run lean, automating as many processes as possible. However, even with the …
Linda Tuck Chapman, President, ONTALA Performance Solutions Ltd.
Behind each award-winning global outsourcing relationship is a fascinating story of extraordinary people, excellence in service delivery, lots of sweat equity, some painful bumps in the road, a mutual willingness to constructively solve problems, and trust earned. Contracts were awarded as a result of a competitive bid, so they started with a blank recipe card. …
Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer
Outsourcing rookies, of course, face many challenges in achieving their desired return on investment because their deals often lack one or more elements that are foundational to success. And all outsourcing relationships encounter challenges that arise in unanticipated situations. But what about experienced buyers and relationships that are more mature? What issues arise in their …
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