Cats are simple creatures. (That’s why Contract Management is Simple When You Are a Cat.) As a result, they have one religion, and, cutting to the chase, they have one commandment to offer up for Procurement.
You have to admit that you can’t go wrong with this one!
The first line of the Paris Metro, which was only the fifth subway in the world at the time, opens for operation during the Exposition Universelle. And one hundred and fifteen years later it is the second busiest subway system in Europe (after Moscow).
While not critical from the perspective of moving goods in the supply chain, it is important to remember that the information, finance, and physical supply chains all run on people, who have to get to work, get around, and get things done. Something tough to do in a big, dense, city with well over 10 million people.
However, the rest of us don’t have it so easy. Want to find out what Contract (Lifecycle) Management really entails? Check out the doctor, the prophet, and the maverick‘s CLM 101 series over on Spend Matters +.
A couple of weeks ago, on Canada Day, while LOLCat was proactively learning the pledge of allegiance (which LOLCat will need if Canadians re-elect Harper), Mr. Smith asked what were “The Ten Commandments of Procurement” on Spend Matters that you adhered to that were absolutely, unarguably, true under all conditions.
To get your creative juices flowing, last week, Sourcing Innovation gave you Ten Commandments of Procurement, Christian Style. However, since the statistics say only 30% of you are Christian, SI is going to tackle a few other styles as well because everyone deserves equal opportunity. Today, we’re going to jump to the fifth most followed religion on the planet and give you five commandments, err, precepts, of Procurement, Buddhist Style.
5. I will abstain from being socially irresponsible.
Not only do I respect all people, but I respect the right of all living things to live and I will do my best to make sure that I do not endanger their lives in any way. Not only do I respect my coworkers and their rights and treat them fairly, but I will ensure all suppliers in my supply chain treat their workers the way I treat my coworkers. And I will make extra effort to ensure safe working conditions. I will also focus on minimizing harm to the environment, using renewable materials whenever possible, and doing my best to insure that those renewable materials are protected.
4. I will abstain from being driven by greed.
I realize that a business exists to make money and that my job is to find savings wherever possible, but I will not pursue savings at the expense of harm to my supplier, customers, or partners. Everyone deserves a fair profit. Suppliers should not be at risk of financial insolvency or have to borrow from the local mafia, putting themselves at risk of not only financial, but physical, harm to make payroll. I realize that there are other ways to extract value from the supply chain, such as joint innovation, bundled services, etc. and will pursue these instead of pursuing savings that are not sustainable.
3. I will abstain from collusion or back-room negotiations.
I will not collude with my competitors and form cartels with the intent of keeping prices down in my supply chain, nor will I mislead the supply base by holding an (e-)Auction when the intent is to simply collect market intelligence to renegotiate with the incumbent supplier regardless of the outcome of the auction. I will be open and transparent in my dealings with suppliers and partners at all time.
2. I will abstain from speaking falsely about any supplier or customer.
Even if a supplier performed poorly and cost the organization hard dollars, I will not overstate the poor performance, and be fair and factual in my discussions. Similarly, even if a supplier performs well and saves the organization more dollars than expected, I will not overstate the performance. And I will definitely not talk ill of a good performing supplier or good of a poor performing supplier. Integrity is integral to good procurement and I will aspire to be the best person I can be.
1. I will abstain from ego and vanity and be objective at all times.
While I know more about Procurement than my peers, because that’s my job and expertise, I respect that my peers know more about Marketing, Design, Sales, Risk Management, Compliance, etc. because that is their job and expertise. I will work with them and take into account all of their input when designing and executing an event, using the best ideas and data presented to me. In a true cross-cultural collaboration, the whole is greater than the part and the wisdom of the many will exceed the wisdom of the few, or one.
Only one year and 20 days after its establishment as a town, the City of Halifax was almost completely destroyed by a fire 265 years ago today. Everyone remembers the great Halifax Explosion of 1917 when the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship loaded with explosives, collided with the SS Imo, a Norwegian vessel, caught fire, and burst in a cataclysmic explosion that devastated the Richmond District, killed 2,000, and injured another 9,000. But this wasn’t the first time Halifax was nearly destroyed by fire.
The first time was on July 11, 1750 when Halifax recorded the first fire of major proportion in Canada which almost wiped out the entire town. [Sources: Halifax.ca, FireHouse(.com) and Wikipedia] That’s probably why published fire regulations in Halifax date back to September 29, 1752 and
the Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Service dates all the way back to 1754 and why Nova Scotia lays claim to a host of first in Canadian firefighting, including:
And Halifax came close to being destroyed again in 1786 when a great fire raged in the woods on the outskirt of the city, a fire so great that the town was so enveloped in smoke for many days, as almost to impede business. (Source: History of Halifax City)
In other words, despite the fact that fate apparently wants to burn Halifax to the ground, we Haligonians are tough stock.