Newsletters

On a regular basis we inform you via a Newsletter on interesting topics and events from the field. Not discriminating on source, we strive to give you value content on the topics we care about in our professional lives.

If we’re all so busy, why isn’t anything getting done?
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At least now I know I’m not the only one thinking it!

Recognise this? “We’re drowning in real-time virtual interaction technology, from Zoom to Slack to Teams, plus group texting, WeChat, WhatsApp, and everything in between.”

Oh! And email . …

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9 Routes to Excellence 
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Japanese culture has infused many areas of our life and work for the better.

From music, food, art, poetry, fashion, philosophy, business . . .  

If you have young teen kids, then Anime and Manga art and video will be …

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Thank You & Best Wishes
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I will be brief.

Thank you for your support over the past year, customers, friends, colleagues . . . .

This is always a bittersweet time of year as we spare a thought for so many who are so much …

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What are Phil’s “4 Levers of Value” for Global Business Services?
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We talk a lot about “driving value” for our businesses, but what does that really mean?

How would your CEO define it?

There is a common aspiration across GBS and Shared Services organizations, as well as in Finance, Procurement and …

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Continuous Improvement, Data, Defects and Correlation Confusion
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In every survey of business leaders you read, exploiting data for more effective decision making is rated as one of the TOP priorities.

This is reflected in investments in data architectures and technologies.

But the same business leaders report that

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Procure to Pay (P2P) – Have the Wheels Fallen Off?
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I had a great conversation with a GBS leader on this topic. I share the recording of this below.

“Colleagues in P2P, Procurement Operations and Accounts Payable are working their Christmas baubles off to respond to the demands of management,

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Wise Words from the Farm (and Behavioural Science) . . .
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Best wishes to all our US colleagues who are still waist deep, or recovering from, the Thanksgiving turkey dinner (vegetarian options are available!).

Meanwhile, the international business and technology community finds itself with two business days running at a slightly …

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Effective AI is Challenging, Responsible AI is Critical
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Dr Tom Gruber is a former Stanford AI researcher, AI product designer and entrepreneur, co-founder and Head of Design for the team that created Siri, then an Apple executive and subsequently a board advisor and chief scientist to AI enabled …

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“End to End” Processes, “Shift Left” and the GPO
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“End to end process” alignment, simplification, integration and digitisation is a big element of the “cost vs value” debate that has been running in Global Business Services (GBS) and Finance Operations circles for some time.

Given that GBS, …

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Research Highlights Transformation Challenges for the Best and the “Rest”
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I read an interesting research report from SAP (other software vendors are available 😉) and Oxford Economics this week.

Focused on challenges and successes of both the “Best” and “The Rest” in Procurement Transformation, it raises issues that span far

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