While we don’t have as many events to choose from this week as we did last week, the topics are fantastic. In fact, neither of the webinars I’m recommending is a straight on procurement-directed event. Taking in information on leading general business topics not only helps us come up with progressive ideas, it also keeps our eyes focused on the big picture of enterprise performance.

If you’re looking to plan your webinar schedule beyond this week, I recommend “Risk is on the Rise, But Your Head Count is Not — How to Build a Business Case” from Lexis Nexis and Spend Matters’ Pierre Mitchell on October 25th at 2pm ET.

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“…we need to be prepared to think the unthinkable, even if we subsequently have no plan to deal with it now, as we may have in the future.” (p. 62) Soft Skills for Hard Business by David Loseby (FCMI,...

The last full week of September is going to be a busy one. There are 12 webinars taking place in three days and ProcureCon Indirect West will take place Monday through Wednesday in Scottsdale, AZ. A few of our good friends will be there, including Greg Tennyson, Michael Shaw, Joanna Martinez, Phil Ideson, and Bill Michels.

If you’re looking to plan your webinar schedule beyond this week, I recommend RPA -  The BIG Picture 2018 from IRPA AI and Virtual Operations on October 10th at 12n ET.

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A Guide to Positive Disruption: How to Thrive and Make an Impact in the Churn of Today’s Corporate World by Joanna Martinez delivers a striking combination of advice, tough love, and hope. With this o...

This week presented me with a challenge on two levels – it was hard to select just three of the nine fantastic webinars taking place in the next few days, but it was just as difficult to decide which longer term event to suggest. At the end of the day, I compromised on a tie; both of the following events look amazing:

• The Future of Procurement: Why is Technology Lagging Behind? (ATK, IACCM, SirionLabs, Forbes) on September 25th at 11am ET
• The HFS Super Machine Learning Debate (HfS Research) on October 5th at 11am ET

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“The only time they don’t say ‘Drop your pants’  now is at the Christmas party.” (p. 10, Epstein on sales' common interations with procurement))   The Ultimate Showdown Sales vs Procurement:...

“Efficient, effective, risk-centric, and risk-adjusted third party lifecycle and risk management is a new and distinct way of doing business. How your company approaches any major change like this one...

Between the new technologies available and the tidal wave of talented individuals with people analytics experience, companies can now see their entire workforce in new and exciting ways. But while mos...

Although webinars are primarily a ‘sit back and listen’ format, this week’s recommended webinars are all designed to SPUR you into action! There’s only so much talking procurement can do before the conversation turns to measurable results, and there is a lot of work to do if we are going to deliver in line with procurement’s full potential.

If you’re planning a little further out, I recommend “Putting Data at the Center of Digital Procurement” with ISM and Zycus on September 18th at 2pm ET.

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Globalization has transformed the world into one big economy. Capitalist theory suggests that markets in an open and healthy economy promote widespread well-being by increasing competition and ensurin...

The August ISM-New York Report on Business was released on September 5th at 9:45am Eastern and is available for download here.

Like the other ISM reports, the ISM-New York Report on Business is compiled as diffusion indices –we add the percent of positive responses to one-half of those responding that conditions remained the same.  A reading of 50.0 means no change from the prior month, greater than 50.0 indicates a faster pace of activity, and less than 50.0 a slower rate. Each month is not so much a reading of the current level of activity as it is an indication of growth or contraction from the previous month.

A note specific to the New York Metro area, where all of this report’s respondants are located: they are predominantly in professional services industries. It is important to keep this in mind when we think about the context for the trends being reported by these particular purchasing managers.

I thought this week might be so quiet that there wouldn’t be any webinars to recommend… Wrong-O! Monday will be a ghost town in most of the U.S. because of the Labor Day holiday, but things pick right back up for the rest of the week. Next week is already busy too, with 8 webinars and one conference already on the calendar.

If you’re planning a little further out, I invite you to spend an hour of time with Phil Ideson (Art of Procurement) and I on September 11th or 12th. We’ve scheduled 3 live, virtual workshops that cover every conceivable time zone, so you really have no excuse not to be at one! By the end of the hour, you’ll have completed your own unique procurement catalyst plan for action – so have a pen and paper handy! Click here for more information.

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For being the last ‘official’ week of summer, there are quite a few events listed – including two strong late additions, one from the Economist Intelligence Unit and another from IACCM. I’m not listing the EIU event on Mexico as one of my core recommendations, but I’ve already registered to attend – and for 2 reasons: 1. I’m a news junkie and want to get a business perspective on Andrés Manuel López Obrador (or “AMLO”), Mexico’s new leader, and 2. anyone in supply chain in North America owes it to themselves to understand the implications of such major a political shift.

If you’re planning a little further out, I recommend “Taming the Long Tail - The Strategic Opportunity in Indirect Spend” from SIG and Bonfire on September 13th at 1pm ET. This webinar touches on a theme I’ve been thinking and writing about for a while now, that the path to strategic procurement goes straight through (not away from) our tactical responsibilities.

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It was really hard selecting just three events to recommend this week – even the webinars that I’m not highlighting below sound fantastic. They include a Supply Chain Now Radio event on attracting top supply chain talent and an ISM/LexisNexis event on applying the PESTLE framework. We also have ProcureCon Direct taking place in San Diego, CA on Tuesday and Wednesday.

If you’re planning a little further out, I recommend “How a Leading Wine Producer Is Making Digital Order Management a Reality” from HfS Research on September 6th at 11am ET. Come for the wine, stay for the digitalization.

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After a clear events calendar last week, we’re back – and with five events to choose from! I’ve also started adding some great events for September, including AI and manufacturing, next generation operating models, and community intelligence. Take a look and get something in your schedule to start the fall off right.

If you’re planning a little further out, I recommend “Securing the Internet of Things” from SIG and Mayer Brown on September 25th at 1pm ET.

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The July ISM-New York Report on Business was released on August 2nd at 9:45am Eastern and is available for download here.

Like the other ISM reports, the ISM-New York Report on Business is compiled as diffusion indices –we add the percent of positive responses to one-half of those responding that conditions remained the same.  A reading of 50.0 means no change from the prior month, greater than 50.0 indicates a faster pace of activity, and less than 50.0 a slower rate. Each month is not so much a reading of the current level of activity as it is an indication of growth or contraction from the previous month.

A note specific to the New York Metro area, where all of this report’s respondants are located: they are predominantly in professional services industries. It is important to keep this in mind when we think about the context for the trends being reported by these particular purchasing managers.

This week and next are slow in terms of virtual events, maybe because we’re changing the calendar to August on Wednesday? There is a live event though – ProcureCon Contingent Staffing taking place in Minneapolis, MN on Tuesday and Wednesday. I’ll also be releasing the July ISM-New York Report on Business results and commentary on Thursday, so the week isn’t going to be completely quiet.

If you’re planning a little further out, I recommend “Fundamental Philosophies in Negotiation for Buyer and Seller”, being hosted by SCN Radio, TalentStream, and APICS Atlanta and presented by my good friend Mark Bilgin on August 24th. Sign up now while you’re thinking of it!

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Procurement organizations often note one pursuit above all else: getting a seat at the table. I think we have coined this phrase more than any other in the procurement space in the last decade. If you...

We’re slowly chugging through the summer – in fact, next week’s recommendations will move into August. Actually, we’re already there in a way, because my long term recommendation for this week is just before Labor Day weekend: “Supply Chain and Safety: The Imperative of Partnering to Effectively Manage Contractor Performance and Risk” from ISM and Veriforce on August 29th.

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This week’s webinar cover a wide range of topics, with a healthy dose of creativity scooped on top! If you’re planning a little further out, I’d like to invite you to join me for a panel-format webinar hosted by Tradeshift on August 16th at 2pm ET: The 5 Most Expensive Mistakes AP Can Make – And How To Avoid Them. Dena Weinstein, Global Controller at Tradeshift, Richard Porcaro, VP Procurement at ChainIQ and I will discuss how AP teams can become a driving force for positive cash flow. Mark your calendar!

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