Inside Supply Management Magazine

Procuring a Preview: January/February Issue

January 03, 2018

With the new year comes a new blog feature: A sneak preview of the articles you’ll read in the upcoming issue of Inside Supply Management®, which is published nine times a year by Institute for Supply Management® (ISM®). Accordingly, the preview blog will be posted the first week of these months: January, March, April, May, June, August, September, October and November.

The January/February issue, due to your inboxes the second week of January and your mailboxes a few days afterward, offers a look at the new year and beyond.

“Cruise Control,” by publications coordinator Dan Zeiger, delves into the state of the U.S. economy. As you can guess from the headline, we’re operating in cruise control — which is likely to continue, but not without a few concerns and considerations, one of which is trade. Read what Timothy R. Fiore, CPSM, C.P.M., Chair of ISM’s Manufacturing Business Survey Committee; Anthony Nieves, CPSM, C.P.M., A.P.P., CFPM, Chair of ISM’s Non-Manufacturing Business Survey Committee; and other economic experts have to say regarding the coming year’s potential economic shocks and expected supply chain impacts.

Fiore and Nieves offer a further look at how the manufacturing and non-manufacturing sectors are performing in “Economic Recovery Expected to Continue,” an article that details ISM®’s Fall 2017 Semiannual Economic Forecast. Learn whether executives predict greater or lower revenues, their expectations about capital expenditures and labor and benefit costs, as well as other highlights from the report.

The economy’s effect on supply management is only one of the issues facing today’s executives. Cybersecurity threats are another. In “Balancing Security and Privacy in an Innovative World,” authors Adriana Sanford, J.D., dual LL.M., and Wilfried Grommen state there is a greater need for legal restrictions regarding the obtaining and use of sensitive personal data. They discuss the increasing use of biometric identification programs and such landmark privacy rulings and legislation as (1) the India Supreme Court’s 2017 decision on the right to privacy and (2) the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, slated to go into effect in May.

Technological innovations also are changing the supply management landscape, today and into the future. In “Demystifying Digitization,” the cover story by publications coordinator Sue Doerfler, learn why and how digital technologies have changed in recent years. David Natoff, a procurement and finance operations executive who heads his own advisory practice, offers thoughts on how procurement organizations need to embrace these technologies to be successful in the future.

Driving success — by developing a global vision and focusing in peak performance — is the focus of ISM2018, ISM’s Annual Conference, on May 6-9 in Nashville, Tennessee. Read all about the Conference in “Furthering Supply Management Excellence,” including the learning sessions, which are divided into six tracks — Direct, Indirect, Challenges, Fulfillment, People and Digitization. You’ll also find out how to tailor and make the most of your Conference experience.

The January/February issue offers additional insights about:

●Changes in the profession. In “How Supply Management Has Changed Over the Years,” author Tony Noe, CPSM, CPSD, C.P.M., A.P.P., CIRM, discusses how the name of the profession has evolved, training has become more applicable and global markets have increased our awareness and understanding of procurement.

●The increasing use of online customer reviews in B2B purchasing decisions. In “A New Take on Customer Reviews,” authors Michelle D. Steward, Ph.D., James A. Narus, Ph.D., and Michelle L. Roehm, Ph.D., talk about their research — and findings — on the subject.

●Supply management and M&As: Authors Kevin Linderman, Ph.D., and David Wohler talk about four capabilities that enable organizations to improve performance in “Supply Management Can Play a Valuable Role in an M&A.”

●Sourcing: “Understanding Multitier-Sourcing Behavior” by Sangho Chae, Ph.D., Benn Lawson, Ph.D., Thomas J. Kull, Ph.D., and Thomas Choi, Ph.D., delves into managing supply and supplier risks.

The January/February issue is filled with other must-know information, including the December 2017 ISM® Report on Business®, showcasing the manufacturing and non-manufacturing indexes; international news on the Markets pages; and our two regular departments: the newsy JIT and logistics-focused Point2Point.

Be sure to look for the upcoming issue in your inbox and mailbox — and share it with a friend or colleague.