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A near total failure of the Bank of Scotland’s (BoS) computer system caused the closure of all its cash machines and its Internet banking service last week. The three-hour crash came shortly after the bank outsourced all of its computer administration to IBM. BoS insisted the problem was unrelated to the outsourcing deal.

Heinz in ‘auction first’_2

Food producer HJ Heinz has conducted what is thought to be the world’s first online reverse auction for television advertising. Working with auction specialist FreeMarkets, Heinz invited US media outlets, including several national TV companies, to bid to carry adverts for its Bagel Bites range of pizza-topped snacks.

No-blame project launch_2

The British Airports Authority, NHS Estates and the Atomic Weapons Establishment are set to introduce “no-blame” partnering systems that include clients, designers, contractors and suppliers as shareholders in a virtual company. Under the arrangement the company exists for the duration of the project, with all members fully involved and taking an agreed share of the profits.

Fake parts spark action_2

DaimlerChrysler is taking legal action against 20 British companies for selling counterfeit car parts. The car giant has had problems with wheels collapsing, leading it to claim that fake parts can be life-threatening. Rogue component suppliers face a maximum £100,000 fine or 10 years’ imprisonment.

Communities of Commerce_2

Stacey Bressler and Charles Grantham McGraw Hill, £15.99 Rating: 2/5

Spinning out of control_2

Sixty per cent of UK companies’ spend is either uncontrolled or considered to be too process-intensive, according to research by Warwick Business School and Infobank.

The Power of Simplicity_2

Written by two American consultants, this book is a paean to the “power of simplicity”. The authors set the mood in the first chapter when they claim that “Complexity is not to be admired. It’s to be avoided”.

Contemporary Management_2

Many new theories and approaches to the management of the supply chain have been introduced over the past 20 years as purchasing and supply functions have developed to help the organisation cope in a changing environment. This book sets out these many theories and approaches in the context of the wider business effect and the management of that business.

Supply chain investment_2

IBM made a big commitment to the supply chain software market at its global supply chain executive conference last month. The company, which specialises in electronic business, launched a raft of initiatives including a supply chain services practice and a number of joint product marketing programmes with software vendors.

Internet trading buy-up_2

Commerce One, a provider of enterprise procurement systems, has bought Veo systems, a leading solutions provider of Extensible Markup Language (XML)-based open commerce networks. The move is intended to help develop XML business-to-business electronic commerce systems to facilitate Internet trading.