The principles of purchasing should not be forgotten when entering electronic auctions, warns Roy Ayliffe
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Computer company Dell has axed its European non-production purchasing department as part of a restructuring exercise. Marina Pedler, Dell’s head of European purchasing, and Simon Jones, its UK purchasing manager, have been laid off as part of the reorganisation, which also saw 100 jobs lost in other departments in Europe.
There are still uncertainties surrounding the new body for public finance initiative deals, warns Charles Cox
Telecommunications regulator Oftel has announced plans to publish information about complaints from users of telecom companies. The data will include the issues and companies that are the subject of most complaints from users.
Finance, trade and procurement facilitator Crown Agents has opened an office in Tirana, in order to handle the Japanese government’s grant aid of 0.8 billion yen, equivalent to £4.5 million, to Albania.
Creativity and an ability to “think out of the box” are the skills most valued in procurement staff, according to a new survey.
A study of 35 UK and Europe procurement directors by PricewaterhouseCoopers ranked these qualities above traditional negotiation skills.
A study of 35 UK and Europe procurement directors by PricewaterhouseCoopers ranked these qualities above traditional negotiation skills.
It is clearly useful to identify trends and take appropriate action. Human beings are noted for both their innate ability to complicate matters, and their apparently equally innate desire for a grand theory of everything to explain and manage that complexity.
Employers have been warned they could lose 80 per cent of graduate recruits within five years if they fail to meet expectations. A study by the Association of Graduate Recruiters concluded that firms need to be honest with graduates about the nature of their jobs and offer a balance between work and home life. Advice on career progression was also essential, it said.
Home shopping, the “next thing” in retailing, has disappointed supermarket chain Sainsbury’s, which is abandoning trials outside the M25 area, citing the lack of economies of scale. In London, by contrast, demand is sufficient to justify the company spending between £7 million and £10 million to open a home-shopping delivery centre stocking 15,000 items.
The Ministry of Defence is putting part of its annual £400 million research programme out to tender to the private sector.