
President Trump: Procurement, Supply Chain and Policy Perspectives
Our European readers are likely looking at the news out of the U.S. this morning and feeling shocked in the same way they felt following the Brexit vote. Granted, both elections were equally as close. (Clinton appears to have won the popular vote in the U.S., although the Electoral College makes the election look more […]

WHY AREN’T THERE MORE WOMEN AND MINORITY LEADERS IN HR?
Throughout my lengthy career as a consultant, analyst, thought leader, and independent voice in the HR technology industry, I have been asked quite often why I think there aren’t more women and minority HR professionals in key HR leadership roles. The simple answer is that there aren’t many women and minorities in key HR leadership […]

Intacct’s CEO Robert Reid On Growing A Successful Cloud Business
Selling software to accountants, auditors and Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) takes accuracy, precision and software quality to an entirely new dimension. Having worked at a start-up selling hosted accounting and finance applications to small and medium businesses, I’ve seen first-hand how demanding these professionals can be. And rightly so, the system of record they manage […]

Impressions and Thoughts from a Visit to Greece and Spain
Much has been written about Greece’s repeat elections taking place today, the country’s ongoing financial problems and potential exit from the Euro, as well as the worsening European economies (last week Spain asked for bailout money, Cyprus is next in line to ask, and many believe that Italy will follow). I recently spent a few […]

Understanding the Global Footprint for Electronic Invoicing (Part 1)
Sometimes a picture can tell a thousand words — or a thousand transactions. Electronic transactions, that is. Purchasing Insight’s Pete Loughlin has come up with a simple and useful map that explores electronic invoicing’s global foot…

Common Worries Among Corporations and Governments
Corporations and governments are starting to worry about a common set of related issues. During the last two months I was fortunate to participate in several conversations with top corporate executives and foreign government officials all of whom are visiting Silicon Valley with increasing frequency. The conversations covered topics ranging from innovation and the rapid […]

US Federal Government Seems a Stronger Employer (and Spender) Than All of Manufacturing
For anyone following government spending or manufacturing trends, there’s a fascinating piece in the Wall Street Journal from last week. Authored by Stephen Moore, the piece suggests a radical inversion in jobs growth and creation…

Creating Manufacturing Jobs/Broadening a Domestic Supply Base: Jeff Immelt Alone is Not the Answer
Kudos to Bob Ferrari for picking up on President Obama’s appointment of Jeff Immelt as the leader of an updated Presidential Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. We’re generally fans of GE and Immelt’s recent honest outburst China…

Transparency Will Save Us
Despite all that is wrong with today’s society – and some frightening historical parallels – I remain fundamentally an optimist.