'...highly competent purchasing professionals will be needed to measure the performance of the value chain.'
The Purchasing Director of the future
Being the best company, or best economy, means applying value chain management more quickly, simply and reliably than the competition. Value chain managers co-operate, value chains compete. (McGuffog, nd)
Globalisation will be a core element of future strategic alliances and people must be able to function in the new relationships. Management of relationships among customers, suppliers, and competitors will become more important, and highly competent purchasing professionals will be needed to measure the performance of the value chain. Purchasing professionals will need to use sophisticated measures of the performance of the value chain in relation to their corporate strategies.
The quality of a company's staff is often the key differentiator, making it essential that people are treated as long-term assets. (Ellis, 1999)
The skills necessary to negotiate the strategic alliances, partnerships and joint ventures of the future will be very different from those needed to conclude traditional contracts for the supply of goods or services. Company knowledge management and training strategies must incorporate the provision of these new skills as education will be required, particularly for the managers, including training in negotiation, relationship performance assessment and cultural diversity. The complexity of the processes and the difficulty of making decisions will require lifetime learning strategies for employees and leaders. Purchasing professionals will need to adjust to the cultural changes that follow the formation of virtual organisations and have their own career-long learning strategies.
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