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Small Business News
NOW IS THE TIME TO PREPARE FOR THE UPTURN
Businesses should examine their costs, risks, supply chains and skill sets in preparation for the expected economic upturn, say procurement specialists ADR International. Bill Michels, CEO of ADR North America, says many companies have rationalised, closed plants and “taken drastic steps to adjust staffing to meet reduced demand.”
In the latest eBulletin from ADR International, Michels says stimulus funds are now being released, financial markets are beginning to unfreeze and banks are starting to pay back government loans.
This presents opportunities for businesses to rethink and restructure their approaches to procurement and supply management. This could include organising teams with a core focus on cost and value improvement, automating administrative tasks and outsourcing management of low-value expenditures.
“As we see the recovery of the economy, there will be limited time to capture the short-term opportunities available from the economic recession,” Michels says.
Rebecca Howard, Director of ADR Learning, the training and development division of ADR International, highlights the thinking of US training guru Donald Kirkpatrick in her piece for the eBulletin.
Kirkpatrick’s methodology, based on four levels of evaluation, ensures that your training is effective and “produces learning that people can go straight back to their workplaces and put into action,” Howards says.
She concludes: “The nub of what Kirkpatrick says is: it's the results that count. If you're spending money on training and development you want to know that it will make a real difference.”
The eBulletin also highlights the new ADR Academy, launched by ADR North America with the US Institute for Supply Management. It offers low-cost modules in key areas of procurement and supply management on the Internet (www.adracademy.com).
by: Editor
16th Jul 2009
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