There’s a new buzz phrase in the air: Supplier Relationship Management (SRM). Corporate executives know it’s necessary, but there’s only one problem. Nobody yet knows how to do it. Or they think it’s all about bashing your vendors over the head until they reduce the price another 4%. Supplier Relationship Management: How to Maximize Vendor Value and Opportunity changes all that. Containing the best and most innovative advice from the operations and procurement experts at consultant AT Kearney, this book shows that SRM is at root a strategic discussion requiring cross-functional interaction and internal alignment at the highest levels. It requires an honest appraisal of the value that suppliers now bring to your firm, as well as their potential value. It then requires a frank and constructive business-to-business dialogue about how to improve the relationship. When this happens, a company reaps myriad benefits, ranging from new opportunity to added value to competitive advantage—and, quite likely, to overall (and sometimes substantial) cost reductions. This book shows the most concrete methods you can use today to: Identify value-adding opportunities in the supply chain Work closely with suppliers to maximize the benefits Work the "Critical Cluster" of suppliers, where the greatest opportunity for advantage lies Review suppliers to encourage constant gains in quality and cost Turn your SRM strategy into a major competitive advantage Supplier Relationship Management introduces and explains the Supplier Interaction Model, a key tool that will help you get the most from your supplier relationships. It segments the supplier universe into nine categories, from those you want to run away from fast to those so good and so useful to your organization that it can make sense to invest in them directly. Numerous case studies show how to apply the principles to your situation. Supplier Relationship Management burns off the fog that has surrounded the procurement process for far too long. It is the definitive guide for business executives who want to get the maximum benefits from suppliers and gain very real advantages over competitors.

Risk management and contingency planning has really come to the fore since the first edition of this book was originally published. Computer failure, fire, fraud, robbery, accident, environmental damage, new regulations - business is constantly under threat. But how do you determine which are the most important dangers for your business? What can you do to lessen the chances of their happening - and minimize the impact if they do happen? In this comprehensive volume Kit Sadgrove shows how you can identify - and control - the relevant threats and ensure that your company will survive. He begins by asking 'What is risk?', 'How do we assess it?' and 'How can it be managed?' He goes on to examine in detail the key danger areas including finance, product quality, health and safety, security and the environment. With case studies, self-assessment exercises and checklists, each chapter looks systematically at what is involved and enables you to draw up action plans that could, for example, provide a defence in law or reduce your insurance premium. The new edition reflects the changes in the global environment, the new risks that have emerged and the effect of macroeconomic factors on business profitability and success. The author has also included a set of case studies to illustrate his ideas in practice.

Customer Relationship Management: A Global Approach provides a uniquely global, holistic, strategic and tactical grounding in managing customer and other stakeholder experiences and relationships across the value chain, cultures and countries. Reflecting the global structures of companies operating today, the author draws on his research knowledge alongside industry and teaching experience to connect Customer Relationship Management (CRM) core concepts, processes and strategies with international business opportunities and challenges, including globalization and cross-cultural marketing. Emphasis is placed on the need for developing cross-cultural skills and cultural intelligence for identifying and fulfilling cross country CRM opportunities, through analytical, strategic, operational and social CRM projects. Written in an accessible style throughout, the eleven chapters provide ample depth to support a full course related to CRM, spanning: · CRM foundations · planning and implementation · managing stakeholder relationships · improving global CRM implementation Wide-ranging case studies include: Royal Bank of Scotland, the Nike hijab, Instagram, HubSpot and the pharmaceutical industry in India. The text will appeal to advanced undergraduate and graduate students studying CRM, Relationship Marketing and International Marketing, as well as CRM and marketing practitioners. Samit Chakravorti is an Associate Professor of Marketing at Western Illinois University in the United States.

This title presents an holistic view of CRM, arguing that its essence concerns basic business strategy - developing and maintaining long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with strategically significant customers - rather than the operational tools which achieve these aims.

CRM first entered the business vocabulary in the early 90’s; initially as a systems driven technical solution. It has since escalated in importance as system providers increased their market penetration of the business market and, in parallel, CRM’s strategic importance gained more traction as it was recognized that CRM was, at its heart, a business model in the pursuit of sustainable profit. This was accentuated by the academic community stepping up their interest in the subject in the early 2000’s. Today, it is a universal business topic which has been re-engineered by the online shopping revolution in which the customer is firmly placed at the center of the business. The current reality, however, is that, for the vast majority of businesses, CRM has not been adopted as a business philosophy and practicing business model. It has not been fully understood and therefore fully embraced and properly implemented. The author addresses this head-on by stripping CRM down into its component parts by delving into and explaining the role and relevance of the C, R, and M in CRM. This is a practical guide but set within a strategic framework. The outage is clear actionable insights and how to convert them into delivery. It is written in an easily digestible, non-jargon style, with case studies to demonstrate how CRM works. This book can be immediately used as the primary practical reference to guide the development and implementation of a CRM strategy.

Marketing to Millennials is both an enlightening look at this generation of spend-happy consumers and a practical plan for earning their trust and loyalty. The jokes at the Millennials’ expense are plenty, but not nearly as much as the $200 billion in buying power they now wield as they enter their peak earning and spending years. Love it or loathe it, you are doing business in their domain now, and your future depends on your ability to successfully connect with them. Based on original market research, this book reveals the eight attitudes shared by most Millennials, including how they: Value social networking and aren't shy about sharing opinions Refuse to remain passive consumers but expect to participate in product development and marketing Demand authenticity and transparency Are highly influential, swaying parents and peers Are not all alike; therefore, understanding key segments is invaluable Complete with expert interviews of those doing Millennial marketing right, as well as the new rules for engaging this increasingly vital generation successfully, Marketing to Millennials is the key to persuading the customers who will determine the bottom line for decades to come.