CAPS Research, A.T. Kearney, and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) are jointly sponsoring a research study entitled "Succeeding in a Dynamic World: Supply Management in the Decade Ahead." The research will identify trends shaping tomorrow's business strategies and models and how these will affect the ways that organizations develop, manage, and use supply relationships to deliver increased value and competitiveness.

An important phase of the research is a series of 2-hour conference calls with 4-5 supply management executives per session. In the conference call, participants will have the opportunity to discuss critical supply management issues with their peers and members of the research team. Further, by participating in this comprehensive study, you will contribute to the development of answers to help set strategic direction for supply management and drive change at the executive level in your own organization.

For information about participating in a CPO conference call, contact Debbie Maciejewski.

CAPS Research annually gives the Kachina Award for Supply Management Excellence to the Chief Executive of the Year for innovative leadership, best practices, and leading-edge strategies that have visibly and profoundly transformed the organization's supply management.

Kachina Award for Supply Management Excellence recipients:

April 2006: Mr. Wayne W. Murdy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Newmont Mining Corporation

March 2005: Mr. John E. Potter, Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer of the United States Postal Service

March 2004: Mr. Alan Boeckmann, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fluor Corporation

Contact our Director of Executive Programs/Publications to obtain information on how to nominate your CEO for this prestigious award.

            CPO Insights

CPO Insights is an email-based service for chief procurement officers (CPOs) of firms that are major corporate sponsors of CAPS.

It works like this: A CPO sends a procurement-related question to CAPS. We forward the question to the CPOs of all major corporate sponsors. CPOs who wish to respond reply with their answers/insights directly to CAPS. We then collect and distribute the aggregated responses to all CPOs within 13 business days of release date.

Past questions have addressed:

• RFID


• measuring cost savings



• incentive compensation


• cell phone management


• travel service models and policy


• procurement of legal services

There is no charge for this service, and no more than two questions are sent per month.

Critical Issues Reports (2006)

Defining Cost Reduction and Avoidance, by Bryan Ashenbaum

Designing the Supply Chain for Production and Aftermarket Needs, by Bryan Ashenbaum

(list of all Critical Issues Reports)

Focus Studies (2006)

Technology and Organizational Factors in the Notebook Industry Supply Chain, by William Foster, Zhang Cheng, Jason Dedrick, and Kenneth L. Kraemer

Strategic Supply Management at Japanese Companies, by Supply Management Research Group, Japan

(list of all Focus Studies)

Best Practices/Practix (2006)

Environmental Purchasing for Indirect Materials, by Tom Gattiker

Identifying and Evaluating Chinese Suppliers: China Sourcing Practices of German Manufacturing Companies, by Fabian Hedderich, Rebecca Giesecke, and Daniel Ohmsen

Change Management in Purchasing - Best Practices from Germany's No. 1 Airline Deutsche Lufthansa AG, by Dr. Ingo Bülow, Ulrich Schott-Wüllenweber, and Fabian Hedderich

Bank of America: Services Purchasing and Outsourcing, by Lisa Ellram, Ph.D., C.P.M. and Wendy Tate

Best Practices in the Procure-to-Pay Cycle: Perspectives from Suppliers and Industry Experts, by Rob Handfield

(list of all Best Practices/Practix)

Benchmarking Reports (2006)

Cross-Industry Report: Comparison of Standard Benchmarks (5/06)

Focused Report: Outsourcing/Offshoring Your Services Spend Narrative (9/06)

Focused Report: eProcurement Narrative (9/06)

Focused Report: Outsourcing/Offshoring Your Services Spend (5/06)

Focused Report: eProcurement (4/06)

Industry Report: Electronics (8/06)

Industry Report: Pharmaceutical (8/06)

Industry Report: Petroleum (7/06)

Industry Report: Telecommunications Services (7/06)

Industry Report: Financial Services (6/06)

Industry Report: DOE/NNSA Contractors (1/06)

(list of all Benchmarking Reports)

Research on Demand

Research on Demand is a joint initiative between the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) and CAPS Research. The Research on Demand program puts a dedicated team of researchers at your disposal. You get the customized research that you need when you need it, without having to dedicate valuable company time or resources.



For further information go to the Research on Demand information page.

CAPS Research, A.T. Kearney, and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) are jointly sponsoring a research study entitled "Succeeding in a Dynamic World: Supply Management in the Decade Ahead." The research will identify trends shaping tomorrow's business strategies and models and how these will affect the ways that organizations develop, manage, and use supply relationships to deliver increased value and competitiveness.

An important phase of the research is a series of 2-hour conference calls with 4-5 supply management executives per session. In the conference call, participants will have the opportunity to discuss critical supply management issues with their peers and members of the research team. Further, by participating in this comprehensive study, you will contribute to the development of answers to help set strategic direction for supply management and drive change at the executive level in your own organization.

For information about participating in a CPO conference call, contact Debbie Maciejewski.

CAPS Research annually gives the Kachina Award for Supply Management Excellence to the Chief Executive of the Year for innovative leadership, best practices, and leading-edge strategies that have visibly and profoundly transformed the organization's supply management.

Kachina Award for Supply Management Excellence recipients:

April 2006: Mr. Wayne W. Murdy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Newmont Mining Corporation

March 2005: Mr. John E. Potter, Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer of the United States Postal Service

March 2004: Mr. Alan Boeckmann, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fluor Corporation

Contact our Director of Executive Programs/Publications to obtain information on how to nominate your CEO for this prestigious award.

            CPO Insights

CPO Insights is an email-based service for chief procurement officers (CPOs) of firms that are major corporate sponsors of CAPS.

It works like this: A CPO sends a procurement-related question to CAPS. We forward the question to the CPOs of all major corporate sponsors. CPOs who wish to respond reply with their answers/insights directly to CAPS. We then collect and distribute the aggregated responses to all CPOs within 13 business days of release date.

Past questions have addressed:

• RFID


• measuring cost savings



• incentive compensation


• cell phone management


• travel service models and policy


• procurement of legal services

There is no charge for this service, and no more than two questions are sent per month.

Critical Issues Reports (2006)

Defining Cost Reduction and Avoidance, by Bryan Ashenbaum

Designing the Supply Chain for Production and Aftermarket Needs, by Bryan Ashenbaum

(list of all Critical Issues Reports)

Focus Studies (2006)

Technology and Organizational Factors in the Notebook Industry Supply Chain, by William Foster, Zhang Cheng, Jason Dedrick, and Kenneth L. Kraemer

Strategic Supply Management at Japanese Companies, by Supply Management Research Group, Japan

(list of all Focus Studies)

Best Practices/Practix (2006)

Environmental Purchasing for Indirect Materials, by Tom Gattiker

Identifying and Evaluating Chinese Suppliers: China Sourcing Practices of German Manufacturing Companies, by Fabian Hedderich, Rebecca Giesecke, and Daniel Ohmsen

Change Management in Purchasing - Best Practices from Germany's No. 1 Airline Deutsche Lufthansa AG, by Dr. Ingo Bülow, Ulrich Schott-Wüllenweber, and Fabian Hedderich

Bank of America: Services Purchasing and Outsourcing, by Lisa Ellram, Ph.D., C.P.M. and Wendy Tate

Best Practices in the Procure-to-Pay Cycle: Perspectives from Suppliers and Industry Experts, by Rob Handfield

(list of all Best Practices/Practix)

Benchmarking Reports (2006)

Cross-Industry Report: Comparison of Standard Benchmarks (5/06)

Focused Report: Outsourcing/Offshoring Your Services Spend Narrative (9/06)

Focused Report: eProcurement Narrative (9/06)

Focused Report: Outsourcing/Offshoring Your Services Spend (5/06)

Focused Report: eProcurement (4/06)

Industry Report: Electronics (8/06)

Industry Report: Pharmaceutical (8/06)

Industry Report: Petroleum (7/06)

Industry Report: Telecommunications Services (7/06)

Industry Report: Financial Services (6/06)

Industry Report: DOE/NNSA Contractors (1/06)

(list of all Benchmarking Reports)