Commitment Matters

Are you doing what your CEO needs?

Feb 10, 2020 10:53:20 AM

Disruption. Apparently that is the number one issue facing CEOs. But what does it mean - both for them and for you?

Honesty in Contracting

Feb 7, 2020 3:29:55 PM

Conventional wisdom is that Sales and Marketing should extol the benefits of a product or service and avoid mention of any possible drawbacks or negatives. Those aspects are covered by the contract, typically in the form of limitations with regard to performance or use, but also in terms of potential recourse. In other words, we all know that sales people and marketing materials tell only part of the story and the contract often conveys a very different message.

McKinsey and collaboration: better late than never

Posted by Tim Cummins, President, IACCM

Feb 3, 2020 7:23:52 AM

McKinsey, the strategic consultant and advisory firm, has discovered collaboration. At least, they have discovered collaborative contracting - I don’t know whether that translates to McKinsey itself collaborating with anyone!

Social value on the rise: volunteers needed!

Posted by Tim Cummins, President of IACCM, Professor, Leeds University School of Law; Chair, International Commercial & Contract Management

Jan 28, 2020 7:47:03 AM

As social expectations grow, organizations are increasingly focused on defining 'purpose'. This was a major theme at the 2019 World Economic Forum and momentum has continued, most notably with the recognition by 181 top CEOs that 'business needs a purpose beyond profit'.

Topics: contract /commercial management, procurement, IACCM, contract for change, social value

Are negotiators in the Western world stupid?

Posted by Tim Cummins, President of IACCM, Professor, Leeds University School of Law; Chair, International Commercial & Contract Management

Jan 21, 2020 1:20:52 AM

This may seem a rather provocative headline - but it is apparently a question frequently asked by business people in Asia, based on their experiences with counterparts from the Western world.

Topics: negotiation, contract /commercial management, procurement, relationship management, IACCM, Asia

If performance matters, why are contracts ignored?

Posted by Tim Cummins, President, IACCM

Jan 16, 2020 10:35:17 AM

Speed matters. So why do so few organizations take steps to reduce contracting cycle times? A few are achieving improvements of 20-30%. Most are not even looking.

Managing supply ecosystems

Posted by Tim Cummins, President of IACCM, Professor, Leeds University School of Law; Chair, International Commercial & Contract Management

Jan 15, 2020 11:28:31 PM

Effectively managing suppliers is not easy. In many cases, the tools and systems that support supplier management are at best rudimentary. Indeed, a report released this week by the Supply Chain Research Council reveals that Excel spreadsheets 'remain the most commonly used analytical tool'. Not an especially powerful way to gather, analyze or act upon data.

Topics: contract /commercial management, technology, IACCM, supply ecosystems, customer support, Uber, supply chain

Negotiation in an age of automation

Posted by Tim Cummins, President, IACCM

Jan 9, 2020 8:48:07 AM

The nature of negotiation is changing. Today, approximately 70% of negotiations are ‘virtual’ in their entirety. 36% of negotiators never meet with external counter-parties - and that percentage is even higher in the United States. Worldwide, only 2% of negotiators say that all their negotiations involve at least some face to face interaction.

Commercial & Contract Management: Resolution for a New Decade

Posted by Tim Cummins, President, IACCM

Jan 6, 2020 8:20:51 AM

Aspirational visions such as eliminating hunger, poverty or child mortality are often dismissed as unrealistic. Yet while they are certainly challenging, progress towards these goals has been remarkable. Over the last four decades, the proportion of the world’s population living in extreme poverty has dropped from 42% to 10%. Since 1950, the percentage dying during childhood has dropped from 27% to 4%. Major challenges remain – but history suggests we will succeed in addressing them.