by Michael Smith, Principal and Founder at MKS Insights You don’t have to be an industry expert or insider to notice that smartphones are getting harder and harder to justify replacing. Outside of the glass shattering or dropping it in the pool, you would need to have a high disposable income to rationalize spending money […]

by Vik Patel, President and CEO at Purple Square Management Co Key players in the coffee and breakfast foods industry (e.g. Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, Wawa, etc.) are able to stay ahead if they remain innovative in the face of increased competition and provide value to the market. In shops like those mentioned, coffee and breakfast […]

by Kai Wulff, CEO of Plexus Group Ltd While all business schools are still busy teaching Management, we have stopped asking what purpose Management serves. We’ve also stopped focusing on how we can achieve the same, or higher, level of efficiency by changing the Management system and adjusting to cultural changes.   The general belief […]

By Michael P. Fischetti, Executive Director, National Contract Management Association A colleague recently mentioned a small, but very significant, refrain learned early in what became a long, distinguished career; “Instead of ‘No, because,’ say ‘Yes, if’.” Acquisition challenges and hurdles, both external and internal, within one’s control or not, whether financial, structural, organizational, regulatory, programmatic, […]

by Mike McCully, President of The McCully Group In less than a month following Q1 2018, the dairy markets have awakened. While some expect further gains due to tighter supply-demand conditions, others point to adequate stocks for most products. International trade deals and negotiations are also hot topics, as of late, with indefinite outcomes. In […]

by Alon Ben Joseph, CEO of Ace Jewelers Group   HOW DID CVC BEAT THE LUXURY GROUPS? In October 2016, rumors started that one of the few independent, family-owned and run watchmaking companies was for sale. Six months later, the British, privately-held CVC Capital Partners managed to buy a controlling stake of 80% in the […]

by Charles Moore, President, Premier Products On October 14, 2015 Walmart shocked Wall Street with its worst one-day plunge in 27 years. The shares of the corporate giant dropped 10 percent for a loss of $21.5 billion in market capitalization. Since February, Walmart’s stock performance has plummeted 29 percent. Walmart’s senior management team has declared […]

by Charles Moore, President, Premier Products In 1997, U.S. sales of organic food and beverages totaled less than $4 billion, according to the Organic Trade Association. Fast forward to 2014, and the OTA reports organic sales surpassed $35 billion, with demand projected to grow to over $100 billion by 2025. While U.S. growth in total […]

By Michael P. Fischetti, Executive Director, National Contract Management Association Government contracting is as old as government itself. Two key factors: 1) reduced budgets and 2) more complex contracts, have forced government to learn more about supply chain learning.   First, as budgets and the role of government (particularly Federal) in business declines, the impact […]

by Chris Slezakowski, Market Strategist Traditional in nature and highly manual in execution, construction is perhaps one of the last industries to feel the impact of the digital revolution. Aerospace, automotive, industrial manufacturing, banking and finance; these and other sectors have become increasingly automated and have harnessed the power of digitization, yet the built environment […]