Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) programs are at the top of many C-suite agendas, and they have held their place despite economic challenges and sustained supply chain disruption. And yet, in the world of investing, ESG Funds are starting to come under scrutiny – do they satisfy requirements for fiduciary responsibility? Although most conversations about ESG focus on the environmental and social benefits they promise to deliver, it may be the G – Governance – that ultimately keeps eve...
Sep 01, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 39
With today’s challenging economic conditions, all companies are under pressure to remain profitable and hit earnings expectations. Retailers may be feeling the greatest stress of all, simultaneously dealing with inflation, changes in consumer sentiment, and loads of unwanted inventory. The result? Working capital problems galore. Watching for evidence of how retailers handle this combination of circumstances is an education in and of itself. In some cases, it is instructional and in others it is...
Aug 25, 2022•45 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Empathy is frequently cited as one of the most important qualities in hiring, management, and corporate culture in general. Empathy peaked in 2020 as communities and companies rallied to withstand the pandemic, but time has a way of wearing away all things. Are we finally succumbing to ‘empathy fatigue?’ In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner gathers data and anecdotes – plus a little custom research – to assess how effective our current empathy practices are: • What empathy really me...
Aug 18, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 37
On July 27th, the Senate passed the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. It is now awaiting President Biden’s signature. Proponents of the bill say it will reduce U.S. dependence on foreign producers of semiconductor chips by building manufacturing capabilities at home. Skeptics – which oddly include both progressive Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and conservative Republicans – say it amounts to “corporate welfare.” So who is right? The CHIPS in the CHIPS Act stands for ‘Creating Helpful Incentives to...
Aug 11, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Why is fuel so expensive? Consumers have been feeling the pain at the pump for a while, and now large companies like Amazon and Walmart are adding fuel surcharges to cover their costs. If they can’t negotiate their way out of high rates, the rest of us have very little hope of being able to do so. In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner digs into the oil supply chain, considering: – What the margins, investments, and risks are like at each tier of production – The impact sanctions agai...
Aug 04, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 35
On June 17, 2022, the member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) accepted a proposal made by the U.S., E.U., India, and South Africa that modifies nationally granted intellectual property rights related to the COVID-19 vaccine. The proposal was leaked early, so the world knew the vote was coming. But other than the WTO and a few media organizations, most of the world shrugged at the news, despite the big picture implications for private industry. The COVID-19 vaccine was made availab...
Jul 28, 2022•49 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Corporate sustainability initiatives are critical to the health of our planet – but the distance between objectives and regulated execution on a detailed level can sometimes be very broad. Case in point: Worthington Industries, the last U.S. based manufacturer of lightweight recyclable cylinders for transporting refrigerants. Because their cylinders are used to transport hydrofluorocarbons (or HFCs), they’re on a collision course with the EPA… cue the drama. In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, ...
Jul 21, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 33
If you joined Art of Procurement and Supply Chain Now for the 2022 Supply Chain and Procurement Awards, you know that we partnered with Hope for Justice, a global non-profit dedicated to ending human trafficking and modern slavery, as our philanthropy partner. This is a cause that supply chain and procurement professionals can do more than support; we can play an active role in the fight against human trafficking. For an example, look no further than the truck discovered in San Antonio, Texas in...
Jul 14, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 32
“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” -Declaration of Independence It would be easy to think of supply chains as a purely modern ...
Jul 07, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 31
In late January 2022, hundreds of heavy-duty trucks headed for Ottawa, Canada. They parked in front of the national legislature building and in nearby streets. Period. They parked. Those drivers shut down most of central Ottawa for 23 days in protest of the nation’s vaccine mandates and related requirements. But did you know that just a couple of weeks ago there was another truckers strike, one that had the potential to drive even more global business and supply chain disruptions? In this week’s...
Jun 30, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Supplier diversity is not a new corporate initiative. In 1968, General Motors started what is generally recognized as one of the first supplier diversity programs in America. The death of George Floyd in 2020 raised awareness of supplier diversity programs in the C-suite. Widespread demonstrations and public outcry drove renewed corporate interest and activism across industries and in companies of all sizes. Almost immediately, the operational challenges associated with turning those intentions ...
Jun 23, 2022•44 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Although no one expected it, the war in Ukraine is now approaching the end of its fourth month. Refugees continue to flee the country and calls for weaponry persist. President Zelenskyy and his leadership team are hanging tough, advocating for their citizens, and requesting as much military assistance as they can get from the rest of the world. But now the war in Ukraine is starting to claim casualties on foreign shores… not in the form of refugees, but in a hunger crisis of global proportions. ...
Jun 16, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 28
The innovation we saw play out in the development of multiple COVID-19 vaccines was evidence of the power of modern medicine when combined with the determination of the human spirit. Global collaboration plus investment plus information sharing compressed the time from start to finish from 10-15 years to just one year. But now that the smoke has started to clear, questions are beginning to arise about the IP associated with those vaccines. How can the world ensure equitable access to vaccines an...
Jun 09, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 27
ESG – or environmental, social, and governance – programs are high visibility opportunities for companies to grab headlines, earn goodwill and brand loyalty from consumers, and hopefully make the world a better place. But if not pursued strategically, they can also be a company’s downfall. In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner shares the lessons learned from companies who have chosen to put social mission before business fundamentals: • Consumer brands that are required to have a soc...
Jun 02, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Recessions are more common than most people realize. We have had 12 recessions in the last 75 years and 4 in the last 30. Some were caused by wars, and others by tech and housing bubbles, but they each left their mark on the American people and businesses. What everyone wants to know today is whether another recession is on the horizon? Many signs point to an increasing probability of recession, most strictly defines as two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth, but the “experts” can’t see...
May 26, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 25
In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner makes a thorough and data-driven examination of the current baby formula shortage. Although the earliest news coverage started in January of 2022, we actually have to go back to September of 2019 to fully understand the source of the crisis parents are facing today. From out of stock rates that have been increasing since November of 2021, to plant closures and recalls, to any available prognostication about when the shortages are expected to end,...
May 19, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Governments and regulators across the globe are stepping up their oversight of corporate operations so they can drive more ethical and environmentally sustainable business practices. Each effort to uncover harmful and unethical business practices - such as environmental degradation, unfair or unsafe working conditions, and modern slavery – increases the challenge for procurement and supply chain professionals increases. One such example, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, takes effect on Ju...
May 12, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 23
In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner answers the question so many of us have been thinking since the news broke on April 25th that Elon Musk and Twitter had come to an agreement to allow the company to be taken private: What happens now? We’ll leave the social and journalistic implications to the pundits, but buying a company as big as Twitter is far more complicated than buying a Tesla. There are layers of review, votes, and a few unknowns before the deal is completely done. By exa...
May 05, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 22
In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner wonders whether CEOs have to – or even can – love their customers. What does that require from executives and what happens if they are unable to muster such a personal emotion in the workplace? In most B2C companies, but especially in retail, there are some key differences between the ‘typical’ CEO and his or her customers. From age to gender, annual salary to the place they call home, CEOs and the average middle American have very little in comm...
Apr 28, 2022•18 min•Season 1Ep. 21
In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner thinks back through one of the core concepts from the March livestream featuring Koray Kose and Rik Vera: moving from the old economy to the new economy – and making the most of the time between. As you might guess, the old economy was marked by transactions, economies of scale, and clear boundaries between what was ‘in scope’ for corporations and what was not. The rules were clear but the potential for innovation was constrained. In the new econ...
Apr 21, 2022•26 min•Season 1Ep. 20
The distance between the United States is far, and that statement remains true whether you are describing geography, culture, or business practices. But how much of what we have been led to believe about the country with the world’s second largest economy is true and how much is hype? We decided to ask someone who is there, making a living bridging the gaps in supply chains and understanding between Chinese companies and their Western customers. In this week’s Dial P for Procurement interview, K...
Apr 14, 2022•40 min•Season 1Ep. 19
In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner gets back to basics to address one of the dominating news stories and business concerns today: inflation. What is it, what causes it, and isn’t there SOMETHING we can do to make It stop??? Listen in for a refresher on the basics, some examples of how it connects all of the different major forces in the economy, and some strategies and tactics you can employ as a corporate employee to get through today’s heavily inflationary times.
Apr 07, 2022•18 min•Season 1Ep. 18
People and companies talk about technology constantly, but they don’t know what to do with it. Fortunately, procurement is in a position to be an initiator of supply ecosystem relationships that are trust-based even though they are distributed. To achieve this, we will have to de-hype technologies by looking beyond the surface - which, in most cases, is a thin digital frosting on the same old cake. If we want to escape the old economy, we have to root out everything that serves as a connection t...
Mar 31, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 17
In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner shares a special interview with Constance Jones, Senior Director of Network Delivery Services at NMSDC. NMSDC is the National Minority Supplier Development Council. They are responsible for certifying minority-owned business so that they can strengthen their partnerships with corporate supplier diversity programs. Kelly conducted this interview as part of the LinkedIn Creator Accelerator program she was selected to participate in as a member of t...
Mar 24, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 16
In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner takes two ideas, both desirable, and asks if they can co-exist. One is paradigm shifts, and the other is expertise. It is easy to see that people don’t like change, but are we rewarded for building up expertise in the exclusion of new ideas? Do we build walls around our mindset and point of view that make us impervious to paradigm shifts? To underscore the need to find inspiration from a number of sources, Kelly quotes and pulls perspectives from...
Mar 17, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 15
In this first Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner takes the newspaper dominating conflict in Ukraine and looks at the active role some companies and leaders from private industry have played so far. While companies have gotten involved in armed conflicts before, it has usually been indirect – as suppliers to the government or respondents to official orders and sanctions. In 2022, however, large global corporations have the ability to enable or disable communications, shipments, and access to fund...
Mar 10, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Supply chain risk management is at the top of every corporate priority list right now. And while businesses have never had a time free from risk, the stakes are so high right now that the issue has become all-consuming. Since it is not an option to wait the risk out, wise organizations are investing in their own resilience and partnering with suppliers to strengthen their options. Today’s business challenges are creating demand for a “new risk management,” one that turns visibility into actionab...
Feb 16, 2022•54 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Of all the initiatives to grab the headlines over the last two years, none has united the global business community like the call for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). For procurement and supply chain teams, supplier diversity presents an opportunity to make an immediate difference in traditionally underrepresented communities and to ensure that their commitment stands the test of time. supplier.io recently completed its comprehensive annual study of supplier diversity programs across indu...
Feb 15, 2022•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 12
Dial P regulars know that when you ‘dial p’ you get procurement - usually. But sometimes, p is for payments and credit card processing. Keeping in mind that one company’s payments become another company’s cash flow is absolutely critical in today’s hyperconnected supply ecosystems. All procurement professionals need to know how multiple forms of invoicing and payment work – and how they can support all suppliers’ desire to get paid sooner. In this month’s episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly...
Feb 14, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Everyone wants their customers to have a good experience but being able to live up to that standard consistently and at scale is not easy. Ideally, someone will take responsibility for creating positive experiences no matter the exact requirements. In this Dial P for Procurement livestream, Kelly Barner and Scott Luton are joined by Crystal Villareal, Member Services Manager at Una, and Philip Ideson, Founder and Managing Director at Art of Procurement. In addition to hearing directly from Cryst...
Feb 13, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 10
