How we buy has changed as much in the workplace as it has at home.   Access to seemingly unlimited information makes it possible to easily find a solution to most problems.  For example in IT, innovative subscription and delivery models (e.g. software as a service) make it easy to buy...

It’s not rocket science – once the big reductions in cost have been achieved, savings benefits diminish as major spend categories become properly sourced.    It stands to reason that if the return from cost-saving initiatives diminish, so should investment in the activity.   But investment in cost-saving activity should not finish...

I’m delighted that JMCL’s support the Tour of Cambridge (ToC) continues in 2020. We consider it a great fit with our Enlightened Procurement approach to serving our clients, improving their profits in a way that’s long-term sustainable and right for the whole business.   ToC 2020 is on 6th and...

Last month I talked about ‘creative dissatisfaction’ and it being a driver of positive improvement.  Does improvement necessarily need to be a binary choice of “Out with the old and in with the new” or is a more subtle approach required?   The need to grow revenues so often drives a company to...

Coming back to work in the New Year it’s impossible not to feel that it’s time for a new start.    We’ve just had a break and time to reflect – and it’s natural to look back at the last 12 months.    How many of us, our friends and colleagues...

If we were completely satisfied, nothing would change.   There’d be no need for progress.  The lack of something we desire stimulates progress, it’s a basic human condition. Last month I talked about my frustration about how difficult it can be to get hold of vital information within an organisation.  Driven by my...

Even in the short time between thinking about this article and writing it, things have changed dramatically.   The only constant of recent times would seem to have been uncertainty – but does this necessarily have to be a bad thing? Last week was the run-up to the 12th December 2019...

It’s that time of year again when we break for the festive period and people take stock and consider where they are going. Last year I picked out 5 themes that I thought would shape the next 3-5 years, and in the spirit of the season (and of a...

One of the funniest things I’ve heard in a while came from a very unexpected source – accountants not being known for their sense of humour – the ICAEW’s Chief Financial Officer Conference. One speaker got a bit too immersed in management-speak and bought the house down answering a...

It never ceases to amaze me how difficult it can be to get hold of simple, valuable information which – when put to good use – will create a dramatic improvement in the performance of a business.  The first step in most JMCL engagements is to obtain and review...