Friday, January 11, 2013
The Challenge of Legal Sourcing
The Challenge of Legal Sourcing
I used to work in the Procurement group of a Fortune 500 Technology company in Massachusetts. Unlinke many procurement groups, we reported directly to the CFO.
One challenge we found was that many groups had a "free pass" when it comes to sourcing many strategic categories, such as Marketing, Sales and Engineering. Many of these folks could purchase anything they wanted from any vendor they wanted. The reason being is that these groups had a lot of "pull" with top management.
One group that has such pull in many companies is Legal. An many (most?) big companies, Legal is not a category that is touched or influenced by the procurement group.
A few smart folks have seemed to unlocked the secret of Legal Procurement, most prominent among them Argopoint a Boston-based consultancy focused on Legal Sourcing at Fortune 500 groups. (Disclaimer: a good friend works there).
Here is a very good overview for those organizations who are thinking of making a move to address some of
their out-of-control legal spending:
"Legal Sourcing Steps into the Spotlight"
By Jason Winmill and Celia Parsons.
Inside Supply Management Magazine Volume 23, No. 9; pgs. 28-31. - Nov. 15, 2012
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Dirty Water Blog - Version 2.0
This was my original blog that I somehow stopped updating when Google bought Blogger.
Not sure why I stopped on this particular one, I think it had to do with the fact that the system forced me to pick one user name across all blogs.
Anyway, here is the link to the new one:
Dirtywaterblog.blogspot.com
Not sure why I stopped on this particular one, I think it had to do with the fact that the system forced me to pick one user name across all blogs.
Anyway, here is the link to the new one:
Dirtywaterblog.blogspot.com
Friday, January 17, 2003
Possible New Job
Chartered Accoutancy is so boring!
Maybe I should consult a Vocational Guidance Counselor!
Chartered Accoutancy is so boring!
Maybe I should consult a Vocational Guidance Counselor!
The Unknown Comic and Frank Sinatra
"You ever mention my name, I'm gonna break your f---ing legs!" -
Frank Sinatra, to Murray Langston, the Unkown Comic
Read the whole interview in the Onion AV Club.
"You ever mention my name, I'm gonna break your f---ing legs!" -
Frank Sinatra, to Murray Langston, the Unkown Comic
Read the whole interview in the Onion AV Club.
"Well, if I hear you correctly--and I think that I do--my advice to you is to finish your meal, pay your check, leave here, and never mention this to anyone again."
The Seinfeld "The Switch" episode was on in syndication the other day.
Brillaint. Here is a partial transcript.
{Jerry starts.}
JERRY: So the roommate laughed at everything I said.
GEORGE: Wow.
JERRY: It was a great sounding laugh too, kind of lilting and feminine--none of those big coarse "ha's." You know those?
GEORGE: Oh yeah: HA-A-A, HA-A-A.
JERRY: Yeah.
GEORGE: Hate the big coarse "ha." Hate those.
JERRY: And the worst part of course is that she also possessed many of the other qualities prized by the Superficial Man.
GEORGE: I see.
JERRY: So as you can see, I've got a bit of a problem here.
GEORGE: Well, if I hear you correctly--and I think that I do--my advice to you is to finish your meal, pay your check, leave here, and never mention this to anyone again.
JERRY: Can't be done, huh?
GEORGE: The Switch?
JERRY: "The Switch."
GEORGE: Can't be done.
JERRY: I wonder.
GEORGE: Do you realize in the entire history of western civilization no one has successfully accomplished the Roommate Switch? In the Middle Ages you
could get locked up for even suggesting it!
JERRY: They didn't have roommates in the Middle Ages.
GEORGE: Well, I'm sure at some point between the years 800 and 1200--somewhere--there were two women living together.
JERRY: The point is I intend to undertake this. And I'll do it with or without you. So if you're scared, if you haven't got the stomach for this, let's get it out right now! And I'll go on my own. If not, you can get on board and we can get to work! Now what's it going to be?
GEORGE: All right, dammit, I'm in.
JERRY: I couldn't do it without you.
GEORGE: All right. Let's get to work
The Seinfeld "The Switch" episode was on in syndication the other day.
Brillaint. Here is a partial transcript.
{Jerry starts.}
JERRY: So the roommate laughed at everything I said.
GEORGE: Wow.
JERRY: It was a great sounding laugh too, kind of lilting and feminine--none of those big coarse "ha's." You know those?
GEORGE: Oh yeah: HA-A-A, HA-A-A.
JERRY: Yeah.
GEORGE: Hate the big coarse "ha." Hate those.
JERRY: And the worst part of course is that she also possessed many of the other qualities prized by the Superficial Man.
GEORGE: I see.
JERRY: So as you can see, I've got a bit of a problem here.
GEORGE: Well, if I hear you correctly--and I think that I do--my advice to you is to finish your meal, pay your check, leave here, and never mention this to anyone again.
JERRY: Can't be done, huh?
GEORGE: The Switch?
JERRY: "The Switch."
GEORGE: Can't be done.
JERRY: I wonder.
GEORGE: Do you realize in the entire history of western civilization no one has successfully accomplished the Roommate Switch? In the Middle Ages you
could get locked up for even suggesting it!
JERRY: They didn't have roommates in the Middle Ages.
GEORGE: Well, I'm sure at some point between the years 800 and 1200--somewhere--there were two women living together.
JERRY: The point is I intend to undertake this. And I'll do it with or without you. So if you're scared, if you haven't got the stomach for this, let's get it out right now! And I'll go on my own. If not, you can get on board and we can get to work! Now what's it going to be?
GEORGE: All right, dammit, I'm in.
JERRY: I couldn't do it without you.
GEORGE: All right. Let's get to work
Monday, December 30, 2002
QB Controversy
Matt Hasselbeck vs. Tom Brady since Week 10
Att Comp Pct Yds TD Int Att Yds TD
Matt 320 202 63.1% 2501 13 9 29 165 1
Tom 286 166 58.0% 1620 10 5 29 70 1
Game by Game Stats -
Matt Hasselbeck
Week GAMEDATE Opp Score GS Att Comp Pct Yds TD Int A-R R-Y TD-R
Week 10 November 10, 2002 @Arizona W 27-6 Yes 31 23 74.2 260 1 0 4 3 0
Week 11 November 17, 2002 Denver L 9-31 Yes 36 22 61.1 180 0 2 2 13 0
Week 12 November 24, 2002 Kansas City W 39-32 Yes 36 25 69.4 362 3 0 3 23 0
Week 13 December 1, 2002 at San Fran L 24-31 Yes 55 30 54.5 427 3 2 2 8 0
Week 14 December 8, 2002 Philadelphia L 20-27 Yes 46 24 52.2 223 2 3 6 62 0
Week 15 December 15, 2002 @Atlanta W 30-24 Yes 31 22 71.0 298 1 0 2 6 0
Week 16 December 22, 2002 St. Louis W 30-10 Yes 32 20 62.5 303 1 0 3 8 0
Week 17 December 29, 2002 at San DiegoW 31-28 Yes 53 36 67.9 448 2 2 7 42 1
Tom Brady
Week 10 November 10, 2002 @Chicago W 33-30 Yes 55 36 65.5 328 3 1 3 16 0
Week 11 November 17, 2002 @Oakland L 20-27 Yes 30 18 60.0 172 0 0 1 1 0
Week 12 November 24, 2002 Minnesota W 24-17 Yes 34 21 61.8 239 3 0 6 4 0
Week 13 November 28, 2002 @Detroit W 20-12 Yes 30 18 60.0 210 0 1 4 12 0
Week 14 December 8, 2002 Buffalo W 27-17 Yes 27 15 55.6 183 2 0 5 -5 0
Week 15 December 16, 2002 @TennesseeL 7-24 Yes 29 14 48.3 134 0 1 2 10 1
Week 16 December 22, 2002 New York L 17-30 Yes 37 19 51.4 133 1 1 4 24 0
Week 17 December 29, 2002 Miami W 27-24 Yes 44 25 56.8 221 1 1 4 8 0
Matt Hasselbeck vs. Tom Brady since Week 10
Att Comp Pct Yds TD Int Att Yds TD
Matt 320 202 63.1% 2501 13 9 29 165 1
Tom 286 166 58.0% 1620 10 5 29 70 1
Game by Game Stats -
Matt Hasselbeck
Week GAMEDATE Opp Score GS Att Comp Pct Yds TD Int A-R R-Y TD-R
Week 10 November 10, 2002 @Arizona W 27-6 Yes 31 23 74.2 260 1 0 4 3 0
Week 11 November 17, 2002 Denver L 9-31 Yes 36 22 61.1 180 0 2 2 13 0
Week 12 November 24, 2002 Kansas City W 39-32 Yes 36 25 69.4 362 3 0 3 23 0
Week 13 December 1, 2002 at San Fran L 24-31 Yes 55 30 54.5 427 3 2 2 8 0
Week 14 December 8, 2002 Philadelphia L 20-27 Yes 46 24 52.2 223 2 3 6 62 0
Week 15 December 15, 2002 @Atlanta W 30-24 Yes 31 22 71.0 298 1 0 2 6 0
Week 16 December 22, 2002 St. Louis W 30-10 Yes 32 20 62.5 303 1 0 3 8 0
Week 17 December 29, 2002 at San DiegoW 31-28 Yes 53 36 67.9 448 2 2 7 42 1
Tom Brady
Week 10 November 10, 2002 @Chicago W 33-30 Yes 55 36 65.5 328 3 1 3 16 0
Week 11 November 17, 2002 @Oakland L 20-27 Yes 30 18 60.0 172 0 0 1 1 0
Week 12 November 24, 2002 Minnesota W 24-17 Yes 34 21 61.8 239 3 0 6 4 0
Week 13 November 28, 2002 @Detroit W 20-12 Yes 30 18 60.0 210 0 1 4 12 0
Week 14 December 8, 2002 Buffalo W 27-17 Yes 27 15 55.6 183 2 0 5 -5 0
Week 15 December 16, 2002 @TennesseeL 7-24 Yes 29 14 48.3 134 0 1 2 10 1
Week 16 December 22, 2002 New York L 17-30 Yes 37 19 51.4 133 1 1 4 24 0
Week 17 December 29, 2002 Miami W 27-24 Yes 44 25 56.8 221 1 1 4 8 0
Thursday, December 26, 2002
Movies on your PC
Just finished watching "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" on my PC via Movielink.
If you are not familiar with the service, Movielink is the Movie industry's attempt to avert some of the problems that have hit the Music industry due to file-sharing programs like Kazzaa and Napster. For a fee you can download to your PC any of the movies they have in their library and then watch it at your leisure via your PC. Their main competition comes from three sources: DVD rental stores like Blockbuster, DVD mail order, and pay per view.
Movielink Vs. DVD Rental Stores -
Advantages:
- Selection: "Friends of Eddie Coyle", for example is not currently available on DVD.
- Selection: You can always view any movie they have at any time - no movie is ever "out".
- Cost: Not sure what most stores charge these days, but Movielink charges either $5 or $4 for new releases and $3 or $2 for older ones.
- Cost: Never any late fees
- Anonymity: Who wants to be seen bringing a copy of "Barbarella" or "10" up to the counter? Not me!
- Convenience: It was really cold and snow last night were I live. Who wants to leave the house in those conditions?
- Convenience: You can download movies from Movielink at any time of the day or year. Even if I could brave the weather last night, the stores were closed because it was Christmas.
Disadvantages:
Quality: Movies weren't designed to be played on the screen of a PC. I should have been watching it on my 51 inch TV with the Dolby DTS digital surround sound.
Selection: Even though "Friends of Eddie Coyle" is not on DVD, your average Blockbuster has a greater selection than Movielink does. (For now.)
Movielink vs. Home Delivery
Many people love Netflix but Movielink has some advantages over them -
Cost: Netflix has a $20/Month minimum, Movielink doesn't
Convenience: Netflix is not a good soluion for people who crave instant gratification. A person usually has to wait a few days before they get the selection they want. With
Movielink I only had to wait an hour or so.
Movielink vs. Pay Per View:
Movielink has a few advantages on Pay per View as well
Cost: Most Pay per View movies are around $8 or so.
Convenience: You can't pause, fast forward or rewind a Pay Per View movie. You can with Movielink. You can also watch a movie an unlimited number of times within the 24 hour rental period. You can only watch a Pay-Per-View movie once.
Selection: Movielink has a better selection than my satellite Pay-Per-View
Convenience: You can watch a Movielink movie at the time of your choosing. With Pay Per View you watch at their choosing - Spider Man at Nine PM, Lord of the Rings at 9:30 PM, etc.
Just finished watching "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" on my PC via Movielink.
If you are not familiar with the service, Movielink is the Movie industry's attempt to avert some of the problems that have hit the Music industry due to file-sharing programs like Kazzaa and Napster. For a fee you can download to your PC any of the movies they have in their library and then watch it at your leisure via your PC. Their main competition comes from three sources: DVD rental stores like Blockbuster, DVD mail order, and pay per view.
Movielink Vs. DVD Rental Stores -
Advantages:
- Selection: "Friends of Eddie Coyle", for example is not currently available on DVD.
- Selection: You can always view any movie they have at any time - no movie is ever "out".
- Cost: Not sure what most stores charge these days, but Movielink charges either $5 or $4 for new releases and $3 or $2 for older ones.
- Cost: Never any late fees
- Anonymity: Who wants to be seen bringing a copy of "Barbarella" or "10" up to the counter? Not me!
- Convenience: It was really cold and snow last night were I live. Who wants to leave the house in those conditions?
- Convenience: You can download movies from Movielink at any time of the day or year. Even if I could brave the weather last night, the stores were closed because it was Christmas.
Disadvantages:
Quality: Movies weren't designed to be played on the screen of a PC. I should have been watching it on my 51 inch TV with the Dolby DTS digital surround sound.
Selection: Even though "Friends of Eddie Coyle" is not on DVD, your average Blockbuster has a greater selection than Movielink does. (For now.)
Movielink vs. Home Delivery
Many people love Netflix but Movielink has some advantages over them -
Cost: Netflix has a $20/Month minimum, Movielink doesn't
Convenience: Netflix is not a good soluion for people who crave instant gratification. A person usually has to wait a few days before they get the selection they want. With
Movielink I only had to wait an hour or so.
Movielink vs. Pay Per View:
Movielink has a few advantages on Pay per View as well
Cost: Most Pay per View movies are around $8 or so.
Convenience: You can't pause, fast forward or rewind a Pay Per View movie. You can with Movielink. You can also watch a movie an unlimited number of times within the 24 hour rental period. You can only watch a Pay-Per-View movie once.
Selection: Movielink has a better selection than my satellite Pay-Per-View
Convenience: You can watch a Movielink movie at the time of your choosing. With Pay Per View you watch at their choosing - Spider Man at Nine PM, Lord of the Rings at 9:30 PM, etc.
Monday, December 23, 2002
NO-MAHHH!
Good little factoid from Gordon Edes' baseball column in yesterday's Boston Globe:
Nomar Garciaparra's 56 doubles are a major league record for shortstops
(previous record, Alex Rodriguez, 54 in 1996) and made him the first Sox
player to have two seasons with 50 or more doubles ...
- Gordon Edes, "Less dollars, more sense in new market". Boston Globe, December 22nd, 2002.
The major league record! Beating A-Rod's record!
There is only one thing that can be said about that:
NOM-AHHHHHH!
Good little factoid from Gordon Edes' baseball column in yesterday's Boston Globe:
Nomar Garciaparra's 56 doubles are a major league record for shortstops
(previous record, Alex Rodriguez, 54 in 1996) and made him the first Sox
player to have two seasons with 50 or more doubles ...
- Gordon Edes, "Less dollars, more sense in new market". Boston Globe, December 22nd, 2002.
The major league record! Beating A-Rod's record!
There is only one thing that can be said about that:
NOM-AHHHHHH!
Sunday, December 22, 2002
Dirty Water
The Standells
(spoken:)
I'm gonna tell you a story
I'm gonna tell you about my town
I'm gonna tell you a big bad story, baby
Aww, it's all about my town
Yeah, down by the river
Down by the banks of the river Charles (aw, that's what's happenin' baby)
That's where you'll find me
Along with lovers, fuggers, and thieves (aw, but they're cool people)
Well I love that dirty water
Oh, Boston, you're my home (oh, you're the Number One place)
Frustrated women (I mean they're frustrated)
Have to be in by twelve o'clock (oh, that's a shame)
But I'm wishin' and a-hopin, oh
That just once those doors weren't locked (I like to save time for
my baby to walk around)
Well I love that dirty water
Oh, Boston, you're my home (oh, yeah)
Because I love that dirty water
Oh, oh, Boston, you're my home (oh, yeah)
Well, I love that dirty water (I love it, baby)
I love that dirty water (I love Baw-stun)
I love that dirty water (Have you heard about the Strangler?)
I love that dirty water (I'm the man, I'm the man)
I love that dirty water (Owww!)
I love that dirty water (Come on, come on) [fade]
The Standells
(spoken:)
I'm gonna tell you a story
I'm gonna tell you about my town
I'm gonna tell you a big bad story, baby
Aww, it's all about my town
Yeah, down by the river
Down by the banks of the river Charles (aw, that's what's happenin' baby)
That's where you'll find me
Along with lovers, fuggers, and thieves (aw, but they're cool people)
Well I love that dirty water
Oh, Boston, you're my home (oh, you're the Number One place)
Frustrated women (I mean they're frustrated)
Have to be in by twelve o'clock (oh, that's a shame)
But I'm wishin' and a-hopin, oh
That just once those doors weren't locked (I like to save time for
my baby to walk around)
Well I love that dirty water
Oh, Boston, you're my home (oh, yeah)
Because I love that dirty water
Oh, oh, Boston, you're my home (oh, yeah)
Well, I love that dirty water (I love it, baby)
I love that dirty water (I love Baw-stun)
I love that dirty water (Have you heard about the Strangler?)
I love that dirty water (I'm the man, I'm the man)
I love that dirty water (Owww!)
I love that dirty water (Come on, come on) [fade]
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