MANAGING THE SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAIN

The business community has come a long way since the terms "sustainability" and "sustainable development" became part of the vernacular 25 years ago after the report of the Brundtland Commission to the United Nations. Gradually, consumers began to demand that a concern with the "triple bottom line" – economic, social, environmental – had to be demonstrated by businesses and this began to have a real impact on buying decisions.

I was reminded recently what a constant the "sustainability" theme has become as I scanned a column by Nina Winham in Business in Vancouver (March 6-12, 2012). Not only does this local business weekly now have a sustainability columnist, the focus of this particular piece was "sustainable purchasing". Purchasing, or procurement, if you will, is a key function in the supply chain. If a company is serious about delivering a sustainable, or "green", product or service to the market, the supply chain perspective provides the required comprehensive view of all the inputs and processes.

The emphasis on supply chain management and its vital role in assuring consumers that the purchases they make reflect socially and environmentally responsible decisions, comes as no surprise to those of us with some experience in the food processing industry. About 15 years ago, it became mandatory to implement HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) as a food safety strategy. The requirement to analyse and account for all inputs and processes – and demonstrate that you had done so - threw a harsh light on supply chain management, or the lack of it, in the food industry. Three key factors affecting supply chain management – traceability, audit processes and certification – quickly became paramount in the food industry. I am sure that businesses that have implemented other quality management programs, ISO 9001 for example, have had the same experience.

Now we see emphasis on traceability, audit and certification in all industries where it is important to establish origins and authenticity and show that your product or service is consistent with social and environmental standards. And it is driven as much, perhaps more, by industry response to consumer demand as by government regulation. One of the longer-established sustainable certifications – Marine Stewardship Council – was not a government initiative; it was industry driven and spear-headed by Unilever.

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TREVOR AXWORTHY HONOURED WITH FELLOW CHRP AWARD

Osborne Interim Management is proud to congratulate Trevor Axworthy, a long-standing Principal with the firm, for being honoured with the Fellow CHRP Award. The Fellow CHRP is a prestigious title that recognizes the most exceptional CHRP’s (Certified Human Resource Professionals) in Canada who have made outstanding contributions to the profession and their communities. Eligibility criteria includes: strategicpositioning of the Human Resources profession; advocacy on behalf of the HR profession to government policy makers; development, sharing and promotion of innovative HR ideas, policies and practices; service to local, provincial or national HR associations; and service to the broader community/social responsibility.

Trevor was bestowed his Fellow status as a result of his extensive career and leadership roles at NOVA, his work on the Pension Review Tribunal as the member of Alberta for CPP/OAS, his role as one of the Founders of HRIA and the Canadian Council of Human Resource Association and as an early Past President of the Human Resource Institute of Alberta. This is in addition to his community work with leadership roles and service with The Mustard Seed, Rotary, Inn From the Cold and Scarboro United Church.

NEWS RELEASE: OIM SIGNS EXCLUSIVE AGREEMENT WITH VALTUS OF FRANCE

Osborne Interim Management announced today it has entered into an exclusive joint marketing agreement with VALTUS Transition (www.valtus.fr), a major player in interim executive management. Based in Paris, France, VALTUS helps businesses throughout France and around the world manage transformation and change by providing executive resources from a talent pool of over 1,100 interims.

"As we continue to extend our global footprint, we are excited to be allied with an organization like VALTUS", comments Mark Olson, President and CEO of Osborne Interim Management. "Philippe (Soullier-CEO) started VALTUS in 2001 and has instilled the kind of qualities that we believe executives and clients appreciate most: respect, performance and teamwork. Recently we heard of a Paris based company acquiring an Alberta based industrial service provider to the oil and gas sector. Now when these types of initiatives develop, be it in Canada or France, clients will enjoy seamless access to top level executive support."

Philippe Soullier, CEO, states "We’re extremely pleased to find a trusted partner like Osborne Interim Management to explore Canadian-based opportunities. It is very important to us to be aligned with organizations who share the same values as VALTUS. Interim Management is growing globally as companies require more flexibility and greater value in adding senior executive capacity to their organizations in this uncertain economy. We have successfully completed assignments in many sectors including chemical, health care and agrifoods, heavy industry and transportation, and finance/private equity."

CASE STUDY: NOT-FOR-PROFIT

THE CLIENT
A major Alberta not-for-profit foundation.

THE CHALLENGE
The Foundation had created a for profit social enterprise but was unsure what market sectors their model should focus on and how to balance both their social and economic mandates in conducting business.

THE APPROACH
The Principal conducted a scan of relevant industry sectors, interviewing a cross-section of representative companies. Based on an analysis of market challenges and internal capacities, he developed a strategic marketing and sales plan within 30 days of being contracted.

THE RESULT
The enterprise accepted the deliverable as a blueprint with which to move forward, beginning with the addition of internal sales and marketing capacity and including a re-branding campaign to better reflect their mandates and garner stronger awareness in the marketplace.

GAP MANAGEMENT - A KEY HUMAN RESOURCES FUNCTION

In today’s successful organizations it is the HR personnel who facilitate the hiring practice for the organization. Generally, hiring policies and procedures are developed within this area and HR expertise drives the strategies for staff replacement and utilization. Current research suggests one of the most costly functions an organization incurs is as a result of the following human resource activities:

• Moving forward with hiring replacement staff without taking the time to evaluate the position and its current relevancy.
• Rushing to a decision because of the negative impact created by a lengthy vacancy.
• Moving forward with a new hire when the manager is required to "settle" for a candidate who is less than desired.
• Making a long term commitment to a new hire without being fully committed to the need for such a position.

A favourite caution in human resource circles when it comes to hiring practices is "It takes 30 minutes to hire and 30 years to retire an employee – you better get the first step right!". To facilitate a good hire an organization has to step back and evaluate their needs. It is in these very cases when interim expertise could be utilized to manage the gap and allow the organization to make a well informed decision on "where-to- from-here".

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