What Private Industry Can Teach governament: It starts with the application of supply chain 'best practices'

摘要

In the State of the State address on January 6, Governor Schwarzenegger characterized the State of California's purchasing program as "archaic and expensive." As a member of the purchasing and supply chain management academic community, I can assure readers that Governor Schwarzenegger is correct in his characterization. Over the course of my career, I have had the opportunity to teach, consult, and conduct research with firms from both private industry and government. The contrast is often stark. While private industry recognizes supply chain management as a core competency worthy of investment and improvement, government purchasing departments are usually still in the 'dark ages' of clerical purchasing.