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Category Archives: Procurement News
Commodity changes affect market conditions
November 17, 2014 Procurious HQ
This week we are looking at technology and how the recent commodity pricing changes has affected both the size of organisations as well as their strategies.
Microsoft Tops Exxon as 2nd Biggest Company on Oil Drop
Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) ceded its title as the world's second-largest company to Microsoft Corp. after the five-month oil rout cut $47 billion from its market value.
Apple (AAPL) Inc., the Cupertino, California-based iPhone maker, retains its rank as the world's biggest company. Its shares have rallied 41 per cent in 2014, the 33rd biggest gain in the S&P 500, as the company bought back shares and extended a streak of beating analyst earnings estimates to eight quarters.
Read more at Bloomberg.com
The desperate struggle at the heart of the brutal Apple supply chain
The most valuable corporation on Earth has the power to make or break a company through its supplier relationships.
A $578m deal signed between Apple and GTAT in November 2013 looked as though it would not only bring sapphire screens to iPhones, but also create thousands of jobs in the US, salving a sore point with legislators critical of Apple's use of foreign assembly for almost all its products, especially the iPhone and iPad.
But it ended in October 2014 with GTAT filing for bankruptcy, hundreds of people put out of work, and GTAT's chief executive and chief operating officer facing questions about insider dealing after they sold millions of dollars' worth of GTAT stock before Apple's iPhone announcement in September.
Though it doesn't actually own any factories, Apple pours gigantic amounts of money – about $12.5bn in the past four quarters – into "plant, property and equipment", the majority equipping its suppliers to make its products.
Read more at The Guardian
Economic volatility, low commodity prices to hurt mining industry
Global economic challenges, the strengthening US economy and an imbalance of supply and demand have had a devastating impact on the commodities market.
Current slump in prices was reflecting the cyclical nature of the industry.
For gold companies, while the long-term view was above current spot prices, volatility remained the key issue.
For base metal producers, a growing global population that would have greater overall need for products such as cars, computers and household goods, had helped support current prices.
Read more at Mining Weekly
Still Avoiding Social Media? You're Losing Business
74% of adult internet users use social media platforms.
Regardless of whether you are a business-to-consumer (B2C) or business-to-business (B2B) organization, your company can utilize the power of social media to see a real return-on-investment (ROI).
However, if you are not on social media then you are missing an opportunity to not only increase sales, but also provide better customer service to your existing clients.
What Percentage of People are Social Based on Income?
Less than $30,000/year—79%
$30,000-$49,999/year –73%
$75,000+/year –78%
One thing is certain, your target audience is social. However, if your business is not on the social media platforms where potential customers are, then you are simply missing out on opportunity
Read more at Business 2 Community
Accenture previews digital disruption
Accenture has promised to continue to enhance digital transformation and business efficiency through the application of relevant solutions and technology.
The rise of social media platforms has changed the game, stressing that data has become another source of revenue for telcos after revenue from voice appears to be peaking.
New emphasis on data and new sources of value: attention, identity, reputation, social graph, machine intelligence, robots, genetic modelling, new buyer values, change in control points and a winner takes all phenomena.
Read more at Biztech Africa
G20 climate challenge calls for a rethink of economics
Focusing on growth, the Brisbane G20 leaders' summit has not grappled with three key issues.
How much more growth can the planet survive?
How can poorer nations raise their living standards to parity with the "developed" world?
How can a fairer distribution of the benefits of growth be realised?
Read more at The Conversation
A question of ethics: procurement managers accused of bribery
We're kicking-off the working week with a handful of weighty issues, namely: ethics surrounding procurement, the state of US manufacturing, and Ebola. Eyes down for our pick of the web's biggest stories.
Atstock Productions/Shutterstock.com
Bribery tag on procurement managers 'unfair'
Suggestions that bribery is rife among procurement managers in hotels is unfair, with professionals calling for more attention to be paid to the actions of suppliers and other hotel staff.
The issue came up in a panel session at last week's Hotelier Middle East Procurement Summit, which took place at The Ritz-Carlton DIFC in Dubai on November 4.
Fairmont Dubai purchasing manager Jean Manuel said: "In each [hotel] there should be a strong policy on bribery. And it should not only be for procurement. It should be for all the organisation because it is always implied on procurement, which is really very unfair, because it should be everybody."
Nair had begun discussing the issue by citing a survey of suppliers byHotelier Middle East earlier this year, in which 55% said they had been asked to offer a monetary bribe, while 72.6% said they knew of other supply firms that were using bribes.
Read more on Hotelier Middle East
Levi Strauss' smart thinking on supply chain ethics
Levi Strauss announced last week that it will partner with the International Finance Corporation to reward suppliers in developing countries who score highly on environmental, health, safety and labour standards.
The reward for such ethical activities will be lower cost rates on working-capital financing. The apparel manufacturer's efforts are a great example of the economic benefits that can accrue to companies that pursue sustainability and promote ethics in their supply chains.
A recent study by Software Advice, an SCM software consultancy, showed that consumers would pay more for ethically made products.
One group of respondents said it would pay an average of $18.50 more if the raw materials were sourced ethically. Another said it would pay $19.70 more if the product had a carbon emissions offset, and the third group said it would pay $27.60 more for a product made in a facility with good working conditions.
The consultancy admits there can be a gap between what survey respondents say and what they will actually do. Still, says Forrest Burnson, market research associate at Software Advice, procurement and supply chain professionals can't ignore the fact that consumers are aware of where and how their products are made and who made them. And that awareness can even extend to perceptions of outsourcing.
Read more at Procurement Leaders
Big oil cutbacks deal supply-chain pain
Belt-tightening by big energy majors faced with plunging oil prices is battering the finances and share prices of their suppliers, as investors reassess the sector's ability to keep gushing cash.
A growing list of delayed or cancelled projects, seen by some investors as a healthy move by majors to rein in capital spend after a poor history of returns is working its way through corporate earnings; it has already pummelled the share price of some European suppliers seen as financially fragile.
Fugro, once seen as a blue-chip on Amsterdam's benchmark index, has had more than 30 per cent of its stock-market value wiped out in a week since scrapping its dividend. It is seeing trade swings more suited to a small-sized firm: on Thursday its one-day gain was 28 per cent.
The worst of this volatility may yet be to come, analysts and fund managers warn, as the recent fall in oil prices – triggered by a supply glut as well as worries over cooling demand – and the delayed effect of capital-expenditure cuts keeps up the pressure on companies to plug balance-sheet gaps. "Oil services firms are like euro zone banks a few years ago. There's a lot of damage in the sector and it could get worse before it gets better," said Arnaud Scarpaci, fund manager at Montaigne Capital.
Read more at Reuters Africa
President Obama announces plans to boost US manufacturing
US president Barack Obama has unveiled new executive actions to strengthen the functioning of US manufacturing supply chains. Aimed at fixing what is perceived as "the innovation gap faced by small manufacturers", the Department of Commerce's Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which serves over 30,000 US manufacturers each year, will build new capabilities at its state-based centres and pilot a competition for $130 million (£81.3 million) over five years across 10 states to help small manufacturers adopt new technologies and bring new products to market.
As part of the Supply Chain Innovation Initiative, the National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP) will deploy new tools to help small manufacturers access advanced technologies, new markets, and growth capital.
These tools will help connect small manufacturers with testbeds housed at national research facilities to test new technologies, helping small manufacturers bring to market novel products and processes.
Read more at Supply Management
CEVA and FedEx leverage expertise to help Ebola response
FedEx and CEVA have both been using their expertise to aid Ebola stricken countries in west Africa in recent weeks.
CEVA, one of the world's leading supply chain management companies, airlifted more than 70 tonnes of urgent supplies to Monrovia, Liberia on 10 October to assist in ongoing efforts to combat the West Africa Ebola outbreak. The airlift was chartered by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the lead government agency coordinating US Ebola response efforts which has been working to expand the pipeline of medical equipment and supplies to the region.
Included in the shipment were infrared thermometers, disinfectant backpack sprayers, tents, and plastic fencing to be used in the construction of Ebola treatment units. The supplies were sourced by USAID from multiple locations around the world and delivered to CEVA Charter Services at Liege Airport in Belgium. From there, CEVA loaded the cargo onto a Global Africa Cargo MD-11 freighter aircraft for a direct flight to the Liberian capital of Monrovia.
CEVA Logistics Corporate Account Manager, Marc Burgard, said: "This was a really important charter, and we were honoured to have been able to play a part in the Ebola response."There were several challenges along the way because of the diverse locations of the items involved, the urgency of the job and the number of time zones concerned, but the charter arrived safely in Liberia."
Read more at Supply Chain Digital
Supply chain woes at Tate
Tate & Lyle's first-half results came hot on the heels of a profit warning in September, so the figures, though bleak, were at least anticipated. They reflect serious operational and supply chain disruption caused by the polar vortex in the US and the temporary shutdown of Tate's Singapore sucralose factory. Tate's logistics cracked under the pressure and it was forced to shell out £31m to get orders to customers, including sending goods by costly air freight.
And it didn't help that sucralose prices fell faster, and for longer, than anticipated, slicing £18m off profit. Finally, the hit to earnings was compounded by currency headwinds.
Finance director Nick Hampton said Tate had been caught out by the supply chain issues and that the challenging first half had exposed cracks in the system. These are now being addressed, but Mr Hampton said Tate needed to build a more integrated and better-run global network to deal with the increasing complexity of the business, which included greater visibility over supply and demand. He said £100m is now being spent, both to boost capacity and make it more flexible, putting inventories closer to customers.
Read more at Investors Chronicle
Supply chain utilizations drop as China 4G development lags
Following the release of the iPhone 6 coupled with less-than-expected 4G developments in China, handset vendors in China anticipate limited 4G handset shipments throughout the end of 2014 into the second quarter of 2015.
Handset vendors in China had aggressive plans to push 4G handset sales in the country but as subisidies from local telecom vendors ended coupled with factors such as lagging awareness of the technology and consumers waiting for the iPhone 6, they witnessed less-than-expected 4G shipments, a trend that is expected to wither into 2015.
Supply chains do anticipate orders for the technology throughout the end of 2014 but believe the vast majority of orders will not come until the first and second quarters of 2015 when vendors prepare to release new units in the second and third quarters of 2015. China handset supply chain makers such as Kuangli Photoelectric Technology meanwhile have seen their utilizations drop as the trend occurs, with Kuangli's dropping from 95% in the second quarter of 2014 to 60% in the third quarter.
Digitimes Research said major China-based handset vendors including Coolpad, Lenovo and Xiaomi Technology are unlikely to reach their shipment goals set for 2014 due to slow sales of 4G models in the third quarter and gloomy prospects for the fourth quarter.
Read more at Digitimes
Feminist t-shirts 'sweatshop' row
November 3, 2014 Procurious HQ
UK politicians Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg have made headlines for the wrong reasons… this and more in our weekly news-blast of procurement's biggest stories.
A women's rights charity behind a t-shirt campaign now caught up in controversy over claims the products were made in "sweatshop" conditions has said it will order the clothes be withdrawn from sale if the reports are proven.
The T-shirts, proudly worn by Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg and Harriet Harman proclaiming their feminist credentials, are made by women workers being paid just 62p an hour, the Mail on Sunday reported.
The paper said its investigation had found the t-shirts with the slogan "This is what a feminist looks like" were being produced on a factory on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius where the women machinists sleep 16 to a room.
Fashion retailer Whistles, which sells the garments for £45 each, described the allegations as "extremely serious" and said it would be mounting an urgent investigation.
Read more on MSN
Britain's drone tech future relies on supply chain know-how
An interesting article has appeared in The Telegraph on the rise of drones and the economic benefit they could bring to the UK. It is penned by Michael Minall – Aerospace and Defence Director at Vendigital.
Developing a supply chain for drone production is such a significant challenge as the current aerospace sector is already competing for capable capacity in the supply chain. The task of making enough commercial aircraft to meet rising passenger numbers (20,000 over the next 20 years) means that many manufacturers are working at stretched capacity. To combat this, innovators of drone technology must move now to engage in supply chain mapping and open a dialogue with key suppliers regarding future business needs, communicating their requirements in terms of volumes, key capabilities and location.
Michael also touches on the potential skills gap, highlighting how unpopular engineering has become as a degree subject. So in order to source staff with the desired technical skills, firms should be prepared to take action at a grassroots level.
Read more at The Telegraph
CIPS Pan African Procurement Awards winners revealed
The winners of the CIPS Pan African Procurement Awards 2014 were announced at a ceremony in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Awards in 10 categories were presented to organisations in the public and private sectors, and two postgraduate awards and nine certificates of recognition were also handed out at the celebration at the Premier Hotel OR Tambo.
The evening included a speech from Jimmy Manyi, president of the Progressive Professional Forum and former CEO of government communications and information systems for the Republic of South Africa.
Award highlights included: Most Procurement & Supply Orientated CPO/CEO of the Year: Garry Pita, Transnet, CIPS Young Procurement and Supply Chain Management Professional of the Year: Lindiwe Ntuli from NECSA, while Kamogelo Mampane was awarded the CIPS Fellowship.
Supply Management has published a list of the winners in full
Olympian partners with high-tech procurement company in bid to win America's Cup
Ben Ainslie Racing the racing team set up by Olympian and America's Cup winner Ben Ainslie has partnered with high-tech procurement company Matrix in a bid to win the America's Cup with as green a boat (and surrounding infrastructure) as possible. Through buying components from within the UK, especially the Solent area close to their workshop in Portsmouth, reducing the impact on the environment and boosting the local economy.
The technology will enable BAR to support smaller businesses, taking advantage of the best of British tech and innovation; in contrast to other teams such as Oracle Team USA who wouldn't tend to look for smaller suppliers, the BAR and Matrix partnership aims to support British businesses.
Matrix already enjoys long term relationships with around 78 local authorities and the wider public sector including the NHS, higher educational establishments, schools, police authorities and the not-for-profit sector through the procurement of temporary staffing.
The buying platform opens late November, with Matrix and BAR hosting a supplier day open to all suppliers interested in working with BAR.
Read more at Ben Ainslie Racing
New security solution to protect against supply chain attacks in enterprise
Micron, Wave Systems, Lenovo, and PC Bios software vendor American Megatrends plan to develop enterprise-class security for enterprise class IT business systems.
The solutions to strengthen the BIOS specific feature called Core Root of Trust for Measurement (CRTM) to protect against current and emerging pre-boot threats within the supply chain. The companies intend for these solutions to form the basis of a new industry standard designed to ensure the integrity of the supply chain.
The comprehensive enterprise security suite will serve to protect memory content from its inception in manufacturing throughout a computing device's life cycle. It is hoped that a centrally managed security solution (working in conjunction with a client's core root of trust for measurement) will provide client system integrity throughout the supply chain.
Read more at EE Herald
Paddy procurement halted as Punjab exhausts CCL
The paddy procurement in Punjab has been stopped midway as the state has exhausted its first installment of cash credit limit (CCL) of Rs. 8,000 crore received from the Centre, and the second installment of Rs. 10,000 crore has not arrived despite several frantic reminders by the state.
It is a crisis-like situation as the state government has not paid the farmers since ten days for the large quantity of paddy procured by Punjab. About 40 lakh tonne of paddy still remain in grain markets waiting to be procured by government agencies.
So far, payment has been made for 55 lakh tonne. Other farmers are awaiting payment while agencies have already obtained the grain from them.
Read more at Hindustan Times
Standardised procurement could save English fire services £18 million a year
Fire and rescue services across England could save £18 million annually by standardising and streamlining the way they buy firefighting clothing and equipment, according to a joint report from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and the Chief Fire Officers Association.
A report commissioned by DCLG found fire services buying identical kit at vastly different prices, with variations of up to 200 per cent. It cited examples including a pair of protective trousers costing between £125 and £274, a fire helmet costing £105 to £131, and the price of a fire coat ranging £220 to £366.
Concluding that fire and rescue authorities could achieve savings of £18 million from a total spend of £127 million a year, the report suggested the savings could be even greater if applied to all purchases by all fire services, which spends an estimated £600 million each year on buying equipment and fire engines.
10 years of supply chain CSR
October 27, 2014 Procurious HQ
We're leading this week's news headlines with a decade of supply chain corporate social responsibility presented in an easy-to-digest infographic. It's like Christmas has come early…
Ten years of supply chain's corporate responsibility
A new infographic which highlights the high-profile events that have driven global momentum for business and supply chain responsibility over the past decade has been created by the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange (Sedex).
From the Morecambe Bay tragedy in the UK in 2004 to the horsemeat scandal which rocked industry last year, the Sedex infographic puts the spotlight on the events that have driven global momentum for CSR and supply chain responsibility.
View the infographic in full below (thanks to edie.net):
Carlsberg pours Office 365 into supply chain operations
Danish brewer Carlsberg has deployed Office 365 in a bid to help the company manage its supply chain operations around the world. The Carlsberg Group is deploying Office 365's integrated productivity and collaboration services to underpin the Carlsberg Supply Chain (CSC), an initiative to help streamline the company's global supply chain operations.
Since 2000 the company has expanded from a local production base of just six markets to servicing pubs and restaurants in over 140 markets, and the company has launched what it calls "GloCal," an attempt to improve its operational efficiency by centralising management of its procurement, production, logistics and planning functions.
Etienne Dock, vice president of IT architecture and sourcing at Carlsberg said the company is using Microsoft Exchange Online for email and calendaring; Microsoft Lync Online to connect via web conferencing and instant messaging; teams are collaborating on projects using Microsoft SharePoint Online; and employees are adopting the Yammer Enterprise social networking platform for messaging and collaboration.
Read more at Business Cloud News
DHL Supply Chain wins new five-year contract with Volvo Cars
Under the new contract, DHL will manage four shared use local distribution centres. Deliveries will take place through the night using DHL's Auto Alliance collaborative platform. During the day, deliveries are made through the same day service to all of Volvo Cars UK dealers. This service incorporates flexible driver departure times to even the most remote dealers, meaning an enhanced, more efficient delivery service nationwide.
Michael Martin, VP Business Development, Automotive, DHL Supply Chain added: "DHL is delighted to be working with one of the world's leading automotive companies to drive forward innovative approaches for exceptional customer service. "This new contract heralds a new partnership between DHL and Volvo Cars, which will see us deliver an innovative service-level delivery network, resulting in increased efficiencies".
A new fleet of increasingly fuel-efficient vehicles will be deployed, with more than 35 trucks that feature forward facing cameras, Microlise vehicle tracking to increase fleet performance, full closure tail lifts to maintain high safety standards and state-of-the-art double deck trailers specifically designed for working in the Aftermarket environment.
Huawei boosts European procurement spend to more than $4 billion
The Chinese IT company spent $3.4 billion on components, engineering and logistical services in 2013 but plans to increase this to $4.08 billion by 2015.
At its European Partner Convention in Germany the firm, which deals with more than 3,000 suppliers in Europe, said spending was "gathering further speed" as part of plans to expand in the region.
Kevin Tao, president of Huawei Western Europe, said: "Europe remains our top investment destination. "Europe's fertile IT environment, and the trust of our valuable European partners, has enabled us to get us to get where we are today. As our engagement with the European business environment deepens, procurement will be continually increasing to fuel this expansion."
Competition from China PC supply chain to remain strong in 2015
Although demand for PCs has started recovering recently and shipments in 2015 are expected to remain at the same level as in 2014, Taiwan's supply chain is still facing fierce competition from China-based component makers, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.
The sources pointed out that the hinge industry is one of the major battlefields for Taiwan makers, as China-based manufactures such as GT Technology have been expanding their presences in the monitor and all-in-one PC industries. Although notebook hinges are still supplied mainly by Taiwan-based companies, China makers' aggressive moves have created strong pressure.
In addition to hinges, the competition between Taiwan and China makers has also grown fierce for components such as batteries, cooling modules, cables and connectors.
Read more at Digitimes.com
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My three CIPS Australasia conference highlights
October 25, 2014 Gordon Donovan
This is the fifth article in a fortnightly series from Gordon Donovan.
With the dust having now settled, this won't be a blow-by-blow account but instead I'll share my key highlights from the event.
The CIPS Australasia conference took place across a jam-packed two days – here are my key takeaways from three of the highlight speakers:
David Noble, CIPS CEO
The key theme of this year's conference encompassed the issues of change in business and the global economy. In opening David addressed the rapidly changing business environment and highlighted the key factors are affecting modern supply chains and that the conference would hinge upon. Namely: technology, talent, transformation, and tomorrow.
The advance of technology is constant, so it's critical that today's procurement professional has an acute understanding of what this key enabler can deliver. Complexity has rendered traditional tried and tested change management plans obsolete. This has called for a more innovative and creative range of solutions that are flexible, adaptable and agile allowing the organisation to change direction quickly to meet market challenges. Only one third of procurement professionals are ready for the challenges ahead according to CEOs.
In an unpredictable volatile world, the need to make sense of the future will be an important and critical competency for procurement leaders.
David demonstrated that CIPS is now a true global institution, boasting offices throughout the world and a truly worldwide membership base. The following was also shared with delegates from CIPS HQ at Easton House:
Licensing the profession is a multifaceted approach
Chartered status will follow from Jan 2015
Fellowship remains highest CIPS qualification level
CIPS is now holding regular CEO supply forums to both brief and be briefed by the C suite
There will be three routes to obtain chartered status which will require 30 hours of CPD to maintain annually
A new concentrated focus on ethics and walk free foundation
Sam Walsh, CEO of Rio Tinto
A detailed account of Sam's key note speech "The golden age of procurement" can be read on Procurious here, but here's a primer for those unfamiliar with his words:
Sam revealed that most companies are not making the most of the possibilities of procurement. In fact, research showed that when it comes to procurement, 50% to 90% of companies recognise that they do not employ best practices
"Shift your perspective. Instead of spending your whole time obsessing only about the top line, and the bottom line, focus on the middle line as well."
Sustainability was also a key focus for the Rio Chief: "So the saying goes, we are what we eat. In business, we are what we buy."
A note on new talent struck a chord with the millennial's in the room. Sam mused that today's procurement professionals require a much wider skills-set than was needed when he first started as a trainee buyer.
Mark Donaldson VC, Corporal
The highlight of the conference for many… Mark's keynote speech was about transforming you and your team – good leaders create other leaders and not followers.
He reminded delegates that knowledge alone rarely changes behaviour; behaviour changes behaviour with practice, and with repetition the knowledge becomes practiced and ingrained. Further adding that exposure to new things increases behavioural change. Longer-lasting change takes a great deal more time to properly bed in.
Mark warned against the dangers of becoming too emotionally attached to a plan – reminding all that plans often fail due to this blind spot. Letting emotions in also places limits on flexibility.
But Donaldson didn't finish there, he instead went on to reminisce about the end of the day he received his VC: "I was a bit tired and hot and was running out of water, and as I sheltered behind a vehicle I noticed a young soldier returning fire whilst bleeding profusely as he had been shot in the head. 'you don't stop, so I don't stop'. If we think we have been having a bad day, ask yourself the following: Have I run out of water? Is it over 40 degrees in my work environment? Have I been shot at for three hours? No, well not so much of a bad day then…"
Congratulations to the winners of the CIPS Awards – at The Faculty we were especially proud to see so many of our Roundtable members and their teams collecting accolades. A complete list of winners is below:
Best Cross-Functional Teamwork Project
Alcoa of Australia
Best Example of Socially Responsible Procurement
Department for Communities and Social Inclusion
Ministry of Social Development
Best Infrastructure or Capital Works Project
Transurban
Best People Development Initiative
Best Process Improvement Initiative
Santos Limited
Best Supplier Partnership
Centennial Coal
Most Improved Procurement Operation
Thiess Pty Ltd
Fonterra Co-operative Limited
CIPS Australasia Procurement and Supply Chain Management Professional of the Year
Kevin McCafferty – Fortescue Metals Group
CIPS Australasia Young Procurement and Supply Chain Management Professional of the Year
Bree Pitcher – Stanwell Corporation Limited
CIPS Australasia Overall Winner
CIPS Australasia Leadership Award
Sarah Collins – Roads and Maritime Services
CIPScips australasia
'Weak' UK supply chain is holding back investment
The British are coming! Controversial acceptance speeches, staunch warnings, and more – feature in our weekly news blast.
Business calls for measures to boost supply chain
Weaknesses in the UK's supply chain are holding back industrial investment, according to British business. Industry is calling on the government to help boost competitiveness with measures to incentivise innovation, improve financing and resolve a crippling skills gap.
Close to 80 per cent of companies say improving the quality of Britain's supply chain will be crucial to future growth, according to a study published on Monday by the Confederation of British Industry and consultants AT Kearney.
Industry's call is made more urgent after the Bank of England's chief economist Andy Haldane last week warned that productivity remained 15 per cent below pre-crisis levels despite unprecedented declines in wages.
Yet in a blow to the CBI's findings, some global manufacturers said Britain's relatively high costs would remain the biggest deterrent to investment. "It's far more expensive . . . here," said Neeraj Kanwar, managing director of India's Apollo tyres. "The UK as far as manufacturing is concerned is not lucrative at all."
Read more at FT.com
Top transport, logistics, supply chain operators in Malta honoured
Noel Ellul, an expert in transport and logistics in Malta with a career spanning over 40 years, was awarded the 'Outstanding Achievement of the Year' honour at the first TransLog Awards to be held.
Key transport, logistics and supply chain stakeholders operating in Malta were recognised with awards in 12 different categories at the TransLog Awards presentation ceremony held at the Intercontinental Hotel.
Organised by Support and Supply Management Group (SSM) and marketing communications agency BPC International, and supported by HSBC Bank Malta, the TransLog Awards attracted nominations from both Maltese and regional businesses operating in Malta.
Read more at Times of Malta
Osborne poaches Balfour Beatty supply chain manager for director role
Mr Robeson joins Osborne from Balfour Beatty Construction Services UK, where he worked in supply chain management until September 2014, according to his LinkedIn profile. He has also worked for Wates Construction and Berkeley Homes.
Osborne said Mr Robeson would bring experience and expertise in supply chain relationship development, procurement best practice and added value realisation.
Osborne Construction managing director Andy Steele said: "I am delighted to welcome John to the Osborne Construction Leadership Team. John will help us improve on stakeholder engagement and further us to increase our operational excellence agenda."
Read more at Construction News
Stirling Prize winner hits out at UK procurement
Stirling Prize winner Steve Tompkins has criticised the UK's procurement system for freezing out young practices.
The Haworth Tompkins director contrasted the "increasingly bureaucratic" British system unfavourably with that found overseas where greater weight is often placed on talent and ideas.
He said his own practice had struggled to break into new typologies because PQQs in this country so often demand prior experience. "The whole procurement structure in this country is increasingly bureaucratic," he told BD after scooping the Stirling Prize on Thursday night for the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool. "The number of hurdles you have to pass through to get a commission is daunting and the amount of design work you have to do is daunting, demoralising and very wasteful.
He continued: "It's increasingly hard for young practices to get in at all. I wish that was a debate we could have with the procurement process."
Read more at bdonline.co.uk
Supply chain boost with new Discovery Sport
The first Land Rover Discovery Sport has rolled off the production line at Jaguar Land Rover's (JLR) Halewood site, with the UK supply chain benefiting from £3.5bn in contracts from the new vehicle.
The latest model in the range has created 250 manufacturing jobs in Halewood as the result of a £200m investment.
Fifty-five suppliers have also secured a total of £3.5bn in contracts to support production, which has led to the safeguarding and creation of more than 1,000 UK jobs, JLR said.
Read more at Insider Media Limited
Germany wants cleaner, kinder textiles supply chain
Gerd Müller, Germany's Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), launched a new Textiles Alliance in Berlin late last week. Its goal is to help move the international textile supply chain toward better labor and environmental practices.
Müller's ministry wants to see improvements at every link in the supply chain – from the cotton fields through the textile dyeing and clothing production process to distribution and retail.
Among other aims, the Textiles Alliance seeks decent wages, an end to forced labor and child labor, respect for safety standards, and a stop to the use of certain particularly environmentally toxic chemicals in the textiles supply chain.
Membership in the alliance is voluntary, however, and while the ministry reported that 29 textiles companies and associations had joined the Textiles Alliance in time for the launch, many key industry players and associations in Germany gave notice that they would not join.
Read more at Deutsche Welte
HGV driver shortage may affect UK supply chain
Members of the British International Freight Association – who tend to be truck hirers delivering container and trailer imports from ports to distribution centres – have reported significantly increased waiting times for an available vehicle, much higher costs from haulage companies and surcharges from some shipping lines.
The implementation of the new HGV driver regulations – the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) – in September has already contributed to a lack of new drivers within the logistics and distribution sector, and the shortage of drivers has been compounded by the imports forecast, as well as the earlier-than-expected peak season.
BIFA director general, Robert Keen said: "New HGV drivers are urgently required in the UK logistics business to help alleviate the problems caused by the current shortage, which is leading to significant pressures on logistics costs."
Are we in the Golden Age of Procurement?
Rio's CEO says it's time "to meddle in the middle"
Rio Tinto's CEO Sam Walsh put a spotlight on the value that can be delivered by both the C-level and procurement shifting their focus from the top and bottom-line to the "middle line", when he spoke at the CIPS conference in Sydney last week.
Martin Capek/Shutterstock.com
He said most companies were not making the most of the possibilities of procurement. In fact, research showed that when it comes to procurement, 50% to 90% of companies recognise that they do not employ best practices. This is despite research also showing that companies who get their procurement operations to the standard of the best – can increase their profit margins by 15 per cent.
Even though turnover and profit are critically important, you don't hear many people talking about the cost of sales or improvement in their working capital. Have you ever turned on Bloomberg in the morning and heard them say, "Today, Unilever's cost of sales went up by 3.5%?"
"The middle line is frequently where you can make most difference, securing your competitive advantage, proving your value, showing your mettle," said Sam.
In encouraging the procurement profession to seize the opportunity, he said "And if the middle's in a muddle? Meddle! You won't regret it! You might just make a tonne more money."
In his speech "The golden age of procurement" Sam shared some of his thoughts about the importance of procurement from the perspective of a global chief executive. In opening, he mused that there has never been a more exciting or important time to work in procurement. Sam cemented the fact that a lot has changed since he first started out, and went on to praise today's women and men that are pushing forward, making businesses more innovative, productive, and creating the partnerships that will see us into the future.
One of the areas highlighted for "meddling in the middle" was to focus on innovation.
"You need to collaborate to compete," said Sam.
Rio Tinto has a whole raft of strategic partnerships that are incredibly beneficial. Strategic partnerships with academic bodies, research institutes, as well as suppliers.
Working closely with key partners, Rio Tinto has established a great record in innovation. Its 'Mine of the Future' programme has been developed working with companies like Hitachi, Atlas Copco, Komatsu, Bridgestone, and General Electric. All of which are producing stunning results.
"You might have read about driverless cars in the papers. Rio Tinto already has 53 driverless trucks operating in the Pilbara. Collectively they've driven 3.9 million kilometres, and are all operated remotely using GPS," Sam said.
Another area recommended for "meddling in the middle" was sustainability.
"So the saying goes, we are what we eat. In business, we are what we buy," he said.
Rio Tinto spent around US$26 billion dollars last year. The decisions it make about where and how it invests this spend can have a huge impact. An important part of its approach is to source locally, and it applies this same approach in other markets as well. For example, at Rio Tinto's new mining lease area in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal region, the company is investing time, money and skills as one of the major employers in the region to develop lasting community businesses that can supply the mine.
Sam reminds us however that all of this doesn't come without effort; that it's about getting the skills right too. He says that today's procurement professionals require a much wider skills-set than was needed when he first started as a trainee buyer at General Motors Holden.
"Today's procurement professionals need to work smarter, harder and faster. Procurement used to be predominantly focused on achieving security of supply. Today, we're operating in a business environment that is far more volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous than it was when I started out," he said.
"We're getting increasingly used to economic, political, and environmental shocks. As procurement professionals we need to be on top of these changes as and when they happen, we need to negotiate contracts that can withstand sudden and dramatic economic change."
rio tintosam walsh
One of Australia's top procurement job goes to…
Today marks a big day.
Procurious member, and reigning Asia-Pacific CPO of the Year, Visna Lampasi has been announced as Head of Group Procurement at Australia's largest retailer, Woolworths Limited.
In what was no doubt a hotly contested role, Visna will lead the procurement of all goods not for resale across the Woolworths Limited brands including Woolworth Supermarkets and Petrol, Liquor Group, Big W, Masters Home Improvement, ALH Hotel Group, Woolworths Money, Everyday Rewards and Ezibuy.
For those unfamiliar with Woolworths Limited, the group of companies has approximately 200,000 staff Australia-wide with an annual revenue of $60 billion – one of Australia's leading groups.
If anyone is up for the task of delivering commercial value in such a high profile role, Visna is having taken out the title of The Faculty's CPO of the Year 2014 earlier this year.
Visna's career background spans across a number of procurement roles, most recently operating as infrastructure company Leighton Contractors' Chief Procurement Officer where she established an award winning social procurement program.
Procurement veteran and Procurious founder Tania Seary welcomed the announcement: "I haven't had the opportunity to work closely with the Woolworths Procurement team, but I understand they have been through various transformations.
"Within the Australian procurement landscape, the team would be regarded as a mature procurement function," said Seary.
"Having gotten to know Visna over the years, I know she's a very talented and tenacious procurement professional who will undoubtedly identify a multitude of sources of untapped value within the organisation."
Industry peer and Rio Tinto's General Manager of Global Process Architecture, Cindy Dunham echoed Seary's sentiments:
"I've had the pleasure of working with Visna on a number of procurement professional bodies and know that she'll bring a great depth of knowledge and experience to the Woolworths Group.
"Visna's large network is complemented by her industry leadership, influencing skills and dedication. I look forward to her continued commitment to raising the profile of procurement in Australia."
The Faculty's CPO of the Year judging panel chairman Dr. Karen Morley also congratulated Visna on the new role.
"Visna's track record of achieving commercial outcomes, leading cultural change, and balancing social outcomes in tough project management environments sets her up well for further success."
From the team here at Procurious we'd like to congratulate Visna!
For those wanting to know how she does it, stay tuned for some exclusive procurement advice from the woman of the hour coming soon.
visna lampasiwoolworths
Risk of business disruption has increased by a fifth – which countries are affected?
A new report reports that a fifth of the world's countries are at risk from business disruption… this and more in our weekly news blast:
Risk of business disruption has increased in a fifth of countries
The risk of business disruption due to civil unrest has increased in a fifth of countries over the past quarter, according to a report.
The ranking of 197 countries, which assesses the likelihood of strikes, protests and ethnic and sectarian conflict impacting business operations, includes 11 states that are considered to be "extreme risk". These include Syria at number one, followed by the Central African Republic, Pakistan and Sudan.
Maplecroft's Civil Unrest Index shows risk has increased most in Hong Kong over the past three months, due to the pro-democracy demonstrations. This was followed by Liberia where there has been mounting unrest as a result of the Ebola virus outbreak.
Maplecroft said firms operating in and sourcing from these countries "faced severe disruptions". Factories in Vietnam were forced to suspend production during anti-Chinese protests in May 2014, and anti-government protests in Thailand, culminated in a coup and "shut down much of the country's commercial centre", halving projected GDP growth to 2.5 per cent.
World Bank to launch procurement app
The World Bank plans to release a mobile application that will give users access to comprehensive procurement data from 2004 to 2014.
The new app, which is being rolled out amid an ongoing controversial procurement reform process within the institution, aims to provide more transparency and accessibility to donors and recipients. Once downloaded, the app will be fully functional offline, allowing those in the most remote places full access, according to Joao Veiga Malta, practice manager at the bank's Governance Global Practice. "What we wanted to do was to be able to provide you the procurement information that the bank had with an easy reach [so] that you did not necessarily need a masters in statistics in order to be able to do an analysis."
The app, Veiga Malta explained, will show the distribution of awards by country and can be organized by civil works, goods, consulting services and nonconsulting services. Users can search by fiscal year, economic sector, donor country or recipient country, and will be able to see graphs, pie charts, ratios, trends and rankings.
Read more at Devex.com
New Spanish brand enters the hot fast fashion market
When most people think of European clothes, they immediately think of haute couture creations from Paris with astronomical price tags. If not that, there are the giant label's prêt-à-porter incarnations which fetch similarly high prices. So the idea of clothes from sunny Spain with price tags on T-shirts at P299 can be a surprise.
Those T-shirts come from Sfera (pronounced es-fera), a fast fashion brand from the Spanish company Grupo El Corte Ingles. The company is the largest department store chain in Spain, and under its umbrella, it has travel agencies, convenience stores, and home and DIY stores.
Sfera opened its first Asian venture in SM Makati, right inside SM's department store. "We believe that [the Philippines] is a very mature market, and [it] can give us feedback… [on] the behavior and the Asian taste of the customer," said Guillermo Lopez Garcia, an international manager from Sfera, as he discussed why the brand decided to bring its fashions here. "We believe that if we can compete and succeed in the Philippines… we can succeed anywhere."
Read more at Business World Online
Supply chains conservative about 4G handset development in China during 4Q14
Handset supply chain makers are continuing to see the effects of lagging 4G handset sales in China as vendors clear out reserves of 3G units.
Both vendors and retailers in China are still clearing reserves of 3G handsets as sales have been stagnating following decisions by major China-based telecom providers to end handset purchase subsidies.
The subsidies spurred a wave of handset purchasing throughout 2013 into 2014 and were expected to continue for 4G units. However, most telecom providers have limited or even stopped such moves and have yet to reissue new plans for helping to push 4G handsets in China.
Panel makers and touch panel makers have seen the brunt of the situation in 2014 and expect conservative orders to China during the fourth quarter of 2014 as a result.
Kaiser moves to remake its supply chain
Kaiser Permanente is trying to remake the hospital supply chain, Forbes reported.
The California-based integrated provider is using new software to try and make the ordering and use of supplies for its 38 hospitals, 9.5 million members, 17,000 physicians and 48,000 nurses more efficient and less costly, according to Forbes contributor Steve Banker.
That's a change from Kaiser just five years ago, when nurses and other frontline healthcare workers were responsible for tracking down and ordering supplies, which were often siloed in multiple locations throughout the system. Recalled or expired supplies had to be discovered and returned in a virtually manual process. That form of supply chain management often meant that providers had time taken away from caring for patients.
Read more at Fierce Health Finance
Thyssen to manage Airbus Helicopters supply chain
German industrial group ThyssenKrupp has agreed a deal with Airbus to manage the supply chain of metallic raw materials for Airbus Helicopters.
ThyssenKrupp said its Aerospace division would manage procurement, logistics, quality assurance and fine-tuning the management of blanks – unfinished metal that is stamped out of larger pieces of material – for Airbus Helicopters worldwide. It said the cooperation would take place for the "coming years", without being more specific.
ThyssenKrupp Aerospace is part of the group's Materials Services division, which distributes materials and provides technical services for the production and manufacturing sectors.
Read more at Reuters.com
Initiative to reduce fertilizer use for commodity grain crops launched in US
Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has launched a new, collaborative initiative to eliminate fertilizer pollution as a major environmental concern in the United States. The effort will engage farmers and businesses throughout the supply chain to transform the way fertilizer-dependent grain crops are grown and sourced.
"If we're going to meet food demands for a growing population, we've got to decouple production from pollution as soon as possible," said David Festa, EDF vice president. "The most promising way to accomplish this essential task is by collaborating with decision makers at every point in the U.S. grain supply chain — from retailers and food companies to agribusiness and farmers."
"Our long-term goal is to make the entire U.S. grain supply sustainable — good for farmers, good for the climate and good for our waterways," said Suzy Friedman, director of EDF's Sustainable Sourcing Initiative.
Read more at OCJ.com
UK public procurement organisations praised for insurance framework project
It's a win for Procurious-favourites YPO (and partners)
A collaboration between the largest public procurement organisations in the UK to reduce duplication of effort and achieve savings has taken home the Best Public Procurement Project gong at the CIPS Supply Management Award 2014.
What was the idea?
The joint venture was headed by the Crown Commercial Service, and YPO, ESPO and NEPO. It provides the public sector with quick and easy access to a wide range of insurance services, including property, liability and motor cover. Since its launch in February 2013 it has already been used by over 260 customers from across the public sector, delivering savings of some £7.6m. It's also worth noting that individual customers such as local authorities have saved over half a million pounds on their insurance costs.
Of the 29 suppliers on the agreement, a healthy percentage – over 25 per cent are SMEs. This goes some way to demonstrating how the Government's commitment to improving public sector business opportunities for smaller businesses is working.
The CIPS judging panel said:
"The team demonstrated a creative approach to a category in which procurement can find difficulty gaining traction in. There is evidence of not only real cash savings but a team that engaged widely with stakeholders and the wider market to deliver outstanding results".
On the win Sally Collier, CEO of the Crown Commercial Service exclaimed: "I am absolutely thrilled. This is a tremendous accolade for our highly successful collaboration with YPO, ESPO and NEPO. It recognises our commitment to delivering savings for the taxpayer and improving efficiency by working closely with customers and constantly innovating to meet their needs."
Paul Smith, Procurement and Supply Chain Director of YPO offered: "The award is a fantastic recognition of the hard work and commitment of all collaborative partners. The aim was to deliver a single approach to insurance procurement across the public sector, streamlining processes and achieving efficiencies. I am delighted that this has been realised and many organisations are already reaping the financial benefits."
Paul Smith and YPO previously featured in our 'Is the UK more risk averse than the rest of Europe?' article. Read it here.


If you are interested in becoming certified as a Surrogate Parent for students in Ohio, you must create an account or login and select "Take the Course". You will then complete the course registration form and begin the course. You will complete each module in sequence. To move from one module to the next, you must successfully answer the questions at the end of the module. You will be able to review the module and complete the questions again if you do not answer them correctly the first time. Upon completion of the last module and the final questions, you will have successfully completed the course. You will receive a Surrogate Parent Certificate by mail.
If you are not interested in becoming a Surrogate Parent, but you want to review information about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Individual Education Program process, you may access the course modules in any order. You must still create an account or login and select "Browse the Modules".


We all know that healthy diet, regular exercise, fresh air, sun and enough sleep all reduce stress and improve our mood.
Because on a bad day, when nothing goes well, all you can think of is take-away food, a glass of wine and a couch. Going to the gym or for a walk and cooking a healthy meal after work requires discipline and excess energy, which you don't always have. That's why those strategies, whilst valuable, are not enough.
What is required is to put oneself in the right frame of mind and have the right attitude…. as often as possible.
Mindfulness is having the ability to pay attention to the present moment purposefully and non-judgementally. In order to be able to achieve that more often than occasionally, we need to train our brain by regularly practicing – meditating, which is engaging in a single activity for a period of time. Such activity may involve deep breathing, visualisation or mantra.
The more we engage in a relaxation activity, the more we can control our stress and anxiety.
Researchers have shown that adrenaline and cortisol hormones produced in our bodies to help us deal with stressful or dangerous situations can be controlled by regular meditation.
Consequently, by slowing down our breath, our blood pressure and heart rate, otherwise increased by adrenaline, drop.
And so your thoughts become your destiny.
Many people assume that they need to stop having negative thoughts in order to be happy. The thing is though, that negative or positive, thoughts will always be there.
The trick lies in having the ability to catch ourselves having those thoughts, and if they are negative we need to learn to take control over them before they start controlling us.
The skill lies in observation.
We need to perceive ourselves as the observer of our thoughts, separate from them.
Rather than thinking of oneself as "stupid", perceive yourself as the one who is thinking such a thought.
The thought is not the reality. It is just a thought, just one way of perceiving the reality.
The less we identify ourselves with our thoughts, negative or positive, the more balanced we are, less egocentric and in control of our emotions.
The more we are able to control our emotions and emotional reactions in stressful situations, the more likely we are to remain calm.
The stress, pain and misfortune are a part of life. It's not what happens to us, it's how we respond that matters.
In order to control our thought processes and be able to catch ourselves thinking negative thoughts we first need to understand our patters of behaviour, our trigger points and our limiting beliefs.
Such understanding is achieved as we develop higher level of self-awareness and generally, emotional intelligence.
A self aware person recognises what is the most important to them – they know their values. They are clear on what they want to achieve in life and career – they know their purpose and vision and consequently, they set meaningful goals.
Having such awareness permits focus and discipline in following a designed life and career path. It also explains why we are sensitive or have strong reactions in situations we are emotionally invested in, over others.
It may be as a result of someone else's words about us or as a result of our own thoughts that we start feeling anxious.
Regardless of what is the cause, having an awareness of why we react in a certain way allows us to create distance between ourselves and that thought, and therefore not engage.
Hormones play a big part in maintaining our calm.
We meditate to control the release of adrenaline and cortisol hormones of stress. The latter maintains our mood balance whereas oxytocin is responsible for feelings of love and connectivity.
The more we connect with others, mentally as well as physically, the happier we are.
Having a conversation, sharing an experience, agreeing on a point of view all contribute to connectivity.
We can encourage connection by showing interest and being genuinely curious: asking questions of others and paraphrasing what we hear.
Positive conversations make physical connection easier and more natural to occur. Therefore, a handshake followed by a shoulder touch or an embrace and a hug (shared more amongst women than men) all contribute to a good feeling and release of happy hormones.
Newer Post4 Lessons My One-Year Old Has Taught Me Plus One.
Older PostHow to Avoid Disappointments by Practicing Non-Attachment?


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Home › News › Chief Executive Officer
Tag : Chief Executive Officer
Impact Investing Australia Appoints CEO
Lina Caneva, Wednesday, 22nd October 2014 - Investment adviser, Daniel Madhavan has been appointed as the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of Impact Investing Australia – a newly established Not for Profit set up…
Guide to Giving Milestone Edition
Lina Caneva, Thursday, 11th September 2014 - Bookings close in just two weeks for Pro Bono Australia's Guide to Giving publication, which will celebrate its 25th year in 2015. The Guide to Giving is a publication…
The Motherhood Penalty – the Widest Gender Pay Gap
Lina Caneva, Tuesday, 2nd September 2014 - Women are being penalised for becoming mothers, leading to the largest national gender pay gap in 30 years, the Diversity Council Australia has claimed. Chief Executive Officer…
Support Short for Regional Social Enterprise
Lina Caneva, Wednesday, 2nd July 2014 - Tailored support and a fresh government approach is needed if Australia is to unlock the potential of social enterprise in rural and regional areas, writes Celia Hodson, Chief Executive…
Children Advocate Takes Playgroup Top Job
Staff Reporter, Monday, 14th April 2014 - High-profile Not for Profit leader Karen Bevan has taken on the position of Chief Executive Officer at Playgroup NSW. Bevan, who has extensive experience in the children and families…
Corporate Mentoring for NFP CEOs
Staff Reporter, Thursday, 27th March 2014 - A new Australian organisation has been set up to provide Not for Profit CEOs with one-on-one mentoring opportunities with successful corporate leaders, including board members…
More Women Reach Corporate Board Level – Report
Staff Reporter, Wednesday, 12th March 2014 - The number of women on Australian corporate boards has more than doubled over the past four years, figures from the Australian Institute of Company Directors have revealed. Company…
Call to Increase Refugee Numbers
Staff Reporter, Tuesday, 18th February 2014 - The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) has urged Australia to increase the number of refugees it accepts under its annual offshore humanitarian program. Releasing RCOA's…
Philanthropy and 'Wicked Problems'
Staff Reporter, Tuesday, 22nd October 2013 - Philanthropy can act as an enabler on many levels, writes Melbourne City Mission Chief Executive Officer Ric Holland.
Kudos to Andrew Forrest for using his $65 million donation…
Interim CEO Takes Over Reins of Learning Links
Staff Reporter, Monday, 23rd September 2013 - After 12 years at the helm of Learning Links, a Sydney-based service for children with disabilities, Chief Executive Officer Warren Johnson has stepped down from the top job. Kate…
HLB Mann Judd
HLB Mann Judd is a specialist Accounting and Advisory firm t...

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Break Up (1998)
Jimmy is married to the abusive Frank, but she's building a nest egg so she can leave. For a year, she's been deaf as a result of one of his beatings. One night, he pushes her over the stairwell, and she ends up in the hospital. When a charred body in her husband's car is pulled from a pond, the cops want to talk to her, but she bolts for her sister's, loses her savings pass-book, and then learns someone has emptied her bank account. She's goes on the run, with the same cops on her trail, and eventually realizes Frank may not be dead. Getting back her money, facing Frank, satisfying the police, and finding her freedom may be more than she can handle.
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The Decline of Western Civilization (1981)
The Los Angeles punk music scene circa 1980 is the focus of this film. With Alice Bag Band, Black Flag, Catholic Disc...
Yip Man (2008)
In 1935 in Foshan, south China, there are martial arts schools on every street corner. Ip Man is the undisputed marti...
The Big Bad Swim (2006)
An adult swim class sets the stage for this sexually charged comedy-drama about love, loss, and second chances. Three...
The Way We Live Now (2001)
At the center of the story is Augustus Melmotte, a European-born city financier, whose origins are as mysterious as h...


What is your professional background and how did you become Art Director at Egmont UK?
I have been working in the publishing industry for 17 years. Having left university studying graphic design, I stumbled into the world of children's books, and began freelancing for Hodder & Stoughton. Realising how much I loved children's publishing, I started working as a junior designer at Scholastic Children's Books. I have since worked at Random House & Penguin before coming to Egmont in 2003. I became Art Director after 6 months of joining the company.
How does your current role differ from previous positions within publishing companies?
As an Art Director you are managing the design department, working as a team to ensure we create the strongest market appropriate covers and stories we can, appealing to all ages.
I work very closely with the designers, supporting and nurturing them which I find extremely rewarding. It does mean I have less time to design myself, which I miss, but I do feel I express my creative ideas through my designers.
Getting involved with the strategic planning of Egmont Press has given me new and exciting challenges, but it does mean I spend a lot more time in meetings!
Egmont works with a host of prolific illustrators including Helen Oxenbury and Colin and Jacqui Hawkins. How does the experience of working with established names compare with fresh, new talent?
I would say it is equally rewarding but has different challenges. It is wonderful to work with such talented & experienced illustrators. They have an established style and reputation which has been refined over many years. They use techniques and have tried and tested way of doing things. It's great as I am always learning from them and it can make our job fairly easy as they have such a strong vision.
Illustrators straight out of college are so fresh they generally have no boundaries which is fantastic as it enables them to be extremely creative. It is then down to us to channel that energy and their ideas into a commercial beautiful picture book or book jacket.
What qualities – both professional and personal – do you look for when selecting an illustrator for a project?
First and foremost I look for an illustration style that is perfect for a text, and an illustrator who loves the story as much as we do. The illustrations need to assist the text and bring it to life.
An illustrator needs to be able to take direction positively. Working with an artist who is receptive to art direction often results in ideas being bounced around and challenged, resulting in a book that everyone is really happy with. It's all about creating the best books we can.
It is vital that the illustrator can work to a schedule, so time keeping is important, but that is one of the many reasons illustrators have agents.
Describe the process of producing a book at Egmont, who is involved and what are the key milestones in the journey?
Wow this is a big question. There are so many departments and people involved so I will give you a very brief snap shot. It starts with the Publisher or Commissioning Editor finding the perfect text or story. From there it is shared with the Art Director and Sales team ensuring it is commercial and the right book for us to publish. The Designers then get involved finding suitable illustrators or in some cases for fiction, images. We have weekly cover meetings so at the point when the Designer assigned to the project is happy with their choices of illustrator or they are ready to show a rough for the cover or insides, they are brought to the cover meeting and discussed by the Publishing Director, Art Director, Marketing Director, Editors and Designers. Once everyone that attends the cover meeting is happy, material is sent to the Author and Sales team for the approval. Production are involved at an early stage to discuss any special finishes or formats required, decide on the best printer for that title and ensure the product costs. Once all of the above are ticked off we have the green light to print the books.
Egmont publish picture books and novelty books, full-colour Banana books for five to nine year olds, black-and-white factual illustrated books, sparkling fantasy adventures, highly acclaimed young adult fiction, classics and epic tales. Tell us about a memorable project you have art directed from this impressive list.
I would have to say Mr Gum. I have had the privilege of working with the amazingly brilliant writer Andy Stanton and fantastically talented illustrator, David Tazzyman. I remember our equally brilliant Publishing Director, Leah Thaxton coming to me about 6 years ago saying she had found a super, hilarious text which I must read. Having read the first chapter I knew it was a series I wanted to design as I hadn't stopped laughing, and the more I read the louder I laughed! I had worked with David Tazzyman in the past and felt his scratchy style was the perfect combination. He brings the characters to life, giving them strong identities, adding even more humour.
The four of us work extremely closely and have such a strong vision for the books. It is challenging as the schedules are always very tight, but they are so much fun and I am very proud of the end package.
How many titles does Egmont UK publish per year and how many illustrators do you tend to work with?
Egmont UK is made up of Egmont Press – Fiction, Picture Books, Classic and Gift and Egmont Publishing Group – all license character, generic product and magazines.
Egmont Press publish around 115 titles EPG would be around 400. The number of illustrators across Egmont Press and Egmont Publishing Group would be approximately 200.
Are there any particular trends that are 'hot on the agenda' at Egmont at the moment?
Like the rest of the publishing world it must be digital. ebooks is a fast growing addition to our business, and the world of digital is taking over our society. The fiction department within Egmont Press have been working closely with one of our high profile authors on a transmedia project which is very exciting. Unfortunately I can't divulge anymore, but watch this space!
What has been the most influential children's book you have ever read?
I loved the Malory Towers series as a child, but influential would have to be and 'Where the Wild Things Are'.
This entry was posted in Publishing on July 25, 2013 by admin.


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HLS Center on the Legal Profession Presents Student Fellows, 2021-2022
Law schools Students
Insight December 1, 2021
Home | Knowledge Hub | Insights | HLS Center on the Legal Profession Presents Student Fellows, 2021-2022
This year, the Harvard Law School (HLS) Center on the Legal Profession (CLP) is pleased to support three student fellows. The Student Fellowship Program is a one-year program designed for HLS students interested in learning more about the structures, norms, and dynamics of the global legal profession. Fellows conduct original, empirical research on the legal profession, produce scholarly pieces and "short form" thought leadership, and receive in-depth mentorship from a dynamic community of researchers and practitioners exploring issues ranging from legal careers to diversity and inclusion to globalization to legal education to innovation.
Learn more about our 2021-2022 fellows and their projects below.
Genevieve Antono '22
Genevieve Antono ("Gennie) is a student fellow with the Center on the Legal Profession, where she will be creating educational content to help law and pre-law students build commercial and industry awareness.
She is a 3L with interests in corporate practice (funds, M&A and capital markets), talent development and retention, and diversity in the legal profession. Prior to law school, Gennie worked as a Legal & Compliance Analyst for real estate private funds at The Blackstone Group in New York. She also completed summer internships at Wachtell, Simpson Thacher (New York and Hong Kong) and Clifford Chance (Singapore). In 2020, Gennie served as Co-President of the Harvard Association for Law and Business (HALB). At HALB, she hosted two seasons of the HALB Leadership Podcast (available on Spotify), which is aimed at demystifying the legal profession for a law and pre-law audience.
Daniel Eyal '23
Daniel Eyal is a student fellow with the Center on the Legal Profession, where he will be exploring the questions that arise for law students and early career lawyers interested in career paths in federal prosecution and white collar criminal defense.
As a 2L at Harvard Law School, Daniel is passionate about studying and improving lawyers' roles in strengthening democracy and the rule of law. Interested in ensuring that government is more transparent and accessible, Daniel served as a summer legal intern at the U.S. Department of Justice's Public Integrity Section, and he is fascinated by government and public interest lawyering more generally. Prior to his legal studies, Daniel served in politics and government, working mostly for a member of the Los Angeles City Council. Daniel earned his B.A. in Global Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and he is the first in his family to go to college or graduate school.
Sarah Sadlier '22
Sarah Sadlier is a student fellow with the Center on the Legal Profession, where she is focused on completing a paper, "Invisible No More: Harvard Law School's Native American Graduates and Their Contributions to Indian Country," which endeavors to identify who Native HLS students were, describe their educational and tribal backgrounds, and chart their career trajectories.
Sarah is a JD Candidate and a History PhD Candidate at Harvard, specializing in Native American History with a secondary field in Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality (WGS). As an undergraduate at Stanford, she quadruple majored in American Studies (with Honors), History (with Honors), Iberian and Latin American Cultures, and Political Science (secondary major) with Distinction. She completed her master's in Modern Thought and Literature in 2017 at Stanford and her master's in History in 2019 at Harvard. She is the recipient of over fifty academic awards, grants, and fellowships, including Harvard Law School's fully-funded merit fellowship and Harvard University's Presidential Scholarship and Presidential Public Service Fellowship.
At Harvard Law School, Sarah is Vice President/Coordinating, Diversity & Outreach of the Harvard Law Review, an HLS Admissions Fellow, Co-Chair of the Law Review's Public Interest Committee, the HLS Legal History Student Fellow, and a Legal Professions Center Student Fellow. In the past, she has served as the Co-President of the Native American Law Students Association, Student Liaison for the Disability Law Students Association, Co-Director of HLS Talks, and the ACS Director of Professor and Practitioner Engagement. She also was an editor on six HLS journals, a Student Government Academic Affairs Committee member, a Women's Law Association Academic Affairs Committee member, and a West Coast Club representative. Over the last year, she has been a student in the Election Law Clinic, LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic, and Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic.
With this fellowship, she hopes to continue working on the paper that she began in the Legal Profession seminar by conducting interviews and surveys of Harvard Law School's Native American graduates. Preliminary findings showed that these students were highly service-oriented. More than three-quarters of students dedicated their work to increasing tribal sovereignty. They started and led tribal corporations, supported Indian economic development, taught American Indian law, fought for tribal interests in the Department of the Interior or the Department of Justice, became tribal judges and lawyers, or joined an Indian firm or non-profit. More often than not, they did a combination of these jobs over their lifetimes. Their lawyering and leadership has changed the face of Indian country. This study endeavors to ensure that Harvard Law School recognizes their achievements, as well.
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The Indian Legal Profession in the Age of Globalization
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Election Law as a Clinical Endeavor
Ruth Greenwood
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I built a DIY oscilloscope using a Microchip Pic 18F4685 @ 20 mhz. This is the windows GUI that interfaces to the microchip via a serial connection to display the graphical data.
The windows gui was written in C#.
In the video, the waves are labelled backwards (ie sin says square, etc).


Hello friends! I'm having a blast following along with the Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge, which is hosted by Andi's ABCs. I love reading contemporary romances and, as it turns out, I love chatting about them too. The topic for April is right up my alley... Second chance romance. Yes, please! For this, I'm going to chat about my 3 favorite second chance romances. One is an oldie (but goodie) and the other two are more newer releases. If you're a fan of contemporary romance, join in on the fun.
Oh, Nick Allegrezza... The king of stealing hearts. Nick was definitely the first bad boy hero I read way back in the day. What I loved the most about Truly Madly Yours was not only how Nick and Delaney overcame their own differences, but also how they faced their family differences. Plus they're so hot, they could melt the snow.
I could have picked any one of Candis Terry's second chance romances. There is at least one in each of her fabulous series. And honestly, every one of them would have made my list. I picked A Better Man because that is what Jordan wants to be for Lucy. He spends most of the book proving to her that he's not the idiot kid he once was. He's a man that is in love with her and would do anything to make her happy. And I adored him for that.
I picked this one specifically for the build-up towards Asher and Gloria's HEA. From the moment they appeared earlier in the series, it was obvious that they had happened between them, but imploded before it really got started. Then when it came time for them to step up to the plate, their chemistry ignited and it got hot.
Do you like second chance romances? What are some of your favorites?


text:
About Us News
Minister Madigan delighted to open the new Bank of Ireland Cultural and Heritage Centre at the Bank of Ireland on College Green
Partnership between Bank of Ireland and Department of Culture, Heritage and Gaeltacht involves creation of Cultural and Heritage Centre for ten year period
Cultural and Heritage Centre will host a range of important exhibitions
First exhibition explores the life and works of Nobel prize winning poet, Séamus Heaney
Josepha Madigan TD, Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, has today opened the new Bank of Ireland Cultural and Heritage Centre at Parliament Buildings, College Green. The opening of the Centre was followed by the launch of the first exhibition, by the President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, of Seamus Heaney: Listen Now Again dedicated to the life and works of the late, great Séamus Heaney, a Nobel prize winner for Literature.
Bank of Ireland has generously made the space available for this centre to the State for a ten year period. The Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht will manage and animate the space for this period. Listen, Now, Again – the first exhibition, is being run and curated by the National Library of Ireland.
The new Cultural and Heritage Centre will be open to the public from this Friday (6th July) and can be accessed by the public via the Gandon-designed entrance to the College Green buildings on Westmoreland Street. This is the first time in ten years that these doors will have been open to the public.
Minister Madigan commented:
"I am delighted today to open this wonderful new Cultural and Heritage Centre. College Green is a nationally and internationally important heritage building, which have played a significant role in Irish history."
"I want to thank Bank of Ireland for making this space available and for strongly supporting this initiative. The Bank has worked in partnership with my Department and this unique collaboration between the public and private sectors has delivered a truly exceptional new public cultural space – right in the heart of Dublin city."
"I wish to congratulate the National Library, the Heaney family and curator Professor Geraldine Higgins, for creating a remarkable exhibition focusing on the life and works of a greatly missed Irishman, the late Séamus Heaney. I was delighted that my Department could support the exhibition, called "Listen, Now, Again" both through funding for the exhibition build and through the provision of space in the new Cultural Centre to exhibit. I am very proud to been part of building an enduring legacy to Séamus Heaney a true son of Ireland and someone whose work resonated with everyone".
"Listen Now Again will complement the fantastic Home Place visitor centre in Seamus's beloved Co. Derry – which the President visited a few short weeks ago. It's such a symbol of how Seamus Heaney united, in affection and pride, all the people of this island North and South."
"I hope this Cultural and Heritage Centre will be enjoyed by as many people as possible and that the centre will be an integral part of Dublin City in the years ahead."


zarinahtakesapaycut: Malaysia's Corporate Governance Journey; Are we going anywhere at all?
Malaysia's Corporate Governance Journey; Are we going anywhere at all?
The Securities Commission released its Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance in March this year. It was signed off by the erstwhile Chairman of the SC, just before the mantle of responsibility was passed on to other shoulders.
1. Malaysia recognises the value of good governance and it is for this reason that we are committed to promoting and sustaining a strong culture of corporate governance. Investor confidence in Malaysia was severely affected during the 1997/98 Asian Financial Crisis. Policy makers learnt valuable lessons and focused their attention, amongst others, on the need to raise corporate governance standards. We undertook numerous initiatives including the issuance of the Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance (Code) in the year 2000 to strengthen our corporate governance framework.
The Audit Committee should have policies and procedures to assess the suitability and independence of external auditors.
The Audit Committee should review and monitor the suitability and independence of external auditors. The independence of external auditors can be impaired by the provision of non-audit services to the company. The Audit Committee should therefore establish policies governing the circumstances under which contracts for the provision of non-audit services can be entered into and procedures that must be followed by the external auditors. To provide support for an assessment on independence, the Audit Committee should obtain written assurance from the external auditors confirming that they are, and have been, independent throughout the conduct of the audit engagement in accordance with the terms of all relevant professional and regulatory requirements.
The Code seems to have been born from noble intentions, but can this Code, or any other Code for that matter, take us on the road to an acceptable standard of Corporate Governance if all we have is more of the same as days go by?
Have we truly learned our lessons from the Financial Crisis of 1997/98? Have the regulatory bodies become true regulators, or are they still toothless tigers when they face the task of regulating the global behemoths, like the Big Four?
The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission of the United States of America blamed widespread failure of financial regulators, breakdowns in corporate governance, excessive borrowing and risk by both households and financial firms along with "systemic breaches in accountability and ethics" at all levels for the crisis. ~ The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (FCIC) is a ten-member commission appointed by the United States government with the goal of investigating the causes of the financial crisis of 2007–2010.
Time and again governments across the world point their collective fingers at the respective Regulators and the failure of Corporate Governance as among the chief causes for whatever financial crisis is the flavour of the year/decade. But if we look at the commentary on Point 5.2 above, the SC still chooses to leave the method of ensuring the independence of the external auditors, to a written note from the same external auditors.
If the external auditors are little more than a bunch of crooks and scoundrels, can a simple handwritten assurance stop them from being true to their nature? Have we not seen enough evidence that auditors, no matter how prestigious the name they carry, are capable of being as nefarious as any two bit crime syndicate?
Changing the people heading the various regulators, and firms implicated in thievery, will not change much. What we need is clear evidence that the regulators will start upholding the standards they claim to espouse without fear or favour, and go after the transgressors to the full extent of the law.
Of course, after that, we will also need evidence that the Courts of Law themselves are also truly capable of upholding the laws of the land.


26 Jul - 2 min - Uploaded by fwysjha Chris Brown - A Milli Freestyle [Chris Talking]-Ay, yall ready for some corny ish? haha. [Chris. 9 Jul - 5 min - Uploaded by bigbird CHRIS BROWN A MILLI REMIX LIL WAYNE A MILLI SUBSCRIBE,RATE,AND COMMENT. 26 Jul [Intro] So I'm supposed to say some corny ish? Haha, nah. Uh, yessir. It be that, it be that [Verse] It be that Breezy millionaire. A milli here and a.
Lyrics to 'A Milli' by Chris Brown. So I'm supposed to say some corny ish? / Ha, ha / Nah / Uh, yessir / It be that, it be that, it be that / Breezy. Lyrics to 'A Milli (Remix)' by Lil Wayne Feat. Jay-Z & Chris Brown. Young Money / Ya digg / Yeah, Mack I'm going in / A millionaire / I'm a Young Money. a millie (20x) So I'm just. Supposed to say. Some corny ish huh? Ha, ha. Nah Uh, yezzir. It be that. It be that. It be. That Breezy millionaire. A Milli here.
[Intro:] So I'm just supposed to say some corny ish? Haha. Nah. Uh, [Verse:] Uh yezzir. It be that, it be that. It be that breezy millionaire. A milli here and a milli in. A Milli Artist Name:Chris Brown Album Name: Song Name:A Milli so i'm just supposed to say some corny ish? ha, ha nah uh, yezzir it be that it be that it b. 25 Jun by Jordan Upmalis with Shaheem Reid. In the past few days, we've seen Shaq take aim at Kobe and Soulja Boy Tell'em and Ice-T trade verbal. A milliA milliA milliA milliA millionaireI'm a young money millionaire, tougher than Nigerian hairMy criteria compared to your career just isn't fairI'm a. Lyrics to A Milli by Chris Brown: So I'm just / Supposed to say / Some corny ish? / Ha, ha / Nah / Uh, yezzir / It be that / It be that.
A Milli lyrics! So I'm just Supposed to say Some corny ish? Ha, ha Nah Uh, yezzir It be that It be that It be That. Chris Brown - A Milli Lyrics. Artist Name: Chris Brown Album Name: Song Name: A Milli so i'm just supposed to say some corny ish? ha, ha nah uh, yezzir it be. A Milli lyrics: So I'm just Supposed to say Some corny ish? Ha, ha Nah Uh, yezzir It be that It be that It be That Breezy millionaire Milli here And million there. 5 Jan A milli here and a million there. Selling out stadiums, million chairs. Steppin on and off stage, killin em. I got a million pair of them all white a.


What is the advantage of having both ORCiD and ResearcherID?
Will it be beneficial for my career if I am a reviewer or editor?
Can school students publish academic papers?
In a manuscript, are the Discussion and Conclusion sections the same?
What can I do to ensure that my thesis defense is successful?
Can literature review articles be presented at conferences?
What to do if the journal was indexed at the time of article submission but not at the time of publication?
Once I pay for a course, is there a restriction on the duration or the number of times I may view it?
What is the difference between an IEEE Conference and an IEEE sponsored conference?


How You See Yourself ?
I believe that the root of our successes and failures in this life all boil down to the message in that little picture. What we get out of life depends on how we see ourselves. No doubt, that little kitten in the picture sees nothing as an obstacle because he sees himself as the king of beasts. After all, a lion is all-powerful. A lion cannot be defeated. This little kitten would not run from danger, because of the way he sees himself.
We all have areas of our character where we need to be able to see ourselves as lions, invincible and all-powerful. The unfortunate truth is that most don't know how to begin to see themselves as such. We continue to see ourselves as kittens, again and again.
Overcoming failure and achieving ultimate success depends on our ability to be able to begin to view ourselves as the king of the jungle in particular areas.
My fear of spiders has totally disappeared after visiting Barry Sinclair last year. I never thought I could get over my fear.
I will send everyone I know who has a weight problem to see you because I know you can help them just as you have helped me.
I wish to thank you for your great help in overcoming my alcohol addiction. You saved my life.
I am very grateful to Mr. Barry Sinclair for helping me with my panic attacks. No attacks for over three years now!
I would highly recommend hypnotism to anyone who wants to quit their addicted to tobacco.
I am very grateful to you and would recommend your treatment to all smokers who want to give up smoking the easy way.
Everybody told me I was daft but Hypnosis really helped me to quit smoking. I know I will definitely stay off them.
I would like to thank Barry Sinclair in helping me so effectively to become healthier and financially better off.
One session with Barry Sinclair and now I look forward to the flight and enjoy the event. I have gone from fear to fun it's great.
A Kitten Or A Lion ?
Sometimes we have to ignore reality (which is the kitten) and see ourselves as if we were using our true potential (the lion) in order to overcome the obstacles preventing us from achieving the gift of the power that lies dormant within us.
What areas of your life are begging for you to begin to see yourself as a lion? Talk to yourself. Speak positive things about yourself and your abilities. As you do so, you will begin to become the very thing you desire.
Hypnotism can delete the negative programs in your mind and replace them with positive programs and because the subconscious mind is a goal striving mechanism we will all rise, fall or remain with the level of our own thoughts.
That is why the programs you place in your mind should always be positive and be in harmony with your moral, social and ethical reservoir.
Smoking, eating problems, nail-biting, drinking, insomnia and gambling.
Improvement of concentration, studying, sport skills, selling skills.
Anxiety, stress, tension, panic attacks, phobias, examination nerves, anger, travel, fear of flying, shyness, blushing and erectile dysfunction.
Incontinence, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), migraine, eczema, asthma: where these are triggered by internal factors such as emotional stress, and not by some physical factor such as diet, allergies etc., though even such cases may benefit to some extent; muscular pains and tensions, sexual problems.
Barry Sinclair - Over 25 Years Worldwide Experience.


The 30-minute weeknight strip series gives the author/comedienne the perfect platform to do what she does best: comment on pop culture & entertainment while interacting with the public. This daily program is an irreverent look at top breaking news stories, celebrity tales that just won't die and other hot topics of the day. Chelsea will feature guests, comedic field packages and viewer call-ins.
I want the description of all the episodes of mix master king of cards.
Season 6 of 24 is the best yet!!


A FARM worker who shed five stone has reinvented himself as a personal trainer.
Lockerbie's Ewan Howatson, 37, dropped from 18 stone to 13 stone by overhauling his lifestyle and now he's hoping to help his fellow townsfolk do the same.
Discussing his journey, he said: "I was always fit when I was younger but between work and injuries I got really out of shape.
"In January 2013 I decided to do something about my lifestyle and went from 18 stone in 2013 down to 13 stone in 2015.
In January last year the dadof-three started training people and in October became a full-time personal trainer.
He said: "I became a personal trainer to help others improve their own fitness and well-being like I have.
And as an extra motivator, Ewan has offered to train locals for free until they see results.
Ewan will train clients, who commit to the programme fully, for no charge if they do not see results.


On the rack in the railway carriage immediately opposite Clovis was a solidly wrought travelling-bag, with a carefully written label, on which was inscribed, "J. P. Huddle, The Warren, Tilfield, near Slowborough." Immediately below the rack sat the human embodiment of the label, a solid, sedate individual, sedately dressed, sedately conversational.
Even without his conversation (which was addressed to a friend seated by his side, and touched chiefly on such topics as the backwardness of Roman hyacinths and the prevalence of measles at the Rectory), one could have gauged fairly accurately the temperament and mental outlook of the travelling bag's owner. But he seemed unwilling to leave anything to the imagination of a casual observer, and his talk grew presently personal and introspective.
"I scarcely know the Bishop; I've only spoken to him once," exclaimed J. P. Huddle, with the exculpating air of one who realizes too late the indiscretion of speaking to strange Bishops. Miss Huddle was the first to rally; she disliked thunderbolts as fervently as her brother did, but the womanly instinct in her told her that thunderbolts must be fed.
"We can curry the cold duck," she said. It was not the appointed day for curry, but the little orange envelope involved a certain departure from rule and custom. Her brother said nothing, but his eyes thanked her for being brave.
"A young gentleman to see you," announced the parlour-maid.
"The secretary!" murmured the Huddles in unison; they instantly stiffened into a demeanour which proclaimed that, though they held all strangers to be guilty, they were willing to hear anything they might have to say in their defence. The young gentleman, who came into the room with a certain elegant haughtiness, was not at all Huddle's idea of a bishop's secretary; he had not supposed that the episcopal establishment could have afforded such an expensively upholstered article when there were so many other claims on its resources. The face was fleetingly familiar; if he had bestowed more attention on the fellow-traveller sitting opposite him in the railway carriage two days before he might have recognized Clovis in his present visitor.
"You are the Bishop's secretary?" asked Huddle, becoming consciously deferential.
"The Bishop is examining a confirmation class in the neighbourhood, isn't he?" asked Miss Huddle.
"Ostensibly," was the dark reply, followed by a request for a large-scale map of the locality.
Clovis was still immersed in a seemingly profound study of the map when another telegram arrived. It was addressed to "Prince Stanislaus, care of Huddle, The Warren, etc." Clovis glanced at the contents and announced: "The Bishop and Alberti won't be here till late in the afternoon." Then he returned to his scrutiny of the map.
Miss Huddle was unable to decide in her mind whether the action savoured of Louis Quatorzian courtliness or the reprehensible Roman attitude towards the Sabine women. It was not her day for having a headache, but she felt that the circumstances excused her, and retired to her room to have as much headache as was possible before the Bishop's arrival. Clovis, having asked the way to the nearest telegraph office, disappeared presently down the carriage drive. Mr. Huddle met him in the hall some two hours later, and asked when the Bishop would arrive.
"He is in the library with Alberti," was the reply.
"But why wasn't I told? I never knew he had come!" exclaimed Huddle.
"Blood!" gasped Huddle, who did not find that the thunderbolt improved on acquaintance.
"He will be hanged!" he exclaimed with conviction.
"But there aren't thirty Jews in the whole neighbourhood," protested Huddle, whose brain, under the repeated shocks of the day, was operating with the uncertainty of a telegraph wire during earthquake disturbances.
"Not at present," said Clovis.
"I shall go to the police," shouted Huddle with sudden energy.
"Come here at once. Urgent. James Huddle," was the purport of the message displayed before Huddle's bewildered eyes.
"I see it all!" he exclaimed suddenly in a voice shaken with agitation, and with a look of agony in the direction of the shrubbery he hauled the astonished Birberry into the house. Tea had just been laid in the hall, but the now thoroughly panic-stricken Huddle dragged his protesting guest upstairs, and in a few minutes' time the entire household had been summoned to that region of momentary safety. Clovis alone graced the tea-table with his presence; the fanatics in the library were evidently too immersed in their monstrous machinations to dally with the solace of teacup and hot toast. Once the youth rose, in answer to the summons of the front-door bell, and admitted Mr. Paul Isaacs, shoemaker and parish councillor, who had also received a pressing invitation to The Warren. With an atrocious assumption of courtesy, which a Borgia could hardly have outdone, the secretary escorted this new captive of his net to the head of the stairway, where his involuntary host awaited him.
That was the last they saw of Clovis; it was nearly seven o'clock, and his elderly relative liked him to dress for dinner. But, though he had left them for ever, the lurking suggestion of his presence haunted the lower regions of the house during the long hours of the wakeful night, and every creak of the stairway, every rustle of wind through the shrubbery, was fraught with horrible meaning. At about seven next morning the gardener's boy and the early postman finally convinced the watchers that the Twentieth Century was still unblotted.