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The European Union is to secure digital communications between government purchasing agencies and suppliers using Symantec's VeriSign managed public key infrastructure (MPKI) platform

The European Union is to secure digital communications between government purchasing agencies and suppliers using Symantec's VeriSign managed public key infrastructure (MPKI) platform.

The European Union is to secure digital communications between government purchasing agencies and suppliers using Symantec's VeriSign managed public key infrastructure (MPKI) platform

The Supply Chain Management Center at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business is bringing together top industry and government leaders to address inefficiencies in today's supply chain and come up with innovative ways to manage risk. The center spearheaded a recently released book, "X-Treme Supply Chain Management: A Guide to Mastering Business Volatility," and yesterday hosted an executive roundtable discussion among senior government and business leaders on the implications of the global economic crisis for supply chain management.

Edited by Boyson, center co-director Professor Thomas Corsi and senior fellow Lisa Harrington, the book is a collaboration with CSCMP and co-contributors from some of the industry's leading corporations and organizations. The book also includes a companion tool kit, developed by Smith's Supply Chain Management Center and Interactive Learning Solutions Inc., that provides practitioners with simulations and spreadsheets to manage volatility in their supply chains. Sterling Commerce, an IBM company, is the project's technology sponsor and a co-contributor. Published by Routledge, the book was introduced on the West Coast last week at CSCMP's annual global conference in San Diego.

In 2002, questions were raised about the ethical nature of group purchasing organizations (GPOs) after it was found that they were taking part in anticompetitive business practices, including excessively high contract fees. However, a review conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) shows improved transparency within the system.

Within the current review, GPOs reported that they received contract administrative fees that ranged from 0.09 percent to 10 percent of the product's purchasing price. Two of the GPOs reported that contract administrative fees in 2008 were over 3 percent of the purchasing price. Combined, the six GPOs collected $1.7 billion in contract administrative fees in 2008 and $320 million in other revenue. Additionally, 53 percent of GPOs' total revenue was distributed in 2008, which totaled about $1.1 billion

Institute for Supply Management™ (ISM) is pleased to announce that it has joined the new Supply Chain and Logistics Certification Network as a Charter Member. This Network is a group of well-established U.S.-based, non-profit associations that provide industry-recognized, nationally portable certifications for the professional and frontline workforce and organizations involved in global supply chain and logistics — in factories, warehouses, distribution centers and transporters.

Network members will work collaboratively to raise awareness within industry, education, and government of the world-class, complementary services of these associations that, collectively, help meet industry needs for highly skilled workers at all levels in supply chain logistics and for certified warehousing facilities. Together, the Network members offer a certification career pathway and "stackable" credentials helping individuals to achieve ever-higher levels of professionalism and responsibility.

ISM Joins New Supply Chain and Logistics Certif