PPP Management

The press is carrying a number of stories covering the oil and gas and energy sectors which makes for interesting reading. A positive article in Supply Management ( http://www.supplymanagement.com/news/2014/oil-and-gas-supply-chain-contributes-ps35-billion-to-uk-economy  ) covers an EY report detailing the benefit to the UK economy of North Sea oil and gas production.  A number of interesting points: 1) Peak production was 1999 for oil and 2000 for gas and by 2012 production was down by a third in both commodities; however, a contribution of £35Bn to the UK economy is not an insignificant amount. 2) This financial amount is clearly of great interest to both UK and Scottish governments with the Independence vote only a few months away, as the economic viability of an independent Scotland has the potential to be a deciding factor in the vote. 3) Only a short mention is given to shale gas.  The exploitation of shale gas, whilst contentious, has much le...

A really great article on finance and supply chain integration.  http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/EY-Partnering-for-performance-the-CFO-and-the-supply-chain/$FILE/EY-Partnering-for-performance-the-CFO-and-the-supply-chain.pdf The article is worthy of a good read and identifies the real benefits to organisations from aligning their finance and supply chain functions: CFOs and supply chain leaders are creating alignment between strategy, finance, tax and operations, unlocking hidden value within the organization and strengthening financial performance. Recognising the true value that supply chain and procurement brings helps financiers understand the value that is added and moves away from the accusation of "knowing the cost of everything and the value of nothing".   Disappointingly it is western Europe left trailing in the wake of Asia and the US in recognising the benefits of an integrated approach.  However, on a positive note the integrated ap...