Please link provided to read the abstract / full paper.
Spend Analysis as a strategic cost advantage driver in SCM, Mazumder S and Chatterjee A
Published in Proceedings of Biennial Supply Chain Management Conference, IIM Bangalore
Jan 2011
Abstract: Procurement and Supply Management function plays a key role in manufacturing as well as services supply chains. Over a period of time, the function tends to become a support function to areas such as production, services, quality, maintenance and other key line functions and continues to perform a transactional role.
While in an upward inclined economy, most organizations focus on value creation through top-line growth, aggressive marketing plans, extensive ATL communications and new product launches, there is always an opportunity to unlock potential value through cost reduction initiatives in the procurement and supply management area to register higher levels of operating profits. The need to undertake such strategic cost reduction programmes becomes even more pronounced during downturns, when opportunities to grow by the top-line diminish and the organization may compete in the marketplace by harnessing the cost advantage and being more profitable than peers.
This paper discusses Procurement Spend Analysis as a technique and tools to achieve cost advantage in the supply chain. Organizations derive potential benefits from undertaking such strategic cost reduction programmes to provide impetus to its bottom-line.
Read full paper
Conference link
Green Supply Chain as a competitive advantage enabler in the FMCG sector, Mazumder S and Chatterjee A Published in Proceedings of Business Process Council (BPC) World Conference 2010, Mumbai
Sep 2010
Abstract: The paper briefly discusses how supply chain plays a pivotal role in any FMCG company’s competitive advantage in the market and how traditionally companies have been focusing on building highly efficient supply chains to achieve the same. However in a broader context, companies need to recognize other more impactful forces pertaining to protecting our environment that are gaining prominence globally and especially now in the Indian scenario. Organizations are taking steps to become environment friendly and going green within the boundaries of their business objectives. Initiatives to minimize carbon footprint across the supply chain, is even more significant, where pricing is extremely competitive and the shelf price increases further in certain countries which impose additional taxes for large carbon footprint.
For the FMCG industry where supply chain is a key driver for attaining competitive advantage, this paper discusses key aspects of greening the supply chain including best practices, approach to going green which strikes balance between social goals and business goals and case studies highlighting some of the initiatives taken up by leading FMCG companies.
Read full paper
Conference link
Purvodaya - The Ascent of the East
Published in Proceedings of National Conclave "Purvodaya - The Ascent of the East", IIT Kharagpur
Feb 2008
Abstract: Theme article publsihed in the proceedings of the National Conclave.
Read full article
A business process view of the impact of ICT in Real Estate Sector, Mazumder S and Chatterjee A
Published in Proceedings of Business Process Council (BPC) World Conference 2007, Mumbai
Nov 2007
Abstract: The paper begins with an introduction to the growth story of the real estate sector and the tremendous developments in the field of ICT over the past decades. The view of the real estate sector taken is essentially a business process oriented one. A traditional (disconnected, isolated) ICT approach vis-à-vis an integrated (connected, transparent) ICT approach has been compared and the potential of the latter has been emphasized for further growth of the sector.
This paper is an endeavor to portray how business process efficiency is enhanced by implementation of integrated ICT systems.
Read full paper
Conference link
Building world-class management schools
Published Column in Business Standard
Jan 2007
Over the past few years, students from some of the new private MBA Institutes have made news by bagging top notch offers in their campus placements. The new private B-Schools have been setup by global business leaders, illustrious professors from the Ivy League and others. This leads us to believe that India Inc. and its foreign counterparts have indeed found an alternative to the established and famed Institutes like the IIMs, IIT SoMs and leading university B-Schools. It is interesting to fathom the root cause for such rapid emergence of the newly established Institutes. First the infrastructure provided is state-of the art, the teaching faculty is drawn from the best available globally, a strong Industry interface and a rigorous selection process which gives credence to work experience. The initiative of these Institutes / people behind it is commendable since demand for well-groomed managers far surpasses supply from the traditional Institutes.
ERP Technology for SME Sector, Mazumder S
Published in Monthly Newsletter of CSI Kolkata Chapter 'Hard Copy'
Jun 2006
Abstract: The technological prowess provided by modern computing concepts incorporated in such modern mid-segment ERP products helps translate to providing a agile business solution to organizations who may not be as structured as large corporations.The modern technology base serves as accelerator to project implementations and brings down the turnaround time leading to a higher Return on Investment from the product implementation.
Read full article
Exploring RoI aspects of ERP
Published in Proceedings of National Conference of Computer Society of India (CSI) BIG-2004, Kolkata
Jun 2004
Abstract: This paper is an endeavor to present ideas gathered from various ERP implementation experiences of the authors. We discuss the Return On Investment as a metric and suggest a model to provide insight to the top management and company strategists to make efficient, effective decisions on their technology implementation planning. We understand that the investment in implementing ERP is immense in most cases and also has risk factors associated. Therefore, company strategists and people who visualize the future of the organization need to ponder on the end results, the returns that such a technology investment could give. Thus Return on Investment (ROI) is one of the key factors in deciding to go for technology upgrade. Breadth and Repeatability (BR factor), is a good non-mathematical way of getting close to calculating ROI. Breadth signifies more the people affected by the solution, higher the potential ROI. Repeatability is more often the ERP helps people, higher the potential ROI.Despite best efforts and abilities of ERP consultants, ERP implementations don’t take off the grand way it is supposed to do. There are many deterrent parameters that often result in a negative ROI. The most important of these are the human factors that impact application value. The basic tenet of empowering an organization with new technology: if the end-users won’t use the application, the ROI will likely be negative needs to be realized by ERP consultants worldwide, be it on any platform.
To maximize this return value, the organization must devote as much energy, to addressing human barriers during deployment and the first operational year, as they did to select the ERP. We have derived our own empirical relation considering various factors, to produce a ROI Indicator. This indicator takes into account the following components: Business Process Enhancement, Technology Upgrade, Spectrum of Application, HR maturity and learnability, Payback Period and Organizational factor. We further layout an effective 6-step action plan that can be adhered to, for actively monitoring fluctuations in ROI indicator with evolution of the ERP. This model though empirical, can be a very good estimate in computing the Return on Investment, coupled with the suggested action plan. The suggested model has been derived after closely observing various ERP implementations using various ERP packages. Therefore the model is a generic one and has a lot of flexibility, in tune with the dynamic implementation environments.
Read full paper
Spend Analysis as a strategic cost advantage driver in SCM, Mazumder S and Chatterjee A
Published in Proceedings of Biennial Supply Chain Management Conference, IIM Bangalore
Jan 2011
Abstract: Procurement and Supply Management function plays a key role in manufacturing as well as services supply chains. Over a period of time, the function tends to become a support function to areas such as production, services, quality, maintenance and other key line functions and continues to perform a transactional role.
While in an upward inclined economy, most organizations focus on value creation through top-line growth, aggressive marketing plans, extensive ATL communications and new product launches, there is always an opportunity to unlock potential value through cost reduction initiatives in the procurement and supply management area to register higher levels of operating profits. The need to undertake such strategic cost reduction programmes becomes even more pronounced during downturns, when opportunities to grow by the top-line diminish and the organization may compete in the marketplace by harnessing the cost advantage and being more profitable than peers.
This paper discusses Procurement Spend Analysis as a technique and tools to achieve cost advantage in the supply chain. Organizations derive potential benefits from undertaking such strategic cost reduction programmes to provide impetus to its bottom-line.
Read full paper
Conference link
Green Supply Chain as a competitive advantage enabler in the FMCG sector, Mazumder S and Chatterjee A Published in Proceedings of Business Process Council (BPC) World Conference 2010, Mumbai
Sep 2010
Abstract: The paper briefly discusses how supply chain plays a pivotal role in any FMCG company’s competitive advantage in the market and how traditionally companies have been focusing on building highly efficient supply chains to achieve the same. However in a broader context, companies need to recognize other more impactful forces pertaining to protecting our environment that are gaining prominence globally and especially now in the Indian scenario. Organizations are taking steps to become environment friendly and going green within the boundaries of their business objectives. Initiatives to minimize carbon footprint across the supply chain, is even more significant, where pricing is extremely competitive and the shelf price increases further in certain countries which impose additional taxes for large carbon footprint.
For the FMCG industry where supply chain is a key driver for attaining competitive advantage, this paper discusses key aspects of greening the supply chain including best practices, approach to going green which strikes balance between social goals and business goals and case studies highlighting some of the initiatives taken up by leading FMCG companies.
Read full paper
Conference link
Purvodaya - The Ascent of the East
Published in Proceedings of National Conclave "Purvodaya - The Ascent of the East", IIT Kharagpur
Feb 2008
Abstract: Theme article publsihed in the proceedings of the National Conclave.
Read full article
A business process view of the impact of ICT in Real Estate Sector, Mazumder S and Chatterjee A
Published in Proceedings of Business Process Council (BPC) World Conference 2007, Mumbai
Nov 2007
Abstract: The paper begins with an introduction to the growth story of the real estate sector and the tremendous developments in the field of ICT over the past decades. The view of the real estate sector taken is essentially a business process oriented one. A traditional (disconnected, isolated) ICT approach vis-à-vis an integrated (connected, transparent) ICT approach has been compared and the potential of the latter has been emphasized for further growth of the sector.
This paper is an endeavor to portray how business process efficiency is enhanced by implementation of integrated ICT systems.
Read full paper
Conference link
Building world-class management schools
Published Column in Business Standard
Jan 2007
Over the past few years, students from some of the new private MBA Institutes have made news by bagging top notch offers in their campus placements. The new private B-Schools have been setup by global business leaders, illustrious professors from the Ivy League and others. This leads us to believe that India Inc. and its foreign counterparts have indeed found an alternative to the established and famed Institutes like the IIMs, IIT SoMs and leading university B-Schools. It is interesting to fathom the root cause for such rapid emergence of the newly established Institutes. First the infrastructure provided is state-of the art, the teaching faculty is drawn from the best available globally, a strong Industry interface and a rigorous selection process which gives credence to work experience. The initiative of these Institutes / people behind it is commendable since demand for well-groomed managers far surpasses supply from the traditional Institutes.
ERP Technology for SME Sector, Mazumder S
Published in Monthly Newsletter of CSI Kolkata Chapter 'Hard Copy'
Jun 2006
Abstract: The technological prowess provided by modern computing concepts incorporated in such modern mid-segment ERP products helps translate to providing a agile business solution to organizations who may not be as structured as large corporations.The modern technology base serves as accelerator to project implementations and brings down the turnaround time leading to a higher Return on Investment from the product implementation.
Read full article
Exploring RoI aspects of ERP
Published in Proceedings of National Conference of Computer Society of India (CSI) BIG-2004, Kolkata
Jun 2004
Abstract: This paper is an endeavor to present ideas gathered from various ERP implementation experiences of the authors. We discuss the Return On Investment as a metric and suggest a model to provide insight to the top management and company strategists to make efficient, effective decisions on their technology implementation planning. We understand that the investment in implementing ERP is immense in most cases and also has risk factors associated. Therefore, company strategists and people who visualize the future of the organization need to ponder on the end results, the returns that such a technology investment could give. Thus Return on Investment (ROI) is one of the key factors in deciding to go for technology upgrade. Breadth and Repeatability (BR factor), is a good non-mathematical way of getting close to calculating ROI. Breadth signifies more the people affected by the solution, higher the potential ROI. Repeatability is more often the ERP helps people, higher the potential ROI.Despite best efforts and abilities of ERP consultants, ERP implementations don’t take off the grand way it is supposed to do. There are many deterrent parameters that often result in a negative ROI. The most important of these are the human factors that impact application value. The basic tenet of empowering an organization with new technology: if the end-users won’t use the application, the ROI will likely be negative needs to be realized by ERP consultants worldwide, be it on any platform.
To maximize this return value, the organization must devote as much energy, to addressing human barriers during deployment and the first operational year, as they did to select the ERP. We have derived our own empirical relation considering various factors, to produce a ROI Indicator. This indicator takes into account the following components: Business Process Enhancement, Technology Upgrade, Spectrum of Application, HR maturity and learnability, Payback Period and Organizational factor. We further layout an effective 6-step action plan that can be adhered to, for actively monitoring fluctuations in ROI indicator with evolution of the ERP. This model though empirical, can be a very good estimate in computing the Return on Investment, coupled with the suggested action plan. The suggested model has been derived after closely observing various ERP implementations using various ERP packages. Therefore the model is a generic one and has a lot of flexibility, in tune with the dynamic implementation environments.
Read full paper
