A Realistic Approach To Supplier Risk Management

Many organizations have fallen victim to unforeseen supply-chain disruptions and vulnerabilities in the last decade. An ineffective supplier risk management system has led to recalls costing millions of dollars in businesses ranging from consumer goods to automobiles, and multiple organizations have struggled with cybersecurity breaches and loss of intellectual property due to failures in supplier systems.


If a business can identify and mitigate supplier risks effectively, it can ensure a smooth supply-chain management system and evade substantial losses that such events may trigger. This article will debate how a business can identify supplier risks and alleviate their effects before any damage is done.


What is Supplier Risk Management?
Supplier risk management is a methodical approach to identifying, assessing, and mitigating any risk to supply chain management that may arise from the actions of the supplier.

How to identify Supplier Risks
If an organization wants to quantify supplier risks, the ideal way to do so is by classifying them into two groups: Known Risks and Unknown Risks.

Known risks can be recognized and measured- this means they can be managed over time. For example, supplier bankruptcy is a known risk that can disrupt the supply chain. A business can assess its likelihood by analyzing the supplier’s financial history and credit rating.

Similarly, cybersecurity breaches are newer risks that can be quantified by analyzing a supplier’s IT system.


Unknown risks are the ones that are almost impossible to foresee. For example, a tornado destroying your supplier’s warehouse can negatively impact your supply chain, and it’s hard to predict the intensity of a natural calamity until after it has occurred. In the same way, a cybersecurity vulnerability buried deep inside a critical electronic component of the supplier’s system can shut down its operations without warning.

When handling unknown risks, the best strategy is to reduce their probability and increase your response time to maintain a competitive advantage.

How can you manage known risks?
Organizations can use a structured problem-solving procedure to manage their known risks effectively.


The first step is to map out and evaluate the supply chain of your products. Each supplier in the supply chain should be identified, along with the risks to which they expose your business.

Build a supplier risk management framework where each risk is scored according to its impact, likelihood, and the organization’s preparedness to handle it.

Regular monitoring of the framework is a critical success factor in supplier risk management. An early warning system should be set in place to track top risks.

Constantly improve the agility and resilience of the supply chain.


How can you manage unknown risks?
Alleviating unknown risks is achievable by setting up robust defenses and building a risk-aware organizational culture. A strong culture ensures that defensive layers are in place to respond quickly when an unknown risk materializes and threatens to disrupt operations.


Final Word
As supply chains become more global, the risk associated with suppliers multiplies. Organizations must map out a systematic approach for supplier risk management to avoid losses and ensure smooth operations.

Visit https://fiscaltec.com/supplier-risk-management/ for more details.


School Uniforms – made for Youngsters who Work and Play hard…

Most parents will concur that the time between a child’s birth and his or her first day at school is one that just flies by. Naturally we focus on the child when we think of what that first day at school entails. However, the parents are often unprepared too: school systems tend to undergo huge changes in the years that pass between being a pupil oneself, and being the parent or carer of a child of school age. Over the years we forget the details, the regulations and the rules that once governed our immature lives. And school clothes rules may fall into this category of forgotten things. Helpfully, a professional London schoolwear supplier won’t forget about uniforms. This is just as well: school uniforms have so many variations and complications that the layman must be informed by a specialist in the field.

There are many pertinent considerations here. First and foremost: what is your budget? It is often expensive to buy each and every item of school clothing brand new. Some items, such as trousers and school jumpers tend not to survive many hand-downs through the generations but if a child has had a growth spurt shortly after acquiring a wonderful new jumper it may well be worth passing on. And this will save you a fair sum. Some schools arrange second-hand uniform fairs, where it’s easy to find such people and save money, perhaps even make some friends along the way. But if this is not an option just ask your schoolwear supplier for an alternative recommendation – a website, for example. In a worst case scenario you can purchase everything new for your first child and then keep the items that remain in good condition for their younger brothers and sisters. Let’s hope they’re all roughly the same build.

Basically, it’s worth recalling that the London schoolwear supplier is batting for your team. Shopping for school clothes can be a headache, especially if you bring young children along, which is often unavoidable if they’re to try things for size or if you don’t have anyone to mind the youngsters while you’re out. It’s true that school uniforms can be bought on the internet but you must take extra care when ensuring that all items comply with the school’s requirements.

Please visit http://www.uniform4kids.com/


Minibus Hire in London – for More Efficient Travel

When you’re organising a lengthy journey for a large number of people, there are a few limited options open to you. You can organise for everyone to make their own way there – something that results in varying travel times and some people probably getting lost. You can arrange to rendezvous centrally and take public transport, which is expensive and impersonal. You could try signing people up to car-share, but this is likely to be an administrative headache – and is also costly, since you are still taking a number of cars. Another alternative is to go for luxury coach hire (or, if your group is only 16-19 people, minibus hire). Coach hire London is an excellent way to make your journey, since you can choose a business that provides all the conveniences you need for comfortable travel.

Modern luxury coaches come with a wide range of facilities to make your trip as easy and enjoyable as possible: air-conditioning, drinks machines, wash rooms, DVD and CD players, and tables. In fact, these state-of-the-art coaches are a world away from the dirty cattle trucks known to most people from interminable school trips, in which every mile was a trial and travel sickness was thrown in at no extra cost.

There are other benefits to luxury coach travel, beyond comfort. Economies of scale come into play in a way that just doesn’t apply if you are taking several cars – even if you are lift sharing. If you are going with a group of 50, it is much cheaper per-person – even if you are paying for a driver. This also has benefits to the environment. Moreover, on particularly long journeys there is the advantage of not arriving at your destination weary – important if you are going on holiday or to a sports fixture.

Coach hire London is a great way to avoid all of these troubles, and luxury coach hire is a far more comfortable and relaxing way to travel than the other options. Coaches come in several sizes; minibus hire tends to be the best bet for smaller groups (up to 19 people), and there are mid-sized coaches that carry up to 33 people. For the largest groups of 40 or 50 people, there are still coaches available. If your group is bigger than this, you can still hire two or more coaches from the same firm, enabling you to arrive at the same time.

Please visit http://www.goldenboy.co.uk/


Shops for Sale North London: Make the most of a Buyer’s Market…

Commercial property London does not follow the same rules as elsewhere in Britain. In the UK, property prices are broadly flat. In the six months between November 2017 and May 2018, prices saw an average drop across the board of 1.1 percent – the market shrinking every month. But, of course, these averages are blunt instruments and obscure vast regional variation.

The capital has experienced slightly better fortunes, partly due to the bottleneck in supply. However, even London itself is complex, with Central London revealing a markedly different picture to Greater London and the rest of the country. Office space, retail and industrial property in the centre have remained strong – at least, far stronger than elsewhere in the UK. Look for a shop for sale in london and you could find a very mixed bunch. The rental market has experienced some change as a result, with shorter leases enjoyed by occupiers but long-term buyers and tenants rewarded for their foresight. Those looking for shops for sale in north London or industrial space on the outskirts can find some excellent deals, since landlords are themselves under pressure.

In other words, this isn’t a bad time to be looking for new places in London. There is lots of choice on the market, which is increasingly separating into two extremes. In some areas it’s a buyers’ market, meaning that there are some real bargains to be snapped up. Anyone with some extra cash on the balance sheet might consider whether now is a wise time to invest, since the long-term investor is likely to pick up a good deal. (It was this fact that propped up the floundering London office space market in the wake of the slump back in 2008, when prices crashed 50 percent in some areas and sectors, only to surge back when a wave of foreign money flooded in.) When the market recovers – which it inevitably will, even if a convincing economic recovery is still elusive at present – they will be vindicated. This is a time to be laying down strong foundations for the future of your business.

Shops to rent in north London present a different set of opportunities to prime office space in the City or industrial space on the edges. Each of these offer possibilities for those in the right position, whether it’s a long-term let or a short-term stop gap while you wait for a better place. Commercial property London is in flux and it’s a mixed picture. Shops for sale in north london, an office to rent in the Square Mile… do your research and make sure that now is the right time for your circumstances.

Please visit http://www.claridges-commercial.co.uk


Presentation Designs That Sing

Powerpoint presentations are extremely easy to throw together, thanks to the simple and intuitive feel of the software. Unfortunately, it has been a victim of its own success – or more likely, your company has – because good Powerpoint design is a much rarer beast. Sales presentations that engage and convince listeners and give them something to take away with them are few and far between. This is why there are companies that specialise in corporate presentations and making sets of highly effective Powerpoint slides: done well, they can make all the difference in securing a bid or winning a contract. Done badly, your intended customer or audience will have switched off and discarded you as a prospect before you’ve got to the end of the first five minutes.

If you want to do it yourself, there are a few points to bear in mind. You may, like others, be tempted to squash in all the information you can – apparently ‘making the most’ of the room you have – and repeating your spoken presentation on the screen (and perhaps, for good measure, triplicating it with a handout, too…). This won’t do you any favours.

Start by planning the narrative of your presentation on paper, ensuring that you have a thread and a story that brings the audience through from start to finish. A disjointed presentation will lose their attention and leave them unimpressed – fast. When it does come to designing the slides, keep the background straightforward and simple: you don’t need unnecessary distraction. One idea for each slide is fine. If you try to cram in too much they will be overwhelmed and won’t take in anything very much. Make the point, and make it well. You can use suitable graphics to illustrate your point in a way that is impossible using the spoken word – a chart showing year-on-year results or other data, for example, is infinitely more effective than explaining them in words.

Powerpoint design is an art as well as a science, and you can’t underestimate how important Powerpoint presentations are in winning over your audience. They are an expected feature of sales presentations, but they are usually done so badly that if you can improve on the average you will immediately gain an edge over the competition. It doesn’t take much – just a willingness to do a bit of research and scale back your ambitions in the interests of doing a little very well. Simplicity is everything.

Visit http://www.eyefulpresentations.co.uk/


Phono amp makes all the difference to LP playback quality

There are more and more components to sound systems ever being developed, as speakers and hi-fis are becoming more complicated. But at the end of the day, some people still want to use the old-fashioned devices, such as tape decks or vinyl players. Reconciling these types of music players with the most up-to-date digital music equipment can be very tricky, as any lover of old tunes will tell you. Many people simply give up on playing the collections they may have spent decades building up, and instead buy new versions of all their music. However, there is a solution to this conundrum: a phono preamp (otherwise known as a phono amp or phono stage) can convert the output from a vinyl turntable into a sound you can play on the most modern speakers.

Vinyl is often acknowledged as the real ‘problem format’ for old music lovers. Most of the devices which are commonly connected to a stereo system or speakers, though they can work less well than the most up-to-date sound systems, will give a generous sound. But vinyl records work with a far smaller output, as they use magnetic cartridges. Vinyl records just can’t be played without an artificial amplification – and that’s where phono preamps come in handy.

The phono amp is an additional amplification stage, often built into older receivers and amps. But modern sound systems, such as mini-systems, home theatre units, and most stereo systems, do not have a place for phono input; they just don’t cater for vinyl lovers, instead choosing to play music through the newer systems. This means that you’ll have to use the existing inputs within your sound systems (the CD, Aux, Line In, etc) to wire up your vinyl turntable, with the help of a phono stage to reconcile the two points. This boosting is known as RIAA re-equalisation, as it removes the effect originally created when cutting the LP, ‘equalisation.’ This effect was necessary back then to get rid of feedback and background noise, but it gets in the way of vinyl being played with modern speakers now.

A phono amp can be found in most electrical shops, and when wired up between the turntable and the speaker or stereo system, should leave you able to enjoy the music on vinyl that you’ve collected over the years, with minimal fuss. So if you know anyone who’s fussing about the problems of playing vinyl records with decent modern speakers, let them know that all they need is a phono stage; the phono amp, when added to the amplification inside reasonable speakers, will let your vinyl play as clearly as ever.

Please visit http://www.whestaudio.co.uk/ for more.


Golden Boy Coaches: your first choice in luxury coach hire

For experience, simplicity, and peace of mind, Gold Boy Coaches is your number one choice in luxury coach hire and minibus hire in London. Whether you are putting on a school trip, private outing, or business function, Golden Boy Coaches have the know-how and the capacity to get you from A to B in style and comfort, every time. Our experienced drivers, local knowledge and no-nonsense quotation system mean that you can organise the events and outings that you need to, safe in the knowledge that transport will not be a problem.

When it comes to luxury coach hire, Golden Boy is the last word in professionalism. All our drivers are subject to a demanding training programme which we carry out ourselves, in our own training facility. Unlike some coach hire London or minibus hire firms, we pride ourselves on keeping strictly up to date with the latest international standards, which is why all our drivers hold a CPC (Certificate of Professional Competence). Our drivers are proud to wear our uniform – and we are proud that our uniform is worn by them. When you see the distinctive livery of Golden Boy coaches, you can rest assured that you are in the presence of the very best in the sector. But don’t take our word for it – our commitment to safety has been officially recognised by the UK coach safety rating system BUSK, which has awarded Golden Boy the maximum rating of six stars.

Coach hire london demands specialist knowledge, and lots of it. We operate from our purpose-built centre in Hoddesdon, on the borders of Essex and Hertfordshire, where our family-run business has been based since its birth in 1968. The mix of a local setting, a long history and a family ethos means that we have developed a large store of knowledge and connections which are vital to running an effective London coach hire service. That’s knowledge which sometimes escapes other coach hire firms.

But just because we’re long-established doesn’t mean we are nostalgics. We are no stick-in-the-muds: we are dedicated to investing in our fleet to make sure that our customers can enjoy the most up-to-date luxury coach hire experience possible, with drinks machines, CD and DVD players, air conditioning, bathrooms and many more features that provide you with top-of-the-range service.

Please visit http://www.goldenboy.co.uk/


Automating Recovery Audit and Duplicate Payment Software can prevent Big Losses from Clerical Errors

Accounts payable management can be a huge headache for lots of companies, with payments constantly going out and internal systems that can be vulnerable to human error. Some small companies can manage to keep track of duplicate payments manually, however, larger companies have a lot more purchase orders to process, and their purchasing processes can be much more complex.

Accounts payable audit make this process much more stress-free, with a lot less work for accounts payable staff in big companies. Duplicate payments are a huge problem for these larger businesses, which need more sophisticated systems to ensure no mistakes are made. Many large companies have hundreds of different suppliers and service providers, as well as numerous members of staff authorizing payments. One very common difficulty, in the field of advertising alone, is when the same advertising space is sold to marketing staff twice, by two different contacts.

One of the most popular ways to ensure that payments are not being duplicated or overpaid is using a recovery audit. This enables businesses to find and recover any losses that occur due to clerical error. A recovery audit can be very costly, however, which explains the increasing trend for recovery audit software that senses mistakes in accounts systems automatically, and flags them as errors for clerical staff to correct. Missing VAT, duplicate payments, discounts that have been missed, forgotten checks and in rare cases purposefully fraudulent payments can all be identified before a mistake spins out of control or generates large losses for the business in question.

Accounts payable software companies can generate huge savings for businesses that choose to take advantage of their recovery audit software technology. These companies specialize in accounts payable audit, and therefore can give not only peace of mind, but also value for money, as their auditing system is used by many different companies.

Having recovery audit software sorted by a separate company enables corporations to focus on increasing sales, safe in the knowledge that they don’t need to concern themselves with overpayments or attempted fraud.

All businesses require a safety net in place to prevent clerical errors, and automating accounting audits narrows the holes in the net so that no errors can wriggle through, not even at the time of placing a purchase order. For large businesses, with millions of pounds outgoing every month, this is an easy solution to a vital concern.

Please visit https://www.fiscaltec.com/


Accounts payable audit software can protect your business against loss

Accounts payable audit software is designed to safeguard large companies against the significant losses that occur due to a variety of inadequacies in the companies’ finance management systems. Accounts payable teams can use it to detect invoicing errors, duplicate payments, supplier fraud and compliance issues, potentially saving more than a hundred thousand pounds in a year, depending on the size of the company. Recovering duplicate payments can be an expensive business, and recovery auditors will charge up to 50 per cent of the duplicate payments that they recover for you. An alternative to this arrangement is to use recovery audit software, which not only drastically reduces the cost of these commissions, but also reduces the chances of duplicate payments reoccurring in the future.

Without a sufficient accounts payable audit solution, duplicate payments are likely to continue to occur as a result of several causes. The most common of these is human error; because of the sheer quantity of transactions involved, this is unavoidable without accounts payable or recovery audit software. Any simple oversight can result in a very large overpayment. For instance, if a supplier inquires into the status of a payment while it is temporarily held up in the approval status, accounts payable staff may be unable to find the payment, and will decide that it has not been paid, so the supplier will send a new invoice. In this case, the new payment will be made and the original payment will eventually emerge and be paid automatically.

Authorisation processes can be time-consuming and inefficient. System changes that happen as a result of mergers, takeovers or system renovations, or the use of temporary staff unfamiliar with the processes, can have an impact on the transfer and accuracy of accounts payable data. When these errors do occur, it is not always straightforward to recover the resulting losses. While external recovery auditors may offer many benefits and excellent services, it can be very expensive to use them for tracking duplicate payments.

accounts payable audit software can locate duplicate payments before they are processed, and it can offer a quick, cost-effective way of avoiding these losses. It can be used by any member of your accounts payable team easily and quickly to ensure that the process runs smoothly. When it comes to recovering losses resulting from accounts payable errors, it is recommended that you use a combination of recovery audit software for routine recovery, and an external auditor every 2-3 years to ensure maximum protection.

Please click https://www.fiscaltec.com/uk for further info…


How to buy the right School Uniforms

During the holidays, many London parents have one big unchecked item on their to-do list: finding a good London schoolwear supplier. School uniforms are one of the most consistent expenses in a parent’s life, and a good supplier can make all the difference between a long and laborious journey around various department stores, looking for that just-right shade of navy, red or green, and a quick trip to pick up everything children need for school.

Once the reserve of elite public schools and private schools, formal school uniforms are now common in all types of schools for children from the ages of five to 18. And following research on the benefits of formal clothes for children, school clothes are increasingly detailed.

Many believe that having to wear a tie, blazer, or specific type of collar gives children an early lesson in the importance of self-discipline and presentation. Perhaps it’s true: what is inarguable is that it means a lot of effort for parents, especially those who have multiple children at multiple schools, or who don’t have a lot of time on their hands due to demanding jobs or family pressures. Finding a collar with just the right type of tips, or the right shade of grey for a child’s tights, can be a huge headache. Many schools also use school uniforms to create a distinct sense of identity for their school, which makes children and teenagers feel like they belong, and improves team spirit. This is an admirable goal, but can mean that an ever-spiraling list of different types of uniform are needed -“ gone are the years when a child can wear the same array of clothes from Reception classes to sixth-form college.

Luckily, many London schoolwear suppliers make a point of making this requirement easier for parents. Having a wide range of sizes in stock, including school clothes for multiple schools in an area, can mean that school uniform shopping becomes a one-stop shop. Every parent wants their child to be well turned out, and in a adolescent culture that’s often full of one-upmanship, having the right clothes is a huge weight off a child’s or teenager’s mind: leaving him or her free to work on classes and coursework instead of outgrown shirts or hemline lengths.

Nowadays the -˜big shop’ isn’t parents’ only option for new uniform. With online and telephone ordering, kitting out the kids for a new term can be as simple as a half-hour on the computer. However, to work like this it’s indispensable for parents to have a London schoolwear supplier that they can trust. Throwing in lunchboxes, backpacks, pencil cases and enrichment activity clothes for ballet or judo makes the whole process fulfilling and -“ every parents’ dream – easy.

Please visit http://www.uniform4kids.com/