Lecture will highlight common understanding in supply chain

Professor Douglas Boateng

The lecture will be delivered at the SBL in Pretoria on Thursday, 14 May.

"One of the most important but often misunderstood aspects of supply chain management is negotiations. It is not about haggling and price chiseling for self-gain, but rather a catalyst for building long term mutually beneficial relationships," says Boateng. "Appreciating its strategic importance and involving the right professionals from the outset can assist with achieving win-win value chain agreements and subsequent contracts."

Reasons for challenges

Boateng has themed the lecture 'Were we ever on the same page?' - highlighting the importance of a common understanding between all the parties involved in a supply chain.

"We need to analyse and appreciate some of the reasons why the developing world is experiencing challenges with national and regional wide development, company bottom line performance, value chain performance, service delivery quality and increasingly expensive legal contract disputes. Particularly in the developing world, it's time for functional custodians to further upskill themselves to help their respective organisations and institutions reach win-win agreements and finally, contracts," says Boateng.