In This Issue ...

• This Month in the Inside Supply Management® Magazine.  Read more.
  
• Web Seminar — Best Practices for Gaining Company-Wide Support for Your e-Procurement Initiatives.  Read more.
  
• 2008 ISM Conference Career Center.  Read more.
  
• Calendar of Events for January.  Read more.
  
• Term of the Day.  Read more.
  
• Contact Us.  Read more.
  

This Month in the Inside Supply Management® Magazine

Have you checked out this month's issue of Inside Supply Management® magazine? The December issue is full of useful information and includes the following articles:

• A Fresh Approach To Data Security
• Profile: Sun Microsystems
• Use Suppliers as a Strategic Source

To access the December Inside Supply Management® magazine's table of contents, which contains links to all this month's articles click here.

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Web Seminar — Best Practices for Gaining Company-Wide Support for Your e-Procurement Initiatives

January 8, 2008
2:00 pm Eastern, 11:00 am Pacific

Most procurement professionals want to continually improve how they manage their companies' spend, however, many find themselves struggling to balance their desire for greater savings and control with their businesses' desire for greater convenience, speed, and flexibility. It doesn't have to be a win-lose battle.

Please join speakers from Coupa Software, Aberdeen Group and CAPS Research as they share their latest research and experience on how procurement teams can gain the support of their entire company to make their e-procurement initiatives more successful.

Attendees will hear strategies to:

• Set realistic short and long term goals
• Balance procurement teams' "service" vs. "enforcement" role
• Integrate constructive feedback into your programs
• Broaden your programs to cover new commodities and business areas
• Generate and maintain momentum for your initiatives

Featured Presenters:

• Andrew Bartolini, Vice President, Global Supply Management, Aberdeen Group
• Dave Stephens, CEO and Co-Founder, Coupa Software

As an added bonus, all Webcast registrants will also receive the recently released Aberdeen whitepaper E-Procurement Trials and Triumphs.

Don't miss this one-hour STREAMING ONLY Web event hosted by ISM and sponsored by Coupa Software. For full information and to register click here.

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2008 ISM Conference Career Center

Be a part of the 2008 ISM Conference Career Center and attract valuable talent to your organization.

As a part of the 93rd Annual International Supply Management Conference & Educational Exhibit in St. Louis, ISM is hosting its 4th Conference Career Center. The Career Center allows Conference attendees to explore career opportunities and helps companies attract top-notch talent. We anticipate that more than 2,500 supply management professionals will attend the 2008 Conference. More than 50 percent of attendees hold the title of manager or above, and more than 80 percent of attendees have a bachelor's or graduate-level degree.

Why should your company participate?
The ISM Annual International Conference is the largest gathering place of supply management professionals in the world. It is an excellent opportunity to interview, recruit and make an offer to leading professionals in a very specialized and demanding field.

Your participation includes:

• Posting your current job opening on the ISM Conference Career Center Web Site.
• Access to an exclusive résumé database before and after the Conference.
• Your company profile advertised in the April 2008 edition of the Program Guide & Navigator, which is distributed to all Conference attendees and 45,000 supply management professionals.* ($1,000 value).
• Usage of private interview booths.
• Complimentary lunch served daily for up to two recruiters.
• Opportunity to promote your organization through face-to-face interviews with attendees.

*To be included in the April 2008 edition of the Navigator, ISM must receive your company profile by February 29, 2008.

How does the ISM Conference Career Center work?
All ISM Conference attendees are invited to submit their résumés to the Conference Career Center database. Organizations participating in the Career Center have exclusive access to these résumés. By accessing the résumés before the Conference, you will be able to set up interviews with selected supply management professionals prior to the Conference or interview walk-in candidates.

Career Center Dates & Hours
Sunday, May 4, 2008, 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Monday, May 5, 2008, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Participation Fees
ISM offers two pricing options for the 2008 ISM Conference Career Center:

• Option 1: 3 Days (Sunday, Monday and Tuesday) — $2,899 USD
• Option 2: 1½ or 2 days (Sunday-Monday or Monday-Tuesday) — $1,800 USD

The Career Center is custom-designed for the Conference and is supported by ISM staff.

How do you become 2008 Conference Career Center employer?
Please contact Toni Caserta at 480-752-6276, extension 3095 or at acaserta@ism.ws.

Don't settle for second-rate talent. Recruit the best at the 2008 Conference Career Center.

The 2008 Conference Career Center is sponsored by Monsanto.

For more information about the 2008 Conference Career Center click here.

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Calendar of Events for January

• 1/1
  New Year's Day — ISM Headquarters Closed
  Tempe, AZ
  
  
• 1/2
  Release of the Manufacturing Report On Business®
  Nationwide
  
  
• 1/4
  Release of the Non-Manufacturing Report On Business®
  Nationwide
  
  
• 1/9
  ISM Finance Committee Meeting
  Tempe, AZ
  
  
• 1/10
  ISM 2008 Proxy Ballot Deadline
  Tempe, AZ
  
  
• 1/10
  ISM Board of Directors Meeting & Annual Membership Meeting
  Tempe, AZ
  
  
• 1/11-12
  Conference Leadership Committee Meeting
  St. Louis, MO
  
  
• 1/21
  Martin Luther King, Jr. Day — ISM Headquarters Closed
  Tempe, AZ
  
  
• 1/23-25
  Fundamentals of Purchasing: The Building Blocks of World-Class Professionalism
  Phoenix, AZ
  
  
• 1/24-25
  Contract Writing for Purchasing and Supply Management: Beyond the Basics
  Tampa, FL
  
  
• 1/25
  Boston Leadship Training Workshop Planning Meeting
  Boston, MA
  
  
• 1/26-27
  Ethical Standards Committee Meetings
  Mesa, AZ
  
  
• 1/28-29
  Advanced Purchasing Techniques: Getting to the Next Level
  Phoenix, AZ
  
  
• 1/29-30
  Committee on Social Responsibility Meeting
  Dallas, TX
  
  
• 1/30-2/1
  Purchasing and the Law: The Basics You Need to Succeed
  San Diego, CA
  
  
• 1/31
  ISM Affiliate Excellence Awards Application Deadline
  Tempe, AZ
  
  
• 1/31
  ISM Doctoral Dissertation Grant In Supply Management Application Deadline
  Tempe, AZ
  
  
• 1/31
  ISM Groups & Forums Excellence Awards Application Deadline
  Tempe, AZ
  
  
• 1/31
  ISM Persons of the Year Awards Nomination Deadline
  Tempe, AZ
  
  
• 1/31
  J. Shipman Gold Medal Award Nomination Deadline
  Tempe, AZ

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Term of the Day

Today's ISM Term of the Day is: CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN.

Definition: A document required by customs officials, identifying the country of origin of imported goods, and certified by U.S. consular officials overseas.

A different Term of the Day is posted on the ISM Home Page (www.ism.ws) each day — 7 days a week. The Term of the Day is currently taken from the ISM Glossary of Key Supply Management Terms.

ISM members can access the online Members Only Glossary which includes terms from the private, public, and various industry sectors, and from a wide variety of sources. The Glossary can be browsed alphabetically, or searched by keyword.

To access the online Glossary click here.

If you are not a member but would like membership information click here.

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