June 2011, Volume 26
| Included in this issue... |
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Please note: To view this newletter in its graphic format access the PDF version (538 KB).
| ISM's New Supplier Diversity Designation |
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ISM launched a new designation in January 2011. The Certified Professional in Supplier Diversity® (CPSD™) is a designation for supply professionals who demonstrate knowledge, skills and expertise in supplier diversity.
CPSD™ is also for business professionals with responsibility for strategic diversity initiatives. This professional designation demonstrates to your employer, your colleagues, your suppliers and even your customers that you are serious about helping your organization and diverse suppliers succeed. This designation also delivers added value to business leaders and other team leaders who participate in the development of supplier initiatives within the organization.
What do you need to be a CPSD™? The requirements are:
- Successfully pass the CPSD™ Exam.
- Successfully pass Exam 1 of the Certified Professional in Supply Management® (CPSM®). This requirement is waived if the candidate holds a current CPSM® or C.P.M.
- Minimum of five years professional (nonclerical, nonsupport) supplier diversity or supply management experience (does not have to be the primary function), OR three years of professional (nonclerical, nonsupport) supplier diversity or supply management experience IF the candidate has a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution or international equivalent.
CPSD™ candidates are tested on the following (see complete CPSD™ Exam Specifications):
CPSD™ Exam (For all test candidates)
120 questions — 2 hours allowed
- Policies and Planning
- Sourcing/Supplier Development
- Finance/Budgeting
- Metrics/Oversight
- Training and Development
- Advocacy/Marketing/Outreach
CPSM® Exam 1 (For candidates without a current CPSM® or C.P.M.)
165 questions — 2 hours, 45 minutes allowed
- Contracting and Negotiations
- Cost and Finance
- International
- Social Responsibility
- Sourcing
- Supplier Relationship Management
ISM offers testing in more than 230 locations around the world through Pearson VUE Testing Centers. After registering for your exam through ISM, visit www.pearsonvue.com/ism to find your nearest test center.
Exam fees: US$180 per exam ISM members / US$265 per exam nonmember
Register for CPSD™ Exams, order study materials or find out more in the Professional Credentials section of www.ism.ws. Select Certified Professional in Supplier Diversity™ (CPSD™), or call 800/888-6276 or +1 480/752-6276, option 8.
CPSD™ Study Materials
For all test candidates:
CPSD™ Online Review Course #3975
This online review course is designed to help those with supplier diversity responsibilities prepare for the CPSD™ Exams with resource articles, case studies and supplemental content developed by subject matter experts. Take the post test, with justifications, to see if you are ready for the exam. (10 CEHs) Note: This course is equivalent to the CPSD™ Exam Review Self-Study Workbook.
Item #3975 US $89/ISM Members US $49
CPSD™ Exam Review Self-Study Workbook
This self-study workbook provides an overview of the material covered in the CPSD™ Exam, using resource articles, case studies and supplemental content developed by subject matter experts. There is a post-test with justifications to evaluate your increased knowledge. (10 CEHs) Note: This workbook is equivalent to the CPSD™ Online Review Course.
Item #6010 US $199/ISM Members US $159
For candidates without a current CPSM® or C.P.M.:
CPSM® Exam 1 Study Guide — A Study Tool for the CPSD™ Designation
An expanded outline of CPSM® Exam 1 content provides information on test specifications, examples of the testing format and question styles. Note: Not for use in studying for the CPSM®.
Item #SDX1 US $49/ISM Members US $29
CPSM® Exam 1 Diagnostic Kit, Web Version
Item #CPSMDK_E1 US $69/ISM Members US $49
ISM Professional Series — Volume 1, Foundation of Supply Management
Item #PS1 US $115/ISM Members US $85
CPSM® Exam 1 Self-Study Workbook* (10 CEHs)
Item #6002 US $199/ISM Members US $159
CPSM® Exam 1 Online Review Course #3969* (10 CEHs)
US $295/ISM Members US $195
*The CPSM® Exam 1 Self-Study Workbook and Exam 1 Online Review Course are the same content.
ISM would like to thank the following companies that helped underwrite the expenses associated with this project: BP p.l.c., Capital One, Dean Foods, Delphi, The Disney Corporation, Hilton Worldwide, Sempra Energy and Tyco International. We truly appreciate their support of the CPSD™.
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| Meet the First Certified Professional in Supplier Diversity® (CPSD™) |
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With the completion of the CPSD™ pilot program and a successful launch, ISM is proud to announce the first individual to earn the Certified Professional in Supplier Diversity® (CPSD™). Alex F. Alvarez, CPSM, CPSD, C.P.M., A.P.P., supplier diversity manager at CoreLogic, was among the more than 200 individuals who participated in pilot testing in November 2010. He took the pilot exam at ISM—Dallas.
"I'm proud to add the CPSD™ to my credentials," Alvarez says. "Not only does this broaden my current knowledge base, it helps legitimize my expertise in this field while expanding my capabilities," Alvarez says. In addition, Alvarez believes the CPSD™ experience gave him more awareness of best practices. "I gained more insight into how other organizations strategically gained buy-in and influenced their workforce and executives to embrace supplier diversity."
Alvarez currently leads supplier diversity efforts for CoreLogic — educating more than 10,000 employees in diverse supplier initiatives. Prior to his current role, Alvarez was president and CEO of the South Region Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc. (SRMSDC), a regional affiliate of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC). He also spent three years as executive director at the Alabama Minority Business Opportunities Center (MBOC), a federally funded agency under the U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). Alvarez began his career at General Motors, starting in GM Worldwide Purchasing and progressing to the role of global creativity team leader, where he oversaw close to US$1 billion in spend globally.
Prior to his current role, Alvarez was president and CEO of the Southern Region Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc. in Birmingham, Alabama. He also spent three years as executive director at the Alabama Minority Business Opportunities Center (MBOC) in Birmingham. Alvarez began his career at General Motors, starting in GM Worldwide Purchasing and progressing to the role of global creativity team leader, where he oversaw close to US$1 billion in spend globally.
For more information, visit ISM online at www.ism.ws. Select Professional Credentials, then Certified Professional in Supplier Diversity®.
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| What's New With the Certified Professional in Supply Management® (CPSM®)? |
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The CPSM® program, the multifaceted designation on integrated supply management, keeps expanding. It debuted in May 2008 with the first exams held at the ISM Annual Conference in St. Louis. Last year, new study materials were added, and we have surpassed 3,200 CPSM®s from more than 30 countries. The CPSM® Bridge Exam Diagnostic Kit in print and also in a web-based version were added to assist qualified Certified Purchasing Managers (C.P.M.s) in their journey to bridge to the CPSM®.
How do you become a CPSM®? Confirm you have three years of full-time, professional supply management work experience (nonclerical, nonsupport) and a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution or international equivalent when you apply. You also need to successfully pass three CPSM® Exams, OR, if you are a C.P.M. in good standing with a bachelor's degree, pass the Bridge Exam.
What will I be tested on in the CPSM® Exams? Look at the following overview, but also make sure to look over the full CPSM® Exam and CPSM® Bridge Exam Specifications.
Exam 1 — Foundation of Supply Management
165 questions, 2 hours and 45 minutes
Contracting and Negotiation | Social Responsibility | Cost and Finance | Sourcing | International Supplier Relationship Management
Exam 2 — Effective Supply Management Performance
165 questions, 2 hours and 45 minutes
Forecasting | Materials and Inventory Management | Logistics | Organization and Department Assessment | Product and Service | Development | Quality | Planning
Exam 3 — Leadership in Supply Management
180 questions, 3 hours
Leadership | Strategic Sourcing | Risk Compliance
Bridge Exam — Only for current C.P.M.s with a bachelor's degree
180 questions, 3 hours
Areas not covered in the C.P.M. Exams
ISM offers testing in more than 230 locations around the world through Pearson VUE Testing Centers. After registering for your exam through ISM, visit www.pearsonvue.com/ism to find your nearest test center.
Exam fees: US$180 per exam ISM members / US$265 per exam nonmembers
Register for exams or find out more in the Professional Credentials section of www.ism.ws. Select Certified Professional in Supply Management® (CPSM®), or call 800/888-6276 or +1 480/752-6276, option 8.
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| How do you start studying for the CPSM® Exams? |
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ISM's three most popular study materials are the CPSM® Study Guide, the CPSM® or CPSM® Bridge Exam Diagnostic Kit (in your choice of web or print version) and the ISM Professional Series. Start with the practice tests in the Diagnostic Kit to find out your knowledge gaps (weak areas are where you score less than 75 percent) against the tested content. The Diagnostic Kit also tells you where to find explanations of your particular weak areas within the CPSM® Study Guide, the ISM Professional Series and a few other resources.
Most people study on their own with the previously mentioned study materials. However, if you find you learn better with more instruction, ISM offers face-to-face exam review seminars, online exam review courses or self-study workbook courses. All three are essentially the same content, just in different formats to meet your preferred learning style and schedule. Many ISM affiliates and colleges/universities offer CPSM® Exam reviews. You can download a CPSM® Exam Review Course Directory to find in-class instruction near you.
Don't forget, ISM is here to help you every step of the way. Call us at 800/888-6276 or +1 480/752-6276, option 8; find out more about the CPSM® at www.ism.ws in the Professional Credentials section; e-mail us at certification@ism.ws; or connect with us on LinkedIn in the CPSM® and ISM groups to network with other CPSM®s and potential CPSM®s.
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| Are You a C.P.M., MCIPS or SCMP™? |
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If you are, you have an advantage. Certified Purchasing Managers (C.P.M.s) in good standing with a qualified bachelor's degree only need to take the Bridge Exam, a single exam covering content not included in the C.P.M. Exams, instead of three CPSM® Exams.
If you hold a MCIPS or a SCMP™ certification, ISM now has agreements with The Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS) and Purchasing Management Association of Canada (PMAC) allowing reciprocity of the other organization's credential. For more information, go to the CPSM® and SCMP™ Reciprocity or CPSM® and MCIPS Reciprocity pages, or e-mail Michelle Pattee at mpattee@ism.ws.
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| Low-Cost Ways to Earn CEHs |
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Need to earn Continuing Education Hours (CEHs)? Short on funds to pay for training? Don't despair. ISM has several low-cost options to keep your CPSM®, CPSD™, C.P.M. or A.P.P. certification current. Some are even free.
- The ISM Knowledge Center has four free online courses:
Register at www.ISM-knowledgecenter.ws.
- ISM presents free web seminars throughout the year on trends that affect supply management. You can participate from anywhere in the world and earn one Continuing Education Hour (CEH) each time you attend the live program. Register in the Seminars section of the ISM website.
- Already an ISM member? You earn one CEH for every year you are an active ISM member during your current certification period.
- Attend your ISM affiliate meetings. Most meetings are US$50 or less and usually you receive at least one CEH each time you attend.
- Did you take or teach any business-related training through your employer?
- Did you take any personal career development courses such as "Effective Communication" or "Microsoft Excel"?
- Was your article published in a supply management-related magazine or journal?
- Did you attend or present at one of ISM's conferences or seminars? Did you attend or present at other industry-related conferences or seminars?
For details on CEH qualification, visit the Professional Credentials section of the ISM website or e-mail certification@ism.ws.
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| C.P.M.s — You May Have Up to 12 College Credits |
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Even if you have never set foot on a college campus or taken an online college course, you may have college credit for up to 12 undergraduate credits. Many colleges and universities grant up to 12 undergraduate credits for your C.P.M. Exam scores. If you have thought about going back to school, this is a great starting point to pursue your bachelor's degree, which is a CPSM® requirement. See more information on college credit.
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| Where Do the Exam Questions Come From? |
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Like any exam measuring professional competencies, ISM's professional credentials exams are considered challenging. Have you ever wondered how exam questions are developed and who develops them?
The volunteer group of supply management experts who comprise the ISM Item Writing Committee are a diverse group who represent a variety of industry sectors, all actively working or teaching in the field. You may never hear their names or see their pictures, but they contribute their time and talent to ensure the CPSM® and CPSD™ Exam questions are relevant, consistent and valid.
The committee meets several times each year. Each person is assigned specific task areas in which to develop questions. These questions are evaluated by a professional psychometrician. Then they are reviewed by the committee in a face-to-face meeting. At the meeting, each question is reviewed for proper format, proper task assignment and that there is only one best answer. No one on the committee knows who wrote a question or what the answer is prior to the committee reaching a unanimous agreement on the correct answer.
This process of confirming question validity is overseen by ISM staff and the professional psychometrician. When there is an exam question without committee agreement to the answer, it is checked against the referenced resource and revised, if possible, to provide for only one best answer. If agreement cannot be reached, the question is thrown out of the pool of possible questions.
Unscored questions are included on exams and the performance of each one is monitored by the psychometrician to determine if revisions should be made to the question before it is added as a scored question on future versions of the exam.
Periodically, these new questions are used to develop new versions of the exam, thus continuously updating and revising the exams.
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| Call for Presentations 2012, Opens July 1, 2011 |
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Do you have a success story to share? Are you a leader in supply management strategies? Demonstrate to your supply chain management colleagues that you have the knowledge, abilities and track record to contribute to the profession. Submit a presentation for ISM's 2012 Annual Conference.
Don't forget, you earn CEHs for presenting at conference in the contributions to the profession category.
The Call for Presentations opens July 1, 2011 (deadline is July 31, 2011). Mark your calendar. ISM Annual Conference, May 6-9, 2012, Baltimore, Maryland.
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| Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities |
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ISM's Free Web Seminars
Collaborative Sourcing: Achieving the Next Wave of Sourcing Savings
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
11:00 a.m. PST / 2:00 p.m. EST
Watch for upcoming free web seminars that qualify for one CEH when you attend the live web seminar.
ISM Conferences
ISM Sustainability and Social Responsibility Conference
November 7-9, 2011
Lake Buena Vista, FL
Registration opens July, 2011
Sign-up for Updates
The 12th Annual ISM Services Conference
December 1-2, 2011
Phoenix, AZ
Sign-up for Updates
ISM's July 2011 Seminars
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| Achieving Peak Performance When Purchasing Services #4404 |
July 11-12, 2011 |
Minneapolis, MN |
| Capital Equipment Purchasing: Big Risk, Big Dollars and Big Results #4483 |
July 14-15, 2011 |
Dallas, TX |
| Contracting Basics: What All the Ts and Cs Mean #4499 |
July 18-19, 2011 |
Philadelphia, PA |
| Fundamentals of Purchasing: The Building Blocks of World-Class Professionalism #4531 |
July 18-20, 2011 |
Nashville, TN |
| Advanced Negotiation Strategies: Advanced Concepts and Techniques for Optimizing Value Through Negotiations #4449 |
July 20-21, 2011 |
Baltimore, MD |
| Best Practices in Procurement #4460 |
July 20-22, 2011 |
Nashville, TN |
| Legal Aspects of Supply Management: The Basics You Need to Succeed #4391 |
July 25-27, 2011 |
Chicago, IL |
| Integrating Purchasing, Logistics and Inventory With Suppliers #4262 |
July 27-29, 2011 |
Minneapolis, MN |
| Contracting for Purchasing and Supply Management: Beyond the Basics #4429 |
July 28-29, 2011 |
Chicago, IL |
ISM's August 2011 Seminars
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| Power Negotiations: Unlock Your Powers of Influence and Persuasion #4575 |
August 1-3, 2011 |
Minneapolis, MN |
| Outsourcing — Competitive Bidding and Contracting: Developing Critical Process Competencies #4205 |
August 3-5, 2011 |
San Francisco, CA |
| Resisting Price Increases and Implementing Cost Improvement Initiatives: How to Make a Major Impact Into Today's Volatile Marketplace #4270 |
August 11-12, 2011 |
Philadelphia, PA |
| Leading and Managing Supply Relationships #4544 |
August 15-17, 2011 |
Minneapolis, MN |
| Fundamentals of Purchasing: The Building Blocks of World-Class Professionalism #4529 |
August 22-24, 2011 |
Denver, CO |
| Contracting Basics: What All the Ts and Cs Mean #4497 |
August 25-26, 2011 |
Minneapolis, MN |
| The Supply Manager's Guide to Doing Business in China #4363 |
August 29-30, 2011 |
San Francisco, CA |
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