Travel management traditionally has been about finding the right balance between cost and service. The most effective managers have mastered the science of identifying the right mix to get the job done while maximizing profits.
Now, according to an A.T. Kearney study on the future of supply management, CEOs are demanding far more of supply management professionals. "Forces such as globalization, changing demographics, shifts in consumer demand, resource scarcity, environment pressures, technology advances and government regulation and activism are forcing CEOs to ask supply management leaders to take on a broader, more strategic mission," the report stated.
In this month's issue of Procurement.travel, you'll read about travel procurement professionals who have already stepped up to the plate. As part of our focus on sustainability, learn how HSBC's travel management team brainstormedpolicy changes and other ways to help the company achieve its goal of becoming carbon neutral. We also review how companies are beginning to evaluate supplier sustainabilityand embrace online collaborationas a means to meet without being there. Whether to help the environment or the bottom line, online collaboration finally appears to be a viable alternative to travel for some corporations. For more resources on sustainability practices, search our archive by keyword.
In the Cover Story, learn how Siemens has developed and executed its new travel supply chain strategythat aligns with corporate goals. For the first time, Siemens armed bosses with the tools to know who is and who is not supporting cost-effective travel policies.
In this issue's Profile, ICI procurement executives detail their approach to getting travel on the board's agendaand then driving savings through consolidated spending with single category providers across its three major regions of the world.
Departments in this issue are packed with the latest developments on Sarbanes-Oxley, airline efforts to zero in on the cost of accepting credit cardsand a bevy of interesting metrics, such as the average daily rates of various hotel brands.
No doubt, travel procurement professionals are still trying to find just the right balance. But as those profiled in this issue can attest, the fulcrum is constantly moving.