IDG Contributor Network: Value-as-a-Service: the importance of strategic supplier management

We are in an everything-as-a-service era. The shift from product to service delivery originated in the B2C world, but quickly spread to the B2B world. For example, take the services provided by Spotify or Apple Music instead of consumers purchasing products like CDs, or the example of our being able to purchase Wi-Fi coverage instead of buying routers. As customers, most of us don’t want to think about what is necessary to get something done, we just want it done. Let me provide a common illustration. When you fly on an airplane you never have to think about procuring the plane, the required fuel, contracting a pilot, leasing runway space, adding food and beverage to the plane; instead you simply buy a ticket from the air carrier of your choice and board at the appointed time to get you to the scheduled destination.

To read this article in full, please click here