Strike a pace : Get a good running mate!

THE choice has been made. Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate has chosen Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate. The jury is still out on whether this will help or hamper Obama's chances of occupying the White house. The road ahead will not be without challenges. Sen. Joe Biden is a veteran in American politics. His experience in foreign policy matters, as well as domestic issues is sure to help bolster Sen. Obama's bid for the presidency. On the other hand, there are some doubts on how this affects the promise of "change" - when this could really be construed as a "play-it-safe" choice.

Like in politics, choosing the right partner can be an important business decision as well. In the new global economy - networks rule. Your success with new and ongoing initiatives can easily depend on how well your running mate can not only keep up with you - but also help set the pace. The more you practice and train together (and keep common goals in sight), the better your chances of achieving great results.

Being a good partner is not an easy proposition as well. It calls for establishing deep trust, understanding each other's strengths and weaknesses, and adapting to evolving situations - as and when required.

It is not the number of partners that are important, but the credentials of those few "good-men" that make the difference. In the retail, supply chain information technology space for e.g. partnering with those that have the client situation context, domain experience, complementary skills and demonstrated results are more likely to have an impact.

While Sen. Biden's team has out campaigned the other contenders (notably the Hillary Clinton camp) in the race for the No. 2 spot on the Democratic ballot, it remains to be seen how effective this choice will be in the long run.

For now - the race is on!

2008 Beijing Olympics : Is your supply chain fit to run

THE countdown to the Olympics 2008 has begun. Like the Soviet Union at the height of the cold war, China is looking to make a statement by winning more Summer Olympic gold medals than the United States. Both countries will doubtless honor the systems that they say produce victories — Chinese authoritarianism versus American liberty.

While the next few weeks will be abuzz with which approach comes out tops, the Olympics themselves have a serious and noticeable impact on global business, and supply chain in particular. The impact the Beijing Olympics COULD have on your supply chain can and will be significant.

To summarize as briefly as possible: In an effort to reduce pollution and congestion before, during, and after the Olympic Games the Chinese government has implemented a variety of measures aimed at restricting and/or closing down heavy polluting industries, forced reductions in traffic, etc. Some of these are :

• Trucks weighing in excess of 3 tons restricted from entering Beijing City. Ring roads 3-5 designated by Beijing Organizing Committee for Olympic Games as “Olympic Lanes”
• Trucks registered in other provinces restricted from entering Beijing.
• 20% of registered Beijing enterprise vehicles will be restricted from running during the Olympics.
• All vehicles subject to odd-even license plate number controls, meaning only one type of vehicle (odd or even) allowed to operate in Beijing on particular days
• Trucks that are not emission-controlled will be prohibited from entering Beijing.
• Non-Beijing licensed vehicles allowed into Beijing but can not pass beyond the 5th ring road.
• Hazardous Materials transport to be strictly controlled.

While this might be a touchy issue ( read Olympic cyclists wearing smog masks) with the Chinese authorities, the bottom line is that if you havent been planning for this - it is very likely that your supply chain and replenishment strategy in particular will take a serious beating. Back-to-school sales might be the first to get affected.

That said the Olympics do bring a feeling of celebration and healthy competition to the world. Get the latest action here : Olympics Tracker.