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#40 – Why is Finance called “Finance”?

The well known art historian and true committed European Philippe Daverio used to say that there is one only word echoing consistently across all European languages: “wine”! And this is not due to a universal inclination towards alcohol, but for a more spiritual reason: this linguistic uniformity emerged when Christianity became the religion of the […]

#38 – Why we need to negotiate when there are even two other ways to exchange resources?!?

Because, regarding the other two ways: one is highly risky, based on the use of force and opposing POSITIONS, morally unacceptable. It is a value destroyer and it is unsustainable in the long run. It might come in the form of conflict, crime or war. The second way to move resourses is simply wonderful! The […]

#36 – Exiting the ukrainian loop: negotiation is not an option

It is quite hard exiting the loop of a wrong problem setting. Regarding ukraine war, from the very beginning, the issue has been set in the following terms: had we better make war or negotiate? The real point is that negotiation is not an option. It is the necessary step after every single war. The […]

#35 – Why collaborative negotiation is a lot, but it is not all we need

Let’s be clear: in a negotiation, greatest value comes from collaborative, proactive and trusty relationships between the parties. Anyway, if we did not care at all about how final value will be split amongst negotiating partners, great part of that value would likely flow in the pocket of the party who has higher game control. […]

#34 – Who has really fallen behind, in the post-covid new world?

Pandemia has eventually changed all human jobs and activities except one. From small retailers to big corporations, from public administration to hospitals, every kind of job and worker, all employees, teachers, students, entrepreneurs, actors, nurses and doctors have had to reshape the way of performing their roles, in a totally new world. So far, the […]

#32 – The extra cards of a buyer

All of us have played soccer cards, at least once. The aim of the game is to exchange your double cards, in order to get your album completed. This is a good example of negotiation in action: to exchage resources (ie.: double cards) in order to get maximum value (ie.: both completed albums). My double […]

#30 – FA-RE (“to do” verb) is the start and the end of FA-ttura-RE (to invoice)

In Italy, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises are 92% of total. They are the key component in the supply chain for many well-known food, design, fashion and mechanical sector companies. They produce value. SME need to get back to invoice, very quickly, in order to overcome this terrible phase. In the Italian language, such as in […]

#29 – Empty spaces (for post-covid restart)

In these pandemic days, I’m discussing with some friends of mine. They are entrepreneurs in one of the richest area of northern Italy. Subject matter is what we can (or must) ask to our political leaders for a quick restart after covid. What we surely must not accept is to go on with investment cutting […]

# 28.1 – Il virus più contagioso per gli Umani

Può avere ceppi diversi e ha radici proprie. È soggetto a mutazioni e varianti.Si trasmette da individuo a individuo. Colpisce soprattutto le funzioni cognitive, con conseguente impatto sullo stile di vita e le relazioni. Si diffonde da gruppo sociale a gruppo sociale. Anche senza contatto fisico diretto. Proprio come un virus.Ma ha un tasso di […]

#27 – What is left unsaid (in a negotiation)?

Clues to grab from a real picture of a big deal. 23 Nov. 2019 – 22:30. Rome, Chigi Palace. Arcelor Mittal deal. On the left, premier Conte between ministers Gualtieri and Patuanelli. On the right, the Mittals (father and son). We do not know what has been said, but we can get so much info, […]

# 26 – It’s so hard to say goodbye (pain points from current news stories)

Arcelor-Mittal (Ex Ilva, Taranto Italy) issue, UK BrEXIT (and every common people divorce case) teach us the same lesson: how hard is to leave a deal, when you feel stuck! So, let’s point out three key points I think we need to double-check before making any deal: EMERGENCY EXIT – Starting is often smooth and […]

#25 – How will A.I. jump into your Buyer life?

No futuristic scenarios. No science fiction. Artificial Intelligence (AI) will soon break into your procurement business, in three different possible ways: Overnight, you’ll realize that, in a running outsourcing contract, the provider decided to base the service on some AI technologies: can he really do that unilaterally? Can the outsourcer take advantage from new technologies […]