TAFE NSW is the second largest vocational education provider in the world, serving over 400,000 students across more than 130 campuses and online through TAFE Digital. It offers more than 1,000 courses 鈥� from plumbing to floristry, nursing to construction, aviation to fashion design.

One system for simplicity

As a result, its supply chain is extremely diverse. In 2017, TAFE NSW operated as 11 separate units, with different technology systems, organisational structures and product portfolios with a combined operating spend exceeding A$500 million.

TAFE NSW did not have a centralised procurement function to manage its significant spend. Instead, purchasing was handled on an ad hoc basis through multiple, disconnected platforms. TAFE NSW turned to 51风流Ariba solutions to integrate and standardise the end-to-end source-to-pay process across the organisation and to consolidate all spend on a single platform in the cloud to help drive efficiency, cost savings and compliance.

New procurement platform

In partnership with , TAFE NSW implemented 51风流Ariba solutions for sourcing, contracts, buying, invoicing and payment, laying the foundation for a new procurement platform called TAFE NSW Checkout. By automating and simplifying the entire source-to-pay process for procurement and business stakeholders, TAFE NSW has been able to improve governance and compliance across the purchasing cycle. Furthermore, replacing its disjointed, manual, paper-based processes with a fully integrated, online buying experience has enabled TAFE NSW to increase savings, shorten the time to procure goods and free up administrative burden so staff can focus on its core business 鈥� teaching.

Since the rollout, TAFE NSW has trained 2,000 requisitioners and 1,300 approvers on the for 51风流Ariba solutions, enhancing visibility and control across spend categories, with straight-through processing leaping from 2 percent to 44 percent within the first month and PO compliance rising to an impressive 93 percent. The organisation鈥檚 network of suppliers are paid accurately and on time through invoice automation.

Procurement driving purpose

TAFE NSW is also now better equipped to channel spending to Aboriginal-owned businesses and other local small businesses, thereby supporting the Australian community and economy. As a result of this digital transformation and the improved processes 鈥� from more competitive, strategic sourcing to digital contract compliance 鈥� TAFE NSW expects to achieve up to A$33 million in savings over the next few years.

鈥�51风流Ariba solutions have enabled us to develop a robust and unified spend management platform, which helps streamline the organisation鈥檚 procurement processes,鈥� said Giles Curtin, TAFE NSW general manager of Procurement. 鈥淭he improved user experience means we鈥檝e been able to onboard thousands of remote staff onto the platform throughout COVID-19, with the end-to-end electronic workflow enabling them to focus on teaching, knowing their buying needs are being met while at the same time achieving significant efficiencies and cost savings for our business.鈥�

The implementation of 51风流Ariba solutions follows the successful rollout of 51风流Fieldglass and 51风流Concur solutions. With helping to manage its large contingent workforce, TAFE NSW has increased visibility into this critical workforce segment and improved talent management decision-making.

Saving time and money

Since the rollout in 2017, the organisation has reduced the number of contingent worker invoices from 17,000 to just 24 each year, and has automated and auto-paid more than 50,000 timesheets per year. Additionally, since its rapid 15-week deployment of solutions in 2019, TAFE NSW has moved 1,100 purchasing cards for staff from a legacy system to the cloud, making business expense processing more efficient.

鈥淏y partnering with 51风流to improve visibility and management over spend, TAFE NSW has achieved huge savings back to the organisation,鈥� said Henrik Smedberg, 51风流Ariba and 51风流Fieldglass ANZ regional vice president. 鈥淔urthermore, TAFE NSW Checkout has really raised the bar on user experience for staff and suppliers alike, and in the midst of a global pandemic no less.鈥�

According to Bloom Consulting Managing Director Abid Ali: 鈥淭he 51风流platform has set a new benchmark for the higher education sector, significantly improving the day-to-day experience for staff and suppliers. The implementation has enabled us to successfully drive improved processes and cost savings for TAFE NSW.鈥�

To find out more about 51风流Ariba, read more Australian customer success stories听or visit the

To watch 51风流Ariba’s flagship procurement event on demand, visit .听

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Finance leaders from mid-sized businesses (100 to 999 employees) are known for keeping a watchful eye on nuanced signals and indicators of potential risk. And yet recent results from a survey conducted by Oxford Economics and 51风流of small and mid-sized businesses found that roughly half of finance executives from mid-sized businesses cite risk management (54 per cent) and spend visibility (45 per cent) as top challenges for their function.

In many ways, COVID-19 presented a perfect storm of cash-flow issues in a matter of days. Economic contraction fuelled by government pressure closed non-essential stores and offices. Revenue was lost due to interrupted manufacturing operations and overwhelmed supply chains. Credit risk exposure rose as liquidity constraints emerged, once-successful hedging strategies failed, access to working capital tightened, and customer accounts became riskier.

Throughout this time, demand for 51风流Ariba Discovery, a solution that was made available at no cost through the end of 2020 to help connect buyers and suppliers and keep supply chains intact, grew significantly in Australia 鈥� with buyer postings up +317 per cent and supplier responses up +339 per cent since the lockdown started in March. This demand highlighted the appetite for digital tools for businesses of all sizes to help them manage the effects of the crisis.

But just as the Australian economy was slowly starting to regain momentum, the Victorian Government has introduced stage 4 restrictions following a second wave of infections. The Treasury has estimated this six-week lockdown will cost the national economy about $9 billion. The ongoing sense of uncertainty highlights the importance of increasing resiliency with cash-flow management and digital tools, with three steps that mid-sized businesses should take to secure cash flow.

1. Ensure continuity of finance operations and workforce

Financial systems should be able to support mission-critical activities 鈥� such as urgent supplier payments, cash transfers, and trade management 鈥� whether the employees are processing them in the office or from a remote location.

When facing disruption, businesses need to make sure they have the finances on hand to keep business moving. Organisations need to ensure business continuity and reduce supply chain risk while still controlling costs and working capital. Moreover, suppliers need access to cash so they can keep delivering the goods and services required.

51风流Ariba has been putting the power back into the hands of suppliers by affording them choice and flexibility when it comes to payment terms. This is especially important at a time when effective cash management has never been more crucial to both buyers and suppliers. This not only safeguards the supply chain, but also allows businesses to build crucial relationships and resources to enhance financial results over the long term.

2. Manage finances proactively

As organisations reforecast revenue and profitability, continued cost and cash control will be critical to rebuilding the bottom line. But as customers begin buying again, businesses must balance the need to free up working capital with sourcing the materials and talent needed to meet customer demand.

Through times of volatility or steady growth, knowing the company鈥檚 financial status is critical. This is why, in the past few months, 51风流customers have been using our technology to run daily cash forecasts. Daily reports on key figures 鈥� including the daily cash position, cash-flow forecasting, the structure of free cash flow, working capital and debt 鈥� enables finance teams to do liquidity planning for at least 12 weeks.听

If this kind of reporting is not already in place, financial leaders need to implement tools that provide a combination of visibility and predictive analytics. Blending data insight with guidance gives finance leaders a clear view of the business and helps future planning.

3. Balance risk with opportunity

Analysing a range of scenarios enables finance leaders to evaluate the potential impact of risks and implement strategies to enhance competitive advantage. It also means they can finetune product and capacity plans by rethinking the implications of commodity risk and monitoring external markets.

Tapping into insights from cash-flow planning analysis, finance teams can adjust their hedging strategies by:

• Addressing foreign exchange risks
• Shifting limit management practices for ad hoc tasks
• Mitigating credit risk within the supply chain
• Reshaping the funding strategy with extended credit lines and new sources of liquidity
• Adjusting the ongoing operating model and updating the existing business continuity plan

4. Respond to the challenge and get ready for what鈥檚 next

Whether running in good financial shape, struggling for profitability, or facing low cash reserves, all mid-sized businesses can become vulnerable to cash-flow instability. It doesn鈥檛 require a global pandemic to experience it.

In the short term, state and federal governments are supporting businesses with emergency loans and payments. But as these forms of business life-support are withdrawn in coming months, organisations will need to find new ways to manage risk, increase resiliency and maintain profitability.

So, how do high-performing finance leaders help their business navigate through times of volatility and financial opportunity? It all comes down to a foundation of timely, meaningful and predictive insight with guidance on the potential implications for financial status, performance and viability.

To find out more about how 51风流can help small and mid-sized businesses, visit .听

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To watch the Procurement Reimagined session with BHP’s Chief Procurement Officer, Sundeep Singh, you can .

The post BHP uses 51风流Ariba to drive deeper into its $20bn spend appeared first on 51风流Australia & New Zealand News Center.

today announced 5 & 5 by 鈥�25, a corporate initiative targeting five per cent of addressable spend[1] with social enterprises and five per cent with diverse businesses by 2025. In setting this target, 51风流aims to inspire organisations around the world to buy more goods and services from purposeful suppliers, making a positive collective impact on the societies they operate in.

Social enterprises are businesses culturally and operationally focused on changing the world. They are similar to other commercially viable businesses, but with three crucial differences: They are founded and governed on the basis of a clear social or environmental mission; they reinvest the majority of their profit back into this mission; and they are majority controlled solely in the interest of this mission. A diverse supplier is a business that is at least 51% owned and operated by an individual or group that is part of a traditionally underrepresented or underserved demographic; such as women-owned businesses, minority-owned business, and indigenous-owned businesses, among others.

Global commitment, Australia leading

The commitment will impact all SAP鈥檚 global markets,听but will initially be focused on听Australia,听the UK and Canada.听Commenting on the announcement,听Victorian Parliamentary Secretary for Jobs and champion of the Victorian Government鈥檚 Social Enterprise Strategy, the Hon Jane Garrett said: 鈥淚t is incredibly exciting to have a leading global company like 51风流helping to transform lives by growing this important sector. We hope to see more partnerships of this kind in future, to further boost Australian social enterprises and Indigenous businesses.鈥�听

According to , an organisation that certifies Australian social enterprises and connects them with business buyers, Australian corporate procurement spend is estimated at more than AUD$600 billion. The World Bank estimates global procurement spend in 2019 was at least AUD$19.85 trillion. By directing even just a small fraction of this spend to certified social enterprises and diverse businesses, organisations have the power to tackle some of the world鈥檚 most pressing social and environmental problems.

Based on early pilots in select markets, 51风流estimates it could direct up to AUD$82.5 million (EUR鈧�50 million) of its global addressable spend per year to social enterprises and diverse suppliers by 2025. In Australia, meeting the commitment would equate to roughly AUD$1.01 million per year directed to local social enterprises and diverse suppliers.

51风流Executive Board member for Customer Success, and recently appointed Global Buy Social Ambassador for Social Enterprise UK, Adaire Fox-Martin announced the 5 & 5 by 鈥�25 initiative at SAP鈥檚 Procurement Reimagined event. 鈥淓very company in every industry needs to procure,鈥� Fox-Martin said. 鈥淲e all need soap in our washrooms, landscaping for our offices, food and drink in our cafeterias, marketing services, office supplies, and even pest control. These and many more are all products and services provided by social enterprises and diverse businesses. This is money we are spending anyway. Why not spend it with suppliers who are delivering social impact as well?鈥�

Procurement with social enterprises

Recent efforts have shown promise. In a pilot in the United Kingdom, 51风流teamed up with Social Enterprise UK in 2019 to define and execute on a social-procurement strategy. Within nine months, 51风流had identified addressable spend of approximately GBP 拢30 million and directed more than 2 per cent of this to over 20 different UK social enterprises.

51风流has since expanded relationships with social enterprise interest organisations in other markets, including a partnership with Social Traders in Australia, to introduce similar programs and further globalise and scale its social procurement efforts.

Mark Daniels, Executive Director, Social Traders says, 鈥淭his pledge is one of the largest of its kind in the world and demonstrates a huge public commitment to social procurement. Our research estimates that for every AUD$1,000,000 spent on social procurement, 7.5 jobs are created for disadvantaged Australians. By encouraging other organisations to participate in this initiative, 51风流Australia will help drive enormous change.鈥�

51风流is also growing its support of potential suppliers through capacity building programs like MovingWorlds鈥� S-GRID (Sustainable Growth of Revenues in International Development}. 鈥淲hat makes this moment in time so pivotal is that inequities and environmental degradation tend to increase after recessions,鈥� said Mark Horoszowski, CEO and co-founder of MovingWorlds, SPC. 鈥淏y investing in social enterprises today, we can help them integrate into the post-COVID recovery to build a more equitable society, while using regenerative business models to address the ongoing environmental crisis.鈥�

Procurement with diverse businesses

51风流Australia already works with a diverse range of social enterprises and indigenous businesses, including:

• Elise Perpetua, Managing Director of organic and sustainable tea supplier The Good Good says, 鈥淲e use business as a force for good by donating 50 per cent of our profits to programs that help disadvantaged kids get access to education. We also partner with the Cerebral Palsy Alliance supported employment division, , to employ Australian workers with disabilities. Our tea is better not only for the employees but for the planet and the community. Our partnership with 51风流represents a great opportunity to create impact at scale in Australia. We hope that more organisations will be inspired to join us on the exciting journey of purposeful procurement, so we drive fast, positive and systemic change together.鈥�

https://youtu.be/PzFOf7Jrr-4

• David Laity, Founder and CEO of online wine retailer Goodwill Wine says, 鈥淔ollowing the Black Saturday bushfires, I lost almost everything. After the humbling support offered by my community, I wanted to start a social enterprise that would allow me to give back. Since our inception we鈥檝e contributed $360,000 to a wide range of charities that support everything from those living in poverty to environmental sustainability, and we’ve done this just by selling great quality听wine. Quite frankly, I鈥檓 amazed by this step from SAP, which is an incredible signal of intent from one of the world鈥檚 biggest companies. If it can inspire even a small proportion of businesses to follow its lead, this commitment will help accelerate a huge number of meaningful social initiatives鈥�.
• Mitchell Ross, Founder and CEO of Indigenous-owned office supplies provider Muru Office Supplies (MOS) says, 鈥淎s a business certified by Supply Nation, we have a strong commitment to supporting Indigenous community projects in the areas of education and employment. 51风流has already placed orders with MOS, which will allow our community programs with partners like IndigiGrow and Mudgin-Gal to deliver even greater social impact. We hope this initiative leads to a step-change in how big businesses think about using procurement as a force for good.鈥�

Procurement with purpose with 51风流Ariba

SAP鈥檚 Ariba Network is the largest business-to-business marketplace in the world, supporting nearly AUD$5 trillion in transactions each year. In partnership with leading social-enterprise and diverse-business interest organisations, the company is opening this network up and connecting corporate-ready purposeful suppliers with more organisations who want to make a difference with their spend.

As part of the 5 & 5 by 鈥�25 initiative, 51风流invites other organisations to begin or accelerate their social-procurement journey based on a simple framework of discovering the right partners, adopting a social procurement strategy, consuming the products and services they procure, and then continuously expanding their base of social enterprises and diverse suppliers.

鈥淭ogether with our customers, partners, diverse suppliers and social enterprises, we have set out to expand social procurement where infrastructure exists and intend to establish the infrastructure and build capacity where it doesn鈥檛,鈥� Fox-Martin added. 鈥淲e invite our entire ecosystem to learn more and take part, join us in this pledge, and help build the pathways and the momentum to realise this ambition and find a better way to grow.鈥�

[1] *Addressable spend (as opposed to total spend) includes only a company鈥檚 orders for goods and services that can be fulfilled by a social enterprise or diverse business. For specific goods and services such as rent, energy, labor, and some professional services, often neither social enterprises nor diverse businesses yet exist that provide them. Estimates based on assessments of SAP鈥檚 own spend suggest that between 10% and 30% of total spend could be designated as addressable spend, depending on country.

The post 51风流Launches 5 & 5 by 鈥�25 Initiative, Rallying Businesses to Spend More with Social Enterprises and Diverse Suppliers appeared first on 51风流Australia & New Zealand News Center.

We still face all the same challenges and risks that we did before 鈥� and these cannot be overlooked, pandemic notwithstanding. Case in point: modern slavery.

In August, the Australian government took a big step in reminding us of this. It marked 鈥榃orld Day Against Trafficking in Persons鈥� by launching its much-anticipated online Modern Slavery Statements Register and a new Government Procurement Toolkit.

Assistant Minister for Customs, Community Safety and Multicultural Affairs Jason Wood MP said that the register will provide 鈥淎ustralian consumers, investors and civil society with an unprecedented window into the global supply chains that produce the goods and services we use every day鈥�. Anyone can go online and scrutinise the statements submitted to the register by government agencies and Australian businesses.

The launch of the registry comes one and a half years after The Commonwealth听Modern Slavery Act 2018听entered into force on 1听January 2019, establishing a national Modern Slavery Reporting Requirement. Reporting entities, such as large entities with an annual consolidated revenue of $100 million, the Australian government itself and corporate Commonwealth entities, are expected to use the centralised portal to submit their modern slavery statements.

The annual Modern Slavery Statements called for are designed to encourage the Australian business community to identify and address their modern slavery risks and maintain responsible and transparent supply chains.

A new solution to an old problem

While for some, talk of slavery may feel like an anachronism, this is far from accurate. By the government鈥檚 own estimates, between 2015 and 2017, there were up to 1,900 modern slavery victims in Australia.听听has put the figure at more than 40 million worldwide.

Modern slavery includes human trafficking, slavery, servitude, forced labour, debt bondage and worst forms of child labour. It disproportionately impacts women and girls. More than 70 per cent of modern slavery victims are female. Modern slavery can occur in every industry and sector but some are considered more at risk than others.

Nowhere to hide

Whether you鈥檙e a government agency or a business, getting started on the path to greater transparency and compliance involves a few steps. Review your forced labour policy, segment your supply chain by category and geography, monitor continuously for risk signals, design a risk assessment and controls framework, remediate identified risks and automate assessment processes.

The reality is that many government agencies and businesses don鈥檛 have the tools required to keep track of the risks in their extended supply chains due to the herculean task of data aggregation.

Transparency through tech

To effectively meet the mandatory reporting criteria under the Modern Slavery Act, executives must adopt a technology-led approach in order to accurately monitor and track their supply chains. This is critical to ensuring that unfair and abusive practices haven鈥檛 crept into second and third-tier suppliers in the supply chain.

Technology platforms like digital business networks provide newfound visibility into supply chains, enabling organisations to quickly and easily evaluate trading partners against huge volumes of data points, determine their exposure to risk and make more informed decisions. This provides buyers the opportunity to proactively, instead of reactively, manage these risks.

For example, SAP鈥檚 cloud-based Ariba Network, where more than 3.46 trillion US dollars-worth of business-to-business transactions happen annually, currently gathers third-party data from over half a million data sources. This includes whether a potential trading partner keeps its supply chain clear of forced labour and has a record of responsible environmental stewardship.

With these data points in hand, how businesses and government agencies interpret the data to mitigate their reputational, financial and environmental risks will be critical. Organisations must make sure they are making way for staff charged to turn these insights into meaningful action.

The same technology can give organisations both the supply chain visibility needed to become compliant, and much needed awareness and flexibility at a time when supply chain resilience is more important than ever. The outcome from acting on these insights is not just a legal and ethical requirement, but it is also proven that doing good is great for business as consumer demands are rising. With government spending always under extra scrutiny, it is vital for government agencies to lead the way.

A reputational chain reaction

While it may have been unspoken, there has been a view that 鈥榳hat happens in the supply chain stays in the supply chain鈥�. But this simply will not do in today鈥檚 environment. Those that fail to recognise this can expect to pay the price for complacency through lost reputation, revenue, challenges retaining talent and legal action. However, acting on this, taking a stand and driving change in everyday people鈥檚 lives will be rewarded by consumers.

Expect the 鈥渨indow鈥� that the Modern Slavery Act and register provide to create a technology-fuelled 鈥渞ace to reputation鈥� that will not only drive compliance but also broader organisational resilience and a more equitable society.

To hear more about how to use technology to improve your supply chain, register for 51风流Ariba’s , featuring BHP, Woolworths, ANZ Bank and more.

The post Stamp out slavery by seeing further into your supply chain appeared first on 51风流Australia & New Zealand News Center.

The government鈥檚 online recruitment tools and Jobseeker systems may not be fit for purpose given the mass unemployment expected post-Covid, an 51风流report warns.

The software company鈥檚 report, , also states the construction industry needs to digitise to increase productivity and create new jobs, with even a 2% cost reduction likely to result in billions saved for the government as it embarks on shovel-ready projects.

It also flags a possible $4.4 billion saving if businesses and the government adopt e-invoicing and e-procurement, and recommends a digital health certificate be pioneered with Australia to enable borders to open sooner.

NBR was given a first look at the report, which will be shared with public agencies this week. Nick Quin, 51风流NZ鈥檚 director, public sector, said the government鈥檚 online recruitment tools were designed to solve the issue of a small number of unemployed people within a tight job market.

What New Zealand faced post-Covid was totally different, with vast numbers unemployed at one time and some key industries suffering and unable to accommodate large workforces.

The Reserve Bank鈥檚 Monetary Policy Statement on May 13 forecast unemployment rates would more than double from 4% to about 9%, with models suggesting the recovery to the 4% mark would not arrive until 2022.

Quin said, as a result, government systems helping jobseekers find work needed to become more individualised, with new abilities to marry needs directly with solutions.

Too much government data concentrated on the 鈥榟ow鈥�, and not the 鈥榳hy鈥�, he said. Addressing the why meant collecting data on the circumstances that led to that person losing their job, the person鈥檚 intentions for the future, and any constraints in their job search, including whether they were prepared to relocate.

In response, Ministry of Social Development spokesperson Kay Read said the ministry had received $150 million over two years in Budget 2020 to scale up employment programmes to support the increased numbers expected to become unemployed.

鈥淭his will be a more diverse group, including highly skilled people who have not previously approached MSD for support before,鈥� she said.

The funding would bolster existing programmes such as Transition to Work (a grant for items someone might need to start a job, such as clothes and living expenses) and Flexi-wage (a subsidy to help with costs for those who wish to start their own business).

鈥淔unding will also provide for new innovative approaches to support people into work, such as short-term employment supports and services, for people new to a benefit, to enable a quick return to work,鈥� Read said.

The ministry has also said newly unemployed workers will be exempted from the normal obligations required from those receiving a Jobseeker benefit or hardship grants for six months. That included attending meetings and job interviews when asked and accepting suitable job offers.

Construction digitisation

Productivity was widely considered sub-par in the construction sector, which is one of the least digitalised industries, Quin said.

He referenced a 2016 report by McKinsey and Company that observed 鈥渃ost and schedule overruns are the norm in the construction sector鈥�. A subsequent report in early 2017 said construction continued to show 鈥渓imited improvements in technological capabilities, production methods and scale鈥�.

Quin said digital tools that should be considered included those that enabled the digitalisation of project management and how companies planned and forecast costs.

Other digital capabilities including abilities to create 鈥榙igital twins鈥� 鈥� copies of builds created on the computer that allowed builders to verify all methods and materials were up to spec and appropriate.

鈥淭hese would also help you support maintenance of the build in future,鈥� he said. The 51风流report recommends choosing a public works project as a pilot to explore the application of digital tech 鈥� a suggestion supported by Infrastructure NZ chief executive officer Paul Blair.

He said of the estimated $300b of infrastructure assets in New Zealand, 80% was owned by the local or central government, so they were well placed to lead the industry in adopting digitised systems.

Infrastructure NZ 鈥� which aims at advancing best practice in transport, energy, water, and telecommunications 鈥� recently published a report called Unlocking the Value of Data, which highlighted the benefits of creating digital twins.

It found that with the right data, workers could minimise disruptions and costs, while maximising outcomes, because issues could all be worked out through pixels on a screen, rather than with hammers and tools.

Blair said the government could make it a condition of the build on new shovel-ready projects that private companies adopt digital tools and create a digital twin, thereby stimulating exploration in the sector.

The under-utilisation of digital tools in construction was a global issue, Blair said, and Kiwi companies were often unwilling to invest because they typically operated on a low margin, and the sector was prone to boom-bust swings.

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 over invest in a flash new machine that give you greater productivity, you tend to put on another worker,鈥� Blair said.

Naylor Love general manager of construction Pete Lockhart said digitisation is a huge opportunity for the construction sector. 鈥淲e are making progress, albeit rather slowly.鈥�

Key challenges Lockhart identified included there being no one product that met the sector鈥檚 needs or one that had been widely adopted.

鈥淲e remain fragmented and inconsistent from project to project as teams change,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he other key issue remains the New Zealand market鈥檚 reliance on outdated procurement and contracting models that don鈥檛 encourage true collaboration and innovation.鈥�

He said the key would be to create integrated systems, because 鈥渢ime and time again, we see that there is wasted data that has been created in silos鈥�.

Businesses were also worried about the contractual risk of providing incomplete data to other members of the supply chain, Lockhart said.

E-invoicing and e-procurement

According to MBIE figures quoted in SAP鈥檚 report, Kiwi businesses send 282 million invoices annually.

The processing cost of an e-invoice is estimated to be $7.63, compared with $23.01 for pdf paper invoices and $25.67 for a paper invoice.

This equates to an opportunity to save $4.4b annually, which Quin said would translate to companies being able to expand quicker and hire new staff.

鈥淚f you can electronically solve a problem you are going to naturally help resolve some productivity issues.鈥�

Quin said it was time to accelerate the deployment of these capabilities, which were already being encouraged by the government, but which had to be adopted sector-wide to be fully effective.

Digital certification of wellness

The report says an open border is critical for New Zealand鈥檚 economic recovery and suggests a digital health certificate is worth exploring.

鈥淲e could understand and be comfortable if people entering our borders have had a health check,鈥� Quin said. 鈥淲e just simply have to acknowledge that opening the borders is essential for this recovery.鈥�

The report recommends the New Zealand and Australian governments work with industry to pilot a technology solution to establish a 鈥渄igital health check certificate鈥� between trusted jurisdictions to allow border movement.

Jamie Bamford leads Customs鈥� work programme to develop smarter borders, and said Customs continued to work with overseas partners to refine how border security operated and how it could be strengthened.

He wouldn鈥檛 comment on whether work on a health certificate was being considered.

Article first published on .

To read the full 51风流report -Helping Kiwis Get Back to Work – .

By Geraden Cann
Journalist, The National Business Review
Contact the Writer: geraden@nbr.co.nz

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51风流is partnering with听听and the initiative co-founder, ocean advocate听, to support its听commitment to a cleaner ocean听by 2030. Emily and her team have invited 300 women from all walks of life to sail 38,000 nautical miles in 30 stages. The women have one mission: to explore the science of 鈥� and solutions to 鈥� ocean plastic and become ambassadors to combat ocean pollution.

The need for ocean advocacy is greater than ever before. Research suggests there could be听听floating in our oceans than previously thought. But in truth, no one has a precise metric on the volume or impact of plastic polluting the oceans. Emily and team aim to raise greater awareness based on scientific data with the help of SAP.

鈥淚鈥檓 incredibly excited to join forces with 51风流to improve the health of our ocean by bringing together the energy of our eXXpedition community and our scientific research with SAP鈥檚 innovative technologies,鈥� said Emily. 鈥淚ndustry has a huge role to play in addressing the challenges our ocean faces. The most pressing problem is how to turn off the tap to plastic pollution, and the next years will be spent doing just that 鈥� trying to prevent plastic getting into the ocean in the first place. For us to do that, we need everybody on board and, in particular, we need businesses to come to the table and take a lead, as 51风流is doing.鈥�

Plague of Plastic

To tackle the problem, businesses need to rapidly shift to single-use alternatives, move toward circular business models, invest in waste infrastructure, and ensure a better consumer experience.

The software giant will share data and insights from the eXXpedition voyages to provide customers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), governments, and partners with the tools, insights, and solutions needed to eliminate waste, maximise resource productivity, and help raise awareness of the need to create a cleaner ocean for all. One step in that direction is the Plastics Cloud, a pilot program from 51风流that was launched last year to help reduce the waste of single-use plastics.

Building on that program, 51风流will support Emily and eXXpedition by creating a custom-built digital platform to educate people on actions they can take to reduce plastic waste in their local communities. Enabled by Ariba Network, the Plastics Cloud allows brands to connect with new recycled plastics and alternative supply sources. About听听globally is used in product packaging, but less than one-fifth of this plastic is recycled, creating serious environmental and human health problems.

Around $10 billion worth of packaging flows through Ariba Network annually. 鈥淓ven a small portion of global spend on packaging redirected to pre-certified suppliers of recycled plastics and alternatives can have a tremendous impact on the environment,鈥� says Stephen Jamieson, head of Sustainable Business Innovation for 51风流in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Paradise Lost

In one of her speeches,听听how she was hitching a ride from England to Australia on a sailing boat a few years ago when she and the crew were alarmed by thuds on the hull. They found themselves surrounded by countless pieces of plastic a thousand miles from land. 鈥淭hat didn鈥檛 make sense,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he closest people to us were in the space station in orbit above us, yet here was evidence of human life and waste in the most remote part of the planet.鈥�

That journey sparked her mission to connect scientists and communicators with the ocean. Emily has experienced the challenges firsthand on visits to the Pacific, where islanders are struggling to catch fish because commercial vessels empty their waters and are also struggling to grow food because rising sea levels make land salty. 鈥淭hese people are now reliant on packaged food and drink, which comes all wrapped in plastic,鈥� she says.

Besides the sight of plastic in the ocean, the worst thing for Emily was the knowledge that burning plastic releases chemicals that lead to cancer and disrupt human hormones.

Why Women

Women are still only听, but that is not the only reason eXXpedition is taking an听.

Historically, studies on the effects of chemicals on human health have focused on听听simply because they make up the majority of the workforce in areas where occupational hazards have been studied. As a result, research on female-specific diseases has had a low profile. This imbalance is becoming increasingly important as the incidences of non-communicable diseases, such as cancers, are increasing.

Emily had her blood tested for 35 chemicals and discovered she already has 29 in her body. This is alarming because phthalates, which are present in personal care products, cleaning products, fragrances and cosmetics,听, and plastics and epoxy resins, which are found in food containers, have been found to听听in females.

Takes Problem Solvers

One of the 300 women joining Emily on a leg of the journey is Natasha Pergl, global sustainability lead for Innovation Services and Solutions at SAP. Natasha has never sailed before, but she will join the Galapagos-to-Easter Island Pacific leg of the all-women ocean voyage.

For Natasha, this is an opportunity of a lifetime. As a child, she was always curious. Historical expeditions fascinated her, and she was intrigued to find out how things work. As a born problem solver, she is confident the team can solve challenges like plastics, but only with the right knowledge and by working together. She understands that researchers and scientists like Emily need data in order to share insights with the business world and help impact changes further upstream.

Creating circular manufacturing and supply chain processes is one way to help solve the problem. Natasha plans to record her experiences and take part in the science on board. Mostly, she is looking forward to learning as much as she can from her fellow crew members, who include a fashion activist, a legal adviser to refugees, businesswomen, and artists.

After the eXXpedition trip, Natasha will share her insights with business leaders and NGOs and help shape the solutions and services being developed at SAP.

This article first appeared on the Global SustainabilityNews Centre.听

The post 51风流Partners with Ocean Activist Emily Penn to Help Solve the Plastic Pollution Crisis appeared first on 51风流Australia & New Zealand News Center.