Any time someone in the Purchasing field brings up the phrase "supplier diversity," the political watchdogs mobilize. For this discussion, I am putting aside political correctness and talking about bottom line pricing.
I know some will argue that one simply can't and shouldn't remove social responsibility from the analysis of the topic. When business owners are asked if they would like to be socially responsible or turn a profit, they will naturally say both. If they had to choose between the two, what do you think they would say when the cameras and microphones were turned off? What would you say?
Honest readers will also acknowledge that it has been very difficult to reconcile supplier diversity initiatives with cost savings initiatives in the past because of the pricing offered by suppliers with diversity certification. Interestingly, Purchasing Magazine has a recent article with information about large, well-known companies are reconciling the two in unexpected ways.
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