1. Why does local sourcing reduce economies of scale compared to using OnDemand to manage the sourcing process?

2. Why was it important that the SAP Sourcing OnDemand comfortably integrate with Kerry Group's SAP ERP system?

3. What are the advantages of using a cloud computing concept for Kerry Group?

4. Why was it important for Kerry Group to use the pilot start-up approach for installing/implementing the OnDemand systems?

5. Why was it so important that Kerry Group use the services of the professional training company Olas, SAP's Irish training partner, to assist with training during system implementation?

Kerry Group Is on Your Table In business, sourcing is the set of activities involved in finding, evaluating, and then engaging suppliers of goods or services. Before a business can start to manage its supply chain, as described in this chapter, it must complete a sourcing process. Ireland's Kerry Group, a supplier of food ingredients and flavors to the worldwide food industry and of consumer food products to the British Isles, requires a wide range of raw materials from many suppliers. With annual revenue of 5.8 billion (about U.S. $10 billion) in 2013, it needs a lot of those materials. With plants in 24 countries and 40 percent of revenue from outside Europe, it is impossible for the people in one plant to know about all possible suppliers worldwide