NAPM Proposed Name Change

RE: Proposed NAPM Name Change
From NAPM Chicago

NAPM National Board of Directors make motion to become known as The Institute for Supply Management

In March of 2001 each dues paying member of NAPM will be requested to vote on the proposed name change. Last fall information on the name change was provided to you at the dinner meetings, in our Chicago Purchasor and on the Chicago Web site. Because of the importance of this proposal the Chicago Board of Directors has asked that the President and DNA of NAPM Chicago prepare a summary to assist the members. The reasons for and the benefits of the name change are adapted from previously published material from the national Tempe headquarters. The objections were drawn from your input.

This vote on the name change is the very first time that each dues paying member has a direct say in what the National Board of Directors implements for this association.

Please Vote!!!

Objections to Name Change

Benefits of Name Change

Regarding the word Institute:

Institute suggests a facility or place, a school not an organization.
Institute suggests a standard setting or research organization not a professional association.
There are too many 'Institutes'

Regarding the word Institute:

Removing "National" implies no geographic limits
Institute connotes education, research, cutting edge activities and dissemination
Institute has international recognition and is in the title of 17 of the largest supply management associations around the world

Regarding 'Supply Management':

Supply Management does not infer the capital equipment procurement process
Supply Management by itself suggests material management and does not infer the procurement of services
Supply Management is associated and understood as transitory, expendable and short-lived
Supply Management is associated with transactional activities i.e. keeping it filled
Supply Management is a buzzword. Already value chain management is used in some management circles

Regarding 'Supply Management':

"Supply management" enhances the strategic nature of the purchasing profession and the business environment

Regarding Name Change Purpose

Resources, effort and expense are better applied to a major marketing effort to remove the transactional nature associated with the word purchasing
Build up the name, don't tear it down to build a new one
Demeans the work done to establish the name and credibility of NAPM
NAPM is not an educational institute; it is an association with an educational charter or purpose

Regarding Name Change Purpose

'Purchasing' in the name limits acceptance because of its transactional perception
Purchasing does more than purchase
The new name positions the Association as a leader in strategic thinking
Name change will most likely affect one or both of the certification programs
The word 'National' in the name does not communicate the full spectrum of the opportunities and perspectives of the NAPM

Regarding Brand recognition:

The NAPM Purchasing Manager Index (PMI) is well-recognized by the financial community
NAPM is an established professional identity
Brand name, logo or image change, even by deep-pocketed organizations, is expensive, time-consuming and not typically successful
NAPM is familiar to employers including HR professionals
Why endanger the NAPM name and all it means with a prolonged extensive learning curve
Any change in the certification name will affect members' recognition

Summary
It is our hope the above comments from your fellow members and information from National will provide you with thought-provoking material from which you can make your decision. Ultimately this decision is yours and yours alone. But the results of this vote will affect the association for many years to come. It will have a direct impact upon the perception and acceptance of your role and importance by executives in your specific industries. Additional Questions and Answers were published in the first quarter Chicago Purchasor and are posted on the napm-chicago.org website.

Please Vote!!!