Purchasing and Supply Management

There is a growing awareness in the global business environment of the importance of managing the supply side, also referred to as the input side, of business as a strategically important area. South African business managers are certainly also aware of the strategic significance of purchasing and supply management and the potential it holds for gaining a competitive advantage in an increasingly difficult and competitive business environment. This edition of Purchasing and supply management provides contemporary insights into this dynamic field of business management. Purchasing and supply management introduces new concepts and management tools to make purchasing and supply management more efficient in functioning within the broader concept of supply chain management. It covers not only basic principles, but also the activities incumbent on a purchasing and supply manager, as well as resources and areas of application. Furthermore, it addresses the relationships between purchasing and concepts such as logistics management and the more integrated system of supply chain management. This new edition has been comprehensively updated and includes case studies and multiple-choice questions which were not in the previous edition. It is therefore student friendly, but at the same time remains a valuable aid to the purchasing fraternity in South African business. Some of the more prominent topics that are included in this edition are the following: Purchasing and supply policies and strategies; purchasing price determination and cost analysis; evaluation and selection of suppliers; the management of quality; electronic commerce and electronic procurement applications; purchasing from small businesses. Purchasing and supply management is aimed at students in this field as well as practitioners in business.