Book Description

In BUYING FOR THE FUTURE Kevin Lyons draws on his pioneering work at Rutgers University to provide the first "how to" guide to responsible purchasing. Lyons covers the key areas, such as purchasing policy design and implementation strategies; how to write environmentally-sensitive contracts; the relevance of environmental laws; understanding the competitive bidding process; enforcing the environmental responsibilities of suppliers; and developing national and international gatekeeping partnerships. This indispensable guide shows how institutions, businesses, governments and organizations across the globe can make purchasing decisions that are both environmentally responsible and economically beneficial. ... Read more

Book Description

Based on over a decade of research and consulting experience by Simon Domberger, Contracting Organization's conclusions have many practical implications. The book develops an analytical decision-making framework for the assessment of contracting options, and has relevance in both the private and public sectors. It will be valuable to all those seeking a better understanding of the outsourcing phenomenon. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Outsourcing in Venezuela
From this book I learned a lot about Outsourcing

Contracting Out: An Expert Writes an Outstanding Book
Professor Simon Domberger, an international authority on contracting out (outsourcing) has written THE book on this subject. Domberger has advised many governments and private companies on outsourcing; his wealth of experience is reflected in this 200+ page volume. In it, he carefully analyzes the costs and benefits of contracting out, using a wealth of examples and case studies to drive home his points. Further, Domberger places contracting out in its broader context -- as one of the strategies businesses and public organizations can use to improve, respectively, their bottom line or their delivery of public services. He squarely faces such issues as resistance to contracting out within the outsourcing organizations and suggests practical ways of coping with such hurdles.

In short, this book should be found in the library of every firm and public organization that is already contracting out and wishes to improve its operations. Furthermore, it is a "Must Read" for decision-makers who are contemplating contracting out for the first time. ... Read more

Book Description

Companies in every industry have shown an admirable new commitment to higher ethical standards and have worked hard to build or restore solid reputations and stakeholder trust. But all their best efforts may be undermined if the many links in their supply chains do not follow suit.

The Supply Chain Imperative helps companies avoid costly litigation and potentially devastating injury to reputation brought on by violations of law and ethical norms. The author has created a framework any business can use for monitoring, reporting, and improving performance of suppliers on environmental, social, and other issues. It ensures that the company's ethical mandate is understood and implemented along the entire length of the chain. This timely book clarifies:

* The importance of maintaining an ethical supply chain* The new rules, problems, and responsibilities that businesses now face* Strategic concerns* How to use information technology in the ethical supply chain program* How to make the business case for action* And more

The new business imperative is to create an unambiguous culture of ethical behavior. Here is the key to making sure that mandate is followed at every turn. ... Read more

Book Description

It is appropriate that at a time of enormous change and opportunity in the international trade scene and procurement environment that Alan Branch has chosen to write International Purchasing and Management, a unique and authoritative guide to the essential and strategic buying of products overseas. Written in his usual lucid and pragmatic style, the book looks at all of the stages involved in the international purchasing process to secure a delivered competitive price quotation from the suppliers premises to the buyers warehouse. It particularly reflects the international environment/infrastructure in which the goods are purchased.Branch takes the reader through the initial rationale of a company business to buy overseas, the selection and negotiation processes, the importing/exporting methodology, and finally the logistics of distribution and payment. Particular emphasis is also placed upon risk areas, the competitive environment and future trends. International Purchasing and Management includes a series of case studies; additional features on cargo insurance, Inco Terms 2000 and import customs practice planning, and an appendix of trade terms and abbreviations. This book will prove essential for CIPS, BTEC and degree courses on International Trade and Marketing, Retail Buying, Logistics and Purchasing, as well as for courses by trade associations and Chambers of Commerce, and as an aide memoire to importers and overseas buyers. ... Read more

Book Description

Business experts all agree: if you're not asking the right questions of your potential technology vendors, you are putting your entire technology project at risk. The need for seamless technology selection and implementation projects is nothing new.What is new is the shorter time frames that now dominate the organization landscape. Every company wants and needs a productive and efficient process for identifying new technology needs.Technology selection projects that used to take years to complete must now be up and running in a matter of months or even weeks.More importantly, they must be done successfully - the first time.And part of doing it right is knowing the right questions to ask.

The Software Selection Questionnaire identifies a host of questions that busy executives and managers at all levels of an organization should be asking themselves, each other, and potential vendors to ensure that their software selection process is as efficient and effective as it should be.

In this comprehensive outline executives, managers, and vendors alike will discover:

· Over 270 questions that should be asked and answered prior to beginning any technology project
· Strategies that even established organizations can use to take control of the solution selection process
· Techniques that master the software selection challenge
· Lessons learned from the leaders of successful selection & implementation projects
· Helpful hints that can help organizations avoid the often encountered problems that bring technology projects to a standstill

The potential returns from selecting and implementing the right technology solution continue to skyrocket.Let The Software Selection Questionnaire help you develop a competent starting point for your project and take the fullest possible advantage of today's evolving technology vendors. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Lots of information on costs and supply chains
Conducting research in supply chain costing, I found this book a very helpful source of information. The concept of supply chain management addressed by the product and the network dimensions are excellent, as this brings all aspects of material and information flows and partnerships in supply chain management together. Dividing each dimision in a decision (product design / network formation) and an operations phase (product manufacture / interfaces) provides a framework for supply chain costing. This framework is used to show how various cost management techniques (e.g. target costing) are applied in supply chains. Still, the interlinkes between the dimension could have been addressed clearer. Furthermore, the aspects of managing all costs along the supply chain are only partly covered. for example, the cost of organisational designs and negotiations / contracting in the supply chain are not discussed. Still, the book is a must for people interested in supply chains and cost management. Both the concepts presented and the case studies provide very valuable information.

Heavy Reading...
This is heavy reading (but then again which book on costing isn't?). However it contain heaps of very useful and relevant approaches to the very elusive and difficult field of supply chain costing. What you find missing in other books on supply chain management is here! ... Read more

Book Description

'This book is about a topic of growing importance; companies purchase services to an extent and in a variety as never before. The authors deal with the area in a very comprehensive way, adopting a value-based approach without losing sight of prevailing social behaviour inside and between companies. They help us understand the art of purchasing business services in a variety of contexts, among others by providing a rich selection of illustrations. The book is a must-read for people both in industrial firms and public institutions.'
James C. Anderson, William L. Ford Distinguished Professor of Marketing and Wholesale Distribution, and Professor of Behavioral Science in Management, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

'The more important services and a service approach become in business, the more essential it is for managers and researchers to understand the characteristics of services from a purchasing point of view as well. In this book the authors offer a unique approach to the purchasing of services, based on the well-established A-R-A (actor, resources, activities) model of buyer-seller relationships. The book is indeed an important and novel contribution to the purchasing literature as well as to the service management literature.'
Christian Grönroos, Professor of Service and Relationship Marketing Hanken/Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration

'The knowledge society is fragmented and consists of a large number of different knowledge elements. Successful developments often take place by finding new ways to combine earlier unrelated elements. This book is an excellent example of such a combination. The authors bring together the specific elements of services with the configurations of networks in a text that can be useful both for managers as well as students. The book describes, analyses and gives advice on the procurement of different types of services by utilizing concepts developed in earlier studies of networks and services. The applicability of the concepts is in this way tested but they are also enriched. If you are interested in any of the three areas of purchasing, services and networks you have to read it.
Håkan Håkansson, Professor of International ManagementNorwegian School of Management BI

'In writing this book both authors have drawn on their considerable academic knowledge and practitioner networks. This makes this book a unique blend of pragmatic theory and structured application. The reader will benefit from the many case examples that are included in the text. The book generates a host of ideas on how to improve business and purchasing practices - a must read!'
Arjan van Weele, NEVI Professor of Purchasing and Supply Management Eindhoven University of Technology Nyenrode University

Buying Business Services has been written for students taking courses in purchasing and services marketing on MBA or masters level courses. It will also be of great interest to the thinking professional working in services procurement and purchasing. ... Read more

Book Description

With the passage of GATT and NAFTA, there has been a corresponding increase in imports and therefore an increase in the balance of trade. This book provides sound advice and strategies on importing and discusses accounting, financial, and legal implications. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A great overview and brush-up
As a seasoned professional in the export/import business, I like this book for its breadth of substance. This could also be an interesting college or graduate school textbook for those pursuing a career in the field. ... Read more

Book Description

With future competitive landscape shifting from competition between companies themselves to trading partner networks, understanding and mastering process design and change is becoming more critical than ever. In order to succeed, companies are starting to weave their key business processes into hard-to-imitate strategic capabilities that distinguish them from their competitors. Supply Chain Networks and Business Process Orientation: Advanced Strategies and Best Practices will help you "connect the dots" by offering insights on how to achieve greater integration within your supply chain networks and realize the performance possible with today's interaction economics. Based on exhaustive research of supply chains and newly successful networked corporations in the US and Europe, the authors demonstrate how your company can be successful in building an effective supply chain network. Prescriptive benchmarking models illustrate proven strategies, tactics, and methods for achieving a superior level of supply chain performance. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Supply Chain Success
"To succeed, e-enabled companies will collaborate with their business partners at an unprecedented level of confidence and trust. Utilizing Business Process Orientation between collaborators will enhance the extended supply chain and further integration among trading networks."

- Scott Palmer, Associate Executive Director, Supply-Chain Council

Lessons learned
"The authors have developed a focused, rigorous methodology for assessing supply chain processes, and identifying the path forward for establishing specific performance improvements. Managers from many different functions can benefit from reading this book and applying the lessons to their own supply chain business processes."

- Robert Handfield, Bank of America University Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management, Director, Supply Chain Resource Consortium, College of Management, North Carolina State University

Usable tools in the book
"The Supply Chain Maturity Model has proven to be invaluable in developing and tracking our strategic initiatives relative to our internal capabilities. As we begin to extend our focus to suppliers and customers it will provide a consistent basis establishing priorities and measuring improvements across enterprises."

- Edward Huller, Vice President, Global Supply Chain, Borden Chemical, Inc. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

This is a great resource book
Technology Acquisition: Buying the Future of Your Business is a great book for establishing procurement best practices or confirming existing practices. This book is not a high-level overview but provides you with detailed step-by-step procedures, case studies, and a wealth of examples. As a consultant, each company that I work with is different and this book has helped me to establish a complete procurement cycle with the client. Many companies, it seems, do not have a cradle to grave procurement practice and therefore do not understand what a project manager should be responsible for. This book gives you a starting place. Also, it is evident that the author is speaking from experience - he has done what is in the book and the examples demonstrate a real working knowledge of the topic. I highly recommend this to any person starting a new project.

How to make acquisition a development process
All companies, from the largest to the smallest, perform technology acquisitions. There are definite steps in the sequence, from the determination of need to the final step in the integration. For example, even the basic choice of a compiler for development has stages of determining the needs, performing research, acquiring the compiler and integrating it into the enterprise. The key to success is to consider the purchase of new technology to be a process, subject to rules that control the decision making structure. BR> Each step is clearly defined with instructions on how to do it well. While the advice is often an apparent statement of the obvious, that is not a drawback. In business, the best advice one can often hear is a simple, accurate remark repeated over and over. All too often, technology decisions are made on emotional attachment rather than environmental or economic fit. By following the advice laid out in this book, the influence of emotions and politics can be reduced.
Making the right decisions concerning what technology to use is a decision that all businesses are required to make. If you follow the rules in this book, it will not be made any easier, in fact it may be made harder. However, they will increase your chances of making the correct one, and that is far more important than making the easy one. ... Read more

Book Description

-includes free CD that outlines book and describes 10 additional CDs that supplement the book
-2nd Edition -3 times the size of the first edition
-30+ contributing ePurchasing experts and practitioners:

(CEOs: US,UK & Canadian professionals; Government, military & public sector experts; Educators and students; Editors of leading "supply chain/ procurement" publications) -Single source to learn 20+ etools & software for purchasing

-New section on Government, Military & Public Buying, US & Canada
- Provides a process and set of tools to help purchasing professionals transform their organizations with technology.

-ePurchasingPlus has 4 components:

1. Process Change (Reengineering & Supply Chain)
2. Use of Technology tools (etools)
3. Integration of technology, ERP & data warehouse
4. Plus (Strategy, Skills & Activities)

At the heart of the book is an explanation and the use of 20+ etools and software developed for Purchasing and a foundation for purchasing professionals to select the best implementation approach for their organizations.

Over 50 case studies are presented along with lessons learned in etool & software selection as well as from practitioners who have experience in the transformation of Purchasing. One expert answers the question "Has Technology Met the Expectations of Supply Managers?" while another expert provides a perspective on the ethics of e-commerce and ePurchasingPlus.

A new section, Government & Public Sector has issues and case studies for the US Government, Military & Public Sectors and the Canadian Governments success in ePurchasing.

The appendix includes useful URLs, a list of publications that follow the field ad a categorization and list of ePurchasingPlus Software Products. ... Read more

Book Description

Managing Purchasing shows how to: master the planning process by determining short-term and long-term operational and strategic needs, and outlining specific purchasing strategies; control the purchasing function to ensure its conformance to pre-specified performance expectation and evaluate the continued viability of the plan through the next cycle. ... Read more

Book Description

There's no other book on the market that explains the acquisition process in such a logical, easy-to-understand manner. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

You Can Buy A Business
Of the many "how to buy a business" books out there today, Ted diStefano's You Can Buy A Business is possibly the most concise yet complete guide available. It's obviously designed for the person of average means who needs someone to walk him/her through the often mysterious (and sometimes treacherous) process of acquiring a business. At the same time, the procedures and strategies discussed in the book can be used to buy a large and expensive business, so it can help people who want to be real players, too. Basically, this is a very user-friendly guide that is written in accessible, nontechnical language. The author's voice comes through as a friend, a business partner, and a financial advisor to those who want to make decent money in their own business. While the author clearly explains, step by step, how many small businesses can be acquired with little or no cash, he also encourages the reader as he educates him/her about a business process that does not have to be intimidating. In other words, the author demystifies the whole acquisition process, which is a real help to those of us who don't have an MBA from Harvard. Also, readers should appreciate the author's sensible tone, and they should be reassured that his advice is sound, because he is a "been-there-done-that guy" and not some ivory tower theorizer. You Can Buy A Business also answers a lot of important questions, including: What businesses make the best investment? and Which businesses should you avoid? In short, this book is an excellent guide for anyone who has dreamed of owning his own business and gaining job security and financial freedom. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to make the leap from employee to employer. ... Read more

Book Description

Vanderbeck provides readers with a thorough, but concise, understanding of concepts, behavior, and accounting techniques applicable to manufacturing cost systems. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Terrible Book
This book is garbage. It is just thrown together for the publisher and author to make money. It is a very superficial review of cost accounting.

Easy to follow.
I was pleased with with this book. At the end of each chapter, a demonstration problem is provided with step by step instructions. Also available are template spreadsheet at the Southwestern website which are very helpful in understanding some end of chapter exercises. ... Read more

Book Description

Purchasing for Bottom Line Impact shows how the supply function can be key to achieving Total Customer Satisfaction, improving supplier and internal relations, and meeting environmental concerns. It show how to: support strategic success by identifying and developing suppliers whose practices and strategies support the goals of your organization; expand and develop purchasing's strategic potential by implementing advances in automation that help eliminate time-consuming paperwork and increase efficiency. ... Read more

Book Description

Doing Business with the Government Using EDI A Guide for Small Businesses Jan Zimmerman "Of all the books on EDI, this guide really fulfills the needs of the small business owner. Not only is it well-written, the book is full of relevant information and tips to help you get started." —Steven D. Royce, President, Crescent Design "A real—world account of the Federal Government EC/EDI program, this book not only tells you what the current mandates are but also how they will expand and formalize in years to come. A must—read for company decision makers and planners." —Larry L. Jones, Director of Small Business (retired), Phillips Laboratory If you do business with the federal government—or you want to do so—this book is required reading. Recent legislation mandates that by the year 2000, the majority of small-to-mid-sized government purchases must be made via electronic data interchange (EDI). If you want a piece of that action, you need only to acquire EDI capability, and learn how to use it effectively. Doing Business with the Government Using EDI offers a blueprint for doing both. Non-technical in its approach, this unique book focuses on the business side of doing business with the government online. It provides you with all the information you need to get started, and then shows you how to use marketing, bidding, and pricing strategies to maximize profit in the new government purchasing environment. Included are:

• Details of the Federal Acquisitions Streamlining Act (FASA) and how it affects small businesses
• Worksheets offering a structured approach to business decision-making
• An overview of software and online networks, how they work and how to choose the best ones for you
• Quick-reference lists of resources for additional information
• Directions for completing the detailed Trading Partner Profile registration
• A glossary of EDI terms and acronyms that cuts through the jargon

Reviews (1)

It's a great book. It helps you understand the process.
It's a guide book that helps you step by step in selling to the Goverment. You will become knowledgeable of the Electronic Commerce Information process, and will be informed on how to register with the Government as an EC/EDI "Trading Partner". ... Read more