Defining Purchasing .................................................................................................................... 

Purchasing as a Key Business Function....................................................................................

Categories of Purchasing ........................................................................................................... 

Purchasing’s Strategic Responsibilities .................................................................................... 

Detailed Purchasing Responsibilities ........................................................................................ 

Purchasing’s Place in the Organization..................................................................................... 

Typical Purchasing Organization ................................................................................................ 

Purchasing’s Relations with Other Functions .......................................................................... 

Centralized Versus Decentralized Purchasing .......................................................................... 

Buyer/Planner Concept .............................................................................................................. 

Strategic Versus Operational Activities...................................................................................... 

Anatomy of Purchasing Strategy ................................................................................................ 

Step 1- Environmental Scanning ............................................................................................... 

Step 2- Organizational Structure ................................................................................................ 

Step 3 - Inventory Strategy ......................................................................................................... 

Step 4 - Supplier Relations ......................................................................................................... 

Step 5 - Technology Enablers ..................................................................................................... 

Step 6 - Performance/Continuous Improvement ..................................................................... 

Review, Terms, Discussion Questions, Exercises ..................................................................... 

Terms Check ................................................................................................................................ 

Performance Check .................................................................................................................... 

Discussion Questions ................................................................................................................. 

Case Study ................................................................................................................................... 

Suggested Additional Readings .................................................................................................