Business in brief library

Procurement and Supply Chain Techniques

Agency Theory

Agency Theory

Agency theory is a useful framework for designing governance and controls in organisations. The concept offers a solid introduction to the topic by evaluating its strengths and weaknesses and uses case study evidence to demonstrate how the theory has been applied in different industries and contexts. Measures and success factors are also provided.

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Agile Supply

Agile Supply

This concept reviews agility in organisations and discusses the view that in the current economic environment it is key for creating of responsive supply chains. This concept will particularly assist managers and procurement professionals by offering business evidence and implementation suggestions.

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Analogous Forecasting Method

Analogous Forecasting Method

Analogous forecasting in project management involves estimating project timelines, costs, or resources by comparing them to similar past projects. This technique relies on historical data to make informed predictions, offering a quick and straightforward method for planning, especially when detailed information is limited.

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Automated Buying

Automated Buying

The concept describes systems designed to aid organisations to streamline their purchasing processes and achieve savings. It presents a concise description of these systems, their core benefits, success factors and implementation steps.

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Backsourcing

Backsourcing

Backsourcing describes the process of when a firm recalls back in-house the services that it previously outsourced to another company. Clearly identifiable implementation stages are provided and potential risks and drawbacks are discussed.

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Bullwhip Effect in Supply Chain

Bullwhip Effect in Supply Chain

The bullwhip effect occurs when the demand order variabilities in the supply chain are amplified as they move up the chain. The concept is created to help supply chain professionals to effectively counteract the bullwhip effect.

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Business Ethics

Business Ethics

Businesses face ethical issues and decisions almost every day. The concept explores what it means for companies and what they can do to coordinate the interests of their stakeholders.

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Buyer-Seller Improvement Teams

Buyer-Seller Improvement Teams

The concept introduces the notion of buyer-seller improvement teams and discusses the importance of such collaboration for optimising supply chains and new product development.

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Capacity Requirements Planning

Capacity Requirements Planning

The effective implementation of CRP can dramatically reduce stock levels and improve customer service and manufacturing productivity through better planning. The concept reviews these techniques and suggests what steps can be taken to implement it.

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Catalogue Management

Catalogue Management

This concept describes the basic principles of catalogue management and its uses. It reviews the components of catalogue management and examines strategic implications and benefits of good practice.

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Category Management in Purchasing and Supply Management

Category Management in Purchasing and Supply Management

The concept reviews tools and processes that can deliver value and cost savings when sourcing and purchasing. It is created to help practitioners to understand markets, analyse spend, and make better purchasing decisions.

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Centralised/Decentralised Procurement

Centralised/Decentralised Procurement

Created to support procurement professionals in their decisions on the structure of procurement departments, the concept provides useful information on the advantages and drawbacks of both structures, as well as some implementation advice.

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Change Management

Change Management

Planned change management structures tasks across stages, helping organisations navigate complex environments. An evidence-based approach that blends research, organisational data, stakeholder input and practitioner expertise improves implementation quality (Rousseau and ten Have, 2022).

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Closed-Loop Supply Chain

Closed-Loop Supply Chain

The purpose of this concept is to review the Closed Loop Supply Chain structure and explore its characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. It also investigates the factors leading to the development of a closed-loop supply chain and offers some useful implementation information.

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Cloud Computing in Supply Chain

Cloud Computing in Supply Chain

Cloud-based technology offers new ways of monitoring critical supply-chain processes. The concept describes the term and provides some practical information for professionals interested in partnering with cloud computing service providers to deploy their technologies.

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