Efficient supply chain management is essential for maintaining successful workflows within companies. A lack of decisional, organizational, and information integration can lead to increased cost for a business due to missed opportunities, delays, inefficient inventory decisions, poor capacity allocation, and misuse of resources. Companies must employ collaborative practices across all functions of the supply chain in order to avoid costly mishaps. Hierarchical Planning and Information Sharing Techniques in Supply Chain Management is an essential reference source that discusses information exchanges and approaches of coordination related to operation planning for a better understanding of how hierarchical planning techniques and principles can contribute to the effective and efficient management and planning of supply chain activities. Featuring research on topics such as competitive advantages, information sharing, and transport management, this book is ideally designed for managers, academicians, and practitioners in the field of supply chain management, operations management, logistics, and operations research.

The application of sustainability practices at the system level begins with the supply chain. In the business realm, incorporating such practices allows organizations to redesign their operations more effectively. Emerging Applications in Supply Chains for Sustainable Business Development is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research on the models, strategies, and analyses that are essential for developing and managing a sustainable supply chain. While highlighting topics such as agile manufacturing and the world food crisis, this publication is ideally designed for business managers, academicians, business practitioners, researchers, academicians, and students seeking current research on sustainable supply chain management.

The latest best practice guidance on all aspects of global strategic sourcing-including environmental and international issues

"Strategic Global Sourcing Best Practices" covers the latest trends and leading edge processes in global strategic sourcing, including supply management, t, sustainability, financial decisions, risk management, and international strategies.Offers the latest trends and guidance for sourcing and supply managersFeatures coverage of understanding sourcing, procurement and supply management, procurement and best business practices, best practices in sourcing management and global sourcing management, financial strategies for sourcing, responsible procurement, diversity procurement, managing risk, supplier selection, project management for procurement and supply managers, managing supplier relationships, international sourcing, managing supplier relationships supply management operations, With the rise of global supply chains, environmental/sustainability concerns, and constantly evolving technology, the time is right for understanding "Strategic Global Sourcing Best Practices."

Why is the Berlin Brandenburg Airport ten years behind schedule and nearly four billion euros over budget? And what possessed Kenya's government to spend a whopping $35 million on a chain link fence just six miles long?

In this hilarious, fascinating and insightful expose, industry insider Peter Smith reveals the massive blunders and dodgy dealings taking place around the world as private companies and public sector bodies buy goods and services. A recent report showed that over 90% of procurement projects fail. So, why are so many billions wasted on ineptitude, mismanagement and, in some cases, fraud?

By turns an entertaining account of some of the worst procurement scams in history and also a resounding lesson in how not to operate, Bad Buying offers clear and practical advice on how to avoid embarrassing mistakes, minimise needless waste and make sound, strategic procurement decisions on your next initiative.

The need to contain costs across the business is as strong as ever and the search for cost reduction opportunities is intensifying. There still remains one last major opportunity to take out costs - through the supply chain. Ultimately all costs will make their way to the final marketplace to be reflected in the price paid by the end user. Smart companies instead seek to make the supply chain more competitive through the value it creates and the costs it reduces overall. They have realized that the real competition is not company against company but rather supply chain against supply chain. Supply Chain Management Accounting looks at how the evolution of supply chains has been dramatic over the last few years, with more and more companies moving to sourcing overseas, distributing finished goods to overseas markets, and increasing their international operations. The seeking of low-cost country sourcing, optimizing manufacturing, and exporting products and services has created new challenges to demand forecasting and supply chain planning. Supply Chain Management Accounting presents a wide range of approaches and ground-breaking research findings. The book covers profitability, liquidity and asset utilization, product costing, activity-based costing, investment appraisal, customer profitability analysis, budgeting and sales and operations planning. Online supporting resources include invaluable study questions and worked solutions to reinforce the learning as well as multiple-choice questions with solutions and PowerPoint activities.

For most supply chains, cost reduction is imperative to long-term survival. Yet identifying the costs that can be eliminated--and then doing so effectively--can prove impossible without the right method. This book introduces the same process the author has used to save companies like IBM, Kodak, and DuPont billions of dollars, simply by harnessing the knowledge of suppliers. Using real-life case studies and examples, the book takes readers step-by-step through the process, showing them how to move beyond negotiation and:

- identify critical costs in the supply chain

- measure secondary and tertiary costs

- develop strategic options

- reduce, change, or eliminate activities that produce costs

- implement an action plan

- verify the plan with cost monitors

- continually improve and modify the process

The book gives readers everything they need to implement this powerful system, and bring genuine and permanent savings to their company.

Successful management buyouts (MBOs) are the pinnacle of business success today and a great way to earn an ever-increasing stake in the American dream.

Buyout provides managers and executives with the necessary tools and strategies for leading a company or division buyout. It explores the details of the entire buyout process and empowers managers to seize their destiny and take charge. Managers learn how to:

* Find a company to purchase

* Develop a business plan

* Negotiate with the seller

* Win the ""ground war"" of due diligence

* Find equity partners and negotiate the management deal with investors

* Run the company after the MBO.

"Buyout" offers real-life stories of people who actually pulled off out-of-this-world deals and became rich beyond their wildest expectations.

Despite the spread of automation and new supply chain management paradigms, logistics remains dependent on a rather specific set of skills and competencies, whether for managerial, administrative, or blue-collar jobs, such as trucking or warehousing. This dependence implies that the logistical performance of businesses, industries, and nation states is strongly influenced by the quantity and quality of the workforce. Insufficient resources of a competent and properly trained workforce in logistics adversely affect the quality of service, reduce productivity in sectors dependent on logistics, and ultimately reduce trade competitiveness. While other interventions that affect logistics performance - such as international infrastructures, trade corridors, regulations, and services - have already been reviewed extensively, this report is the first to cover the contributions of human resources and explore how to develop skills and improve competencies, especially in developing countries. The study proposes a framework for the skills needed according to the logistics activity (such as transportation or warehousing) or the type and level of responsibility. Based on several sources, including recent surveys carried out by the World Bank and the Kehne Logistics University, the report uncovers where the skills constraints are according to the type of job or countries. Findings include that logistics is an industry struggling to hire skilled workers, although with differences between developed countries (where trucker shortages are more acute) and developing economies (where managerial shortages are more widespread). Typically, blue-collar logistics jobs have lower status and lower pay than blue-collar jobs in other industries; they are thus less attractive for skilled workers. In developing countries with a potentially available workforce, lack of vocational preparation for careers in logistics means that less-skilled workers are not easily re-skilled. Logistics tasks at the upper end of the occupational hierarchy and those with high information technology content often require an upskilling of employees to keep pace with new technology. Yet the problem is not confined to recruitment. The surveys point to limited resources, money, and staff time allocated to training, especially in developing countries. Realizing the promise of quality jobs from the growth of logistics worldwide requires a coordinated effort by logistics companies, professional associations, training providers, and policy makers. Through a combination of facilitation, regulation, advice, financial instruments, and land use planning, governments can exert significant influence.

Many manufacturing and distribution companies are moving from the traditional 'forecast push MRP' to demand-driven supply chain management (SCM). Demand-driven SCM is an 'end-to-end' supply chain planning and replenishment process that enables companies to achieve their planned service levels from up to half the average level of inventory and requiring significantly less throughput capacity - irrespective of the level of demand volatility or lead-time length. Demand-Driven Supply Chain Management is the go-to source for industry supply chain/operations executives and students. It describes the 'what, how and why' of the demand-driven SCM process. The key themes in the book are: what is demand-driven? why is demand-driven so effective? how to operate a demand-driven supply chain? and how to adopt the demand-driven process in your company? Readers can quickly grasp the essential concepts from one of numerous self-contained sections that present the book's key concepts from different perspectives. Online resources available include full-colour figures.