In this smart, engaging book, Lee Eisenberg, best-selling author of" The Number: A Completely Different Way to Think about the Rest of Your Life," leads us on a provocative and entertaining tour of America's love/hate affair with shopping, a pursuit that, even in hard times, remains a true national pastime.

Why do we shop and buy the way we do? In a work that will explain much about the American character, Eisenberg chronicles the dynamics of selling and buying from almost every angle. Neither a cheerleader for consumption nor an anti-consumerist scold, he explores with boundless curiosity the vast machinery aimed at inducing us to purchase everything from hair mousse to a little black dress. He leads us, with understated humor, into the broad universe of marketing, retailing, advertising, and consumer and scientific research--an arsenal of powerful forces that combine to form what he calls "The Sell Side."

Through the rest of the book, Eisenberg leads us through the "Buy Side" -- a journey directly into our own hearts and minds, asking among other questions: What are we "really" looking for when we buy? Why are we alternately excited, guilt-ridden, satisfied, disappointed, and recklessly impulsive? What are our biases, need for status, impulses to self-express, that lead us individually to buy what we buy?

Are you a classic buyer (your "head" wants to do the right thing), or a "romantic" buyer (your "heart" just wants to have fun)? How do men and women differ in their attitudes towards shopping, and does the old cliche -- "Women shop, men buy" -- apply any longer?

Of special interest are the author's findings on the subject of What Makes a Good Buy? We all purchase things that we sooner or later regret, but what are the guidelines for making purchases that we'll never regret? What, for instance, defines the perfect gift?

Brimming with wit and surprise, "Shoptimism" will be delightful and instructive reading for anyone with a credit card and a healthy curiosity about American culture, through good times and bad. For here, in one vivid journey, is a memorable, panoramic portrait of our everyday self-delusions, desires, and dreams.

101 Models of Procurement & Supply Chain Management contains 101 diverse and cross-functional models which the authors and some of their esteemed colleagues deem to be of greatest value, and which they have found to be of most use when working within global organisations, delivering consultancy activities or teaching Procurement and Supply Chain subjects to international students studying CIPS and other qualifications.

This book explains the impact that some key legal decisions may have on your daily procurement practices: whilst it aims at being readable and at times amusing, it hopes to set some of the requirements of the Procurement Regulations into a practical context and help those tendering to navigate their way through what to some must at first seem like a legal minefield. It isn't, but it does demand thought and care. In addition, it will look at some of the more recent pieces of legislation, purely to help you keep abreast of any changes to your current practice that these new legal requirements may demand. Not only will the precedents and requirements explained herein guide you towards safer and more compliant procurement, it will also, hopefully, enable you to better understand the implications when someone names a case on which current good practice is based. It may even, dare I say, enable you to better participate in discussions on EU legislation at dinner parties and with your peers.

Mit dem 15M-Reifegradmanagement wird in diesem Essential ein praxiserprobtes Konzept zur nachhaltigen Entwicklung des strategischen Einkaufs vorgestellt. Alle relevanten Aufgabenfelder des Einkaufs werden im Modell strukturiert sowie auf ihre Reife hin analysiert und bewertet. Zu diesem Zweck wird ein mehrdimensionales Konzept zur Beurteilung der Reife im Einkauf und zur Ermittlung eines Reifegradscores entwickelt. Gerhard Hess zeigt, wie das Reifegradmanagement in das Einkaufsmanagement zu integrieren ist. Grundlegend ist dabei die Idee, dass ein exzellentes Einkaufsmanagement - ausgedruckt durch einen hohen Reifegradscore - die Basis fur eine zukunftige hervorragende Einkaufsstrategie und deren Umsetzung ist.

Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product. A proven framework for measuring the supply chainpotential of geographic regionsManaging a complex global supply chain requires astrategic assessment of the various factors that can affect decisions on procurement, manufacturing,warehousing, logistics, distribution, and sales. Co-written by renowned experts in global supply chain management, this book presents a systematic, structured approach to evaluating ten global regions with respect to their supply chain activities. The maturity level for each region is assessed usingthe EPIC framework--Economy, Politics, Infrastructure,and Competence. Managers of supply chains can use this framework and the exclusive data in this practical, timely resource to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the different global regions and determine their supply chain strategies accordingly. Global Supply Chains analyzes ten regions: East Asia South Asia Southeast Asia Australia The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) Western Europe Central and Eastern Europe North and Central America South America

This book focuses on helping you to dramatically increase the value of your business. It helps you choose the 5 or 10 most effective ways for you (out of the 58 proven ways described in the book), to implement in your business. Today. Right now. As a business owner, you've spent most of your time, energy and resources building a business. You've often neglected your family, your health and only heaven know's what else for the sake of the company. Yet when it comes time to sell your business, chances are (if you're like most business owners) you'll offer it up for sale hoping to get what you believe it's worth. Without having given any thought to maximizing the value of this business you've sacrificed so much for all through the years. If you're interested in extensive details on all of the various valuation techniques or all of the steps, contracts and details required in the selling process, don't buy this book. Buy another one. There are plenty of them out there. But if you're interested in making your business more profitable while you're getting ready to sell it, this book delivers the goods. For instance. Would it surprise you to know that you actually have control over the price earnings ratio used by valuation consultants to calculate your specific business's value? How about discovering the steps (not related to profits or PE ratios) that can dramatically increase the value of your business in the final stages of preparing your business for sale? With your purchase, you also get access to checklists and planning documents that make the process simple to understand and easy to implement.

"This book unlocks the secrets of the supply chain's missing link...professional surplus asset management."-Kristina Waters, Cox Communications "An essential desktop reference to help identify and dispose of surplus assets in the most efficient and profitable manner." -Kris Eigenbrood, Campbell Soup Company Every corporate entity has surplus assets. This book provides a clear means for those responsible for disposing of those assets to appropriately value and market those no-longer-needed items in the most cost-effective and profitable manner. From computers and mobile phones to processing equipment and entire manufacturing facilities, learn the best practices for professional (and profitable ) surplus asset management. Investment Recovery has been the missing link in the Supply Chain, so this handbook answers the many questions that supply chain purchasing management must solve. "An essential review of the challenges-and solutions-to surplus asset management." -Todd Thompson, Colorado Springs Utilities "In the complexity of our increasingly 'green' society, we must try to ensure that we are not only returning value to our bottom line, but also the world we live in." -Marty Owens, Dow Chemical Company "An informative and helpful desk reference for all that is Investment Recovery and improved supply chain management."-Ronald Sizemore, BASF

This second volume contains seventeen cases focusing on defence procurement and logistics issues that will provide an excellent learning opportunity to a variety of readers. This wideranging audience will include military personnel, those on defence education and training programmes, employees of the defence industry, those in defence agencies and those engaged in defence and security-related research (an example being under- and postgraduate students on international politics and strategic studies courses).

." . . a terrific tribute to those in public procurement who have been role models for excellence This is an incredible piece of work." Rick Grimm, Chief Executive Officer, NIGP - The Institute for Public Procurement There Can be Quality in Government - The Key is Effective Teams The essence of teams is working together toward a common goal. But what makes a great team? Seeing Excellence: Learning from Great Procurement Teams offers insightful answers to that question. From brainstorming to the development of project charters through analysis, decision making, and risk and change management, you'll find practical tools that pave the way to individual effectiveness, creativity, and leadership in group settings. Along the way, you'll encounter exceptional people and teams who are modeling leadership, learning, and quality in government. "This is a great contribution to the body of knowledge for the profession. I wish I had this book years ago." Ron Bell, Captain (U.S. Navy, retired), Director, Virginia Division of Purchases and Supply, Immediate Past President, National Association of State Procurement Officials Using lessons derived from effective government teams, Seeing Excellence identifies the skills and behaviors that are necessary for teams to succeed. Integrating current thinking and research in ten team disciplines, you and your team will learn the necessary skills for effective project management and continuous improvement. You can help your team succeed Join us in finding out how "What a wealth of information and great ideas " Carol Wills, Contract Specialist and Procurement Card Administrator, Academy School District 20, Colorado

According to the health data released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United States spends more per capita on healthcare than any other OECD country. Currently, U.S. healthcare spending constitutes $2.5 trillion, or 17.3 percent of GDP, with healthcare costs increasing 9 percent annually. To reverse this alarming trend, the Obama administration recently led the effort to dramatically reform healthcare policy, laws, and regulations. This book provides you (whether a healthcare policy maker, hospital administrator, pharmaceutical company manager, or other healthcare professional) with practical guidance for leveraging supply chain principles to better manage healthcare resources and control healthcare costs. It introduces basic supply chain management concepts, terminologies, and tenets. Other included topics are strategic alliances among healthcare partners, value analysis of healthcare services and products, the impact of healthcare reforms on healthcare supply chains, and the development of performance metrics for the healthcare supply chain and benchmarking.

"The Logistics Handbook" encompasses all of the latest advances in warehousing and distribution. It provides invaluable "how to" problem-solving tools and techniques for all the ever-increasing logistical problems managers face -- making it the most complete and authoritative handbook to date.

Special features include:

* The most in-depth coverage of a wide range of topics, including information systems, benchmarking, and environmental issues

* Contributions found nowhere else from the leading executives, consultants, and academics in the field, such as C. John Langley, James Heskett, and David Anderson

* State of the art graphics

* Information-packed appendixes of logistics publications and organizations

This all-inclusive reference will enable the next generation of managers to thoroughly integrate their logistics operations at all levels -- strategic, structural, functional, and implementation -- into a comprehensive logistics strategy.

One of the many outcomes resulting from the explosion of international trade is access to lower cost production opportunities through outsourcing. This phenomenon has increased the importance of supply chains, the information technology needed to coordinate them and the need for this relatively complex enterprise to be exceptionally well-managed. There are obviously many cost benefits to be had from maintaining a strong and far-reaching supply chain. However, this opportunity to lower costs entails significant risks, such as tsunamis, earthquakes, political unrest, and economic turbulence. This book will introduce concepts and examples of risk in supply chain management, followed by an identification and discussion of an array of quantitative tools (selection methods, risk simulation modeling, and business scorecard analysis) to help manage these risks. Many books are appearing that address various aspects of supply chain risks. No other book known to the author addresses this set of modeling tools as a means of managing this risk. The target market for this book is practitioners in the supply chain management field. As such, the book will emphasize practical means of assessing supply chain risk and incorporate real-world examples that offer practical solutions to risk management problems in the supply chain.

The "Top 25 Procurement / Purchasing KPIs of 2011-2012" report provides insights into the state of procurement performance measurement today by listing and analyzing the most visited KPIs for this industry on smartKPIs.com in 2011. In addition to KPI names, it contains a detailed description of each KPI, in the standard smartKPIs.com KPI documentation format, that includes fields such as: definition, purpose, calculation, limitation, overall notes and additional resources. This product is part of the "Top KPIs of 2011-2012" series of reports and a result of the research program conducted by the analysts of smartKPIs.com in the area of integrated performance management and measurement. SmartKPIs.com hosts the largest catalogue of thoroughly documented KPI examples, representing an excellent platform for research and dissemination of insights on KPIs and related topics. The hundreds of thousands of visits to smartKPIs.com and the thousands of KPIs visited, bookmarked and rated by members of this online community in 2011 provided a rich data set, which combined with further analysis from the editorial team, formed the basis of these research reports.

Learning the knowledge needed to become a better negotiator of Procurement and Purchasing contracts

As we enter the 21st Century, we find ourselves faced by two major developments. The first is emergence of the supply chain as a critical strategic and tactical weapon. As has been pointed out by many researchers, with the emergence of the supply chain, the unit of competition has shifted from the firm to the supply chain. However, with the advent of the supply chain, it is important to recognize that we have to view strategic objectives within a context that stresses not simply the internal operations of the firm but also the elements of the supply chain - elements that include the supplier base, customers, logistics linkages, and relationships, both visible and virtual. We are now coming to realize that the supply chain is no stronger than its weakest link. The second development is that of sustainability. This is more than simply being environmentally responsible. Rather, it is overall sustainability as measured in terms of the firm's ability to reduce waste, improve profitability, generating strategic competitive advantages, and ensure that it treats its employees well. Sustainability is increasingly becoming at a minimum an expectation and a requirement for doing business (i.e., an order qualifier) and under many conditions something that differentiates firms and makes them more attractive to potential critical consumers (i.e., an order winner). These two developments, while often treated as separate entities, are interrelated. It is this interrelationship that forms the major focus and thrust of this book. This book presents the reader with an integrated, business oriented treatment of sustainable supply chain management that explores why it is no longer enough for a firm to focus on sustainability within the four walls of the firm. Rather, in today's environment, sustainability must involve the supply chain in a deliberate and integrated fashion. To succeed with sustainability, a firm must ensure that this outcome is not only present within the firm but is also present within the supply chain. As the book will show, the market and consumers will punish those firms that promise sustainability but are not able to deliver on this promise because of problems in the supply chain.