Value aggregation to goods and services is unbelievably important to the balance of trade of modern nations, yet it receives minute attention by economists and policy-makers alike. In Competitiveness in the Real Economy, Rui Vinhas da Silva shows that the nature and dynamics of contemporary global competition requires a sharper focus on value aggregation. He provides a rounded, integrative and multi-disciplinary perspective linking national competitiveness, economics and management. The emphasis is on a transversal philosophy of value aggregation as a key driver of national competitiveness across sectors in the real economy and from production to the consumption of goods and services. The links between exports, inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) and country competitiveness are examined along with the role of exports and the attraction of FDI inflows in building national GDP. The author emphasises that culture, the notion of being cosmopolitan and understanding aspirational and discriminatory consumers with high disposable income are key drivers of success in the global economy. Acknowledging that the complexity of problems comes from diversity of global actors, the author highlights the limitations of current economics in responding to contemporary challenges. His concern about the management sciences and management learning is that solutions do not lie in the formulation and prescription of universal laws, but are contextually-laden and derive from an informed intuition that is partly taught and partly experiential. The book addresses the implications of all this for how the management skills needed for competitive advantage might best be developed.

Knowledge management has been widely applied to various industries as a good strategy to help improve firms' performance. As globalisation accelerates and international trade increases more and more, maritime transport operations have become one of the vitalest industries to receive large attention from international managers. This is because the managers have perceived that the maritime transport system is an integrated entity within the global logistics and supply chain, and it should be therefore managed in the most efficient and effective ways possible, as an organic body within a global logistics system. Taking this approach, this book examines how maritime transport operators - such as shipping companies, port terminal operators and freight forwarders - could successfully play a role within the global logistics flow wherein they are embedded by improving their logistic value, i.e. maritime logistics value. As per the objective, the current book suggests a knowledge management based solution. It attempts to systematically investigate what types of knowledge are needed in the maritime logistics industry, how maritime operators could effectively acquire the knowledge, and whether the acquired knowledge would help maritime operators enhance maritime logistics value. This book provides not only comprehensive understandings of knowledge management strategy, but also its practical application to the maritime logistics industry. This would therefore be a useful guidebook for the managers, academics, and undergraduate / postgraduate students in the field of maritime transport and global logistics, to help them to gain comprehensive knowledge of the application of knowledge management strategy to the industry--

Although tens of thousands of global users have implemented Systems, Applications, and Products (SAP) for enterprise data processing for decades, there has been a need for a dependable reference on the subject, particularly for SAP materials management (SAP MM). Filling this need, The SAP Materials Management Handbook provides a complete understanding of how to best configure and implement the SAP MM module across various types of projects. It uses system screenshots of real-time SAP environments to illustrate the complete flow of business transactions involved with SAP MM. Supplying detailed explanations of the steps involved, it presents case studies from actual projects that demonstrate how to convert theory into powerful SAP MM solutions. Includes tips on the customization required for procurement of materials and inventory management Covers the range of business scenarios related to SAP MM, including the subcontracting cycle and consignment cycle Provides step-by-step guidance to help you implement your own SAP MM module Illustrates the procure to pay lifecycle Depicts critical business flows with screenshots of real-time SAP environments This much-needed reference explains how to use the SAP MM module to take care of the range of business functions related to purchasing, including purchase orders, purchase requisitions, outline contracts, and request for quotation. It also examines all SAP MM inventory management functions such as physical inventory, stock overview, stock valuation, movement types, and reservations-explaining how SAP MM can be used to define and maintain materials in your systems.

Blockchain is a transformative driver for change in all industries. Learn from the latest research and case studies how this technology can and will be used to revolutionize supply chain management. Blockchain and the Supply Chain provides a complete overview of blockchain and the key benefits of integrating this technology into the supply chain. This textbook explains how track and trace can be improved, transaction efficiency increased, visibility enhanced, and more through blockchain. With extensive case studies, learning is underpinned by practical insights as well as cutting-edge research. Clear and accessible information is provided to students on how blockchain will affect supply chain processes, metrics and performance and how to capitalize on the potential of this technology. The fully revised new edition includes the latest information on Enterprise Blockchain, Ethereum and Hyperledger. Focus is also placed on the application of Cloud, Internet of Things (IoT), Machine learning (ML) and other technologies that support supply chains and their integration with blockchain. This textbook highlights how to use blockchain as an enabler and key driver for solutions in the end-to-end supply chain. Online resources include lecture slides and example assignments and quizzes.

Equality, Diversity and Opportunity Management presents a comprehensive analysis of the processes of governance, leadership, policy and strategy formulation, decision-making, practical and financial management, and real-world implementation of the Equality, Diversity, Opportunity, and Discrimination (or anti-Discrimination) Agenda. The leadership, cost, and management of the Agenda for Equality, Diversity, Opportunity, and Discrimination (or anti-Discrimination) is discussed in three mandatory areas: c Employment and the Workplace c Service Provision and customer service c Neighbourhood and Community Management The necessary choice of these three key areas of application reflects a typical focus of government policy, legislation, and case law for the UK, Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, and in many other countries that implement active Human Rights Agendas. You will find the book strongly orientated towards issues of corporate governance, personal and vicarious responsibility, leadership, cost management, implementation, and delivery. It deals directly, professionally, and in a non-opinionated manner with challenging (and sometimes unpopular or unwanted) issues of equality and inequality, diversity, a lack of opportunity or social mobility, and the widespread incidence of discrimination. The work suggests practical and realistic means to deal with such issues, whether at the level of corporate governance, leadership, policy and strategy, the incurring of unnecessary cost, or at the level of operational and departmental management procedure and process. Equality, Diversity and Opportunity Management is written at the same time from scholarly, objective, applied, proportionate, 'hands-on', and practitioner based perspectives.

Based on the author's real world experience during the course of her career in supply management, engineering, and as a project management professional, this unique guide demonstrates a practical and proven approach to using project management strategies, tools, and techniques to consistently create successful procurement practices that go beyond mere cost savings. Procurement Project Management Success integrates supply management best practices and processes with those applicable from the field of project management. It explains how to initiate, plan, manage, and complete both simple and complex procurement projects successfully. Through the use of scheduling, communication plans, risk management and other project management processes, these procurements satisfy stakeholders by setting expectations, continuously communicating status, and getting the best value for the dollar. This book shows project managers all the steps and processes used in procurement, and details for procurement professionals how adding and applying a few project management processes and techniques to their skill set can substantially improve both their company's results and their career opportunities.

Managers involved at a senior level in the purchasing function require very particular financial skills. They need to: analyse the financial health and stability of their suppliers; model different cost and price scenarios; understand and manage budgets; and be comfortable with the financial aspects of capital purchases. Finance for Purchasing Managers is written from this perspective using buyer's language and interpretation. Richard France explores four key areas of expertise required of a buyer in today's environment: Financial analysis of suppliers - this includes understanding the financial aspects of a buyer's own organisation plus analysing key suppliers and how to use information to gain a negotiating edge. Pricing, costing and cost modelling - including costing methods and their application and how an understanding of these can give buyers a greater understanding when dealing with supplier quotations. Managing resources - including budgeting and sources of finance. This shows how budgets are drawn up and the importance of understanding the implications of the buyer's decisions on a supplier's cash flow forecast. Finally, capital and revenue purchasing decisions and techniques - covering standard investment appraisal techniques and how these can be used for deciding on the best deal from a choice of suppliers for both capital items as well as a standard long term parts supply contract. Finance for Purchasing Managers may be used to support the CIPS Level 6 Course 'Finance for Purchasers' but also offers a readable and practical guide for those at a senior level in purchasing whether in the public or private sector.

Transparency and accurate management information are essential if you want to ensure that the supply chain is working for your business. Supply Chain Visibility is a critical primer for readers with backgrounds in supply chain management, system integration, strategy consulting, and enterprise software. Jonah McIntire sets the stage for a new framework that empowers business leaders to connect their projects, tasks or work streams back to the strategic message that it is worth applying organizational resources to supply chain visibility. Drawing on research findings, he reviews the prerequisites needed for a successful visibility solution and suggests a visibility fitness scorecard to compare the quality of widely varying approaches. The second section of the book reviews in detail the eight most common types of supply chain visibility and offers a set of indicators of potential fit for each one. The book also explains how to acquire visibility technology and the available options, and includes guidance on best practice for in-house designed systems. If you or your organization are moving into this area, Jonah's insights will place you in a far stronger position to decide exactly how to leverage the benefits of supply chain visibility solutions; they also walk you carefully through the minefields of ineffective approaches or technologies to give you the greatest chance of success.

* A perfect guide for marketing and sustainable procurement and supply chain professionals in large companies, local authorities and governments and NGOs globally. * Can be used as a supplementary text on postgraduate and advanced undergraduate courses aimed at responsible marketing and procurement. * The book can be used internationally - ethical buying and selling behaviours are proliferating in almost all countries of the world. * Written by a leading authority on ethical consumption.

Much of your company's success in global trade will be determined by how well you manage contracts and agreements for sale or purchase. Mastering the Business of Global Trade: Negotiating Competitive Advantage Contractual Best Practices, Incoterms, and Leveraging Supply Chain Options explains the key elements any international business person must know, but more importantly, it also describes how to use negotiation skills, leveraged options, and Incoterms to extract the maximum benefits from your supply chain. At the end of the day, landed costs determine pricing and profits. As such, the book clearly explains how landed cost modeling works and how you can use these business models to leverage supply chain options. Illustrating how Inco terms impact compliance and risk, it details options to help you reduce your exposure to risk as well as best practices to help you steer clear of compliance issues that can cause costly delays. Managing global supply chains is about constantly striving for efficiency, driving down costs, and increasing profits. With this book, you will not only learn how to negotiate better contracts, but you will also learn how to manage relationships with freight forwarders and customhouse brokers in a manner that will help you get the most value from your service agreements. The book establishes a very simple, yet comprehensive, roadmap that both the neophyte and the more experienced global supply chain executive can easily follow and master. By following the time-proven advice and roadmap detailed in these pages, you will learn that it is possible to engage in more deals and increase your returns, while reducing your overall risk exposure. This book is part of The Global Warrior series.

The way organizations manage their value chain has changed dramatically over the past decade. Today, organizations take account of economic issues, but they also adopt a broader perspective of their purpose including social and environmental issues. Yet despite its global spread, sustainable value chain management remains an uncertain and poorly defined ambition, with few absolutes. The social and environmental issues that organizations should address easily can be interpreted as including virtually everything. Current literature on the topic seeks to understand the effects and management of initiatives dealing with diversity, human rights, safety, philanthropy, community, and environment. However, the penetration of social and environmental considerations into value chain management is described as 'desire lacking reality' thereby making the idea a patchy success. The objective of this research anthology is to investigate different angles of sustainable value chain management. The book's 27 chapters fill holes and explore new fields; the chapters are organised in five sections: Sustainable value chains - context, drivers, and barriers; Sustainable value chains - managing activities; Sustainable value chains - managing networks and collaboration; Sustainable value chains - integrative perspectives; and Sustainable value chains - specific sectorial and industry perspectives.

Buying, merchandising and the supply chain are inextricably linked. Product merchandisers play a key role within retail, as profits can be affected by how successfully they undertake their work. Merchandisers set prices to maximise profits and manage the performance of ranges, planning promotions and mark-downs as necessary. They also oversee delivery and distribution of stock and deal with suppliers. Their connection with and understanding of the supply chain is vital. Supported by theories, explanations and real-life examples, Managing the Retail Supply Chain looks at concepts and core themes that run across all sectors. Many businesses use a one-size-fits-all solution for any issues which arise, leading to big problems. Managing the Retail Supply Chain presents numerous examples of different business models adopted by a variety of companies. Covering basic principles of retail supply chain, KPIs, merchandise planning and demand planning as well as omnichannel, vertical integration, on-shelf availability and e-commerce, Managing the Retail Supply Chain is an essential guide for anyone involved in or studying retail supply chains and merchandising.

Modern supply chains are enjoying new opportunities for innovation and growth. Build competitive advantage, optimize cost and encourage ethical business practices with the process of strategic sourcing. Effective Strategic Sourcing brings together tools and techniques to develop comprehensive sourcing strategies and drive performance and margin improvement in an ethical, environmentally responsible way. From supplier research and risk analysis to category management and cost modelling, it answers key questions around make versus buy, outsource versus insource and RFI versus RFP. Top supply chain leaders from a range of industries offer their insights and experience in interviews covering the challenges inherent in modern strategic sourcing. The book also focuses on how supply chain and procurement professionals can address sustainability concerns by thinking globally and acting locally and aiming for net-zero carbon footprint sourcing. Learn from the experts and thrive in the 'new normal' with this essential guide to maximising the benefits of strategic sourcing.

The Agri-Food industry currently faces a range of challenges, from food safety and security, demand, and supply gaps to the maintenance of product quality and issues in product traceability. Smart digital technologies have opened a complete paradigm shift, providing solutions to these challenges, and helping move towards safe, resilient, responsive, and eventually profit-driven supply chains. The use of these digital technologies by Agri-Food supply chains can bring significant changes in food supply chain management by reducing food wastage, real-time product monitoring, and reducing scalability issues. Agri-Food 4.0: Innovations, Challenges and Strategies addresses new research on digital technologies in the industry, including smart packaging, smart warehousing, effective inventory control, blockchain technology, artificial intelligence, and other Industry 4.0 concepts. Agri-Food 4.0 explores the challenges and complexities in implementing such technologies, helping policymakers in the agri-food sector with impact assessment and digital transformation towards creating a sustainable industry.

Based on in-depth interviews with top supply chain executives in twenty companies and a thorough review of supply chain management research, Supply Chain Management presents a comprehensive model of supply chain management. Contributors, all supply chain experts with real world experience, clearly define supply chain management, identify those factors that contribute to effective supply chain management, and suggest how the adoption of a supply chain management approach can affect business strategy and corporate performance. Each chapter opens with an executive summary and then provides practical guidelines on how companies can manage supply chains. The role of all the traditional business functions-marketing, sales, logistics, information systems, finances, customer services, and management-in supply chain management is also addressed. Supply Chain Management is an important and timely resource for students, managers, and others who need to better understand, manage and communicate about supply chain management.

The business benefits of lower energy consumption are clear: lower energy costs, energy tax avoidance, selling excess CO2 credits, immediately adding savings to the bottom line and improved competitiveness. However, with a need to focus on day to day business management activities, implementing energy reduction programmes stretches the capabilities and know-how of responsible managers. Kit Oung's Energy Management in Business is an expert's guide to energy reduction. It covers four important aspects of managing energy: strategy for successful implementation, available tools and techniques, generating sustainable quick wins and active management involvement. This book offers distilled practical concepts with real life case studies chosen to build insight, and illustrate how managers and engineers can relate to a broad range of energy reduction opportunities. We take energy for granted, like the air we breathe. We need to engage employees with energy management in two ways. In a more general sense, for those using energy for normal working practices, awareness and behaviour change are key. For those with more direct influence over energy using systems, engagement is also fundamental. Energy Management in Business places the process firmly in the context of commercial and industrial business practice. The book is an excellent companion for any organisation seeking ISO 50001 certification and a reduced energy consumption, as well as those that simply wish to better understand the options, strategies and risks that every business now faces.

Marketing High Profit Product/Service Solutions addresses one of the most exciting and growing strategic marketing opportunities facing product and service companies - 'bundling'. Many customers want bundled products and services which represent integrated solutions to their problems, rather than buying individual products and services piecemeal, and if you become that supplier it can transform a company. There are many outstanding examples: Magna International grew in several stages from a supplier of basic individual auto parts to a company manufacturing a product/service 'super-bundle'; ultimately sourcing and assembling the entire car itself. GE developed their business involving the supply of medical imaging machines to hospitals to become a 'super-bundler' of complete hospital radiological floor imaging operations planning, installation, and integration. IBM transformed their position as a supplier of individual hardware, software, and peripherals to companies into a product/service solution 'bundler' of increasing complexity, and finally into the 'super-bundle' of BPO (Business Process Outsourcing); representing an outsourced and complete integrated IT solution set for clients' entire global operations. Roger More explores what was learned by these leading companies (amongst others) when they transformed their market strategies to become bundlers of complex integrated customer solutions. Over many years the author has developed and tested new concepts, maps and tools for use by a wide variety of managers in developing strategies for these bundled product/service solutions. His book now offers these maps and tools to all who invest in a copy.

Losing contracts at rebid can have a major impact on a business: the loss of turnover and profit, of customers, skills, people and potentially reduced morale and confidence. Investment in retaining rebids can underpin significant increases in growth, at a lower cost than focussing only on chasing new business. Average retention rate of contracts at rebid is 60-70% across many companies, with others retaining as little as 50%, or less. However, there are proven approaches that can improve any company's chances of winning. Winning Your Rebid will help incumbent contractors increase their chances of retaining an existing contract. Whilst it includes the skills of bidding for new contracts, rebidding requires a significantly different set of actions and processes. The book takes you through all the preparations throughout a contract that will put you in the best position to win your rebid and includes valuable advice, techniques, case studies and ideas on how to run and deliver it successfully.

Adaptive Supply Chain Management develops new viewpoints on the SCM goal paradigm, problem semantics, and decision-making support.

Drawing upon years of research and practical experience, and using numerous examples, the authors unite conceptual considerations of supply chains with a constructive level of engineering and solutions to real-world problems. Adaptive Supply Chain Management provides advanced insights into dynamics, complexity, and uncertainty in supply chains from the perspectives of systems analysis, control theory, and operations research. It also considers supply chain adaptability, stability, and crisis-resistance.

Providing readers with a comprehensive view of advanced SCM concepts, constructive mathematical techniques and models, Adaptive Supply Chain Management is an invaluable text for practitioners and researchers who specialize in SCM and operations.

A guide to help readers meet the demands of an evolving competitive business environment, Modeling of Responsive Supply Chain outlines novel concepts and strategies for implementing a fully integrated system of business improvement methodologies.

This self-contained reference covers various key aspects of supply chain management, which is crucial to boosting industrial growth in the face of expanding globalization in the manufacturing and transportation sectors. The book focuses on topics that could potentially improve the free flow of goods and services between nations by helping users assess the performance of logistic systems deployed to achieve this end.

Chapters present a conventional and evolutionary approach to coordinating all elements of the supply chain to optimize an enterprise s competitive advantage. The authors explore different models associated with transportation, facility location, and assignments, as well as planning and scheduling. They also address diverse technologies, such as RFID tags used to monitor product flow within the supply chain network.

This book addresses the importance of:

• Recognizing responsiveness as a metric of supply chain performance
• Domain interfaces for solving the optimization problem by making supply chains more responsive
• Coordination through contracts to enhance responsiveness
• System dynamics methodology to achieve responsiveness, as well as management principles, control theory, and computer simulation
• The use of different types of technologies to build a better supply chain that achieves higher responsiveness

Few, if any, single volumes provide the detailed explanation of practical and conceptual approaches found in this book. It covers the entire spectrum of topics and will be equally useful as a reference for scholars and graduate students and as a compendium for practitioners dealing with real-life problems in contemporary supply chain management.

Pressures imposed by today's modern and highly competitive business environment and momentum created with the emergence of Information and Communication Technologies force business entities to rethink current models, in order to benefit from a more flexible and cost effective form of organizational management. Managing Risk in Virtual Enterprise Networks: Implementing Supply Chain Principles aspires to set a point-of-reference for scholars and researchers in the fields of Virtual Enterprises and Supply Chain Management who are interested in studying the Risk Management dimension in a cross-disciplinary fashion by applying new ideas and synthetic thinking in already well established concepts. Furthermore, this valuable reference aims to attract both graduate and post-graduate students studying the Risk Management discipline.

Supply Chain Management for Humanitarians provides an in-depth insight into the management of supply chains in the context of humanitarian logistics. This accessible and practical book considers humanitarian logistics from a strategic and operational perspective. The overarching theme is collaboration and coordination, one of the biggest challenges in the humanitarian community. Supply Chain Management for Humanitarians takes a problem-based learning approach, featuring real cases and examples from leading organizations including Oxfam, Unicef, and The Red Cross. Each chapter is self-standing, relating the content in each chapter to the supply chain as a whole. This enables the reader to easily dip into different sections. At the end of each chapter, there is a case study written by a leading practitioner currently working in the humanitarian field. Supply Chain Management for Humanitarians fills a much needed gap in the market and is essential reading for humanitarians worldwide.

The supply chain is at the heart of every successful business organization's decision-making process. This textbook explains how to create a winning supply chain management strategy by spotlighting how senior executives in European and US companies have turned their supply chains into strategic weapons designed to convert threats, risks and outside pressures into competitive advantages. Strategic Supply Chain Management contains twenty real-world cases, all of which have been field researched by a top author team and tested out in the classroom. Each case adopts an executive leadership perspective to illuminate the real dilemmas faced by managers. The authors draw on their extensive classroom and industry experience to ensure that the writing style is geared towards an executive education readership. This elite case package will provide a complete teaching resource and authentic learning experience for MBA and executive education classes in Supply Chain Management throughout the world.

The rapid changes taking place in the structure and governance of national and regional agri-food markets in developing countries seriously affect the ability of agriculture, especially small-scale agriculture, to contribute to economic growth and sustainable development. Reconnecting Markets is the second volume of case examples from the Regoverning Markets programme (2005-2008). It focuses on the keys to inclusion of small-scale farmers and rural SMEs into dynamic national and regional markets. The cases document specific arrangements that appear to have played a positive role in supporting greater inclusion, such as public policies and business initiatives, collective action by farmers and support from development agencies.