Abstract This study explores the role and nature of purchasing and supplier relationship management in the specific, complex industry setting. The purpose is to develop concepts to describe, conceptualise and analyse the emerging software component market from the point of view of the industrial buyer. The theoretical discussion on the market is concluded with a framework consisting of two parts; one describing the main elements of the market from the buyer's perspective and another describing the dynamism of the market. The theoretical framework suggests that the elements of the market from the buyer company's perspective are (1) the own needs, (2) the industry demand, (3) the object of exchange, (4) the exchange mechanism, (5) the exchange counterpart and (6) the industry supply. In the dynamic part of the framework, the development of the software component market, i.e. the progression of the market process is understood through change of heterogeneity of supply and demand. The empirical part of the study includes an embedded single-case study where a buyer perceived COTS software component market is analysed. First, the elements of the case market are studied and variables describing these elements are identified. Following this, the dynamic part of the framework is used as basis for identifying alternative types of markets for the development of the COTS software component market. This is resulted in a typology of four market types from the purchasing perspective; (1) Co-operation projects, (2) Ideal market, (3) Competitive supply management and (4) Horizontal competition. It is argued that all these represent a different type of situation from the industrial purchasing perspective. Finally, it is suggested how the different elements of the market process represent themselves and how they can be used in managing purchasing and influencing the markets in each of these possible market types.

D.Comm. (Marketing Management) / Repeat purchasing of newly developed products is critical for new product success and customer profit maximisation. Yet this topic has received little or no attention from the literature. Today, as profitability is being challenged from global competition, marketers of consumable industrial products (MRO) have to understand better than ever before how to effectively and efficiently manage repeat purchasing to achieve their profit maximising objectives. The study investigates industrial consumable repeat purchasing from a high involvement purchasing perspective and identifies four purchasing constructs and their variables whichimpact customer purchasing decision making. These constructs relate to pre-trial purchase, trial purchase, first repeat purchase and long term repeat purchase decision making dimensions, each containing purchase decision making factors which the marketer is able to influence. The findings reveal that customers decide which vendor to select for a trial- purchase, heavily influenced by the transactional value offered and the customer's perceived probability of transactional value satisfaction with the offer. Retaining the vendor for a first repeat purchase requires confirmation of the perceived pre purchase satisfaction likelihood with the evaluation of the purchase and consumption experience. To be retained for continued repeat purchasing and profitability maximisation over the long term, requires marketing strategies that are based on the customer's repeat purchase orientation and the firm's ability to meet the customer's rising value expectations. Such orientation consists of either transactional or relational repeat purchasing. In the transactional case, vendor preference has to be maintained from a perspective of superior transactional value and transactional value .satisfaction whereas in the relational repeat purchasing case, vendor preference requires in addition.. vendor loyalty and buyer-seller relationships for retention. The empirical study verifies these findings which lead to a repeat purchasing framework and a predictor for measuring vendor retention. As vendor retention reflects a customer's attitudinal intent towards the product/vendor entity, marketers are advised to develop favourable customer attitudes before, during and after a purchase. By implementing customer relationship management (CRM), customer value, satisfaction, loyalty and value laden buyer-seller relationships can be created to achieve sustainable repeat purchasing and enhanced stakeholdervalue

We investigate to which degree one could trace Bitcoin transactions and characterize purchasing behavior of online anonymous marketplaces by exploiting side channels. Using a list of addresses found by the FBI on Silk Road servers, and information on the marketplace's official guides, we infer the role played by each address in the list and classify them based on heuristics. We then attempt to trace Bitcoin transactions and show that the anonymity set size is greatly reduced using product review data and the address classification performed on the previous step. Finally, using clustering techniques based on transaction graph analysis, we assign addresses into user wallets, then group these wallets together based on spending patterns, to be able to characterize purchasing behavior.

Marketers are faced with informed and highly complex consumers. The consumer market is becoming more competitive and more difficult to predict as consumers make purchase decisions in their everyday life. An ongoing need exists for information and an examination of purchasing behaviour for marketers to succeed in their pursuit of business endeavours. This study examines the influence of selected variables on motor vehicle-related purchasing behaviour. Five independent variables, namely branding, price, promotion, safety features and colour were investigated and the dependent variable (purchasing behaviour) was examined. In doing so, various stages which consumers undergo when making purchasing decisions were discussed. These stages were outlined as need recognition, information search, and evaluation of alternatives, purchase and post-purchase behaviour. The primary research objective of this study was to determine the influence of selected variables on motor vehicle-related purchasing behaviour. In order to achieve the objectives of the study, an empirical investigation was undertaken. The quantitative (positivistic) paradigm was used in this study, as the aim was to test the hypotheses and conceptualmodel of the study using statistical analysis. In gathering primary data, 192 self-administered questionnaires were issued to respondents for completion by means of convenience and quota non-probability sampling. Upon completion of all the questionnaires, data was analysed in order to arrive at the conclusions regarding the research questions. The empirical findings and analysis followed a systematic and statistical process, where exploratory factor analysis using target rotation was used to test the validity of the measuring instrument. Cronbach alpha correlation coefficients were used to confirm the reliability of the measuring instrument, while multiple regression analysis was carried out to test the hypothesised relationships between the independent variables and the dependent variable of the study. ANOVA was applied to determine differences in the demographic characteristics of respondents. The main findings on the validity and reliability of the measuring instrument proved to be statistically satisfactory. The main findings which emerged from the multiple regression analysis suggested that price and colour had statistically significant influence on motor vehicle-related purchasing behaviour. Findings revealed that branding, promotion and safety conditions had no significant effects on motor vehicle related purchasing behaviour. Accordingly, the hypotheses for price and colour were accepted and those for branding, promotion and safety conditions were rejected. Therefore according to respondents, price and colour of a motor vehicle are the most important considerations when undertaking purchasing decisions regarding motor vehicles. Additionally, the empirical investigation revealed that significant differences exist between age groups of respondents, meaning that different age groups of respondents had different perceptions and opinions with regard to their purchasing patterns relating to price. Furthermore, significant differences were also found between male and female respondents in terms of price and colour, meaning that the two genders had different perceptions and opinions with regard to their purchasing patterns in these areas. The empirical findings of this study are relevant for motor vehicle retailers and original equipment manufacturers, as the findings provide important information regarding the influence of selected variables on motor vehicle-related purchasing behaviour. Secondly the findings of this study contribute to the body of knowledge regarding purchasing behaviour.

The objectives of this research project were to identify and compare factors that influence the purchasing decisions of Multifibres’ customers active in each channel. Multifibres manufactures and distributes industrial cleaning rags to three channels or client categories, these being industrial resellers, industrial end-users and the walk-in customers. An extensive literature review revealed that purchasing decisions are influenced by, amongst other factors, the buyer’s role, the internal cognitive processes of the buyer, as well as factors present in the buyer’s business and external environment. An empirical study was conducted utilising in-depth interviews. The most prevalent, emergent themes that buyers attached the greatest weight to when purchasing cleaning rags were: price; quality; service; relationships; and, convenience. These factors were probed, analysed and compared, based on each buyer category’s unique set of characteristics. When motivating their purchasing preferences, resellers emphasised the importance of the business relationship and trust as being paramount, while end-users viewed price and service as the most important factors. Walk-in customers valued the combination of price and convenience as the most important reasons influencing their purchasing decisions.

The purchase of medical devices involves engaging various stakeholders as well as balancing clinical, technical and financial requirements. Failure to consider these requirements can lead to wider consequences in the delivery of care. This study first builds a general knowledge base of current purchasing practice in a sample of NHS Trusts, which confirms the direction and guidance given by policy documents and literature as to the extent of the challenges faced by purchasing stakeholders. This then leads to an analysis to identify inefficiencies in the purchasing process, and how such practice can lead to risks in the delivery of care. These risks range from injury to individuals, impacts to the healthcare delivery service, and financial and litigation risks. Finally, a framework that highlights these potential risks in the life-cycle of medical devices in hospitals is presented. Key policy guidance has encouraged both researchers and implementers of healthcare services to approach patient safety from a systems perspective, acknowledging that medical device errors are not only directly related to device design, but to the design of the healthcare delivery service system in which the device operates. Little evidence exists of successfully applying systems approaches specifically to medical device purchasing practice. Medical device purchasing, because of its implications to patient safety on the one hand, and the uniqueness of the healthcare context, requires a unique approach. By demonstrating the influence of purchasing practice to service delivery and patient care, the thesis made is that taking a holistic systems approach is one method to improve device purchasing practice, and hence influence better care.

The diploma thesis deals with procurement process and ensuring of sources in a manufacturing company. The thesis is split into two parts. The first theoretical one deals with importance of procurement in creating economic value in a company, defines procurement, its goals and factors influencing it, describes procurement process, i.e. strategic sourcing, operational purchasing, procurement controlling, supplier relationship management, and procurement process support by IS/ICT. The second practical one analyses procurement process in a selected Czech manufacturing company in the mentioned areas and proposes recommendations for improvement.

Evaluation of business strategy of the company New Yorker. Analysis of the theoretical aspects of the business strategy and comparison with the real situation. Recommendations for actual business strategy improvement.

This thesis analyzes parts of decision purchasing process and reveals the most important criteria for medical tourists in the Czech Republic using questionnaire research method. Survey was conducted in cooperation with clinics and medical tourism providers in the Czech Republic. Based on the research, key decision factors are costs, experience and quality of surgeon and patient's reviews of the clinic. The thesis also provides suggestions on application of results in clinic's marketing communication.

The present thesis provides a definite answer to the question of how comparisons of certain aggregate quantities and price levels should be made across two or more geographic regions. It does so from the viewpoint of both economic theory and the “test” (or “axiomatic”) approach to index-number theory. Chapter 1 gives an overview of the problem of multilateral interspatial comparisons and introduces the rest of the thesis. Chapter 2 focuses on a particular domain of comparison involving consumer goods and services, countries and households in developing a theory of international comparisons in terms of the the (Kontis-type) cost-of-living index. To this end, two new classes of purchasing power parity measures are set out and the relationship between them is explored. The first is the many-household analogue of the (single-household) cost-of-living index and, as such, is rooted in the theory of group cost-of-living indexes. The second Consists of sets of (nominal) expenditure-share deflators, each corresponding to a system of (real) consumption shares for a group of countries. Using this framework, a rigorous exact index- number interpretation for Diewert’s “own-share” system of multilateral quantity indexes is provided. Chapter 3 develops a novel multilateral test approach to the problem at hand by generalizing Eichhorn and Voeller’s bilateral counterpart in a sensible manner. The equivalence of this approach to an extended version of Diewert’s multilateral test approach is exploited in an assessment of the relative merits of several alternative multilateral comparison formulae motivated outside the test-approach framework. Chapter 4 undertakes an empirical comparison of the formulae examined on theoretical grounds in Chapter 3 using an appropriate cross-sectional data set constructed by the Eurostat—OECD Purchasing Power Parity Programme. The principal aim of this comparison is to ascertain the magnitude of the effect of choosing one formula over another. In aid of this, a new indicator is proposed which facilitates the measurement of the difference between two sets of purchasing power parities, each computed using a different multilateral index-number formula. / Arts, Faculty of / Vancouver School of Economics / Graduate