Purchases account for a large proportion of companies’ turnover. It has therefore long been an important factor to work efficiently with purchasing to achieve increased profitability in companies. Because of the importance of efficient purchasing, the interest in the purchasing process has increased. The existing research, on the other hand, is primarily aimed at how large companies can achieve competitiveness from the purchasing process. Thus, there is limited research on how small companies can efficiently manage their purchasing process. The study has been carried out with a case study at a small manufacturing company with the aim of investigate and recommend how small manufacturing companies can manage their purchasing process in an efficient way. The case study has used a deductive approach where the work began with the collection of existing theory linked to the purpose of the study. Based on the existing theory, the interview questions have been designed to investigate how the purchasing process can look at small manufacturing companies. These interviews laid the foundation for the study's empirical material.   A comparison between the theoretical framework and empirical data has identified important factors for an efficient purchasing process in small manufacturing companies. This is presented in a recommendation model. Generally, it is significant that every step of the purchasing process gets enough focus because all the steps are based on each other.  To forget about parts of the purchasing process will negatively affect the efficiency. It is also important to have durability in mind when performing these steps. Using tools from the Lean philosophy can also help small manufacturing companies to streamline the purchasing process. The tools that the study has found useful have been to eliminate waste and to make use of continuous improvements and respect for people. / Inköp står för en stor andel av företags omsättning. Det har därför länge varit en viktig faktor att arbeta effektivt med inköp för att uppnå en ökad lönsamhet i företag. Beroende på vikten av effektivt inköp har intresset för inköpsprocessen ökat. Den befintliga forskningen är däremot främst riktad till hur stora företag kan uppnå konkurrenskraft från inköpsprocessen. Därmed finns en begränsad forskning hur små företag på ett effektivt sätt kan hantera sin inköpsprocess. Studien har genomförts med en fallstudie på ett tillverkande företag med syftet att undersöka samt ge en rekommendation hur små tillverkande företag kan hantera sin inköpsprocess på ett effektivt sätt. Fallstudien har använt sig av en deduktiv ansats där arbetet började med insamling av befintlig teori knuten till studiens syfte. Baserat på den befintliga teorin har sedan intervjufrågor utformats för att undersöka hur inköpsprocessen kan se ut på små tillverkande företag. Dessa intervjuer lade grunden till studiens empiriska material.   Genom en jämförelse mellan den teoretiska referensramen och empiri har viktiga faktorer för en effektiv inköpsprocess i små tillverkande företag identifierats. Detta presenteras i en rekommendationsmodell. Generellt är det betydande att varje steg inom inköpsprocessen får tillräckligt med fokus eftersom alla stegen bygger på varandra. Att glömma bort delar av inköpsprocessen kommer påverka effektiviteten negativt. Det är även viktigt att hållbarhet i åtanke vid utförande av dessa steg. Att använda sig av verktyg från Lean-filosofin kan även hjälpa små tillverkande företag att effektivisera inköpsprocessen. Verktygen som studien har funnit användbara har varit att eliminera slöseri samt att använda sig av ständiga förbättringar och respekt för människan.

Kräsnare kunder, snabbare modeväxlingar och billigt mode. I modeindustris globala klimatstår modeföretagen inför större konkurrens och tvingas agera snabbt för att kunna gekunderna det bästa erbjudandet. Inköpsstrategier har blivit allt viktigare för att kunnakonkurrera om pris, kvalitet och tillgänglighet vilket har resulterat i inköp mot internationellamarknader. I samband med produktion i billigare länder har konsumenternas krav på socialtansvarstagade ökat vilket gjort att det för företagen blivit allt viktigare att styra sina inköp moträtt marknad och rätt leverantörer. Många svenska modeföretag gör inköp från Kina ochdärför är syftet med denna studie att med Lindex som fallföretag skapa en förståelse för hurett svenskt modeföretag använder sig av ett produktionskontor och vad det har föransvarsområden i inköpsprocessen vid inköp från Kina. Syftet är även att skapa enuppfattning om produktionskontorets syn på leverantörsrelationer och vilka förutsättningarnaär för att modeföretaget ska kunna arbeta med socialt ansvarstagande i leverantörsledet.Studien har en kvalitativ undersökningsdesign då syftet är att skapa ett djup inom det valdaområdet vilket även var anledningen till att problemet applicerades på ett fallföretag. Studiensempiriska material bygger på tolv semistrukturerade intervjuer med anställda på fallföretagetsamt två observationer av fallföretagets leverantörer. Detta gjordes för att kunna skapa endjupare förståelse inom områdena Lindex inköpsprocess, leverantörsrelationer och socialtansvarstagande. Det fält som undersöktes var fallföretagets huvudkontor i Göteborg,produktionskontoret i Hongkong samt CSR-avdelningen i Shanghai. Studien påvisade attproduktionskontorets ansvarsområden berörde faktorer som pris, kvalitet, ledtider ochkapacitetsplanering. Genom resultaten som fallföretaget Lindex genererade kunde slutsatsendras att ett produktionskontor skulle kunna vara en användbar inköpsstrategi för ett svensktmodeföretaget då det för studiens fallföretag innebar lösningar till kritiska faktorer som pris,kvalitet, ledtid och kapacitetsplanering. Det har blivit allt viktigare att ha godaleverantörsrelationer i modebranschen och studien tyder på att fallföretaget värderadeleverantörsrelationer då tillit, engagemang och samarbete var nyckeln till att lyckas medovanstående faktorer. Förutsättningen för att ett modeföretag skulle kunna arbeta med socialtansvarstagande var att leverantören hade en förståelse för vad syftet med uppförandekodenvar, att företagets personal var väl utbildad och uppdaterad inom området för att i sin turkunna inspirera leverantörerna samt att det kontinuerligt gjordes leverantörsinspektioner somockså följdes upp. Studiens resultat kan inte generaliseras på alla svenska modeföretag dåfenomenet undersökts genom fallföretaget Lindex men studien är ändå relevant ochanvändbar för svenska modeföretag med liknande omständigheter att ta del av.Due to more selective customers, shorter fashion trend cycles and cheaper fashion, in today'sglobal fashion industry companies face stiffer competition and they are forced to act faster toanswer customer demands. As such, purchasing strategies play a crucial role when it comes tocompetition in price, quality and availability of products, which in turn has forced fashioncompanies to introduce a buying strategy focused on the international market. As a result ofcompanies moving into cheaper production countries the demands on social responsibility hasincreased. This has pushed companies to drive their buying strategy toward the correct marketand supplier. Many Swedish fashion companies have decided to purchase from China andtherefore the purpose of this study with Lindex as the company in focus is to form anunderstanding of how a Swedish fashion company utilizes their production office and what itsresponsibilities are in the buying process when sourcing from the Chinese market. In addition,the authors want to describe what the view of the production office is in relation to supplierrelationships in the buying process and what circumstances are necessary for the fashioncompany to be able to influence social responsibility in the supply chain. The thesis has aqualitative research design since the purpose was to create a deeper understanding of theresearch topic, which also was the reason for the authors to study the problem through a casecompany. The empirical material is conducted by twelve semi-structured interviews withsome of the case company’s employees and two observations of the case company’ssuppliers. The purpose was to create a deeper understanding in the areas of Lindex’s buyingprocess, supplier relations and social responsibility and therefore the field study was carriedout at the case company’s head quarter in Gothenburg, its production office in Hong Kongand its CSR department in Shanghai. The result of the study showed that the productionoffice’s areas of responsibility involved factors such as price, quality, lead-time and capacityplanning. Through the results that the company in focus generated the conclusion that couldbe drawn is that the strategy of establishing a production office could be useful for a Swedishfashion company in terms of better prices, higher product quality, shorter lead time as well assetting the production capacity. It has become more important to build good relationships inthe fashion industry and the study has found that Lindex highly values their supplierrelationships. Factors such as trust, engagement and collaboration with the suppliers are thekey to succeed in addition to all of the factors mentioned above. To enable fashion companiesto work with social responsibility it is vital that the supplier understands the purpose of thecode of conduct and that the company’s employees are well educated within the subjectmatter to in turn be able to influence the suppliers. It is equally important that inspections aremade on a continuous basis with the necessary follow-up carried out. The result of this thesiscannot be generalized for all Swedish fashion companies since the problem has beeninvestigated through a case company, but the study is nevertheless highly relevant and usefulfor other Swedish fashion companies under the same circumstances to take note of. / Program: Textilekonomutbildningen

Thesis (MPA.) --University of Limpopo (Turfloop Campus), 2012 / This study focused on the impact of implementation of Supply Chain Management Policy (SCM) in Limpopo Department of Local Government and Housing (The Department of Local Government and Housing is officially known as the Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional affairs as from the 16 August 2011).The study analyzed the impact of implementation of SCM policy including the implications of non-compliance with this policy. The study also provides an analysis of the perceptions of officials of the Department of Local Government and Housing with regard to the impact of implementation of Supply Chain Management policy. The study also looked at Supply Chain Management in a public sector context including mechanisms that can be employed in order to improve implementation of Supply Chain Management policy. Qualitative research methods were used in this study. This means that primary data was collected using interviews and questionnaires. The findings from the study indicated that the Department experienced challenges in implementing the SCM policy and that there was a significant change in the behavioural patterns of the certain employees after the SCM policy was implemented. The study also revealed that the implementation of SCM policy had both positive and negative effects on the employees of the Department, service providers as well as the public. Furthermore, the research revealed that violation of SCM policy has a negative impact on service delivery. The study has provided answers to both the main research question and sub-questions. From the findings made, the study concluded that the implementation of Supply Chain Management policy has both the negative and positive impact on the Department.

M. Tech. Marketing / The focus of this study is on the determinants of positive green-product purchase behaviour of Tshwane youth. Environmental knowledge, environmental concern, social pressure and green-product purchase intentions were identified as determinants of positive green-product purchase behaviour and investigated among a sample of Tshwane youth alongside their green-product purchase behaviour. The differences between the various demographic groups with regard to their positive green-product purchase behaviour were also investigated.

Sustainable development is an eternal topic and the enterprise’ sustainability provides the answer. Furthermore, emerging market’s sustainable development is frequently mentioned recently due to the serious pollution and waste due to the blind pursuit of higher GDP (Colm, 2012). This paper aims to find out the drivers and barriers of green supply chain management (GSCM) implementation; and figure out how to strengthen the relationship between green purchasing (GP) and GSCM based on the single-case study of Guitang Group. Combining the qualitative and quantitative method, we try to explore and describe the influence on GSCM development caused by the specific background of China. Based on the suggestions of how to strengthen the relationships between GP and GSCM, it will be more efficient for us to find a suitable way for manufacturing industrial companies in China to achieve the path from green purchasing to green supply chain management.

Thesis (M.P.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.P.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

Thesis (M. of Environmental Science)--Miami University, Institute of Environmental Sciences, 2005. / Title from first page of PDF document. Document formatted into pages; contains [1], iii, 66 p. : ill. Includes bibliographical references.

Most contemporary South African businesses are facing tough times. This is the result of emerging trends such as intense global competition which requires businesses to be quick, agile and flexible; new technology available to any business willing to adopt it; more advanced customer expectations and the implementation of new strategic, proactive management approaches. In fact, many of them (including wholesalers) will succeed only if they can successfully integrate strategy, processes, business arrangement, resources, systems and empowered workforces to render their core business effectively. Choosing suppliers and purchasing products are critical wholesaling activities and often determine the success of wholesalers. Wholesaling institutions, however, vary considerably in size, activity, style of business, types of products provided and services rendered. These variables imply that the complexity of wholesaling activities differs. It therefore stands to reason that the level of sophistication with which these wholesalers manage their purchasing, sourcing and supply activities may differ. The level of sophistication with which wholesalers manage their purchasing, sourcing and supply function may vary from traditional management approaches to advanced integrated management approaches. The use of the new management approaches by businesses is a vital instrument in facilitating change. This leads to the development of more focused, specialised and high-performance organisations. Manufacturers are not geared to deal directly with the thousands of small retailers and therefore use wholesalers for this function. Wholesalers provide a vital link between manufacturers and retailers, and play a pivotal role in efficiency of the whole supply chain. Adapting to the supply chain management approach may thus mean the difference between success, failure and the continued existence of the wholesaler in supply chains. This research study was undertaken to determine to what extent wholesalers in South Africa have adapted to new demands and developments in their purchasing, sourcing and supply functions. Secondary to this objective was the need to (1) investigate the scope of wholesaling, with reference to the global and South African context; (2) investigate the concepts of and the evolution of purchasing to strategic sourcing as part of the broader supply chain management approach; (3) analyse the scope and concept of supply chain management; and (4) determine the purchasing, sourcing and supply management approaches used by the wholesale sector in South Africa. The study was conducted in several phases. Firstly, a literature research was conducted to gather and integrate secondary data in order to (1) expound the definitions, importance, types, activities and trends of wholesalers; and (2) investigate the development of purchasing to strategic sourcing and evolution of supply chain management, and to give an overview of purchasing, strategic sourcing and supply chain management. Secondly, a questionnaire was compiled containing all the relevant issues identified in the literature research to enable the researcher to establish how far South African wholesalers have advanced in adopting new approaches to managing the purchasing, sourcing and supply function. This questionnaire was pretested on two respondents to verify its validity, before proceeding to the next step. Thirdly, a letter and the refined and tested questionnaire were mailed to all the wholesalers identified to be involved in the survey, informing them of the research study and soliciting their cooperation. The letter requested the participants to return the questionnaire via facsimile. Fourthly, to improve the response rate, after the date for returning the questionnaire had lapsed, additional questionnaires were faxed to all the respondents who had not completed the initial questionnaire. The literature research established that the new demands and developments facing wholesalers in managing their purchasing, sourcing and supply function are a reality. Wholesalers are confronted with a variety of challenges concerning these demands and developments which is jeopardising their vital role in the supply chain, and they need to adopt a more sophisticated method of managing these activities, not only to ensure their own survival, but also to lower the costs of the wholesale operation, and ultimately allow an increase in shareholders' wealth. The empirical study, however, clearly indicated that South African wholesalers are still significantly focused on the tactical aspects of purchasing, incorporating only a few aspects of strategic sourcing and supply chain management. The position of South African wholesalers regarding the level of sophistication in their management approach to the purchasing, sourcing and supply chain management approach can be regarded as a mechanical approach, with proactive tendencies. It is therefore clear that South African wholesalers have not adapted to the strategic sourcing and supply chain management approaches, and need to prepare themselves for this change - or risk failure. / Business Management / M. Comm.

As a result of three decades of rapid economic development, China has become the world’s second largest economy and the second biggest market for luxury consumer products (Chevalier & Lu, 2009; Degen, 2009). The most populous nation in the world is also a leading sports power with strong yet mythical potentials in its sports business market (Chadwick, 2008). This thesis studies the area where luxury consumption and sports business intersect in the market by examining the phenomenon of sports celebrity endorsement of luxury brands and how such endorsements lead to the intentions and decisions by Chinese consumers to purchase the endorsed brands. Employing a mixed-method approach by using qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys, this study adopts a methodological triangulation research design, which involves semi-structured interviews with brand managers and professionals to explore their knowledge and experiences, questionnaire surveys of consumers to understand their demographic characteristics and luxury consumption motives and considerations, and confirmative structured interviews with consumers to ensure the reliability of the research and expand the findings. Research data analysis generated three major findings. Firstly, the purchasing intentions and decisions of the consumers are the result of the synchronised functioning of a triad of social, personal, and commercial factors that define both the endorsers and the consumers. Secondly, the characteristics of the sports celebrity endorsers in terms of their attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise have positive relationships with the represented brand equity, which in turn has a positive relationship with the consumers’ intentions and decisions to purchase the endorsed products. Thirdly, Chinese consumers demonstrate a weak and conditional preference for local sports celebrities to endorse international luxury brands. These research findings explain why it is more difficult for luxury brand owners to sell to the consumers than to impress or interest them, particularly in the context of the Chinese market. This is a pioneering academic study, intended to provide insights into how consumers in China respond to sports celebrity endorsement of luxury brands. It 2 provides an academic understanding of a knowledge gap between the studies of luxury business and sports marketing. It may benefit the strategists and practitioners of luxury brands by providing an empirical understanding of Chinese consumers and their decision-making processes under the influences of sports celebrity endorsements, so they can develop marketing communication strategies more effectively in the emerging market.