Identify and critically examine what you believe to be the key tasks within the procurement and supplier management process which buying organisations need to operate effectively in order to obtain value for money.

Essay

2000 words

For a specific industry of your choice (for example, manufacturing, healthcare, retail, telecommunications or a services sector), identify and critically examine what you believe to be the key tasks within the procurement and supplier management process which buying organisations need to operate effectively in order to obtain value for money. 

Answers should include discussion of the challenges faced by buying organisations with respect to each task and provide recommendations for addressing those challenges.

The assignment should be structured into different logical sections, for example: introduction, background of the selected industry, analysis relating to each task  identified, conclusion, references. Please also include a short executive summary at the start of the assignment highlighting key discussions and findings. You must reference your work correctly using the Harvard referencing style.

More details

During Part 4 of the module, we examined the procurement and supplier management process as part of our study of the firm within value chains. In  this  assignment, you are required to demonstrate a critical understanding of how that process can be and is utilised by firms. 

The starting point here is to demonstrate an understanding of the value for money concept. This was introduced in Part 2 of the module and concerned the concept of surplus value. The starting point is also to demonstrate an understanding of the procurement and supplier management process, a process divided into a series of stages. This was covered at the start of Part 4 of the module.

Further in part 4, we then examined different tasks within the procurement and supplier management process. First, there were various tasks that came under the heading of internal organisational buying behaviour (IOBB). This refers to how the buying organisation sets itself up to deal with supplier exchanges, including: the  creation of technology infrastructure; collection and maintenance of demand and supply information; an appropriate organisation of the procurement function; and a  cross-functional and team culture (leading to discussion of issues, such as appropriate specification and division of responsibilities).

Second, there are then various stages of the procurement and supplier management process that concern the supplier exchanges themselves. These stages contain the tasks of supplier selection or sourcing (online and offline)  buyer-supplier relationship management with immediate suppliers and effort  to reach further  upstream within the supply chain, influencing a wider range of supplier actions and performance.

The assignment requires you to identify a series of tasks from within the different stages of the procurement process that you believe are particularly critical to buying organisations in their attempts to obtain value for money. You then need to critically examine those tasks, considering the challenges firms face in those tasks and the different perspectives on how those challenges might be addressed. You also need to make recommendations for action. All this needs to be done within the context of a particular industry, as stated in the assignment title.

Further details and guidance about how to undertake this assignment will be provided during the module. However, it may well be useful for you to divide the tasks you identify into three sections. Tasks relating to IOBB; sourcing; and buyer-supplier relationship management / supply chain management.