"IMP Group"--Cover.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [195]-200) and index.

Machine generated contents note: PART I: PURCHASING CIIALLENGES -- 1 The role of purchasing in the company -- A new view of purchasing -- The increasing significance of purchasing and suppliers -- Two strategic roles of purchasing -- The rationalization role -- The development role -- The position of purchasing in the company -- Entirely new roles for purchasing -- A supply network view of purchasing -- Aim and scope of the book -- 2 Purchasing dynamics and challenges -- Historical development of the purchasing function -- The re-orientation of purchasing at IBM -- Outsourcing -- Relationships with suppliers -- Consolidation of the supply base -- Electronic commerce -- Supply challenges for the 21st century -- Purchasing issues in other firms -- Implications for understanding purchasing -- 3 Purchasing and the new economy -- The company in the new economy -- Purchasing in the production unit -- Purchasing in the knowledge unit -- Purchasing in the communicative unit -- Purchasing in the capital-earning unit -- Implications for the framework of the book -- PART II: NETWORK ANALYSIS -- 4 Purchasing and the activity structure -- Chains of activities and division of labour -- Similarity and complementarity among activities -- Changing the similarity among activities -- Phase 1 -- Phase 2 -- Phase 3 -- Comments -- Changing the complementarity among activities -- The role of information in activity co-ordination -- Co-ordination through the Internet and other IT-systems -- Efficient activity structures -- Between two suppliers -- Between buyer and sub-suppliers -- Between buyer and customer -- Between buyer and other buyers -- Between buyer and supplier -- Analysing activity structures -- 5 Purchasing and the resource structure -- Combining internal and external resources -- The co-operative dimension of resource handling -- Confrontation of resource elements -- Developments in buyer-seller relationships-a US-Japanese -- case study -- Cummins' early interest in a ceramic diesel engine -- Development programme for wear-resistant components and -- the search for a partner -- The co-operation between Toshiba and Cummins -- Comments from a purchasing point of view -- Developments in buyer-seller relationships-a European case study -- The problem -- The development of the new paper quality -- Comments from a purchasing point of view -- The role of information exchange in resource handling -- Dynamic resource structures -- Analysing resource structures --6 Purchasing and the actor structure -- Intervention through interaction -- The role of identity in the actor structure -- The interaction atmosphere -- Conflict and co-operation -- Power and dependence -- Trust and commitment -- The organizational structure and internal interaction -- The organizational structure and external interaction -- Organizing the network -- Analysing actor structures -- PART III: SUPPLY STRATECIES -- 7 Determining the boundaries of the firm -- Benefits of specialization through outsourcing -- Make or buy?--a decision in a new light -- Core competence-a problematic concept -- Outsourcing and insourcing -- An alternative view of boundaries -- Managerial tasks -- Key issues -- 8 Developing relationships with suppliers -- Economic consequences of supplier relationships -- High- and low-involvement relationships -- Relationship continuity -- The need for variety in relationships -- Variation among high-involvement relationships -- Managerial tasks -- Monitoring and modifying relationships -- The role of the customer -- Mobilization and motivation of suppliers -- Key issues -- 9 Designing supply networks -- Single and multiple sourcing -- The size of the supply base -- Combining single and multiple sourcing -- Nike's supplier network -- Strategic centres and webs of partners -- Building supply networks -- Managerial tasks -- Key issues -- 10 Network strategies and networking -- Efficiency in networks -- Efficiency in a single transaction -- Efficiency in a series of transactions with a specific supplier -- Efficiency in transactions with all suppliers -- Network efficiency -- Network strategies -- Network thinking -- Network organizing -- Network acting -- Final comments -- References -- Index.