Purchasing process models: Inspiration for teaching purchasing and supply management

Jenny Backstrand, Robert Suurmond*, Erik van Raaij, Clive Chen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Most scholars of purchasing and supply management (PSM) are familiar with some form of a purchasing process model (PPM). A PPM is the visual representation of the sequence of activities that constitute purchasing and supply management. Such a visual representation can be a tool in teaching PSM since it gives students an overview of an otherwise intangible process. Moreover, a PPM can also be viewed as a representation of the identity of PSM, providing a schema of what is PSM (and what it is not). In this notes and debates article, a systematic overview of different types of PPMs, and their evolution, is presented, based on a literature review and a survey, with the models being classified as tactical/operational, strategic, cyclical, or decision-making processes. Our first aim is to inspire PSM scholars and educators when they are considering various PPMs to be used in their teaching of PSM. Our second aim is to debate the question where the evolution of PPMs is heading and explore whether a single holistic model can provide an accurate and representative framework to structure purchasing activities both today and in the future.

Original languageEnglish
Article number100577
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Purchasing and Supply Management
Volume25
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2019

Keywords

  • Boundary object
  • education
  • purchasing process model
  • Education
  • SERVICES
  • Purchasing process model
  • FUTURE

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