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Operations Management

Purchasing and working with suppliers

  • 3 things to know
  • AS Unit 2

Overview

Purchasing in a business, five factors a purchasing manager considers when choosing a supplier and how purchasing affects a business's profit margin.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What is meant by purchasing in a business?

Key term

Explain how purchasing affects a business's profit margin.

Key term

Give two benefits of building a long-term relationship with a supplier.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What is meant by purchasing in a business?

    Model answer

    Purchasing is the function responsible for obtaining the materials, components and services the business needs, at the right quality, price, quantity and time.

  2. 2

    Name five factors a purchasing manager considers when choosing a supplier.

    Model answer

    They consider price, the quality of what is supplied, reliability of delivery, the credit terms offered, and the supplier's capacity to meet future needs.

  3. 3

    Why is the cheapest supplier not always the best choice?

    Model answer

    A low price is worthless if deliveries are late or quality is poor, because the resulting stoppages, reworking and lost customers cost far more than the saving.

  4. 4

    Explain how purchasing affects a business's profit margin.

    Model answer

    Bought-in materials are often the largest single cost, so a small percentage saving on purchasing produces a large increase in profit without any change in sales.

  5. 5

    What is meant by a supply chain?

    Model answer

    A supply chain is the whole sequence of businesses and processes through which materials pass on their way to becoming a finished product in the customer's hands.

  6. 6

    Give two benefits of building a long-term relationship with a supplier.

    Model answer

    The supplier will invest in meeting this customer's requirements and share information about problems early, and the buyer gains reliability and often priority when supplies are short.

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