Disruptive Procurement is a radical new approach to creating value and innovation by challenging the status quo in the entire product and service line. It requires going far beyond conventional desktop procurement to understand the value the company brings to its customers as well as the value that suppliers bring to the company. By combining knowledge of these two dimensions, companies become far more flexible and they move closer to disrupting the environment in ways that create value. To move toward Disruptive Procurement, companies need a holistic view and a complete new set of capabilities for staff in marketing, sales, R&D, manufacturing, innovation, and, of course, procurement. This will only happen if procurement is fully backed by the Chief Executive Officer and companies embrace digital tools that will help make procurement slimmer and smarter.

This book gathers the latest advances, innovations, and applications in built environment, as presented by international researchers at the 15th Built Environment Conference, held in Durban, South Africa, on September 27-28, 2021, and organized by the Association of Schools of Construction of Southern Africa (ASOCSA). The overarching theme of the conference was “Construction in 5D: Deconstruction, Digitalization, Disruption, Disaster, Development”, with contributions focusing on current trends, innovations, opportunities and challenges, policies and procedures, legislation and regulations, practices and case studies, in both the public and private sectors. The volume will contribute to the existing body of knowledge relative to the science and practice of construction not only in South Africa but wherever the products of construction are produced even in these new challenging times of fear and uncertainty.

With the world having been plunged into uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic, a critical issue for senior management is stabilizing their supply chain to a consistent flow of components and materials. Even before the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain complexity had been an increasingly “hot” topic. Add to that the complexity of new tariff restrictions, port congestion, regional conflicts, and geopolitical events and disruptions due to international conflict, and it is apparent that securing access to materials and critical resources is not without difficulty, and forecasting demand is even harder. Digital Supply Chain, Disruptive Environments, and the Impact on Retailers brings together the field’s latest best practices on digital supply chain enablement, giving business professionals a comprehensive framework to ensure successful supply chain business transformation programs. Covering topics such as business planning, digital transformation, and volatile demand, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for managers, directors, vice presidents, supply chain executives, IT directors, consultants, students and educators of higher education, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

This book reasons, discusses and delves deeper into specific problems of procurement management. Key aspects of the procurement management are presented for advanced students, meaning interested students in the main course or in the master's degree study as well as for practitioners bearing responsibility.

Future-proof your firm’s supply chains with a renewed focus on resilience In Strong Supply Chains Through Resilient Operations: Five Principles for Leaders to Win in a Volatile World, a team of dedicated, veteran operations strategists delivers a practical and hands-on discussion of how to future-proof your company’s supply chains through a relentless focus on resilience. In the book, you’ll discover how to shift your firm’s emphasis from “low-cost” to “low volatility” as you protect your company against the supply and demand shocks associated pandemics, wars, labor disputes, and trade conflicts. You’ll also learn about: Real-world examples of companies realizing long-term competitive advantage by implementing the shifts advocated by the authors Why seeking to build mutually beneficial, long-term relationships with dependable suppliers is preferable to always choosing the cheapest option How a renewed focus on diversity and new ways of working can create resilient operations teams that pass on value to your customers An effective and essential discussion of one of the most prominent challenges facing contemporary companies around the world, Strong Supply Chains Through Resilient Operations is a need-to-read book for managers, executives, business leaders, entrepreneurs, operations and supply chain professionals, and anyone else with a stake in the smooth operation of their firm.

It has taken platforms only twenty years to become digital economy hubs. They have changed markets, enterprises, and society. They have expedited communication, collaboration, and trade for consumers, winning their attention and collecting their data. In doing so, they have made processes, products, and industries obsolete, and disrupted the expectations and behaviours of market players. This raises the question, are digital platforms global innovators or disruptive monopolists? Are they a solution to problems of the past or emissaries of a problematic future? This book provides a multi-faceted approach to platforms and their profound impact on markets and ecosystems. Economic, managerial, social, and political aspects are analysed, and the differentiation of platforms and their disruptive potential is reviewed. The book also examines the mechanism of achieving a monopolistic position, including in the international supply chain, and the greater influence of platforms on political activity and contemporary democracy. With examples from Poland, USA, and China, the contributions offer an international evaluation of disruptive platforms across a multitude of industries. The edited collection, prepared by scholars from the SGH Warsaw School of Economics, will be valuable to researchers and academics across the fields of strategic management, marketing, innovations, international business, and the digital economy.