This handbook covers the entire spectrum of purchasing, from policy and organization to systems, procedures and techniques. This third edition reflects recent developments in purchasing Europe-wide and covers TQM, EDI and environmental issues.

The ability to build and also maintain a world class logistics and distribution network is an essential ingredient in the success of the world's leading businesses, but keeping pace with changes in your sector and in others is hard to do. With the Gower Handbook of Supply Chain Management you will need to look no further. Written by a team of leading consultants with contributions from leading academic experts, this book will help you to keep pace with the latest global developments in supply chain management and logistics, and plan for the future. This book has over thirty chapters with detailed accounts of key topics and the latest developments, from e-collaboration and CRM integration, to reverse logistics and strategic sourcing, and includes case studies from Asia, Europe and North America. It looks at all aspects of operational excellence in logistics and supply chain management. The Gower Handbook of Supply Chain Management will help managers to benchmark their operations against the best-of-breed supply chains across the world. It provides a unique single source of expert opinion and experience.

Focuses on opportunities presented by trends towards regional and global supply chains in Northern Asia and China, and considers factors including knowledge management, education and skills training, and the use of consultants.

Drawing on the enormous experience and expertise of the contributors, who are all renowned in their fields. The third edition has been reorganized according to the well-known quality concept of Plan-Do-Check-Act, reflecting the way in which businesses should, ideally, be working if they are to achieve quality excellence. The text has been developed from its original leaning towards engineering to make it applicable for businesses in general.Each chapter provides sufficient information to enable managers to gauge the importance and usefulness of the subjects covered. The additions have made the third edition of the Gower Handbook of Quality Management even more useful than its predecessors.

Modern projects are all about one group of people delivering benefits to others, so it's no surprise that the human element is fundamental to project management. The Gower Handbook of People in Project Management is a complete guide to the human dimensions involved in projects. The book is a unique and rich compilation of over 60 chapters about project management roles and the people who sponsor, manage, deliver, work in or are otherwise important to project success. It looks at the people-issues that are specific to different sectors of organization (public, private and third sector); the organization of people in projects, both real and virtual; the relationship between people, their roles and the project environment; and the human behaviours and skills associated with working collaboratively. Thus this comprehensive and innovative handbook discusses all the important topics associated with employing, developing and managing people for successful projects. The contributors have been drawn from around the world and include experts ranging from practising managers to academics and advanced researchers. The Handbook is divided into six parts, which begin with management and project organization and progress through to more advanced and emerging practices. It benefits hugely from Lindsay Scott’s expert knowledge and experience in this field and from Dennis Lock’s contributions and meticulous editing to ensure that the text and illustrations are always lucid and informative.

The author's masterly exposition of the principles and practice of project management has been pre-eminent in its field for four decades. It was among the very few early books to treat project management holistically, rather than as a collection of separate techniques. It thus explains the entire project management process in great detail, demonstrating techniques ranging from the simplest of charts to sophisticated computer applications. Everything is reinforced throughout with case examples and diagrams. The text has been completely restructured and largely rewritten for this ninth edition, so that the sequence now follows even more closely the life-cycle of a typical project from its earliest definition to final close-out. Case examples and diagrams have all been reviewed, updated, augmented or replaced.

Originally published in 2002, the revised third edition of the Gower Handbook of Purchasing and Supply Management views procurement as standing on the boundary of the firm, looking outwards and scanning the environment for new opportunities and threats. In this respect, as in many others, the new edition is quite different from the previous two, reflecting the many changes that have taken place for businesses over the years. In particular this edition has been slimmed down and focused to assist the reader by working systematically outwards using a purchasing lens to view the wider business world. The aim is to show the potential contribution that purchasing can make as a driver for organizational efficiency and business development. It is this latter requirement, the need for purchasing to generate revenue, that has been identified as being ever more prominent as a demand on purchasing directors’ time and effort. The book is now split into three sections. Part I lays the foundations for building the organization of purchasing in a corporate environment. Part II overlays further applications on the foundations of purchasing organization. The assumption is made that the purchasing activities of a firm are proactive in outlook, gathering knowledge and measuring their current corporate purchasing performance, while also looking to generate revenues for the business. Finally, Part III provides case studies which bring to life some of the learning achieved through the framework laid out in the previous parts. Written by leading practitioners and academics, and published in association with The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply.