Especially in times of an economic boom following a crisis, companies have to deal with the phenomenon of the "working capital trap," which signifies a company's increasing need for financial liquidity in times of hindered access to debt capital, caused by the increasingly restrictive credit approval processes of financial institutions. As a consequence of cost savings, this situation is often reinforced by a low level of inventory. This book takes up the problem and shows ways of escaping the "trap" by identifying and strengthening in-house financing potential. First, different operating ratios will be introduced. These refer to the amount of capital committed to the flow of goods and to the amount of in-house financing possible. Subsequently, methods for consolidating in-house financing that are affected by procurement processes will be presented from the company's and the supply chain's perspective. From a company's perspective, the methods for consolidating the amount of in-house financing over the following topics: The Management of Payment Terms, Inventory Management and Product Group and Supplier Management From the supply chain's perspective, the following methods for extending the possible amount of in-house financing will be discussed: Finance-Oriented Supply Chain Sourcing, Supply Chain-Oriented Supplier Financing, Collaborative Cash-to-Cash Management, Collaborative Cash Pooling and Netting, Supply Chain Financing Platforms. The conceptual models will be clarified using a practical example from the automobile industry. Finally, the "Procurement Value Added" (PVA©) approach will be presented, a concept that measures the contribution of procurement to the company's success.

The motive of writing an academic book on working capital practices is to explore and uncover a new dimension in this field. By conducting in-depth research and analysis, the book aims to delve deeper into the subject matter and reveal aspects that have been underrepresented or not extensively studied in existing literature. The goal is to contribute fresh insights, methodologies, or approaches related to working capital management, thereby advancing the understanding and knowledge in this domain. By presenting this new dimension, the book seeks to add value to the academic literature and benefit students, researchers, and practitioners in the field of finance and business management. Ultimately, the aim is to push the boundaries of knowledge, inspire further research, and foster more effective working capital practices for businesses and organizations.

The book “Supply Chain Finance Solutions” offers orientation in the new discipline of Supply Chain Finance (SCF) by investigating the need for and nature of SCF, along with its characteristics and enablers. Due to the novelty of the Supply Chain Finance approach, there are still many knowledge gaps. This lack of research leads to uncertainties about the successful implementation of SCF solutions within companies as there is little quantified evidence on the achievable cost savings and other potential benefits. The authors close this gap by providing the latest information on business concepts and the SCF market. Based on a sample SCF model, the worldwide market size for such solutions and potential cost savings to companies engaged in SCF are analyzed. The work underlines the generally agreed-upon attractiveness and future relevance of SCF solutions by creating win-win situations; for all actors in the end-to-end supply chain as well as for external service providers.

To stay competitive in today’s market, organizations need to adopt a culture of customer-centric practices that focus on outcomes rather than outputs. Companies that live and die by outputs often fall into the "build trap," cranking out features to meet their schedule rather than the customer’s needs. In this book, Melissa Perri explains how laying the foundation for great product management can help companies solve real customer problems while achieving business goals. By understanding how to communicate and collaborate within a company structure, you can create a product culture that benefits both the business and the customer. You’ll learn product management principles that can be applied to any organization, big or small. In five parts, this book explores: Why organizations ship features rather than cultivate the value those features represent How to set up a product organization that scales How product strategy connects a company’s vision and economic outcomes back to the product activities How to identify and pursue the right opportunities for producing value through an iterative product framework How to build a culture focused on successful outcomes over outputs

Cy Gonick is one of Canada's leading political economists. In this he explains why unemployment is built into our economy, despite the human hardships it causes. He tells how big business makes this situation worse by failing to create enough jobs, and shows us why the government won't do anything about it.