Using a newspapers, news or business magazines, the Internet, or other additional article sources:

Locate a current (no older than twelve months) news article that addresses the strategic role of procurement in an organizational setting.
Prepare a 700-1,050-word paper that explains the similarities and/or differences between the purchasing role listed in the article and your organization's current purchasing role, or one with which you are familiar. Identify any improvements that might enhance your selected organization's procurement function.

Cite your references properly.

Instructor Note: To source articles consider exploring the periodicals such as Supply Chain Management Review, Logistics Management, Industry Week. Web sites such as SupplyChainBrain.com and SupplyChain247.com offer some opportunities for research in this area.

DQ questions 300 words each

DQ1

Examine Figure 1.1 in our text; "World Class Supply Management" (Burt et al, 2003, pg. 8). Compare the graph to your own organization and declare where it stands in the progressive evolution model to World Class Supply Management status. What areas need to be addressed or improved? If your organization or current position lacks interaction with procurement, answer the question using an organization you are familiar with (Please address the name of the organization in your response).

DQ2

Within the World-Class Procurement environment we discover the use of strategic supplier alliances and sole source contractual relationships to support the supply chain. What are some to the benefits and problems/ challenges related to alliances and sole source supplier relationships?

DQ3

Chapter 3 examines the relationships (or interfaces) between the different business functions and their expectaions of the procurement function. What are of some of the demands placed on procurement from these internal and external customers? Let us assume you are assigned to engineering (an internal customer) within a global manufacturing firm. You have a requirement for a new item to improve your product design (you have specifications and an engineering drawing). What steps would be observed across the organization as the procurement cycle works to deliver the item to engineering starting with defining requirements? (Suggestion- Explore the steps within the procurement cycle from an Internet search, this is more detailed that the four phases of supply management shared in Chapter 1).