...Title: Wal-Mart’s Purchasing Process To: Dr. Franklin Mitchell From: Mark Bieker Class: Class: AC 550 Accounting Information Systems Date: October 10, 2011 Introduction Wal-Mart was founded by Sam Walton in 1962 with the first Wal-Mart discount store opening in Rogers, Arkansas. The company was officially incorporated as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. on October 31, 1969. Currently, Wal-Mart has stores in 50 states in America and 15 countries worldwide, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom. The growth of Wal-Mart over a period of 49 years is remarkable and has lead Wal-Mart to become the biggest retailer in the world. Wal-Mart also has a strong community presence in the areas the stores are located. Wal-Mart’s purpose is to save people money and to help them live better. In 2007, Wal-Mart changed its slogan from “Always low prices” to “Save money. Live better.” This slogan is demonstrated in the products that Wal-Mart sells. Wal-Mart will not be undersold. Wal-Mart caters to the low income and middle income people by offering goods at low prices. These low prices are demonstrated in the products Wal-Mart sells. The products include: food, drink, clothing, jewelry, electronics, automobile supplies, sporting goods, toys, and furniture. Basically, Wal-Mart offers customers a one stop shopping experience. In order to provide this variety of...
Words: 5069 - Pages: 21
...From Dirt to Distribution: The Diamond Purchasing Process and its Flaws Gregory Greenberg SCM 302 Sullivan University Fall 2013 Abstract: The diamond industry has often time been at the center of controversy due to the way that diamonds are excavated, refined and purchased. The term “blood diamond” is often applied to those stones which are mined in area’s of Africa that suffer from civil war due almost entirely to bloodshed over diamond mine rights. In response the diamond industry enacted the Kimberley Process in 2003. This process basically now requires all major diamond distributers to purchase diamonds from legitimate channels. This paper will discuss the process beginning at diamond excavation all the way to final distribution and the serious ethical issues and controversies that are hidden inside. From Dirt to Distribution: The Diamond Purchasing Process and its Flaws In order to understand the process and appreciate the work and time that goes into diamond distribution it is best to start right off with a visual aid. The following is a step-by-step process from taking a diamond from dirt to distribution (Oriana, 2012): ORIANA DIAMONDS (SURAT) PRODUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY ↓ Rough purchases Worldwide ↓ Oriana Diamonds Surat polish factory ↓ Weight Check and Sorting Varieties Head Loupe, Loupe, Lights, Scale ↓ Sorting by purity and shape Head Loupe, Loupe , Light, Sieves ↓ Separating each stone in individual packets ↓ Blocking 4 Auto Blocking machines...
Words: 1291 - Pages: 6
...Consumer purchasing decision process Table of Contents A. Introduction 4 1. Steps in purchasing decision 4 1.1 Problem/Need Recognition 5 1.2 Information Search 5 1.3 Alternative Evaluation 7 1.4 Purchase 7 1.5 Post Purchase Evaluation 8 2. Analysis of computer industry business trends in SA 9 2.1 Industry overview (South Africa) 10 2.2 Market analysis 10 2.2.1 Supplier Power 11 2.2.2 Buyer Power 11 2.2.3 New Entrants Threat 11 2.2.4 Threat of Substitutes 12 2.2.5 Rivalry 13 2.2.6 Opportunities 13 3. DELL’S online only strategy in the 80s and 90s analysis 14 3.1 Dell’s online strategy 14 3.2 Online business value 15 3.3 Online Sales Growth 16 3.4 Convenience 16 3.5 Consumer behaviour intelligence 17 3.6 Was online only strategy suitable for under and developing nations? 17 4. Proposed Channel Strategy for Dell to be Market Leader In SA 18 4.1 Marketing Channel Selection 18 4.2 Market Research and Analysis 18 4.3 Distribution Channels 18 4.4 The Internet and disintermediation in the distribution channel 19 4.5 Channel Length 20 4.5.1 Consumer Channels 20 4.5.2 Business-to-Business Channels 21 4.6 Overcoming Limitations of shop floor space 21 4.7 Conflicts 21 4.8 Supply Chain 22 4.9 Distribution intensity 22 4.9.1 Selective Distribution 23 5. Conclusion 23 B. List of References 25 C. ANNEXURE 1 27 A. Introduction This report examines the consumer purchasing...
Words: 7406 - Pages: 30
...Chapter 4 The Procurement Process Multiple Choice Questions | 1. |Which one of the following is not a type of organizational data that is utilized in the procurement process? | | | | | |Client | | |Company Code | | |Storage Location | | |Purchasing Organization | | |Manufacturing Plant | | | | | |Answer: e Difficulty: Easy Page Reference: 2 | | |Section: Organizational Data Practice: ...
Words: 3775 - Pages: 16
...Chapter 8 : Creating Brand Equity Resumed by : Kelvin Karnadi 201560115 Sharen Veronica 201560176 Analyzing Business Markets Organizational buying is the decision-making process by which formal organiztions establish the need to purchase products and services, then identify, evaluate, and choose among alternative brands and suppliers. The business market consists of all the organizations that acquire goods and services used in the production of other products or services that are sold, rented, or supplied to others. Buying situations * straight re-buy : A purchasing situation where the buyer reorders the same products without researching or considering other suppliers * modified re-buy : A purchasing situation where the buyer's revisions to the order require additional analysis or research * new buy : A purchasing situation requiring the purchase of a product for the very first time. Participants in the business buying process The major participants in business buying process are * Initiators-are the ones who initiate or recognize the need of a particular product requirement in the organization for enhancement or to combat depravation. * Users-are the ones who are going to use the product or require it for the smooth functioning of their operations. * Influencers --Influencers can be of different levels and the decisions that they influence might differ from person to person or post to post. These are basically the people who will influence the decision of...
Words: 512 - Pages: 3
...Date: October 10, 2011 From: Rachael Melendez To: PwC Auditor Introduction BLUE Company operates under an enterprise planning system which allows an organization to automate and integrate its essential business processes. There are many weaknesses within BLUE’s expenditure process that lead to potential risks. The internal controls in this company are poor; for example, certain departments are authorized too much power, such as the purchasing clerk and the cash disbursement department. These duties need to be segregated among other departments. By pre-approving transactions, such as an approved vendor list, preventative controls can eliminate the ability to engage in fraudulent activities. Also, this company needs to engage in a system of checks and balances among each department to ensure validity, accuracy and completeness. Analysis The first step in the expenditure process may create issues. All the employees should not have access to create a purchase requisition. For example, how can an employee that works in the cash disbursement department know about the inventory levels and make a purchase requisition. BLUE Company is lacking an inventory control department; this needs to be incorporated. BLUE Company should limit the number of employees with the access to create a purchase requisition within the inventory control department. Unauthorized access exposes assets to misappropriation, damage, and theft. By incorporating access controls, BLUE Company may be able to...
Words: 954 - Pages: 4
...Southeastern University Situation: * Southeastern University was one of the largest universities in the state. * Total enrollment of more than 25000 students and approximately 3500 staff. * Had 12 faculties at the university, over 20 continuing education diploma and certificate programs and 3 affiliated colleges. * Its purchasing department was centralized and it has a detailed policy. * Purchasing director Blake Hyatt, reported to the university’s VP of administration. * Maintained a list of approximately 1200 approved suppliers, adjusted every 3-5 years. * Follows a weighted average vendor selection system * Volume of purchases amounted to $75 M for goods and services each year. * The office of registrar handled about 160000 pieces of mails a year. * 50 to 60 employees(full time and temporary) were occupied in manually stuffing envelopes two days a month. * Walter Charbonneau, Manager of university registrar’s office bought the automatic folding machine; at cost -$14000 and supplier-not in the approved supplier list. * Heather Sloman, buyer in the purchasing department received quotes from 3 of her suppliers for a similar machine * .Q1- 10000,Q2- 11000 and Q3- 15000 +free 1 year service. Tasks: * What does Heather do? * Investigate unauthorized purchase * Talk with Walter about following university policy * Check with other suppliers on stock availability/lead...
Words: 744 - Pages: 3
...PURCHASING PROCEDURES, E-PURCHASING, AND SYSTEMS CONTRACTING The purchasing department generates added value and profitability for the entire organization by communicating with suppliers to procure high-quality goods and services at the lowest cost and at the right time. This value is restricted by archaic and inefficient processes involving paper documents and time-consuming tasks. The E-Purchasing Solution automatically sends purchase orders, purchase requisition forms, etc… from SAP ensuring completion and timely approval of documents that are sent to your suppliers. You can easily track documents to verify they have effectively been sent ensuring that no order has been lost or misplaced. ERP FAX EMAIL Purchase order Purchase order copy Purchase order copy EMAIL Purchase department Production planning Accounting department Suppliers Purchase Manager Validation form by e-mail Automatic file Warehouse ERP FAX EMAIL Purchase order Purchase order copy Purchase order copy EMAIL Purchase department Production planning Accounting department Suppliers Purchase Manager Validation form by e-mail Automatic file Warehouse The Purchasing Policy The driving force behind any purchasing corporate policy considers the following objectives: 1. Spend corporate funds wisely. 2. Operate in a professional manner. 3. Purchase the right materials in the right quantities, at the right time and price, from the right source. 4. Practice the highest level of ethical standards...
Words: 1268 - Pages: 6
...Consumer buying decisions are based on situational, psychological, and social influences. The decision process and actions of each consumer will be different based on their own unique behavior, level of involvement, perception, experience, knowledge, and cultural influences about the product/service. When purchasing products one will consider and explore the different influences differently whether they are external circumstances such as situational influences that can affect the time and reason for the purchase or more internal influences such as a consumers perception, attitude, lifestyle that psychologically influences their buying behaviors. The external forces of social influences has increased in recent years with the expansion of social media and access to the internet. The internet has made it very easy to promote and market products in recent years. The internet has made it easier for companies to capitalize on consumer buying decisions by making their products easily available, product information at your fingertips, ability to compare products, create desire thru interactive advertising and competitive pricing. As time goes on the internet will be a very important, valuable marketing medium for companies. The internet is a major influencer in my purchasing process. It is the first place I go when I am looking at purchasing a product, especially large purchases, or products I have limited knowledge or have not purchased before. I am able to do product research,...
Words: 282 - Pages: 2
...SSC’s competitive advantage is on the quality products which maintains higher and safer temperature that are more flexible than their competitors or other products in the market. II. Facts of the Case: A. Mike Watkins Director of Purchasing for Swisher Systems Corporation Solely responsible for purchasing all materials of SSC. Has various experiences in material management prior to SSC. Has more than thirty-five (35) years of industrial purchasing experience. B. Products at Swisher Systems All SSC products are solutions to industrial heating applications SSC manufactures fifty percent (50%) standard products and fifty percent (50%) custom orders. o The custom products can be applied to virtually all industries that require heating products. Industries like semi-conductors, food processing, medical, petrochemical and others. Biggest contributor of SSC’s sales is the cloth heating jacket, though expensive compared to its competitors. The cloth heating jacket is labour intensive whereas the silicone jackets (manufactured by SSC competitors) which are machine manufactured, which explains SSC’s price positioning. C. SSC Purchasing and Purchasing Process Since Mr. Watkins is the only person in the Purchasing, he performs all the necessary tasks. Mr. Watkins implements his own five (5) important criteria for qualifying a...
Words: 1418 - Pages: 6
...Research Proposal 1. Introduction The growing globalization is not only bringing new competitors, but also exposing consumers to a wide range of foreign products and offering more purchase decision choices. Consumers are paying more attention to the origin of products as part of their evaluation and purchasing decision process (Bhuian, 1997;Ettenson & Klien, 1998; Katsanis & Thakor,1997). Given that giant Myer wants to expand their business in Australian market in the next three years, the management team must identify right strategies such as possible new sources of revenue and new market segments, to increase the revenue coming from current sources. In order to differentiate itself in a highly competitive market as well as generate revenue in many ways, understanding the key target markets will be very important as well as establishing a clear vision as to which direction the company should head to in the future. 2. Problem Statement & Research Objectives 2.1 Background information A recent survey by the accounting firm BDO (2014) revealed that Australian retailers are growing revenue slower than their international peers. Myer, as one of the many other traditional Australian retailers, is lagging behind its competitors in key financial measures, such as revenue growth and target market. Furthermore, there is an increasing growing trend and demand for imported products to Australia in the past five years (appendix 1), which can be attributed to the country-of-origin ...
Words: 2273 - Pages: 10
...Purchasing Centralized purchasing is when a company’s corporate office takes control of all the purchasing for the business. This allows for central management and volume purchases that lead to better prices and terms as well as the ability to work with larger suppliers. This central control enables more efficient inventory control, lower staffing costs and a decrease in overheads. Staff also benefit with better training and support and the ability to build better relationships with suppliers. Many large companies either have experienced quick growth through mergers and acquisitions, and they often have several separate purchasing departments that are each responsible for purchasing a group of products. In a company with a local purchasing structure, departments purchase their own materials and supplies with minimal oversight from corporate. Some companies adopt a hybrid structure, in which some classes of items are purchased centrally and some are purchased locally; or a spending limit is given, with local managers responsible for purchasing goods up to a certain dollar amount. There are advantages to both centralized and a local purchasing program. A centralized program allows for fewer overheads, there is no a longer duplication of staff and the purchasing procedures are standardized. Centralized purchasing may bring better pricing and discounts based on volumes and freight charges and handling may be reduced with better volumes and fewer deliveries. Buyers can...
Words: 1047 - Pages: 5
...Lease versus Purchase Ashley Neighbors, Kenterrian Hall, Chelsea Lester, FIN – 370 / Finance for Business September 15, 2014 Timothy Gould Lease versus Purchase Introduction There are many differences between leasing, purchasing, and having a maintenance agreement on equipment. When deciding which route to take one must consider price as well as look at all aspects in the process. Reviewing the additional problem at the end of chapter 27 of Basic Finance, comparing leasing versus purchasing, one can see the break down of each option to better understand which way will save more money as well as be more beneficial. Lease Management has decided to acquire a new asset that costs $200,000. The estimated economic life of the asset is five years, but the firm wants the use of the asset only for three years. If the firm purchases the asset, it anticipates selling it at the end of three years for $50,000. The firm may lease the asset for $55,000 a year paid at the end of each year. The lease does not include maintenance. It is estimated that annual maintenance initially will be $5,000, paid at the end of the year, but that cost will increase by $1,000 each year as the asset ages. Purchase The firm could purchase the asset with a five-year loan of $200,000. The loan will be retired in five payments of $40,000 unless the equipment is sold, in which case the loan must be paid off...
Words: 457 - Pages: 2
...United States exceeding $2.3 billion in revenues annually. It is also the employer of more than 2,500 employees. Iowa Elevators has recently experienced declining revenues over the past year as a primary result of drought conditions. Needless to say, the drought had a huge impact on crop production, hence setting in motion a need for change. Scott McBride, director of purchasing at Iowa Elevators, has been tasked with developing a plan to regain control of purchases made throughout the company in order to increase revenues and cut back on costs. With this in mind, Scott’s task was to develop and present a five year plan for the purchasing department. This plan would identify major issues in purchasing company wide, identify areas where cost could be cut. This would include reducing headcount, overhead expenses, and capital expenditure budgets. In Scott’s plan he would identify annual targets for achieving the reductions. Working with a team of acquisition specialists, sales representatives, and administrative offices, Scott began to work on a plan for cost reductions. Cathy, Scotts’ right hand purchasing analyst, began analyzing corporate spend which averaged $728 million with 20 of the 1,500 suppliers accounting for 45% of total spend and the top five represented 35%. This led to the perception of many things, including the ability to begin making cuts in supplier relations. Cathy designed a table which identified total purchases by category with farm supplies leading...
Words: 1255 - Pages: 6
...Situation: • Heather Sloman is one of the buyers in the purchasing department of the Southeastern University. o Report to her boss, Glen Meredith, about a new equipment purchase all purchases report to director, Blake Hyatt, • New equipment was purchased without following standard university purchasing polices. • Standard university purchasing procedures: o Submit a purchase request to purchasing department o Additional information may need to be added: such as tax, and duty status, product classification and supplier status o If purchase amount over $7500, at least two written quotations are required; if the amount over $15,000, three or more written quotation is required o Buyer prepares the request for quotation form (RFQ). o Any RFQs over $100,000 had to be posted on the internet. • Current situation: o Walter placed an equipment order that cost $14,000 o Other suppliers offered lower rate or better service plan for similar equipment: $10,000, $11,000 and $15,000 that included one year free service. BASIC ISSUES: 1) University personnel placed the order directly with supplier 2) About 275 cases were signed with suppliers without prior approval each year 3) Some employees often ignore university policy Tasks: • What should Heather do? o Should Heather keep the machine and pay for it? o Status quo • What are alternatives: o Can the equipment be returned? (avoiding...
Words: 515 - Pages: 3
