Describe how the purchasing function and the evolution of supply management has changed over the last 20 years (1995 - 2015)?
Purchasing in the mid 90’s began as a process used to carry out an organization’s mission within the workplace. Since then, the purchasing function has grown to include supply management used largely throughout the world. Early on when the purchasing process was identified and defined, people began to notice that the acquisition of goods and services was more difficult than expected. The knowledge of the purchasing function evolved within organizations and created an environment that incorporated more undertakings such as managing, stocking, and budgeting for those goods and services being acquired.

Based on your research and readings, discuss how Supply Management and in particular Supply Chain Management benefits organizations in the public and private sectors.
Supply Chain Management assists both the public and private sectors by increasing sales, reducing costs and creating a better quality of life for all parties involved (Helms). An organizations budget will be primarily disbursed to make purchases to generate inventory within itself. If an organization is able to control/decrease their spending, sales will most likely increase considerably. By strategically managing purchases and practicing operational efficiency will help largely to reduce costs and in turn build revenue.

What are the salient factors that contribute to the successful implementation of a supply chain management initiative?
In order for an organization to be able to successfully implement supply chain management, they must have a sound business vision and a clear mission goal. By starting off with these two things, an organization should be able to identify where they stand and pinpoint where they want to be in the future. In being able to identify