21 January 2010

By David Burt, Sheila Petcavage & Richard Pinkerton, McGraw Hill, £45.99

Predominantly written in text book style, this volume provides a detailed overview of most traditional supply management areas. It is aimed at junior professionals and those looking to acquire professional status, but would be a good reference for anyone wishing to revisit certain practices.

The book begins by covering foundation areas such as supply management’s organisational fit and managing internal relationships, then moves through sourcing and cost management, to managing contracts and managing materials.

The final chapter promises to introduce a new level of supply management called Value Network Management (VNM) that embraces collaborative supplier relationships to deliver real contributions. In this section, the book’s style shifts to the pseudo-biography of a VP of supply management at a fictitious company called Megatronics. The chapter tracks through three years of progress and joins together the theories discussed in the earlier chapters.

Although the change in style makes the last chapter an easier read, I would question whether VNM is anything more than what any good procurement organisation is doing right now, and not the brave new world the authors promise.

The book is US focused, which limits its relevance. Sustainability, one of the biggest issues within our profession, was afforded only four lines of text. Either the issue is not the driver in US decision-making that it is in the UK, or the authors had neglected to update themselves sufficiently to understand and comment on the issue.

Chris Graves, account director – corporate services, Atkins