A strategic problem that is faced throughout all sectors of business management is without a doubt ethics and social responsibility. Just like other core sectors of a business the purchasing sector faces certain challenges in regards to implementing the ethics of socially responsible procurement.
Purchasing can play a huge role in issues relating to ethics and social responsibility when it comes to core key areas such as customers, labor, the environment and suppliers. These particular areas are those that implement challenges for procurement to be ethically and socially responsible.
Today businesses are obliged not just to sell their product but moreover sell themselves to endeavor an adequate image in the eyes of the public. (1. Zenz 1987). Customers constantly demand value for money which is why procurement personnel must make sure that this obligation is targeted in order to be socially responsible towards consumers. Value for money can be many things but most importantly delivering what is promised to customers without ripping them off. If a consumer can find the same product that you are marketing (company A) elsewhere by a different company(company B) at a significantly lower cost and of a higher quality then procurement officers at company A clearly is not providing value for money hence social responsibility. Alongside this better value for money in procurement can be attained by collaborating with other sectors to acquire the best prices and secure better discounts from bulk buying. Weele (2005)
Goods and services have a working life of countless years therefore implementing a call for insuring that they are cost effective throughout their working lifecycle is a necessity,
(2. Weele 2005 pg 294). In order to emp...
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...n to act as a team in order to deliver consumers what they demand ethically. In addition treat all personnel fairly, without any stereotypes or special personnel consideration.
To conclude it is in the best interest of an organization that procurement negotiations, activities and behavior maintain a significant result by implementing strategies that are moral and responsible.
REFERENCES
1) Zenz, G 1987, “Purchasing and the management of materials”, 6th ed, John Wiley & sons Inc. Canada.
2) Weele, A 2005, “Purchasing & supply chain management”, 4th ed, Thomson learning, Canada.
3) http://www.eprocurementscotland.com/toolkit/Textfiles/BusinessCase.htmn provision to ethics. (SPA 2006)
4) Coyle J.J & Bardi E.J. & Langley C.J. 2003, “The Management Of Business Logistics- A Supply Chain Perspective” 7th ed, Thomson Southwestern Learning, Louiseville, Canada
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Zanjirani F., Rezapour, S. & Kardar, L. (2011) Logistics operations and management concepts and models, 1st ed. London ; Elsevier.
Coyle, J., Langley, C., Gibson, B., Novack, R. and Bardi, E. (2008).Supply Chain Management: A Logistics Perspective. 8th ed. Cengage Learning, p.366.
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