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Purchasing and supply chain management

Our selection of books, articles, links and guides can help you with finding and managing suppliers, purchasing, managing stock and planning for supply chain disruption.
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Latest on purchasing and supply chain management

Read our latest features and articles on purchasing and supply chain management.
Why it pays to prepare for an economic crisis
  • Article
  • 04 May 2022
The Ukraine conflict highlights how unpredictable global risks can be. In this environment, it helps to plan for the worst. Abigail Harper suggests six key areas of focus.
How accountants should combat the rising cybercrime threat
  • Article
  • 29 Apr 2022
Almost half of organisations have been victims of fraud over the last 24 months, according to analysis by PwC. ICAEW’s tech experts highlight some of the tools around to help accountants counter the growing cyber threat.
Levelling Up: how SMEs can work with local authorities
  • Article
  • 19 Apr 2022
The government is urging local authorities to harness the social power of SMEs in their areas. Which measures will help procurement teams and small suppliers strike up winning relationships?
The evolving role of accountants in tackling global issues
  • Article
  • 05 Apr 2022
Academic research highlights three areas where accountants need to think and behave differently if they are to lead the way in addressing sustainability and human rights challenges.
Government handling of COVID-19 testing contracts criticised
  • Article
  • 30 Mar 2022
NAO says the procurement process for awarding Randox Laboratories the contracts was “inadequate”.
Ukraine crisis: the supply chain impacts
  • Article
  • 25 Mar 2022
The conflict in Ukraine has created a number of challenges for manufacturers, from rising prices and availability of raw materials to keeping abreast of the latest sanctions.
Liz Barclay assesses late payment issues ahead of rule change
  • Article
  • 18 Mar 2022
Ahead of incoming rules requiring businesses to pay 90% of invoices within 60 days, the Small Business Commissioner reports on attempts to tackle late payments in the UK.
EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence draft directive adopted
  • Article
  • 02 Mar 2022
Controversial proposals will impose new obligations on companies active in the EU on how they monitor and operate in their supply chains, alongside new duties for directors.
Read more

Webinars

How to increase budgetary impact without spending more money
  • Webinar
  • 16 Nov 2021
This webinar will focus on some of the key procurement practices and mindsets essential for getting maximum value and reliability from your suppliers.
Are your procurement activities adding value in 2021 and beyond?
  • Webinar
  • 19 Feb 2021
This webinar explores the latest innovations in procurement and supply chains, and how to drive and improve your performance.
5144 reasons you should take the Modern Slavery Act seriously
  • Webinar
  • 01 Dec 2020
Nick Wildgoose, a supply chain risk management expert, provides a brief background on the Act itself and international context and potential developments.
Supply chain assurance in the retail sector
  • Webinar
  • 16 Oct 2020
Abigail Harper talks through a risk-based approach to providing supply chain assurance within the retail sector.
What happens when everything generates data?
  • Webinar
  • 21 Apr 2020
The internet of things, where sensors are integrated into many kinds of objects, is growing rapidly. This webinar explores how finance professionals can take advantage of this powerful technology.
Coronavirus impacts on supply chain and financial performance (COVID-19)
  • Webinar
  • 27 Mar 2020
This online resource, created by the ICAEW Business and Management Faculty, looks at the evolving situation and its implications from a supply chain perspective as well as what you can do now to protect yourself from the impact on business performance.
Reducing the risk of supply chain fraud
  • Webinar
  • 09 May 2018
This webinar goes through practical steps to reduce the likelihood of your business suffering from supply chain fraud.
More webinars

Business press

The Library provides access to leading business, finance and management journals. These journals are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users subject to suppliers' terms of use.
Exclusive The risks facing the CFO
  • 01 Mar 2022
  • Frank Manzi, Mark Martinelli
  • CPA Journal
Article exploring some of the business risks from ongoing challenges such as newly unfolding economic events, a remote workforce and supply chain disruptions, as well as consumer expectations. The authors look at the role that a CFO plays in identifying and developing effective enterprise risk management practices.
Exclusive Rethinking how to grow a small business
  • 01 Jan 2022
  • Christopher Johnson
  • Strategic Finance
The right finance strategies will help your business be more resilient in the face of challenging market conditions. Christopher Johnson notes some possible adjustments, including rethinking your working capital, protecting cash flow, diversifying your sources of lending, asking your lender the right questions and considering equipment financing.
Exclusive Helping retailers go that extra mile
  • 01 Jan 2022
  • Maev Martin
  • Checkout
Buymie co-founder and CEO Devan Hughes shares his view of the online grocery retail market in Ireland and outlines buymie's strategy for growth in Ireland and the UK.
Exclusive Procurement's new charter
  • 01 Jul 2021
  • Alex Yakubovich
  • Strategic Finance
Procurement teams are moving beyond cost containment to better manage risk, support business agility, maintain supply continuity, and seize opportunities for supplier-driven innovation. Many teams are fast-tracking initiatives such as automating their procurement process and digitizing more supplier information.
Exclusive Data warehouse storage: has the cloud made on-premises obsolete?
  • 04 May 2021
  • Antony Adshead
  • Computer Weekly
Article looks at how the development of cloud services has matured to the level where data warehousing provision is an obvious next step to store an organisation's data lake.
Exclusive Supply pain
  • 01 Apr 2021
  • Russ Banham
  • CFO
The onset of the pandemic reduced the global flow of goods. But when demand suddenly snapped back, supply chains proved less resilient. The article looks at some possible supply-chain solutions for CFOs to implement.

Articles and books in the Library collection

The collection of the ICAEW Library & Information Service includes a range of articles, books and reports on purchasing and supply chain management. Use the links below to see what we have available in our Library catalogue (Libcat).
Fundamentals of risk management: understanding, evaluating and implementing effective risk management
  • 2018
  • P.Hopkin
  • Kogan Page
A comprehensive introduction to commercial and business risk for students and risk professionals. It provides a full analysis of the changes in contemporary risk areas including supply chain, cyber risk, risk culture and appetite, improvements in risk management documentation and statutory risk reporting.

To find out how you can borrow books from the Library please see our guide to borrowing books.

You can obtain copies of articles or extracts of books and reports through our document supply service.

External resources - Atom Content Marketing guides

Essential guide to purchasing
  • Atom Content Marketing
A guide to business purchasing. Effective purchasing helps you control costs and can significantly improve margins and profits. Your purchasing choices also have an impact on the quality of your own products or services and on your cash flow.
Cost control
  • Atom Content Marketing
A guide to cost control for your business. Cutting costs is the simplest way to improve your bottom line. Introducing a cost control system can bring immediate savings and make sure that you remain competitive in the longer term.
Select and negotiate with suppliers
  • Atom Content Marketing
A guide to selecting and negotiating with suppliers. Selecting the right suppliers makes a major difference to the cost and quality of your firm's products and services, especially when your company is expanding.
Financing equipment
  • Atom Content Marketing
A guide to hiring or leasing equipment for your business. Hiring or leasing equipment is one way of making your working capital go further. Instead of paying out up front, you spread your payments over a set period.
Car finance
  • Atom Content Marketing
A guide to arranging car finance for your business. If you have decided to invest or reinvest in cars for your business, raising the money is unlikely to be a problem. Provided you have the cash for the deposit and a reasonable credit record, any dealer will arrange terms.
Terms of use

ICAEW accepts no responsibility for the content on any site to which a hypertext link from this site exists. The links are provided 'as is' with no warranty, express or implied, for the information provided within them. Please see the full copyright and disclaimer notice.

External resources - organisations and reports

CDP Global Supply Chain Report 2019/20
  • CDP
Annual CDP report looking at large companies and their efforts to create sustainable supply chains. It explores which environmental actions buyers should consider integrating into purchasing processes when looking to reduce risk, drive environmental action and meet public commitments.
International Federation of Purchasing and Supply Management (IFPSM)
  • International Federation of Purchasing and Supply Management (IFPSM)
Federation of national and regional purchasing associations. The body provides a blog and news articles.
Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS)
  • Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS)
Professional body representing individuals and organisations in the field of purchasing and supply chain management. Resources on the website include supply management models (member-only), CIPS Risk and Resilience Assessment Tool, document templates and glossary of procurement terms.
Creating resilient supply chains: a practical guide
  • Cranfield University School of Management
This 2003 Cranfield University School of Management report provides insight and practical tools to assist managers in improving the resilience of their organisation's supply chain networks. The report was accompanied by Understanding Supply Chain Risk: A Self-Assessment Workbook, which provides model worksheets to assist companies in identifying and planning for vulnerability and resilience in their supply chains.
BCI Supply Chain Resilience Report 2021
  • Business Continuity Institute
Report from the Business Continuity Institute, exploring trends in logistics and supply chain management. Requires free registration to access.
Terms of use

ICAEW accepts no responsibility for the content on any site to which a hypertext link from this site exists. The links are provided 'as is' with no warranty, express or implied, for the information provided within them. Please see the full copyright and disclaimer notice.

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