Gyöngyi Vörösmarty

Motivations Behind Sustainable Purchasing

Sustainability issues in purchasing are receiving greater attention. Literature is rapidly growing, with several research programmes being initiated to investigate the topic. This study presents the results of a research project which aims to reveal and structure the motivating forces leading companies to make efforts in sustainability purchasing and the means used to attain achievements in some fields of sustainability. Results presented in the literature are scattered in terms of the fields of sustainability: most of the studies focus only on green or corporate social responsibility issues and there is a lack of exploratory models. Sustainability in purchasing is addressed in a comprehensive way including green, social responsibility and corporate growth issues. After presenting the results of a literature review, theoretical development was undertaken to create a framework in which it is possible to describe the means of sustainability applied and the motivating forces behind them. This framework serves as the basis for an empirical investigation among Hungarian companies. Empirical results confirm the usefulness of the theoretical framework: the number and the characteristics of sustainability activities were determined by the particular types of motivation – to avoid negative effects, to achieve compliance with expectations and to attain positive effects.

Evaluating green suppliers: improving supplier performance with DEA in the presence of incomplete data

Abstract The role of the supplier and relationship management with the supply base in purchasing is increasingly appreciated. This highlights the importance of pre- and post-qualification data, and the need for the focus to shift from selection to rating and mapping opportunities for development in the process of relationship management. From a decision-theory perspective, this means that suppliers need to be informed about how specific performance indicators should be improved to increase their prospects of qualifying for selection. From the supply management point of view, it is important that the efficiency of suppliers is increased to the level at which criteria are met. We employ a DEA model to parameterize the related data, making it treatable using fuzzy or interval DEA models. The problems associated with missing and imprecise data in such models can also be solved using parametric linear programming. However, this approach means that technology coefficients are also parameterized, for which good analytical solutions are lacking. We therefore approach the problem using simulation.

Information reception and processing in purchasing a comparison of public and private sector purchasing

Among the required skills of purchasers, communication is one of the most frequently mentioned ones. Information reception and processing are important elements of this skill. This paper focuses on how and through what channels purchasers process inputs and how they understand them. The literature revealed that there are differences in tasks between the two sectors, but differences in communication have not yet been addressed. Based on a survey among purchasers, the paper finds private sector purchasers tend to be more creative, more open to teamwork and more visual, while public purchasers tend to focus on facts and on proved solutions. Furthermore, they are more verbal than private sector purchasers. The results indicate that differences between private and public purchasing cultures stem from the task features of the two sectors, and from different personal skill sets. The results have strong relevance for organisations focusing on the training of purchasers.