Innovations in Procurement Management.

Fellow academic researchers have long been able to count on Andrew Cox to disseminate the latest insights into the rapidly evolving purchasing and supply management profession in a timely fashion. This book clearly adds to his impressive accomplishments in this area, offering an invaluable update on our discipline. The book grew out of a decision taken at the 4th Annual International Purchasing and Supply Educational Research Association (IPSERA) Conference, held in Birmingham, UK, in April 1995. At this occasion, "the editor and theme chairs decided that, since there was a growing academic and practitioner interest in the theoretical and methodological issues confronting the embryonic discipline of purchasing and supply management, we should bring together in one volume those papers which best described the revolution which was taking place in the profession as a whole." From the 53 papers presented at the conference, they selected 14 which they felt "best captured the innovations that were challenging current theoretical (academic) and practical (practitioner) certainties." The result is a volume filled with 18 chapters that are spell-binding and thought-provoking.

In accordance with the structure of the underlying conference, the book is divided into three parts, following an introductory chapter:

A. Manufacturing and Production Procurement

B. Service and Manufacturing Procurement

C. Public Sector and Regulated Procurement

As one might have suspected, given their respective inclinations to write and present papers, academics outnumber practitioners 2 to 1 among the distinguished list of 24 contributors.

Each part begins with a comprehensive overview of the respective area from the perspective of the theme chair. This is followed by a number of chapters addressing specific provocative issues within the particular theme.