This is a practical guide to developing the skills, techniques and activities of the world class buyer. It is a highly accessible, step-by-step guide to buying and is invaluable to professional buyers seeking the competitive edge, as well as general managers who have a responsibility for buying and students seeking practical insight. Readers are guided from the absolute basics through a series of increasingly complicated situations, with frequent illustrations from real-world examples and case studies. The book traces the development of a typical buyer from running the consumables and catalogue purchasing desk throught to capital and production purchasing and finally begins to move into strategic and international buying. It is effectively a blueprint for becoming a world class buyer.