- Locate suppliers, using sources such as catalogs and the internet, and interview them to gather information about products to be ordered.
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- Research and evaluate suppliers, based on price, quality, selection, service, support, availability, reliability, production and distribution capabilities, and the supplier's reputation and history.
- Review catalogs, industry periodicals, directories, trade journals, and Internet sites and consult with other department personnel to locate necessary goods and services.
- Monitor and follow applicable laws and regulations.
- Prepare purchase orders, solicit bid proposals, and review requisitions for goods and services.
- Negotiate, renegotiate, and administer contracts with suppliers, vendors, and other representatives.
- Purchase the highest quality merchandise at the lowest possible price and in correct amounts.
- Analyze price proposals, financial reports, and other data and information to determine reasonable prices.
- Formulate policies and procedures for bid proposals and procurement of goods and services.
- Hire, train, or supervise purchasing clerks, buyers, and expediters.
- Maintain and review computerized or manual records of purchased items, costs, deliveries, product performance, and inventories.
- Confer with staff, users, and vendors to discuss defective or unacceptable goods or services and determine corrective action.
- Evaluate and monitor contract performance to ensure compliance with contractual obligations and to determine need for changes.
- Monitor shipments to ensure that goods come in on time, and resolve problems related to undelivered goods.
- Study sales records and inventory levels of current stock to develop strategic purchasing programs that facilitate employee access to supplies.
- Write and review product specifications, maintaining a working technical knowledge of the goods or services to be purchased.
- Monitor changes affecting supply and demand, tracking market conditions, price trends, or futures markets.
- Interview vendors and visit suppliers' plants and distribution centers to examine and learn about products, services, and prices.
- Arrange the payment of duty and freight charges.
- Attend meetings, trade shows, conferences, conventions, and seminars to network with people in other purchasing departments.
- Research and evaluate suppliers, based on price, quality, selection, service, support, availability, reliability, production and distribution capabilities, and the supplier's reputation and history.
- Review catalogs, industry periodicals, directories, trade journals, and Internet sites and consult with other department personnel to locate necessary goods and services.
- Contact carriers for rates or schedules.
- Contact potential vendors to determine material availability.
- Maintain databases of logistics information.
- Remotely monitor the flow of vehicles or inventory, using Web-based logistics information systems to track vehicles or containers.
- Communicate with or monitor service providers, such as ocean carriers, air freight forwarders, global consolidators, customs brokers, or trucking companies.
- Track product flow from origin to final delivery.
- Interpret data on logistics elements, such as availability, maintainability, reliability, supply chain management, strategic sourcing or distribution, supplier management, or transportation.
- Recommend improvements to existing or planned logistics processes.
- Apply analytic methods or tools to understand, predict, or control logistics operations or processes.
- Prepare reports on logistics performance measures.
- Enter logistics-related data into databases.
- Provide ongoing analyses in areas such as transportation costs, parts procurement, back orders, or delivery processes.
- Analyze logistics data, using methods such as data mining, data modeling, or cost or benefit analysis.
- Monitor inventory transactions at warehouse facilities to assess receiving, storage, shipping, or inventory integrity.
- Maintain logistics records in accordance with corporate policies.
- Manage systems to ensure that pricing structures adequately reflect logistics costing.
- Confer with logistics management teams to determine ways to optimize service levels, maintain supply-chain efficiency, or minimize cost.
- Compute reporting metrics, such as on-time delivery rates, order fulfillment rates, or inventory turns.
- Identify opportunities for inventory reductions.
- Review procedures, such as distribution or inventory management, to ensure maximum efficiency or minimum cost.
- Develop or maintain models for logistics uses, such as cost estimating or demand forecasting.
- Monitor industry standards, trends, or practices to identify developments in logistics planning or execution.
- Write or revise standard operating procedures for logistics processes.
- Reorganize shipping schedules to consolidate loads, maximize vehicle usage, or limit the movement of empty vehicles or containers.
- Develop or maintain payment systems to ensure accuracy of vendor payments.
- Develop or maintain freight rate databases for use by supply chain departments to determine the most economical modes of transportation.
- Route or reroute drivers in real time with remote route navigation software, satellite linkup systems, or global positioning systems (GPS) to improve operational efficiencies.
- Determine packaging requirements.
- Enter carbon-output or environmental-impact data into spreadsheets or environmental management or auditing software programs.
- Compare locations or environmental policies of carriers or suppliers to make transportation decisions with lower environmental impact.
- Arrange for sale or lease of excess storage or transport capacity to minimize losses or inefficiencies associated with empty space.
- Contact carriers for rates or schedules.
- Contact potential vendors to determine material availability.
- Identify or procure needed resources to implement sustainability programs or projects.
- Develop sustainability project goals, objectives, initiatives, or strategies in collaboration with other sustainability professionals.
- Monitor or track sustainability indicators, such as energy usage, natural resource usage, waste generation, and recycling.
- Assess or propose sustainability initiatives, considering factors such as cost effectiveness, technical feasibility, and acceptance.
- Provide technical or administrative support for sustainability programs or issues.
- Review and revise sustainability proposals or policies.
- Develop reports or presentations to communicate the effectiveness of sustainability initiatives.
- Create or maintain plans or other documents related to sustainability projects.
- Collect information about waste stream management or green building practices to inform decision makers.
- Research or review regulatory, technical, or market issues related to sustainability.
- Identify or investigate violations of natural resources, waste management, recycling, or other environmental policies.
- Identify or create new sustainability indicators.
- Create marketing or outreach media, such as brochures or Web sites, to communicate sustainability issues, procedures, or objectives.
- Write grant applications, rebate applications, or project proposals to secure funding for sustainability projects.
- Identify or procure needed resources to implement sustainability programs or projects.
- Collaborate with vendors to obtain or develop desired products.
- Buy merchandise or commodities for resale to wholesale or retail consumers.
- Negotiate prices, discount terms, or transportation arrangements with suppliers.
- Examine, select, order, or purchase merchandise consistent with quality, quantity, specification requirements, or other factors, such as environmental soundness.
- Recommend mark-up rates, mark-down rates, or merchandise selling prices.
- Obtain information about customer needs or preferences by conferring with sales or purchasing personnel.
- Authorize payment of invoices or return of merchandise.
- Monitor and analyze sales records, trends, or economic conditions to anticipate consumer buying patterns, company sales, and needed inventory.
- Inspect merchandise or products to determine quality, value, or yield.
- Conduct sales meetings to introduce new merchandise.
- Consult with store or merchandise managers about budgets or goods to be purchased.
- Provide clerks with information to print on price tags, such as price, mark-ups or mark-downs, manufacturer number, season code, or style number.
- Train or supervise sales or clerical staff.
- Determine which products should be featured in advertising, the advertising medium to be used, or when the ads should be run.
- Monitor competitors' sales activities by following their advertisements in newspapers or other media.
- Analyze environmental aspects of competing merchandise when making buying decisions.
- Compare transportation options to determine the most energy-efficient options.
- Develop strategies to advertise green products or merchandise to consumers.
- Identify opportunities to buy green commodities, such as alternative energy, water, or carbon-neutral products for resale to consumers.
- Monitor consumer preferences or environmental trends to determine the best way to introduce new green products.
- Collaborate with vendors to obtain or develop desired products.
- Contact motel, hotel, resort, and travel operators to obtain current advertising literature.
- Examine passenger documentation to determine destinations and to assign boarding passes.
- Trace lost, delayed, or misdirected baggage for customers.
- Check baggage and cargo and direct passengers to designated locations for loading.
- Provide boarding or disembarking assistance to passengers needing special assistance.
- Confer with customers to determine their service requirements and travel preferences.
- Announce arrival and departure information, using public address systems.
- Determine whether space is available on travel dates requested by customers, assigning requested spaces when available.
- Assemble and issue required documentation, such as tickets, travel insurance policies, or itineraries.
- Maintain computerized inventories of available passenger space and provide information on space reserved or available.
- Inform clients of essential travel information, such as travel times, transportation connections, or medical and visa requirements.
- Answer inquiries regarding information, such as schedules, accommodations, procedures, or policies.
- Plan routes, itineraries, and accommodation details, and compute fares and fees, using schedules, rate books, and computers.
- Make and confirm reservations for transportation and accommodations, using telephones, faxes, mail, and computers.
- Keep information facilities clean during operation.
- Provide clients with assistance in preparing required travel documents and forms.
- Prepare customer invoices and accept payment.
- Open or close information facilities.
- Provide customers with travel suggestions and information sources, such as guides, directories, brochures, or maps.
- Contact customers or travel agents to advise them of travel conveyance changes or to confirm reservations.
- Promote particular destinations, tour packages, and other travel services.
- Contact motel, hotel, resort, and travel operators to obtain current advertising literature.
- Investigate sources, such as auctions, estate sales, liquidators, wholesalers, or trade shows for new items, used items, or collectibles.
- Fill customer orders by packaging sold items and documentation for direct shipping or by transferring orders to manufacturers or third-party distributors.
- Receive and process payments from customers, using electronic transaction services.
- Create, manage, or automate orders or invoices, using order management or invoicing software.
- Deliver e-mail confirmation of completed transactions and shipment.
- Correspond with online customers via electronic mail, telephone, or other electronic messaging to address questions or complaints about products, policies, or shipping methods.
- Purchase new or used items from online or physical sources for resale via retail or auction Web site.
- Determine and set product prices.
- Calculate purchase subtotals, taxes, and shipping costs for submission to customers.
- Compose descriptions of merchandise for posting to online storefront, auction sites, or other shopping Web sites.
- Compose images of products, using video or still cameras, lighting equipment, props, or photo or video editing software.
- Upload digital media, such as photos, video, or scanned images to online storefront, auction sites, or other shopping Web sites.
- Calculate revenue, sales, and expenses, using financial accounting or spreadsheet software.
- Cancel orders based on customer requests or inventory or delivery problems.
- Prepare or organize online storefront marketing material, including product descriptions or subject lines, optimizing content to search engine criteria.
- Order or purchase merchandise to maintain optimal inventory levels.
- Determine location for product listings to maximize exposure to online traffic.
- Create or maintain database of customer accounts.
- Promote products in online communities through weblog or discussion-forum postings, e-mail marketing programs, or online advertising.
- Collaborate with search engine shopping specialists to place marketing content in desired online locations.
- Investigate products or markets to determine areas for opportunity or viability for merchandising specific products, using online or offline sources.
- Maintain inventory of shipping supplies, such as boxes, labels, tape, bubble wrap, loose packing materials, or tape guns.
- Measure and analyze Web site usage data to maximize search engine returns or refine customer interfaces.
- Develop or revise business plans for online business, emphasizing factors such as product line, pricing, inventory, or marketing strategy.
- Disclose merchant information and terms and policies of transactions in online or offline materials.
- Design customer interface of online storefront, using web programming or e-commerce software.
- Select and purchase technical web services, such as web hosting services, online merchant accounts, shopping cart software, payment gateway software, or spyware.
- Transfer digital media, such as music, video, or software, to customers via the Internet.
- Devise, select, or purchase domain name and web address.
- Initiate online auctions through auction hosting sites or auction management software.
- Implement security practices to preserve assets, minimize liabilities, or ensure customer privacy, using parallel servers, hardware redundancy, fail-safe technology, information encryption, or firewalls.
- Participate in online forums or conferences to stay abreast of online retailing trends, techniques, or security threats.
- Integrate online retailing strategy with physical or catalogue retailing operations.
- Create or distribute offline promotional material, such as brochures, pamphlets, business cards, stationary, or signage.
- Investigate sources, such as auctions, estate sales, liquidators, wholesalers, or trade shows for new items, used items, or collectibles.
