1.Rebecca Sperry Mar 29, 2020Mar 29 at 5:52pm Manage Discussion Entry When thinking of purchasing and buying, one may think that the terms mean the same thing. Purchasing, however, is significantly different from buying in that the process refers to buying specific goods or services that will be used by the organization (Benton, 2014). Conversely, buying refers to “procuring items for resale” (Benton, 2014, p. 141). The typical steps in the purchasing cycle are as followed: 1. Identifying the need 2. Specify how much and when the product is needed by 3. Write the purchase order 4. Obtain financial approval 5. Research suppliers 6. Chose the supplier 7. Establish price and terms 8. Place the order 9. Receive the order 10. Approve and pay 11. Update inventory (Purchasing & Procurement Center, n.d) Last year, I was involved in an RFP process to determine a new vendor for our relocation program. Each of the steps listed above were apparent throughout the process. The need for the new vendor came from declining service from our then current vendor. We determined that we wanted the new vendor to start providing service in the first quarter of 2020. Relocation vendors were researched and after presentations, a new vendor was identified. The new vendor then supplied a contract with SLA’s and pricing. Once the contract was approved, the vendor started providing the services. Through this process, I worked with a procurement manager. She used software called Scout to research vendors, initiate the RFP, and collect responses. The software was helpful in making the process easier and more efficient. Reference: Benton, W.C. Jr. (2014). Purchasing and supply chain management (3rd ed.). Retrieved from https://www.redshelf.com (Links to an external site.) Purchasing & Procurement Center, n.d. Steps to purchasing cycle – standard & tender process. Retrieve from https://www.purchasing-procurement-center.com/purchasing-cycle.html 2.Taly Hernandez Mar 30, 2020Mar 30 at 5:15pm Manage Discussion Entry Benton (2014) stated, "A typical purchasing department is responsible for the acquisition of a broad range of materials and supplies. Depending on the sales volume, the number of employees, and the functional sophistication, the purchasing activities can be either complex or simple." (P.139)   The steps in the conventional purchasing cycle are as follows: · Recognizing the Need · Specifying the exact need · Determine Source Options · Investigating applicable pricing and terms · Choose the supplier · Create Purchase Order/ Requisition and send for approval · Place Order · Receive and Document the order · Approve Invoices and Pay · Verify that PO has been closed in system used (Record Maintenance) The main difference between buying and purchasing is that buying is considered more of an informal general term. It is most commonly related to everyday goods, services, and commodities. Purchasing is much more formal and process-driven. It is often used to refer to larger .

1. 1.Rebecca Sperry
Mar 29, 2020Mar 29 at 5:52pm
Manage Discussion Entry
When thinking of purchasing and buying, one may think that the
terms mean the same thing. Purchasing, however, is
significantly different from buying in that the process refers to
buying specific goods or services that will be used by the
organization (Benton, 2014). Conversely, buying refers to
“procuring items for resale” (Benton, 2014, p. 141). The typical
steps in the purchasing cycle are as followed:
1. Identifying the need
2. Specify how much and when the product is needed by
3. Write the purchase order
4. Obtain financial approval
5. Research suppliers
6. Chose the supplier
7. Establish price and terms
8. Place the order
9. Receive the order
10. Approve and pay
11. Update inventory
(Purchasing & Procurement Center, n.d)
Last year, I was involved in an RFP process to determine a new
vendor for our relocation program. Each of the steps listed
above were apparent throughout the process. The need for the
new vendor came from declining service from our then current
vendor. We determined that we wanted the new vendor to start
providing service in the first quarter of 2020. Relocation
vendors were researched and after presentations, a new vendor
was identified. The new vendor then supplied a contract with
SLA’s and pricing. Once the contract was approved, the vendor
started providing the services.
Through this process, I worked with a procurement manager.
She used software called Scout to research vendors, initiate the

2. RFP, and collect responses. The software was helpful in making
the process easier and more efficient.
Reference:
Benton, W.C. Jr. (2014). Purchasing and supply chain
management (3rd ed.). Retrieved
from https://www.redshelf.com (Links to an external site.)
Purchasing & Procurement Center, n.d. Steps to purchasing
cycle – standard & tender process. Retrieve
from https://www.purchasing-procurement-
center.com/purchasing-cycle.html
2.Taly Hernandez
Mar 30, 2020Mar 30 at 5:15pm
Manage Discussion Entry
Benton (2014) stated, "A typical purchasing department is
responsible for the acquisition of a broad range of materials and
supplies. Depending on the sales volume, the number of
employees, and the functional sophistication, the purchasing
activities can be either complex or simple." (P.139)
The steps in the conventional purchasing cycle are as follows:
· Recognizing the Need
· Specifying the exact need
· Determine Source Options
· Investigating applicable pricing and terms
· Choose the supplier
· Create Purchase Order/ Requisition and send for approval
· Place Order
· Receive and Document the order
· Approve Invoices and Pay
· Verify that PO has been closed in system used (Record
Maintenance)
The main difference between buying and purchasing is that
buying is considered more of an informal general term. It is
most commonly related to everyday goods, services, and
commodities. Purchasing is much more formal and process-

3. driven. It is often used to refer to larger products which mostly
require contracts and agreements.
From my professional experience, the purchases I make are for
Capital Request, and floorcare machinery, these must all go
through a more complicated process. Companies are given
bidding opportunities to ensure the best price options,
agreements are made, and contracts signed. The regular
operational items I obtain are more of a buying experience; they
occur month to month and are a part of my department's regular
functional workday.
A piece of technology my institution has used to streamline the
purchasing process is a system called Lawson. This system
allows a Procurement Specialist like myself to enter all manual
orders and will enable me to buy our weekly supplies. These
orders are electronically sent and approved and sent out to the
various vendors for processing and delivery. This system also
acts as a monitoring and bookkeeping system and can be used to
look up any information needed and even run reports to track
the usage of products. This system is only used for operational
buying; all capital purchases are still produced in paper form.
Benton, W.C. Jr. (2014). Purchasing and supply chain
management (3rd ed.). Retrieved
from https://www.redshelf.com (Links to an external site.):
3.Timothy Mccranie
Mar 21, 2020Mar 21 at 5:06am
Manage Discussion Entry
In the world of global marketing, the focus in most firms is to
improve how they manage the manufacturing operations. Just in
Time (JIT) purchasing process is a cost accounting purchasing
strategy in which goods are purchased and delivered to the
manufacturer at the very moment of need to meet the customer
demand. The process is all about the management of materials
and the elimination of all waste and to enhance continuous
improvement (Benton, 2014).

4. Just in Time not only applies manufacturing improvements, but
in the purchasing functions as well. Manufacturing firms can
reduce order quantities by reducing setup times, simpler product
designs, and maintaining less quantities of raw materials.
Previously a manufacturing firm would order enough raw
materials to suffice for several months of manufacturing, but in
JIT they have reduced the need to maintain such large
quantities.
Another JIT purchasing benefit is that of high quality of
incoming materials. Benton (2014), “In order to eliminate the
associated receiving inspection cost, a very high emphasis is
placed on the quality of incoming materials under the JIT
system” (p. 127). Less time and money is spent on initial
inspections of raw materials which also results is less wastes.
Benton (2014) identifies examples such as Dell and Hewlett-
Packard who have made JIT time work for them (p. 130).
Projects taken on by them is to develop relationships with their
suppliers with the emphasis on partnerships rather than
impatient demands (Benton, 2014). Keeping and open and
honest relationship with suppliers will reduce complications and
increase corporation with suppliers. A better relationship fosters
improved product quality and costs.
Project managers need the knowledge of JIT because it allows
the organization to stand out from the competition by sustaining
their competitive edge. Focusing on produce quality is no
longer good enough and the customer is becoming more
demanding for better customer service and it important to the
organization to provide good marketplace timing and superior
customer service (Kazak and Choi, 2009).
References
Benton, W.C. Jr. (2014). Purchasing and supply chain
management (3rd ed.). Retrieved from
https://www.redshelf.com
Kazak, K. and Choi, W. (2009). Improving Customer Service
through Just-in-Time Distribution. Baltic Business School at the
University of Kalmar. Retrieved from

5. file:///C:/Users/stmcc/AppData/Local/Temp/FULLTEXT01-
1.pdf
4.Rebecca Sperry
Mar 25, 2020Mar 25 at 7:26pm
Manage Discussion Entry
A concept that was born out of Japanese success in innovated
manufacturing, the just-in-time (JIT) system is used “to manage
the flow of materials, components, tools, and associated
information (Benton, 2014, p. 118). JIT is based on the premise
of eliminating waste and the pursuit of continuous improvement
(Benton, 2014). As global markets continue to grow, JIT has
found success in popular manufactures such as Harley-Davidson
and Hewlett-Packard (Benton, 2014). When using JIT principles
in purchasing, benefits such as reduced inventory levels,
decreased cost, and higher customer satisfaction can be realized
(Benton, 2104).
Understanding JIT and why it is important to organizations
today should be important to a project manager because sound
purchasing strategy can significantly contribute to the overall
strategy of the success of the business (Benton,2014). Our text
provides the example of how Southwest Airlines used JIT to
efficiently turn-around their flights by making certain that they
use the correct size aircraft and orchestrate a smooth team effort
(Benton, 2014). More flights equal more customers, which
equals more money to the bottom line of the business.
Resource:
Benton, W.C. Jr. (2014). Purchasing and supply chain
management (3rd ed.). Retrieved
from https://www.redshelf.com

7. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DISASTER RECOVERY
PLAN
Revision History
Revision
Change
Date
Official copies of the document are available at the following
locations:
· Department of Information Technology Office
· Office and home of the Chief Information Officer
(
8

8. )Contents
Revision History 1
Official copies of the document are available at the following
locations: 1
Contents 2
Section 1: Introduction 3
Section 2: Scope 3
Section 3: Assumptions 3
Section 4: Definitions 3
Section 5: Teams 3
5.0.1Incident Commander 3
5.0.2Incident Command Team 3
5.1 Datacenter Recovery Team 3
5.2 Desktop, Lab, and Classroom Recovery Team 4
5.3 Enterprise Systems Recovery Team 4
5.4 Infrastructure and Web Recovery Team 4
5.5 Telecommunications, Network, and Internet Services
Recovery Team 4
Section 6: Recovery Preparations 5
6.1 Data Recovery Information: 5
6.2 Central Datacenter and Server Recovery Information: 5
6.3 Network and Telecommunication Recovery Information: 5
6.4 Application Recovery Information: 5
6.5 Desktop Equipment Recovery Information: 5
Section 7: Disaster Recovery Processes and Procedures 5
7.1 Emergency Response: 5
7.2 Incident Command Team:5
7.3 Disaster Recovery Teams: 5
7.4 General System/Application Recovery Procedures/Outline:
5
8.0 Network & Telecommunication Recovery Guidelines: 7
Appendix A. IT Contact List 7
Appendix B. Crisis Management Team Contact List7
Appendix C: IT Recovery Priority List 7
C.1 IT Infrastructure Priorities: 7
C.2 IT System Priorities: 8

9. C.3 Consortium, Outsourced, and Cloud-based IT System
Priorities: 8
C.4 IT Facility Priorities 9
Appendix D: Vendor Information 9
Appendix E: Disaster Recovery Signoff Sheet 10
Section 1: Introduction
Provide an introduction to the company/situation...
A copy of this plan is stored in the following areas:
· Department of Information Technology Office
· Office and home of the Chief Information Officer
Section 2: Scope
Determine/explain the scope of this plan.
Section 3: Assumptions
Section 4: Definitions
Section 5: Teams5.0.1 Incident Commander
Chief Information Officer
Home Phone:
Cell Phone:
5.0.2 Incident Command Team
Chief Information Officer
Manager, User Support
Manager, Infrastructure Services
Manager, Information Systems

10. Manager, Classroom and Media Services
5.1 Datacenter Recovery Team
All Contact Information is located in Appendix A
Team Lead:
Manager, Infrastructure Services
Team Members:
System Administrators (2)
Desktop Systems Administrator
Network Communications Technicians (2)
5.2 Desktop, Lab, and Classroom Recovery Team
All Contact Information is located in Appendix A
Commander.
Team Lead:
Manager, User Services
Team Members:
Manager, Classroom and Media Services
Desktop Systems Administrator
Computing Coordinators (7)

11. Lab and Student Computing Coordinator
Equipment Systems Specialist
5.3 Enterprise Systems Recovery Team
All Contact Information is located in Appendix A
Team Lead:
Manager, Information Systems
Team Members:
Manager, Infrastructure Services
Programmer/Analysts (4)
Web Programmer/Analyst
System Administrator
Computing Coordinators supporting affected areas (business
services, payroll, enrollment
services, etc.)
Key Business Unit Personnel as needed by type of incident
(payroll clerk, accountant,
registrar, etc.)
5.4 Infrastructure and Web Recovery Team
All Contact Information is located in Appendix A
Commander.
Team Lead:
Manager, Infrastructure Services
Team Members:
System Administrators (2)
Desktop Systems Administrator
Web Programmer/Analyst

12. 5.5 Telecommunications, Network, and Internet Services
Recovery Team
All Contact Information is located in Appendix A
Commander.
Team Lead:
Manager, Infrastructure Services
Team Members:
Communications Technicians (2)
System Administrator
Section 6: Recovery Preparations
6.1 Data Recovery Information:
6.2 Central Datacenter and Server Recovery Information:
6.3 Network and Telecommunication Recovery Information:
6.4 Application Recovery Information:
6.5 Desktop Equipment Recovery Information:Section 7:
Disaster Recovery Processes and Procedures7.1 Emergency
Response:
7.2 Incident Command Team:
7.3 Disaster Recovery Teams:7.4 General System/Application
Recovery Procedures/Outline:
8.0 Network & Telecommunication Recovery
Guidelines:Appendix A. IT Contact List
Appendix B. Crisis Management Team Contact List
Appendix C: IT Recovery Priority List
The following priorities have been established by the
department of Information Technology with consultation from
the campus community.
C.1 IT Infrastructure Priorities:
C.2 IT System Priorities:

13. C.3 Consortium, Outsourced, and Cloud-based IT System
Priorities:
Application/System Name
Priority
RTO
RPO

14. (1) Critical – Basic infrastructure and must be restored as soon
as possible.
(2) High – Systems of extreme importance, but do not provide
infrastructure.
(3) Medium – Important systems and applications, but do not
have university-wide impact.
(4) Low – Systems important to specific departments or specific
small populations of users.
(5) Full –Systems that may not be restored to functional status
until normal operations are reestablished.
Note: RTO is recovery time objective, RPO is recovery point
objective
C.4 IT Facility Priorities

15. Building Name
Priority

16. Note: building list continues on next page.
(1) Critical, needed for maintenance of public health and safety,
communications.
(2) High, needed for income maintenance for students,
employees; payments to vendors; requirements for compliance
or regulation; effect on cash flow; effect on production and
delivery of services (housing, dining, student services).
(3) Medium, needed for mission of university, delivery of
classes.
(4) Low, everything else
Appendix D: Vendor Information
Appendix E: Disaster Recovery Signoff Sheet
I have been briefed and given an overview of the Disaster
Recovery Plan and I am familiar with my responsibilities.
Name
Signature
Date