- Characteristics of the product

• Raw material, spare parts, routine products or new products

Strategic importance of the purchase

• The higher the importance the higher the involvement of management (Is not only determined by the amount of money involved)

Sums of money

• More money involved = more involvement of management

Characteristics of the purchasing market

• Monopolistic or oligopolistic (Harder negotiations) vs. Free market (Easier)

Risk related to the purchase
Role of the purchasing department
To what extend the purchased product influences existing routines in the organization. 

-Task variables: are related to the tasks, responsibilities and competences assigned by the organization to the persons involvedin the purchase decision-making process
-Non-task variables: are related to the personalities of the persons involved in the purchase decision-making process

DMU relates to all those individuals and groups who participate in the purchasing decision - making process, who share some common goals and the risks arising from the decisions (identical to buying centre).


Within the DMU various roles can be distinguished:
- Users;
- Influencers;
- Buyers;
- Decision - makers;
- Gatekeepers: are the people who control the flow of information from the supplier towards the other members of the DMU (and vice versa).