In this six-week online course, students will learn how to define internal customer needs, generate purchase requisitions and purchase orders, expedite, trace and receive supplier deliveries, maintain effective purchasing records and create and manage various purchasing budgets. Students will learn about business law, contracts, leasing, Six Sigma and total quality management (TQM). They will learn how to recruit, select and evaluate purchasing personnel, and learn the importance of business ethics. This course and its followup (Purchasing Applications will help to prepare for the internationally-recognized Certified Purchasing Manager (C.P.M.) and Accredited Purchasing Practitioner (A.P.P.) exams offered by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).