Book excerpt: Purchasing professionals on the cutting edge are not strangers to change and realize their roles are broadening to include international purchasing. However, there are more skills and processes necessary to manage a global supply base successfully than to manage a domestic supply base. Through both careful explanation of the background tools and examples of practical application, Global Supply Management covers all of the essential elements that make up international purchasing. From negotiation issues such as culture, currency, and contracts to government issues such as customs, duties, and trade agreements, Global Supply Management gives buyers the confidence to "shop the world" for the best suppliers available anywhere. For those buyers already involved internationally, this complete resource explains how to lower costs and improve supplier performance by strategically reducing subsidiary relationships and taking charge of the order and communication channels.