Jul 15, 2003 12:32
20 yrs ago
19 viewers *
English term
acquisition vs purchasing
Non-PRO
English
Bus/Financial
When is which used and how are they different?
Responses
| 4 +10 | One distinction... |
John Bowden
|
| 5 +1 | acquisition vs purchasing |
Catherine Norton
|
| 5 | acquisition/procurement/purchasing |
PaulaMac (X)
|
Responses
+10
12 mins
Selected
One distinction...
The verbs can have slightly different meanings: "to purchase" = to buy, whereas "to azquire" can mean to obtain something without necessarily buying it, e.g. through a gift, inheritance etc. In the UK at least, "Purchasing" is the usual term used in companies, whereas "Acquisitions" is often associated with libraries etc - "Head of Acquisitions" is often the title used in libraries and universities, and the "acquisitions" could be collections the library has purchased or which have been gifted or bequeathed to it.
I haven't come across "Head of Acquisitions" in a business sense, although in German companies the Purchasing department is often called "Beschaffung" (acquisition, procurement) rather than "Einkauf" (purchasing) - some UK companies also have a "Head of Procurement", although this isn't very common, as "procurement" is also a legal offence meaning to employ a prostitute!
HTH
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Note added at 2003-07-15 12:45:35 (GMT)
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\"azquire\"??! - \"acquire\" of course!
I haven't come across "Head of Acquisitions" in a business sense, although in German companies the Purchasing department is often called "Beschaffung" (acquisition, procurement) rather than "Einkauf" (purchasing) - some UK companies also have a "Head of Procurement", although this isn't very common, as "procurement" is also a legal offence meaning to employ a prostitute!
HTH
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Note added at 2003-07-15 12:45:35 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
\"azquire\"??! - \"acquire\" of course!
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Graded automatically based on peer agreement."
1 hr
acquisition/procurement/purchasing
I tend to use acquisition or procurement when it involves both goods and services, and purchasing when it involves goods only. All are completely acceptable.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
John Bowden
: Acceptable, but not interchangeable, which was the point of the question. I don't agree with our distinction.
1 hr
|
+1
6 hrs
acquisition vs purchasing
Purchasing something is done with money or with something that represents money.
Acquiring something can be done with money but can include any other means of getting something into one's possession.
Acquiring something can be done with money but can include any other means of getting something into one's possession.
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