Purchasing refers to a business or organization attempting to acquire goods or services to accomplish the goals of the enterprise. Though there are several organizations that attempt to set standards in the purchasing process, processes can vary greatly between organizations. An acquisition of commodities or services obtained by contract, whether by rent, lease, installment or lease purchase or outright purchase. The planning, execution and control of the movement and placement of people and/or goods and of the supporting activities related to such movement and placement. The sequence of steps, often done in different firms and/or locations, needed to produce a final good from primary factors, starting with processing of raw materials, continuing with production of perhaps a series of intermediate inputs, and ending with final assembly and distribution.