Joseph L. Cavinato, Ph.D., C.P.M., in January 2000 joined the National Association of Purchasing Management as a Distinguished Visiting Professor and Senior Vice President. Prior to joining NAPM, he was an Associate Professor of Business Logistics at The Pennsylvania State University and a frequent consultant to organizations worldwide. Dr. Cavinato is co-editor of Supply Chain Casebook 1999, author of Supply Chain Logistics Dictionary, and co-author of Supply Chain Enterprise Benchmarks as well as numerous other books. He has published extensively in professional journals and presented papers...