This text takes an updated view of the issues involved in supply chain management in today's business environment. In the 1990s, many businesses have gone through a number of changes, in particular through focusing on core activities and divesting themselves of many of the support functions traditionally carried out 'in house'. This development has led to the necessity for a broader concept of logistics that embraces the functions of both suppliers and customers into an integrated supply chain. The consequence of this is that the fundamental disciplines of logistics management must be...

Just like the world financial system, but for different reasons, 21st-century corporations need a new business model for their enterprise supply chains. The old conventions no longer work in this new world of volatile and increasingly unpredictable demand and supply. The enterprise needs to become more 'connected' to its own parts, as well as its partners up and down the chains it participates in. So too, we need to embrace new ways of looking at customers to gain deeper, more insightful impressions of what they are telling us about the way they want to buy our products and services. Finally,...