The purpose of this book is to trace the history of globalization and its impact on supply chain management and to look at the problems and some of the solutions facing global supply chains in the current era. The current challenge is surviving the challenge of global competition. Good supply chain management can be a valuable tool in winning this competition.

Thanks to the development of internet- and network-based information and communication systems, virtually every product and service produced today has a supply chain that extends around the globe. For the last twenty-five years, companies such as Wal-Mart, Dell, and Toyota have enjoyed strong competitive advantages in their respective markets as a result of their world-class supply chains. As the supply chain increasingly lengthens, managers at all levels of the organization must understand the unique challenges of working with suppliers and customers located around the world--and the opportunities that can build new competitive advantages. This book will introduce readers at all levels of experience to cutting-edge methods and strategies for global sourcing and global distribution through the discussion of current research and case study vignettes from companies in every corner of the world.

If you’re a manager of a supply chain operation, or a student learning about supply chain management, this book will provide not only an overview of supply chain management but also a framework for subsequent, more detailed study in various aspects of supply management. This book reviews the evolution of supply chain management concepts and discusses trends in global markets and strategic competitiveness. It then focuses on the major issues involved in managing a competitive supply chain including: forecasting, inventory management, distribution, dealing with uncertainty, reverse logistics, and customer service. Coverage of the dynamic, evolving issues pertaining to supply chains that affect the global business community concludes the book. With this book in hand, you’ll be better equipped to conceptualize the management of supply chains as a collection of business processes; identify primary and secondary value chain processes; distinguish between the umbrella term, “supply chain management,” and its component functions; and understand the basic tools of forecasting and the need for accurate data and forecasts on which to base supply chain management decisions.

The quality and effectiveness of decisions made within an organization and its supply chain depend upon the accuracy and timeliness of the information upon which they are based. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a technology that can provide more accurate information in near real time and thus increase the quality and timeliness of decisions based on that information. RFID systems are currently in use in areas such as inventory management, process control, asset tracking and monitoring, and retail point of sale. Organizations which appropriately incorporate RFID into their operations and information management systems have increased their agility, effectiveness, and efficiency resulting in organizational growth and increased profitability. The appropriate utilization of RFID allows organizations to become more agile resulting in their ability to respond to customers more efficiently and effectively. Technology by itself does not result in improvements and RFID is no exception. RFID is not a solution for every problem. However, when coupled with other appropriate technologies to address an appropriate objective, RFID can offer a variety of benefits to businesses. The proper integration into the firm's competitive plans and processes, and the ability to leverage those technologies for competitive advantage results in increased performance for organizations. The intent of this book is to provide a sufficient discussion of RFID to enable readers with no prior knowledge to develop a basic understanding of the technology. The book discusses current applications and specific examples of RFID usage taken from a variety of industries. The appropriate coupling of RFID with other technologies such as GPS, ERP, and robotics is discussed as well as an overview of the RFID implementation process. This book will help readers develop an understanding of the capability of the technology to increase an organization's customer responsiveness.

In his 1985 book, Competitive Advantage, Michael Porter introduced the concept of the value chain and described it as “a systematic way of examining all activities a firm performs and how they interact, (necessary) for analyzing the sources of competitive advantage,” and introduced the idea of “linkages,” which was the real breakthrough in management thinking. Thinking of a firm as a series of horizontal and vertical linkages put the spotlight on the silo mentality within which firms operated and how business schools structured curriculum. The silo mentality caused business students unable to see the firm as a holistic entity, an understanding of how all of its parts fit together to develop competitive advantage. Students graduating with a silo mentality perpetuated the silo mentality in business firms. This book draws together existing knowledge to help facilitate the shift of mind necessary to effectively manage the value chain, and introduces a new conception of the value chain, one that has been copyrighted (2006) and provides a new perspective of the value chain commensurate with the demands of the 21st-century global economy.

One of the many outcomes resulting from the explosion of international trade is access to lower cost production opportunities through outsourcing. This phenomenon has increased the importance of supply chains, the information technology needed to coordinate them and the need for this relatively complex enterprise to be exceptionally well-managed. There are obviously many cost benefits to be had from maintaining a strong and far-reaching supply chain. However, this opportunity to lower costs entails significant risks, such as tsunamis, earthquakes, political unrest, and economic turbulence. This book will introduce concepts and examples of risk in supply chain management, followed by an identification and discussion of an array of quantitative tools (selection methods, risk simulation modeling, and business scorecard analysis) to help manage these risks. Many books are appearing that address various aspects of supply chain risks. No other book known to the author addresses this set of modeling tools as a means of managing this risk.

In the past, vertical integration was a way to gain efficiency in supply chains. Today, vertical integration doesn't work as well because specialty organizations have developed to perform specific tasks very efficiently. Efficiency through supply chains is achieved today by linking specialists throughout the vertical business hierarchy. This sort of linkage is possible because of the technology that has developed which facilitates it, making today supply chains both faster and more cost effective. Supply Chain Information Technology surveys the different systems that are used by businesses to achieve these efficiencies. The target market for this book is practitioners in the supply chain management field, one of the fastest growing fields in our economy. The rapid growth in computer technology provides supply chains with valuable tools to better coordinate and control their operations. This book describes how these systems provide supply chains with information system support. The design of these systems and the tasks they perform are demonstrated with the help of analytic techniques and models that are used in the book.