ABSTRACT
Few networks have this requisite orientation, although all profess to have their eyes solidly on the consumer. (For the purposes of this chapter, customer and consumer will be used interchangeably, although we prefer the term
consumer
.) Our research and that of many other professional firms clearly indicate there is far more lip service given to this focus than actual business practice. Therein lies the next obstacle to effective supply chain management. Any effort is not complete unless it brings a serious focus to the importance of those consumers at the end of the value chain and meets their needs.
