ABSTRACT
The entry describes the author's premises about the future of supply chain management (SCM). The first premise is that there will be a move by industry leaders to create “networked” enterprises that dominate a market or industry. This movement will be directed by the large, branded nucleus firms. The second premise is that network efforts will include activities left outside the current scope of SCM. This expansion will include a collaborative focus on productivity, quality, and administrative issues to achieve optimized supply chain conditions. Related disciplines that are often internal and isolated from multicompany efforts include six sigma and lean.
