ABSTRACT
This chapter closes Section II on Retail Supply Chains with a description of the needs for supply chain decision makers. The decisions discussed here determine the short-and long-term direction of the decision makers’ enterprises. Examples range from placing orders and scheduling manufacturing operations in the short run to designing transportation networks, setting store inventories and pricing merchandise-all longer-term decisions. These and many other decisions are embedded in processes that require structure in the form of organization, information systems, and policies. Chapter 9 described supply chain metrics, which also guide decision making. But there is a need for translating broad objectives into mechanisms for making decisions.
