ABSTRACT
Over the past decade, the concept of supply chain management (SCM) has undergone dramatic transformation. Originally conceived as an approach to more effectively execute logistics functions and closely integrate customers and suppliers into a common supply and delivery stream, SCM today describes both a business philosophy and a practical operations toolkit focused on the efficient movement of goods and services from producer to end-customer. Despite the codification it has undergone in what has become an enormous body of literature, SCM is still in the process of evolving to meet the changing needs of the marketplace. As discussed in the two previous chapters, the foundations of SCM were redefined by dividing it up into three distinct yet integrated processes: the demand channel, the process value chain, and the value delivery network. In this and the following chapter, the work of SCM redefinition will continue by investigating it from the perspective of three new management approaches based on cost reduction, operations excellence, and the creation of customer value.
