ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 is an introduction to supply chains and why they are important to today’s businesses. Products have to be moved from the point of origin-the farm or the mine-to the point of use-another organization or the ultimate individual consumer. As businesses expand into global markets, they have also expanded their sources of supply throughout the world. Supply chains have become longer and more complex. Most companies have more than one product line. This means they probably have multiple supply chains, serving different customers and requiring different suppliers. Managing a supply chain is more difficult than managing the same operations internally because of differences in policies, procedures, and, most of all, cultures.
