ABSTRACT
In this book supply chain management is understood to be the design and operation of the entire chain from the raw material to delivery of the final product to the customer. The expression ‘From the farm to the plate’, coined by food industry executives, encapsulates this idea. There is no generally accepted definition of supply chain because the task of managing this entire end-to-end process has changed over the last 20 years from a fragmented tactical view to a strategic integrated view.
