Book Review: Guide to Supply Chain Management

Guide to Supply Chain Management: How getting it right boosts corporate performance by David Jacoby

Supply Chain Management is one of those subjects that is difficult to define precisely, though all agree it has the potential to deliver impressive results for those organisation who can implement it effectively. It has many meaning based on individual perception and emphasis. Even David Jacoby, author of “The Economist Guide to Supply Chain Management” admits to difficulty, and supplies the following quote from Simchi-Levi of MIT ‘Supply chain management is a very broad area and it would be impossible for a single book to cover all relevant areas in depth. Indeed, there is considerable disagreement in academia and in industry about what those relevant areas are”.

However a sound enough working definition from Wikipedia would be “the management of a network of interconnected businesses involved in the ultimate provision of product and service packages required by end customers (Harland, 1996). Supply Chain Management spans all movement and storage of materials, work-in-process inventory, and finished goods from point of origin to point of consumption .”

Jacoby has overcome the difficulties of definition and provides a sound and comprehensive introduction to the subject, outlining its importance to the achievement of corporate objectives and its contribution to organisational competitiveness. Supply Chain Management is akin to Business Process Re-engineering in that it looks at the entire sequence of activities from initial supplier to final customer and aims to provide an integrated approach that delivers the quality and service that customers demand while providing adequate returns for shareholders within the constraints of a competitive environment.

The author provides an excellent introduction to the subject for senior executives, with a host of examples where the disciple has provided the basis for dramatic and sustained improvement in performance,

Reviewed by David Stephens FCMI

Published by The Economist
Price: £20.00
ISBN: 978-1-84668-174-5