Logistics and Supply Chain Management

In the intervening years from the first to the fourth edition, many things have happened. Firstly, there is now a much greater understanding of the role that supply chain management plays in creating competitive advantage. Whereas previously the focus was primarily tactical with a concern for optimising costs, now there is much more of a strategic focus with the emphasis on value creation and delivery. The second major change is the recognition that supply chain management is not just an extension of logistics management, but rather that it is about managing relationships across the complex networks that today's supply chains have become. A third significant change over that period is that the business environment has become a lot more volatile and hence less predictable. This transition from a relatively stable world to one that is much more turbulent requires supply chains to be capable of changing rapidly to meet changed circumstances.