University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
The Supply Chain Network @ Internet Speed
Book

The Supply Chain Network @ Internet Speed

Preparing Your Company for the E-Commerce Revolution

Barbara A. Rosenbaum and Fred A. Kuglin
AMACOM, 2001
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

Wade through the technical jargon and dive directly into this deep pool of operational intelligence on the complexities of modern supply-chain management. Fred A. Kuglin and Barbara A. Rosenbaum provide step-by-step guidelines on how to put e-based solutions into effect throughout your supply chain to achieve cost effectiveness (that is, save money). Using the CEO’s perspective, they describe a series of supply-chain approaches designed to address issues like capital requirements and production costs that drive company valuations. The book, which is forthrightly technical, is targeted to the CEO or high-level executive in charge of operations. getabstract.com highly recommends this book to this select audience, and commends the authors on their useful mix of charts, illustrations and dramatizations to illustrate supply-chain problems and solutions.

Summary

Technology and the Blurring Supply Chain

Today more than ever, CEOs need to use supply-chain management techniques to streamline operations. If you are a CEO or an operations manager, you need to provide leadership to take your company through these technology-driven transformations. Your mission is to increase shareholder value by achieving greater efficiencies with technology. To accomplish this goal, you need to understand both your industry and technology, since in today’s new economy industries, supply chains and services are blurring together.

Five basic measures drive shareholder value: profitable growth, working capital efficiency, cost minimization, tax minimization and fixed capital efficiency. You must choose the e-business solutions that address the unique factors that shape stock value in your industry.

Different strategies for supply-chain management produce different sources of value. For example, to increase productivity in general manufacturing, you can use the "war room" approach. In the retail-consumer field, Web-based catalogs and scan-based trading can contribute to profits. In high-tech, look into networked supply chains or high-tech matrix...

About the Authors

Fred A. Kuglin is vice president of the Supply Chain Operations practice of Cap Gemini Ernst & Young U.S., LLP. He has worked for more than 20 years in the areas of strategic planning, network optimization, process reengineering and overall supply chain management. He has held senior posts with Frito-Lay, Inc. and EDS/A.T. Kearney. Barbara A. Rosenbaum is a director with Cap Gemini Ernst & Young’s Global Supply Chain service line. In addition to more than 20 years of supply-chain consulting and industry experience, she has served on the faculties of John Hopkins University and Loyola College, published numerous articles and served as a contributing author of two books.

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