Supply Chain Management (SCM)
The new economy is changing dramatically the way in which businesses are organised and managed. Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Logistics functions are becoming strategically important for the global economy enterprises. Societal, market, and technological forces affect the way that Supply Chain and Logistical Systems are organised and structured. The changing business environment triggers the development of a number of Supply Chain Management (SCM) trends leading to the restructuring and reorganisation of Supply Chains. These trends tend to reduce the cost of production, warehousing and distribution of goods, while providing an increased level of service. SCM trends are related to different functions of the Supply Chain System i.e. there are trends related to the organisation of production, trends related to the physical structure of the Supply Chain System network, and trends related to the physical flow of goods. In addition, the advent of e-commerce has created a new operational environment for the supply chain syste m. In order to accommodate the emerging requirements and facilitate both the development of e-commerce and the SCM trends further technological development is required.
