Why Global Supply Chain Management ?

T he term supply chain management (SCM) has risen to prominence over the past 15 years, becoming such a " hot topic " that it is difficult to pick up a periodical on manufacturing, distribution, marketing, customer management, or transportation without seeing an article about SCM-related topics. Logistics, one central element of SCM, has long been an area of concern for both practitioners and academics. In fact, the professional association for logistics and SCM professionals—the Council of Logistics Management, which changed its name in 2005 to the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) to encompass the broader management area of SCM—holds an annual conference that often draws more than 4,000 participants. Furthermore, every company today either sources globally, sells globally, or competes with some company that does. Thus, global supply chain management (GSCM) represents a central area of focus for many businesses and business schools today. Although the extraordinary growth of GSCM attests to its robustness and practical importance, the field is diffuse and complex. Many methods and perspectives on GSCM have emerged from logistics, operations, marketing, management, economics , sociology, personnel, information systems, and international relations. Their diversity and rapid growth make it hard to keep abreast of significant developments. Moreover, many of these approaches have evolved with relative independence , paying little attention to how they relate to existing methods or interrelate