Catching up with SCM's vision

摘要

Supply chain management (SCM) companies have never been short on vision but it is only recently that SCM technology has been catching up with that vision. With the mainstream adoption of supply chain technologies by Fortune 2000 companies, a subtle but significant shift is quietly transforming both the way companies exchange information and the way they seek to influence the people and companies they depend upon. The shift is fundamental as the boundaries between companies become blurred and the virtual enterprise becomes a more widespread form of business organization. Executives are slowly moving away from command and control modes of management to collaborative and persuasive modes, where the tone of their communication becomes key. Supply chain management companies are a continuation of the evolution over the past 10 years toward the outsourcing of operations.