Adapt or Die: Transforming Your Supply Chain into an Adaptive Business Network [Hardcover]

Bob Betts (Author), Claus Heinrich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 21, 2003

Cut costs and control inventory an adaptive business network

This book introduces the adaptive business network, a new method of business interaction that offers the ability to respond swiftly to changing market conditions, increase revenue growth, and lower overall cost. In Adapt or Die, the experts from SAP provide a thought-provoking road map to a new business world in which companies are linked together by uniform business processes and standardized software (uniform business processes and standardized software leaves me the impression of being rigid and inflexible, which is contrary to what were trying to say in the book). An adaptive business network allows companies to more precisely control inventory, quickly add or drop trading partners, and produce products and services that mirror actual customer demand.

Adapt or Die explores all the vital aspects of the adaptive business network, including:

• The benefits for your business
• Ways to prepare your company
• Implementing the adaptive business network in four steps
• Its application to specific industries
• The changes the adaptive business network will bring to the future of business

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

In the 21st century, business moves at an ever-faster pace. Communication is cheap and fast, and consumer expectations are higher than ever. It?s your ability to sense and respond to shifting demands, especially in your supply chain, that will give your company a competitive edge well into the future. Tomorrow?s most successful businesses will deliver exactly what customers want right when they want it without spending a fortune on inventory.

Adapt or Die describes the perfect solution to attain new levels of business flexibility and efficiency - the adaptive business network. The adaptive business network will streamline your supply chain and improve your customer service by creating a fast and efficient web of communication among all the participants in the supply chain and the customer.

Based on years of research by the supply chain experts at SAP, the adaptive business network allows businesses to respond swiftly to changing market conditions, increase opportunities for revenue growth, and lower costs for all participating companies. The adaptive business network is not a top-down exercise. Both within a company and between companies, it emphasizes peer-to-peer communication rather than proclamations from on high.

Adapt or Die explains everything executives and managers need to know to move to an adaptive business network. It provides a vision and goals for developing your adaptive business network and outlines the roles different types of companies will play. The adaptive business network provides benefits for almost any company. Examples are included that highlight the benefits of the adaptive business network in the retail, manufacturing and service industries.

Today?s businesses can either Adapt or Die, so make the right choice and let this book be your road map to success.

SAP is the world?s third largest software company and the leading provider of inter-enterprise software solutions. Over half of the world?s top 500 companies rely on SAP software to increase their competitiveness and efficiency.

From the Back Cover

Cut costs and control inventory an adaptive business network

This book introduces the adaptive business network, a new method of business interaction that offers the ability to respond swiftly to changing market conditions, increase revenue growth, and lower overall cost. In Adapt or Die, the experts from SAP provide a thought-provoking road map to a new business world in which companies are linked together by uniform business processes and standardized software (uniform business processes and standardized software leaves me the impression of being rigid and inflexible, which is contrary to what were trying to say in the book). An adaptive business network allows companies to more precisely control inventory, quickly add or drop trading partners, and produce products and services that mirror actual customer demand.

Adapt or Die explores all the vital aspects of the adaptive business network, including:

• The benefits for your business
• Ways to prepare your company
• Implementing the adaptive business network in four steps
• Its application to specific industries
• The changes the adaptive business network will bring to the future of business

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (January 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471265438
• ISBN-13: 978-0471265436
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,497,731 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Theoretical framework, April 15, 2003

By 

B.Sudhakar Shenoy (India) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Adapt or Die: Transforming Your Supply Chain into an Adaptive Business Network (Hardcover)

Conceptually the book is at its best in analyzing the dynamics of futuristic Supply Chains. It introduces the concept of Adaptive Business Networks that consist of several firms collaborating with each other as a virtual entity, facilitated by a coordinating partner. Each firm adjusts itself in real time to the market information, thereby winning together as a team of collaborating partners as opposed to achieving sub-optimal individual goals. The information flows from the Customer in a pre-determined manner, triggering business decisions based on uniform business processes and common technological platforms. The lead firm also retains the ability to add and drop partners depending on market forces and performance of the partners. There is no limit to the size of the network either. The partners also enjoy synergies by sharing common services - financial, consulting, legal for example. This is undoubtedly a dream of all supply chain managers. But then reality and dreams need to be bridged. This is where is book is lacking.

The issues that are not very convincingly answered are:

- How do participating firms, so diverse on their current technology platforms and business processes achieve the near standardization that is essential for such networks? Even in large multinational corporations running standard ERP software across several continents this is not yet achieved.

- Firms may have to participate in several networks simultaneously, and at times where the coordinating partners are fierce competitors in the same market. There would be conflicting interests where information sharing is not easy.

- Legal restrictions and protectionist walls across countries continue to prevail despite the rhetoric of globalization. An ideal network should first ensure a level playing ground for all players across this planet.

- CEO's today are afflicted by "Quarteritis". Missing numbers this quarter in the "larger interest" of their network may not appeal to most of them in the absence of substantial benefits accruing in the immediate future.

- Framework for collaboration between major software vendors to provide building blocks necessary for such a network.

Recommended reading to understand some interesting concepts that may be of help in designing supply chain solutions.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Adaptive Business Network prevails, February 10, 2003

By 

"scmnp" (Palo Alto, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Adapt or Die: Transforming Your Supply Chain into an Adaptive Business Network (Hardcover)

This book explains why and how to transform a tradtional Supply Chain Network into an Adaptive Business Network.

The book points out, in a rapid chaing economic situation, a SCN has to plan and anticipate demand and supply; execute plans efficiently and effectively; detect events (exceptions) and adjust its behaviors accordingly. Or in other words, we need to realize a new version of Supply Chain, Adaptive Business Network (ABN).

Based on this book, the ABN consists of companies that remain autonomous called Software Agents. Each of this entity performs the functions on behalf of the company owners with pre-designed rules and protocols. It monitors local situation and interact with each other following potocol which mimics the one used in the daily business, e.g. bidding and auction protocols. Once the agent society builds up, the network is able to rapidly anticipate and/or respond to changing environemntal conditions in an instant time. In this way, the business can have better chance to survive in the industry with possible maximum profit margin.

I found this book is very useful for business leaders as well as system designers. If SAP really implements the ideas listed in the book, it is no doublt that SAP can win the next round of competition in the Supply Chain area, even in a tough environment.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Overview of How SCM Fits Stratgeically in your business, February 10, 2003

By 

Jake Morris (Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Adapt or Die: Transforming Your Supply Chain into an Adaptive Business Network (Hardcover)

This book is a good read vs many SCM books that are full of formulas and scientific information. This book is not about the science of SCM rather it's a business book that informs the reader of how to think differently about their supply chain and then how technology could be leveraged to make your business more adaptive.

As companies focus on their core competencies they must extend their business processes into a networked environment. How a company gains visibility and control over these networked business processes is what the book is about.

In short any one that has a supply chain should read this book.