Guide to Supply Chain Management: How Getting it Right Boosts Corporate Performance (Economist Books) (The Economist) [Hardcover]

David Jacoby (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Economist | Publication Date: September 9, 2009

Getting the supply chain right can make the difference between a market leader and an also-ran. Globalization, technology, and an increasingly competitive business environment have wrought huge changes in supply chain management-the art of sourcing components and delivering finished goods to the customer as cost effectively and efficiently as possible. Manufacturers must make certain that components are where they are needed on the production line and no longer. Retailers need to hone their logistical skills to ensure that the supply and stock management of their stores is optimal.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Jacoby has been consulting to global multinational companies on supply chain strategy and performance improvement for over twenty years. He is the President of Boston Strategies International, a firm that provides global strategy consulting, cost and price intelligence, and market data. He is a frequent speaker on global trade and supply chain economics at conferences worldwide and contributes to journals such as Supply Chain Management Review and Supply Chain Quarterly. In the course of his career, he has served as a lecturer at Boston University and a contributing editor at the Economist Intelligence Unit. He holds or has recently held board positions and other leadership roles at APICS (the Association for Operations Managment), the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, the Institute for Supply Chain Management, and ISCEA (the International Supply Chain Education Alliance). He holds an MBA from the Wharton School, a Masters in International Business from the Lauder Institute, and a BS in Finance and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Bloomberg Press; 1st edition (September 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576603458
• ISBN-13: 978-1576603451
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #108,217 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Jacoby, President of Boston Strategies International, has been consulting for over 20 years in operations strategy and performance improvement, especially in the oil, gas, and power industries. He wrote The Economist Guide to Supply Chain Management (The Economist, 2009), and is currently authoring Effective Supply Chain Management in Oil, Gas, and Power Generation (Pennwell). In addition, he has contributed 250 speeches, articles and webcasts to publications such as Oil and Gas Journal, Supply Chain Management Review, Energy Tribune, and Supply Chain Quarterly.

Formerly, he taught Operations Management at Boston University's graduate school of business, served as a contributing editor at the Economist Intelligence Unit, and consulted to the World Bank. While based in Brazil, Hong Kong and France, he consulted on strategic sourcing, purchasing and outsourcing, shipping, and capital investments.

He holds an MBA from the Wharton School, a Masters in International Business from Lauder Institute and a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania He is also a Certified Fellow in Production and Inventory Management (CFPIM), Certified in Supply Chain Management (CSCP, Certified in Integrated Resource Management CIRM, Certified in Purchasing Management (Lifetime C.P.M.), and Certified in Transportation and Logistics. At the International Supply Chain Education Alliance (ISCEA), he is a member of its Ptak Prize Selection Committee.

Please visit www.bostonstrategies.com to learn more about Boston Strategies International.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The A-Z of Supply Chain, September 28, 2011

By 

Arun Kumar (Bangalore, India) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Guide to Supply Chain Management: How Getting it Right Boosts Corporate Performance (Economist Books) (The Economist) (Hardcover)

If you are a novice to supply chain and often confused by conflicting definitions on what SCM is - and is not - read this book. If you are a supply chain practitioner and want some clear markers on designing a comprehensive supply chain strategy, read this book. David Jacoby's experience of over 20 years of strategic consulting on supply chain initiatives clearly comes through in this well-researched piece.

The book very quickly jumps into the 4 key supply chain strategies - cost rationalization, demand-supply synchronization, customization and innovation - that organizations can pursue. And highlights early on the often forgotten point that while we can classify any function within an organizational silo, activities within them cannot be similarly silo-ed if we want to derive value. For instance, we often lump DC-Network design and an initiative such as cross-docking under the warehousing function. But how many of us look at the former activity through the lens of cost rationalization, and the latter as an enabler of synchronization? Insights, such as this, abound.

The book frames the final few chapters with details on the organization structure, information systems framework and KPIs that must supplement each of these strategies. And that is when we truly comprehend the completeness of supply chain management.

My only grouse is that the book went into too much of theory and detail toward the end. Maybe it was intentional, given the wide range of audience it aims to cater to. But if you can stifle some of those yawns and plough on, you will be enriched with a wealth of knowledge on how you must design, strategize, implement, measure and enhance your supply chain.

I'll rate this 4 stars.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incisive Review of Supply Chain Principles, September 15, 2009

By 

Erik Halbert - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Guide to Supply Chain Management: How Getting it Right Boosts Corporate Performance (Economist Books) (The Economist) (Hardcover)

As a supply chain professional I found this book to be immensely helpful. It reduces important supply chain principles to to quantifiable and applicable guidelines. A good read and a must for anyone looking to leverage value from your supply chain.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative, consise, and completely engaging!, September 14, 2009

By 

Kessa Coleman "Freedom Writer" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Guide to Supply Chain Management: How Getting it Right Boosts Corporate Performance (Economist Books) (The Economist) (Hardcover)

I picked it up at home and get engrossed. OK, well, I am a geek and I took it to the beach to finish and felt kind of stupid (who reads The Guide to Supply Chain Management at the beach?!). But it was worth it and now I use the approach every day in my work.