Chain Reaction: How Today's Best Companies Manage Their Supply Chains for Superior Performance (Hardcover)

~ Robert Malone (Author)
Key Phrases: supply chain evolution, supply chain modeling, synchronized supply chain, United States, World Realities, Supply Chain Resolution (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The rise of Wal-Mart, Dell, IKEA, IBM, UPS, and FedEx has changed the way consumers and businesses function in America. Chain Reaction takes a look at the successes of these companies and shows how these very different businesses have all come to the same basic plan, leading them to become dominant in their industry.

 

In Chain Reaction, Robert Malone argues that success in business is based upon an aggressive and intelligent supply chain strategy. He contends that the most effective business logistics today allow a business to manufacture, distribute, and sell on demand, and he shows in detail how superpower companies have mastered the strategy. This is a change from the historical “push” strategy – manufacturing and marketing as many products as possible and pushing them to the wholesaler, retailer and consumer to a “pull” strategy. This new demand-driven and synchronized supply chain is tailored for the new and aggressive business practice of the future.

 

It's a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the companies profiled in the book, as well as anyone who loves to know how things work.

About the Author

Robert A. Malone is the logistics editor for Forbes.com and has written columns for Inbound Logistics and an online column for Managing Automation for ten years. He co-founded the Variflex Corporation, where he created “a variable speed goods and people mover,” designed the movement of people and baggage for six airports, performed studies on the interaction of people and traffic at business activity centers, did a study for the US Postal Service that pre-dated electronic tracking and package modularization, and designed ATMs and bank branches for Citibank.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Kaplan Publishing (September 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419596810
• ISBN-13: 978-1419596810
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #876,244 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Any Company That Wants to Succeed in Today's Global Environment, March 27, 2008

By	Christine Jensen (Huntington Beach, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Chain Reaction is one of the best written books on today's supply chain issues. Being a professional involved in supply chain for a number of years, I find that most companies, even the ones with well developed supply chains, don't really understand all the risks they face. Malone presents a well developed history in this book, but more importantly, he shows how the most successful companies step out into new territory, and also manage the risks in their supply chains. When he says that Wal-Mart is a supply chain, he is driving home a point that today's companies need to understand. With global outsourcing and contract manufacturing now being the norm, Malone's point is that a company is only as good as its supply chain.

What's so great about this book is that it presents, in an easy-to-read fashion, important information on how to make a worldwide supply chain work. Each chapter has many "golden nuggets" that a help a company in almost any industry improve its competitive position. This book doesn't get into the nitty-gritty aspects of supply chain, but instead inspires enterprises to gain more market share with a better developed supply chain. I'd say it's a must read for any organization that wants to be successful in today's global environment.

4.0 out of 5 stars Full examination of the modern global supply chain, October 5, 2009

By	Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract.com" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Robert Malone uses his deep knowledge of modern worldwide logistics to help you understand what has happened to your supply chain. He analyzes the issues that businesses face and uses corporate examples to illustrate his points. He presents the material within each chapter as a series of short, two or three paragraph articles. This contributes to a somewhat impressionistic style, but getAbstract finds that the overall effect is quite interesting and informative. If you need to get a handle on the modern supply chain and the logistics it entails, this is a useful take on the subject.

5.0 out of 5 stars two treasures in one package, March 30, 2008

By	David J. Dell (New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Two superior books in one cover - Robert Malone is both a great futurist and chronicler of technology in our changing world and a guru on supply chain. The first part of this book talks about the vastness, complexity, speed, and nano-ness of our new world and business climate. He grabs you with facts and makes you think afresh about where we are realy headed. Parts two and three bring us deep into global supply as an infomration and logisitics revolution of enormous complexity and still untapped potential.

Even more people might access these treasures if it were published with another title and cover to stress the transformation of the business world with supply chain as an example, rather than the main topic.