<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><span style="font-size:14px"><span style="color:#FF0000"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>Supply Chain Management Course</strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color:#000000">Supply chain management (SCM) is the active management of supply chain activities to maximize customer value and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. It represents a conscious effort by the supply chain firms to develop and run supply chains in the most effective &amp; efficient ways possible. Supply chain activities cover everything from product development, sourcing, production, and logistics, as well as the information systems needed to coordinate these activities.</span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><span style="font-size:14px"><span style="color:#000000">The concept of Supply Chain Management (SCM) is based on two core ideas:&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><span style="font-size:14px"><span style="color:#000000">The first is that practically every product that reaches an end user represents the cumulative effort of multiple organizations. These organizations are referred to collectively as the supply chain.<br />
The second idea is that while supply chains have existed for a long time, most organizations have only paid attention to what was happening within their &ldquo;four walls.&rdquo; Few businesses understood, much less managed, the entire chain of activities that ultimately delivered products to the final customer. The result was disjointed and often ineffective supply chains.<br />
The organizations that make up the supply chain are &ldquo;linked&rdquo; together through physical flows and information flows.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><span style="font-size:14px"><span style="color:#FF0000"><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><strong>Physical Flows</strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color:#000000">Physical flows involve the transformation, movement, and storage of goods and materials. They are the most visible piece of the supply chain. But just as important are information flows.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif"><span style="font-size:14px"><span style="color:#FF0000"><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>Information Flows</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="color:#000000">Information flows allow the various supply chain partners to coordinate their long-term plans, and to control the day-to-day flow of goods and materials up and down the supply chain.</span><br />
<span style="color:#FF0000"><strong>&quot;Businesses don&#39;t compete; supply chains compete&quot;</strong></span><br />
<span style="color:#000000">It is true that today the competition is no longer between companies; it is between supply chains. The knowledge of supply chain management is therefore very important. Supply chain management is actually the integration of the activities that procure materials and services, transform them into intermediate goods and final products, and deliver them through a distribution system. Supply Chain Management (SCM) is therefore an essential element to operational efficiency. SCM impacts customer service by making sure the right product assortment and quantity are delivered at right locations in a timely fashion. Business professionals who want to make a significant impact on the efficiency, effectiveness or profitability of their organizations should consider learning about supply chain management and its value for companies operating in a competitive global marketplace.&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>
