Protean Supply Chains: Ten Dynamics of Supply and Demand Alignment

Acknowledgments

After working on this project, I have come to the conclusion that it takes a village to write a book. In the year and half I spent on this project, I was fortunate to have help from many individuals who were kind enough to answer questions and, in some cases, point me in the right direction. There is a long list of folks to thank for their time and help.

Let me start with the academic community. During my research, I received help from many professors who both conduct research and teach supply chain practices and information technology in university classrooms. In particular, a number of professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology assisted me in my research. Edgar Blanco, Jonathan Byrnes, Chris Caplice, Yossi Sheffi, and David Simchi-Levi, all at MIT, patiently answered my questions. Other professors who offered input for this book are Larry Snyder at Lehigh University and Sean Williams at Boston University.

Gartner Research is the leading research firm covering business software and supply chains. Several Gartner analysts were willing to share their insights on software developments impacting supply chains. They include Stan Aranow, Dwight Klappich, Tim Payne, Kevin Sterneckert, and Noha Tohamy. Another analyst who provided assistance was Steve Banker of the ARC Advisory Group, with whom I worked on a research study about omnichannel issues in distribution that is cited in this book. I kicked around many of the ideas about the macroeconomic trends in ...