The Agony of Defeat

Cutting-edge supply chains are double-edged swords. Wielded with skill, they can slice open new markets. Improperly handled, they lead to deep, self-inflicted wounds. For all the advantages that can come from getting the supply chain right, getting it wrong can be catastrophic.

By the end of the 1990s, Kmart Corporation's supply chain was crippling its ability to match the prices offered by Wal-Mart and Target, and in the discount retail business price is everything. Worse, when the company did manage to lure back customers with its Blue Light specials, the products weren't in the stores when people came in to buy them; the supply chain couldn't deliver them in time for the sale, even with plenty of advance warning. Kmart ...

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