By recognizing and managing their supply-chain operations as a portfolio of competencies, companies can position themselves for stunning market success. The discipline demands the same kind of rigorous analysis and anticipation of trends required of an investor with a stock or bond portfolio. Industry leaders have convincingly validated the portfolio management approach. One of the most striking differences between Western and Asian companies lies in their approach to planning. In the West, business planning tends to be provisional in nature.
Asian companies tend to take a far more rigid and exacting approach to planning.
This is abundantly true in the area of supply-chain management, where speed, agility, and responsiveness to change have become paramount. But doing so can be a delicate balancing act.