The New Science of Retailing

CHAPTER EIGHT

Companywide Implementation

Managerial Issues Affecting Implementation

Recently, we were asked to conduct an executive program at a leading multinational manufacturer of branded goods with operations in dozens of countries. The company was concerned about the availability of its products, and, consequently, the program would focus partly on analytical approaches that the company could use to improve its supply chain. In preparing for the course, we asked one of the executives whether the approaches we were proposing were new to this manufacturer. “Everything you plan to cover has been tried at some time somewhere in our company, but we fail to follow these approaches consistently and across our entire organization,” he responded. ...