Seminar Research Paper
By
Mars Mellish
DDBA 8510 Seminar in Global Supply Chain Management
Dr. Moutaz Abou-Robieh
Walden University
June 30, 2013

Abstract This paper was done to cover the DDBA-8510-1 Seminar Global Supply Chain Management final seminar research paper. Supply chain management, 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 & efficient ways possible (Handfield, 2011). Global Supply Chain Management involves a business or a company’s worldwide interests and suppliers rather than simply a local or national orientation.
One of the most interesting factors of the global supply chain is that we can learn from others! Business is done differently in different parts of the world and we are able to learn new ways of doing business, new production methods and new distribution methods, if we keep an open mind and have a willingness to learn. Emerging Issues in GSCM
Current challenges in the global supply chain are sustainable supply chain, resiliency in supply chain, shift toward multilocal operations, increase uncertainty and volatility, increased complexity, extended lead time, unnecessary cost, risk management, improved responsiveness, and integrated and empowered supply chain. Increase complexity; in coming year’s complexity of supply chains are predicted to grow, companies are expected to maximize complexity in locations of customers and product variations and decrease number of supplier and manufacturing locations. Extended lead times; company lead times are now highly effected by extended shipping times and foreign employee production. Unnecessary cost; reason companies are bearing unnecessary cost are poor infrastructure, inefficient stocking practices,