Supply Chain Management Sunil Chopra 7th Edition May 2026

A supply chain consists of all parties involved, directly or indirectly, in fulfilling a customer’s request. The supply chain, in its most basic form, includes a supplier (also called a vendor) and a customer. A supplier may be an individual or a company that provides goods or services to another company. A customer can also be an individual or a company that buys goods or services from a supplier.

The objective of a supply chain is to provide value to the customer. This value can be in the form of a product or a service. The parties in a supply chain work together to create this value. Effective management of the supply chain can provide a competitive advantage to a company.

Here is the text from "Supply Chain Management" by Sunil Chopra, 7th Edition: