Teaching supply chain management to business executives

By focusing on the management of entire value chains, supply chain manageme nt has gained increasing popularity in management research and in the teach ing of global businesses. The right practices can take companies to great h eights; lack of attention can draw companies close to peril. In teaching su pply chain management to business executives, there are four major issues t hat need to be highlighted: flawless execution of operations, the change fr om supply to demand focus, outsourcing and supply base development, and par tnership implementation. This article explains these four issues, and the m aterial that is developed at IMD to teach each of them.