Book Reviews : D.B.N. Murthy, Managing Quality: A Practical Guide to Customer Satisfaction, Response Books, New Delhi, 1999, pp. 226

Abstract

value addition opportunities for the entire chain. The authors have taken pains to describe how it is all done. The extensive coverage to collaborative new product development through inter-firm R&D, the road map to sales forecasting for the chain, the production philosophy and management for reduced volume cost with increased efficiency including dispersed production and build-to-order schemes offer insights into supply chain managers. The supplier is now part of the firm’s competitive strategy. Table 9.1 describes the evolution of supply management from the traditional to the strategic, managing the risks better all the way. The chapter on evolution and growth of information systems emphasises the importance of intrafirm and interfirm information systems. By developing relationships with members of their supply chains, firms develop efficient and effective information systems that facilitate better supply chain integration through the Internet. While personal memory can substitute for managing proprietary firms, elaborate systems are needed to integrate data and help decision-making. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems tie up all the process-driven information systems into one. The chapter proves the point that the appropriate use of information systems could greatly enhance the competitive advantage. Limitations of space act as a constraint on doing full justice to the