Book examines impact of "macrotrends" on supply chains

Several global economic and consumer trends are likely to disrupt modern business practices and add unprecedented complexity to supply chains, creating challenges for supply chain managers. That's the premise behind the new book Global Macrotrends and Their Impact on Supply Chain Management: Strategies for Gaining Competitive Advantage.

In the book, authors Chad W. Autry, Thomas J. Goldsby, and John E. Bell examine such trends as population growth and migration, the growing buying power of rising economies, geopolitical activities aimed at protecting natural resources, and environmental and climate change. They also outline strategies for dealing with such issues as managing supply and demand in a world marked by massive demographic and economic shifts, and discuss ways to secure the supplies needed for business growth despite resource constraints. In addition, the book describes methods for selecting products, suppliers, and markets.

The authors are well-known supply chain academicians. Chad W. Autry is an associate professor of supply chain management and director of the Supply Chain Forum-North America at the University of Tennessee's College of Business Administration. Thomas J. Goldsby is a professor of logistics at Ohio State University and associate director of its Center for Operational Excellence, as well as a research associate at the Global Supply Chain Forum. John E. Bell is an assistant professor of supply chain management at the University of Tennessee's College of Business Administration.

Global Macrotrends and Their Impact on Supply Chain Management: Strategies for Gaining Competitive Advantage is published by Pearson Education and sells for US $79.99.