• What led to a massive reorganization of the economies of developed countries?
• Why was market allocation of resources replaced by corporate allocation?
• What were the technologies that led to the movement to the “visible hand”?
• What happened with the increase in the scale and complexity of business?
• What is meant by “economies of speed”?
• Against what background did American Tobacco Company have to develop new marketing techniques?
• What changes took place in the supply chain after the adoption of new process technology?
• What is the advantage of financing operations internally
• What happened in many industries in the Untied States and Europe by 1917?
• What is an ideal business scenario based on the use of the Internet and e-commerce?
• Why is there no one size that will fit all (situations)?
• What is the biggest difference between integral design and modular design?
• What is “the Dell direct model” and what are its advantages?
• What is the pre-condition for the operation of “the Dell Model”?

• 改革开放在为国外产品打开大门的同时也为国外先进的生产技术和管理技术打开了大门。（open the door to）
• 一些校友努力在学生和能雇用他们的公司之间牵线搭桥。（match）
• 他具有成功商人的特质—自信。 （characterize）
• 我想，我在此处就学时要利用好这里的运动设施。 （take advantage of）
• 销售出现了大幅下滑，因而有必要减产和减员。 （necessitate）
• 在露天工作可能意味着受到太多的日晒，这转而又可能引发皮肤癌。 （in turn）
• 首相的讲话加剧了股市可能会暴涨的猜测。 （fuel）
• 我们在香港只呆一天，因此我们要尽可能地利用好这个时间。 （make the most of）
• 教孩子的方法是寓学于乐。 （integrate）
• 有她那样的资格，她完全适合做这个工作。（fit）
• 有些科学家认为他预报地震的方法不可信。 （discount）
• 当时假如大雨伴着巨浪同时出现的话，肯定就会发生洪水灾害。 （coincide）

Used informally, supply chain strategy is often confused with supply chain management, where supply chain operations are controlled to reduce costs. Supply chain strategy really is broader; it defines how the supply chain should operate in order to compete. Supply chain strategy is an iterative process that evaluates the cost benefit，trade-offs of operational components.

Business strategy involves leveraging the core competencies of the organization to achieve a defined high-level goal or objective. While the business strategy constitutes the overall direction that an organization wishes to go, the supply chain strategy constitutes the actual operations of that organization and the extended supply chain to meet a specific supply chain objective.

So, why is a supply chain strategy so important? Well, one good reason is to operationalize and support your business strategy. At some point, a business strategy must be executed and typically this is done through the operational components of a company. Supply chain strategy also focuses on driving down operational costs and maximizing efficiencies. Another reason for having a supply chain strategy is to establish how you work with your supply chain partners, including suppliers, distributors, customers, and even your customers’ customers. And for all these reasons, a well executed supply chain strategy results in value creation for the organization.