1. Explain how a reduction in lead time can help a supply chain reduce its inventory buffer without hurting customer service.

2. Why is Amazon.com able to provide a large variety of books and music with less safety inventory than a similar bookstore chain selling through retail stores?

3. As discussed above, information complexity, proliferation, diffusion, velocity and accuracy are key concerns in contemporary SCM. Information technologies are evolving to manage these issues, but what of the users? As discussed in Chapter 11, logistics tasks are increasingly more information intensive. Hence, how can we ensure that logistics managers and workers are able to cope with their increasingly complex information tasks?

4. Discuss the four barriers to information visibility and transparency. If you were designing a new supply chain, how would you prevent each of these barriers occurring?