A supply chain is boundary spanning; that is, encompassing a group of interrelated firms focused on delivering the best price or value products and services to the ultimate customer at the end of the supply chain. It was also noted that a supply chain can manage four important flows, namely, materials/products, information, financials, and demand.
An important characteristic of today's world economy is the increasing regional economic integration. The globalized economy has led to multilateral trade promotion and lowered barriers to international business transactions. The best supply chains allow organizations to compete very successfully on a national, regional, and global basis.