Response time
13 September 2012
It’s an unpredictable world. In recent months alone, UK purchasers have had to react to the impact of terrorist attacks, increases in oil prices and changes to textile quotas.
Products too have shorter life-cycles; there is more technological innovation and a growing demand for tailored products.
Faced with such a turbulent marketplace, says Professor Martin Christopher, professor of marketing and logistics at Cranfield University, it is no longer possible for purchasers to make a forecast, order goods and sit back and expect them to...