Of all the activities of supply chain management, which poses the greatest challenge and why? Cite examples in popular media

What will be an ideal response?

Answer: The authors indicate that relationship management is the most difficult and therefore the most susceptible to breakdown. Poor relationships with any link in the supply chain can have disastrous consequences for all other supply chain members. An unreliable supplier can starve a plant, leading to inflated lead times and resulting in problems across the chain, all the way to the final customer. If organizations do not manage relationships with both upstream supply chain members as well as with their customers, they run this risk. If supply chain partners are separated geographically or culturally, or both, it is easy to have misunderstandings. In some cases, many components can be purchased only through foreign suppliers with proprietary knowledge. Examples will vary as time passes.