A supply chain is what it says: a chain or network of various resources who together share the objective of supplying a particular result or achieving a planned objective. These resources include (internal and external) organizations, people, activities, information, and raw materials involved in moving a product or service from a supplier to a customer.
Simply put, supply chain activities include transforming natural (and other) resources, raw materials, and components into a finished product that is then delivered to the end customer when the customer needs or wants it. So, it's not just minding inventory and shipping products. A supply chain is much more involved and complex.
Management of inventories goes beyond counting how many containers are sitting in a warehouse: it's a balancing act of keeping enough inventories on hand so that all customer...