Globalization will take on new proportions in the next ten years, as enterprises extend their operations across the world and do business in ever more complex ways. These businesses are becoming increasingly interconnected, adopting new information technology driven paradigms of collaboration designed to improve their responsiveness to customer needs, extend supply chains, and manage volatility in raw materials supply and prices.

Meanwhile, the business climate is growing more difficult for many different business sectors. For retailers, the meltdown in mainstream consumerism and growth of the 'long tail' of personalized and niche consumer demand poses significant challenges. For manufacturers, global competition has squeezed margins and led to faster product lifecycles. Lastly, for network operators and logistics service providers, competition has also become fiercer and technology is changing at a rapid pace.

In order to survive in the coming decade, these and other enterprises will need to adopt new business models, applying best practices in supply chain management and EPC/RFID technology to achieve an unprecedented level of visibility throughout the supply chain and meet changing consumer needs.

At the GS1 Hong Kong SCM Excellence Summit 2008, professionals will be able to explore these and other topics critical to their organizations' future success and sustainability in the new era of global business.