In the supply chain a push and pull exists between suppliers and buyers: suppliers need to get paid upon invoice maturity date or earlier to keep the supply chain moving. Buyers want to stretch the amount of time they take to pay suppliers in order to hold on to working capital longer. In the current economic downturn, the divergent pressures have increased drastically, but the risks to a buyer of losing a dependable supply of product at a reasonable price have also increased. This article explores....

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