 
	Transportation is the fifth step in the supply chain process.  Transportation deals with the smooth delivery of goods to one location to the next. There are five means of transportation. The following are the five means of transportation: air, rail, water, truck, and pipeline.   Air transportation is the fastest and most expensive mean of transportation.  The advantages of air transportation are that it is fast and reliable; the disadvantage of air transportation is that companies are only able to transport smaller packages. Rail transportation involves trains and railroads.  Rail transportation is a lot slower than air transportation but the advantage of rail transportation is that it is easier to transport large bulk items. Water transportation is slow and not flexible. Water transportation is not flexible because it can only go in locations that have a water source. Water transportation is the cheapest form of transportation. An advantage of water transportation is that you can ship bulk items. Truck transportation involves road transportation by trucks, cars, and eight-teen wheeler tractors. Truck transportation is the most flexible out of all the forms of transportation. The disadvantages that truck transportation has are that it is not cheap and it does not allow bulk carrying.  The final form of transportation is pipeline. Pipeline is very cheap but is very limited in what it can transport. The advantage of pipeline transportation is that it is very fast. Management would have to consider which of these forms of transportation is the best way to get products from the production plant and warehouse into the store and ready for customers to purchase. 
	Globalization has allowed businesses and people to interact from all around the globe. Globalization has been successful due to the major influences of the supply chain management. Without supply chain management it would be extremely difficult for America to do business with partners in Japan and China. The creation of the container has allowed businesses to ship raw goods and products around the globe in a well organized and simplified method. In today’s supply chain process, because of the container it is easy to transport products from water to rail, from rail to plan, and from plan to trucks.
	Information is the sixth step in the supply chain management. Information consists of relying information from one end of the process to the other. Management uses internet and other high technology programs to link together information. 
	Supply chain management is created to provide quality and satisfactory products to customers. When companies are able to produce, supply, and transport products in a timely manner to customers they are more successful. The key steps in the supply chain method are production, supply, inventory, location, transportation, and information. Each step has an important role in the success of the supply chain process. 

Beth Bed and Beyond an international retail company that sells quality products for the bath, bedding, and kitchen wares. The company mission objective is to be a customer’s first choice for products and services in the categories offered, in the markets in which the company operates. 