Chapter 5 - Inventory management. Inventory management is presented in Chapter 5. Inventory is the life blood of any business. Most firms store thousands of different items. There are many inexpensive supply or operating type items. The type of business a firm is in will usually determine how much of the firm’s assets are invested in inventories. | Lecture Purchasing and supply chain management (3/e): Chapter 5 - W. C. Benton