Final answer:
The statement is false; optimal planning success often involves performing multiple business functions within the value chain concurrently, rather than in sequence, to take advantage of core competencies and specialization.
Step-by-step explanation:
The claim that 'For optimal planning success it is best if each business function within the value chain is performed one at a time in sequence' is false. In today’s global economy, the concept of the value chain involves an interconnected series of activities that contribute to the value of a product or service. Firms often split up the value chain, with different stages occurring concurrently or in an integrated manner, adding efficiency and expertise at each stage.
Specializing in specific segments of the value chain allows businesses to leverage their core competencies, leading to improved quality, cost savings, and innovation. This specialization can take place within a single firm or across different firms and even countries.
For example, the production of technological devices like smartphones might involve design and engineering in one country, component manufacturing in another, assembly in a third, and marketing and sales distributed across various markets globally.