Models and Methodologies in Supply Chain Management : Review and Reflections

In today’s global market place, as individual firms working as a part of an integrated Supply Chain Management (SCM) system no longer compete as independent entities, the key to improved performance of a firm is its managerial ability to integrate and coordinate the intricate network of business relationships among Supply Chain (SC) partners. In this context, analysis of the impact of an integrated SC on business performance has assumed significance due to the emergence of information-empowered customers demanding greater responsiveness, and existence of competitive global rivals imposing increased cost and reduced profit. In this paper, the existing SCM models and methodologies classified under ten different categories have been critically reviewed leading to identification of several potential areas of research in SCM. A research framework involving the identified research issues has been proposed. Also highlighted are the benefit and usefulness of such a framework in a systematic approach for SCM