Supply Chain Overview

Principles

Definition

Supply chain is a research concept and field of study investigating the interconnected network of entities, resources, and processes involved in the production and delivery of goods and services, from the initial sourcing of raw materials to final consumption, analyzing their coordination, optimization, and impact on value creation, efficiency, and resilience.

Ontological type

Risk and Resilience

Coordination Mechanisms

Performance Metrics

Key developments

Key Figures

Integrated Supply Coordination era

Graham C. Stevens[1] is associated with universities[1] and research centers[1] in this era, emerging as a pivotal figure in early integrated supply coordination. His 1989 paper Integrating the Supply Chain[2] articulated a framework for cross-functional, network-wide coordination and just-in-time responsiveness, shaping incentives and multi-echelon planning that defined the era. The contribution to network-wide coordination and inventory responsiveness is documented in Integrating the Supply Chain[2], underscoring why these ideas were pivotal. Graham C. Stevens's work thus set a durable blueprint for later supply-chain design and strategy in integrated coordination networks[1].

Configurational Global Value Chains era

Gary Gereffi [1] is associated with Harvard University [3] and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology [4] in this era. His key contributions in this era, notably via The governance of global value chains [7], highlighted how governance arrangements shape coordination and network configuration, influencing value capture and resilience across varied contexts. John Humphrey [2] is associated with Duke University [5] and McGill University [6] in this era. Through The governance of global value chains [7], his work offered a configurational framework for analyzing governance modes, coordination, and information flows that underpin efficiency and resilience in diverse institutional settings.

Digital Traceability and Resilience era

Joseph Sarkis [1] is a prominent scholar in the Digital Traceability and Resilience era (2018-2025), with affiliations connected to Tsinghua University [2] and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville [3]. In his 2018 paper Blockchain technology and its relationships to sustainable supply chain management [4], he articulates how blockchain can enhance traceability, transparency, and governance across supply networks, addressing resilience needs in this era. The Blockchain technology and its relationships to sustainable supply chain management framework [4] influenced subsequent developments in digital provenance and governance. Sarkis [1] further reframes resilience as an embedded capability by highlighting blockchain-enabled traceability as a core mechanism for real-time visibility across networks.