Towards a theory of supply chain management: the constructs and measurements

TLDR

International cooperation, vertical disintegration, and a focus on core activities have positioned firms as links in a networked supply chain, creating a challenge to design and manage interdependent relationships, yet systematic SCM instruments remain undeveloped. The study aims to identify and consolidate supply chain initiatives and factors to develop key SCM constructs that advance the field. The authors analyzed over 400 articles across disciplines and synthesized the fragmented literature to develop these constructs. The study produced reliable, valid, unidimensional measurements that can be used to refine or extend conceptualizations and test theoretical models, thereby facilitating theory building in SCM.

Abstract

Abstract Rising international cooperation, vertical disintegration, along with a focus on core activities have led to the notion that firms are links in a networked supply chain. This novel perspective has created the challenge of designing and managing a network of interdependent relationships developed and fostered through strategic collaboration. Although research interests in supply chain management (SCM) are growing, no research has been directed towards a systematic development of SCM instruments. This study identifies and consolidates various supply chain initiatives and factors to develop key SCM constructs conducive to advancing the field. To this end, we analyzed over 400 articles and synthesized the large, fragmented body of work dispersed across many disciplines. The result of this study, through successive stages of measurement analysis and refinement, is a set of reliable, valid, and unidimensional measurements that can be subsequently used in different contexts to refine or extend conceptualization and measurements or to test various theoretical models, paving the way for theory building in SCM.