The term Supply Chain Management (SCM) has become a cornerstone term in the academic business literature as well as in general publications on business management. Over the last two decades, many different viewpoints, concepts and frameworks have been introduced to the literature. Yet, a comprehensive structure that puts the underlying ideas in an overall context is still missing. Furthermore, empirical evidence of causes and effects in SCM is limited.\ud
An extensive meta-analysis has been conducted to provide one comprehensive, sound, and consistent SCM framework. This "third generation" SCM framework distinguishes between a normative, a strategic, and an operative level. Its core is situated on the strategic level and builds around the three carefully separated elements coordination, collaboration, and integration. The analysis shows that these terms have to be distinguished and that they are all important levers for successful SCM. The international research project High Performance Manufacturing (HPM) builds the basis for the empirical part of this text. A descriptive analysis shows that so-called SCM champions achieve higher performance levels than so-called SCM laggards. Then, the third generation SCM framework is validated empirically through structural equation modeling, i.e. by means of Partial Least Squares (PLS). The objective has been to not only show the beneficial impact of SCM on plant performance, but also to identify and better understand the exact drivers of this performance and their individual impact. As such key success drivers are identified: internal collaboration, customer orientation, internal coordination, ERP adoption (as a proxy for integration), external collaboration, and trust.\ud
In addition to this core content, the book also describes key challenges for SCM and provides ideas to resolve them. The impact identified in this text and the embracing scope of SCM show that SCM is not a fad but – if understood and applied correctly – a comprehensive management framework with sustaining impact on organizational development