Introduction to the handbook of research methods for supply chain management

Soares, Anabela; Childe, Stephen

Abstract

Industry has changed. Businesses that once focused on the efficiency, quality and productivity of their operations to bring the most competitive product or service to the market, have found that competition has forced them to look at where their materials and equipment come from. In a world where automated machinery has reduced the cost of labour in many industries, the proportion of cost accounted for by purchased items has grown. At the same time many companies have transferred non-core activities to specialist suppliers, and while cost and quality may have improved, co-ordination and planning problems have made the management challenge more complex. This means that in addition to trying to manage a single business, managers are trying to manage the activities of their suppliers which, contrary to the term, are not always arranged in a linear chain but in a more complex web of relationships where your supplier may also supply to your competitor.

• Online Publication Date: Oct 18, 2022
• Publication Date: Oct 18, 2022
• Deposit Date: Dec 21, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 19, 2023
• Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
• Pages: xii-xiv
• Series Title: Handbooks of Research Methods in Management series
• Book Title: Handbook of Research Methods for Supply Chain Management
• ISBN: 9781788975858
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781788975865.00005
• Keywords: Supply chain research; Supply chain methods; Supply chain methodology; Supply chain management research; Handbook; Guide
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10266007
• Publisher URL: https://www.elgaronline.com/display/book/9781788975865/book-part-9781788975865-5.xml
• Related Public URLs: https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/handbook-of-research-methods-for-supply-chain-management-9781788975858.html; ; https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/book-series/business-and-management/handbooks-of-research-methods-in-management-series.html