Publication type
Journal article with impact factorPublication Year
2011Journal
International Journal of Logistics Research and ApplicationsPublication Volume
14Publication Issue
5Publication Begin page
297Publication End page
315
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Many companies have introduced the supply chain function in their organisation. Little attention, however, is devoted to the way the supply chain function is organised, e.g. the range of responsibilities it has, the position it occupies in the hierarchy and the skills it requires. The literature on this is scarce. This paper provides initial benchmarking data on company decisions regarding the roles and responsibilities of their supply chain managers and how the various supply chain tasks are coordinated and integrated. Our empirical study in the food, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries shows that differences in supply chain organisational structures are not random. We find that the way the supply chain function is organised seems to depend on the industry and its complexity and, we might speculate, on the strategy of the organisation. By highlighting and trying to explain these differences, we hope to raise top management awareness regarding the structuring options for their supply chain function and the importance of this issue for the organisation.Knowledge Domain/Industry
Operations & Supply Chain Managementae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1080/13675567.2011.636347