Presents an approach for evaluating the number of vendors to employ in a procurement situation using multi‐objective programming (MOP) and data envelopment analysis (DEA). The approach advocates developing vendor‐order quantity solutions (referred to as supervendors) using MOP and then...

More sophisticated customer demand chains and electronic business pose new challenges to supply chain management. Delivery sizes decrease as a result of more deliveries directly to the point of use. Customers are demanding products and deliveries customised to their specific needs. Also, the...

Discusses supply chain management practices, with emphasis on purchasing, in Botswana (a developing country). Focuses on problems facing business operations and how to improve the situation. Presents the views of purchasing personnel from public and private organizations and of students taking...

An efficient supply chain is becoming increasingly important as globalization and technological advancement combine to make the modern marketplace more competitive than ever. An example of this can be seen at Matsushita, a Japanese‐based industry leader who has had to fight to remain...

Supply chain management has become such a popular topic in modern business management and researches. It brings the revolutionary philosophy and approach to manage the business with the sustained competitiveness. However, the existing performance measurement theory fails to provide its necessary...

Gaining a competitive advantage in international supply chains requires matching the value‐adding activities of a chain with the unique comparative advantages offered by diverse nations that make up the chain. To do this, a supply chain manager must identify and control the factors that...

Efficient consumer response (ECR) is an electronic commerce (EC)‐enabled grocery industry supply chain management strategy, which is designed to make the industry more efficient and responsive. Despite the many benefits obtainable from ECR, the adoption rate has been slow in many regions. At...

Only one customer really counts: the end customer. The final purchaser decides whether each supply chain member adds value, and is thus willing to pay for the added benefit, or whether by‐passing a particular link in the supply chain makes economic sense. It is in this context that profit,...

Generic deficiencies are identified in the theory generation of supply chain management (SCM). There is a crucial and challenging necessity to revise and extend the current theory generation of SCM. There is a need to move from atomistic theory generation towards holistic and...