Purpose – To introduce the special issue focusing on the question: is supply chain management (SCM) an emerging academic discipline? Design/methodology/approach – A brief discussion of the papers in the special issue. Findings – Outlines how the papers stimulate debate on the nature and...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between supplier capabilities, supply chain collaboration and buyer responsiveness. Design/methodology/approach – The sample is drawn from UK manufacturing firms across eight industry sectors. Data are analysed using a...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the different patterns of purchasing function configuration, and the relationship between such patterns and organisational performance. Design/methodology/approach – Despite considerable attention, there is little evidence showing the...

Purpose – Close links between buyers and suppliers are increasingly cited as a critical differentiator of high and low performers in global supply chains. While the application of performance measures to manage supplier relationships has been well‐identified and encouraged in the literature,...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between supplier capabilities, supply chain collaboration and buyer responsiveness. Design/methodology/approach – The sample is drawn from UK manufacturing firms across eight industry sectors. Data are analysed using a...