Global Supply Chain Management Future Challenges
Abstract
Over the past decade, there has been an increasing emphasis on supply chain management as a vehicle through which firms can achieve competitive advantage in markets. The business environment has been continuously responding to the pressures of globalization. In every industry, networks of suppliers, manufacturers, trade intermediaries and customers have spread around the globe as companies strive to lower their costs, increase their profits and improve productivity in a highly competitive global marketplace. Further, the term supply chain management (SCM) has risen to prominence over the past 15 years, becoming such a significant topic. Nonetheless, little is known in the literature concerning the issues and problems currently arising in a global supply chain. This study sought to identify, key drivers of supply chain performance in a complex business environment, and determine barriers which industries faced in the course of implementing new supply chain strategies. The study examined global supply chain management's future challenges. The study used a desk study review methodology where relevant empirical literature was reviewed to identify the main themes. A critical review of empirical literature was conducted to establish the global supply chain management patterns and future challenges. Human collaboration theory was used to inform the study. The study grouped the challenges into four categories namely market dimension technology dimension, resource dimension and time dimension. The study established that the future of supply chain management influences the future of business management since there will be no business that will not be part of a supply chain. The paradigm of business management will soon be converged with the paradigm of supply chain management. This, therefore, leads to recommendations on agility, adaptability and alignment on the future of global supply chain management. The supply chain should be agile enough to respond quickly to the dynamics of demand fluctuations and sudden changes in supply. Agility is a supply chain capability that handles unexpected external disruptions smoothly and cost-effectively. It enables the supply chain to survive the impact of the external dynamics and be able to recover from any initial shocks. The supply chain should have adaptability where it calls for the organization and its supply chain to embark on major strategic changes in technology, market positioning, radical skill upgrading and competence shift.
Keywords: Global Supply Chain Management & Challenges
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