An Invitation to Supply Chain Research

In this episode Tony Hines discusses why supply chain research is such a rich area of knowledge generation with both practical relevance and academic rigour. The episode will be of particular interest to those doing research into supply chains as well as new entrants to supply chain management. Students on MBA courses and doing research degrees may find this episode of particular interest. Board members and senior managers reflecting on their role and their own supply chains may find something of interest too,Supply chains are broad in scope covering procurement, transformation processes, storage, distribution and transportation. End to end supply chains provide a rich vein for researchers to explore and to make a contribution to knowledge that is both relevant to practice while simultaneously being academically rigorous allowing for the choice and application of multiple methods. This is not to suggest that all researchers use multiple methods in one project. It may be sufficient and appropriate to use just one or a small number of methods. Methiod choice has to be congruent with the questions being addressed in the research and the particular research objective(s) set.  Supply chains are cross disciplinary in nature. Supply chains have people working in them who have particular skill sets from operations, strategy, finance, engineering, sourcing, procurement, accounting, marketing, information technologists, data analysts and human resources. It has people who have different backgrounds and experience of working in supply chains. Drivers, storekeepers, process operatives, team leaders and managers all play their part in securing efficient and effective supply chains. It covers outsourcing, transport choices, make or buy decisions, inventory management, quality management, manufacturing and services. All the ingredients make up the supply chain system. Researchers can choose to examine part of a system or the total end to end supply chain. Researchers can choose a particular focus such as transport logistics, warehousing, site locations, sourcing strategies, manufacturing configurations, ethics, climate change impact of supply chains, governance, regulatory frameworks, economics of supply chain strategies, organization, relationships, structures and configerations of choice to list just some of those choices. Send us Fan MailSupport the show THANKS FOR LISTENING PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW You can support the podcast by following the link here. It makes a big difference and helps us make great content for you to listen to. Follow like and share the Chain Reaction Podcast with colleagues and friends on social media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.News about forthcoming programmes click hereSHAREPlease share the link with others so they can listen too https://chainreaction.buzzsprout.com/shareLET US KNOWIf you have any comments, suggestions or questions then just direct message on Linkedin or X (Twitter)REVIEW AND RATE If you like the show please rate and review it. Every vote helps.About Tony Hines and the Chain Reaction Podcast – All About Supply Chain AdvantageI have been researching and writing about supply chains for over 25 years. I wrote my first book on supply chain strategies in the early 2000s. The latest edition is published in 2024 available from Routledge, Amazon and all good book stores. Each week we have special episodes on particular topics relating to supply chains. We have a weekly news round up every Saturday at 12 noon. ...