Supply Chain Management analysis methodology: structure, business processes and management components

In the present business environment, one can observe that competition occurs between supply chains, rather than between autonomous entities. In this emerging competitive environment, the companies' success depends on their ability to integrate and manage the key-business processes from the suppliers to the final user. Supply chain management is a strategy through which such an integration can be achieved. It is a new and important area in the field of management research, with little literature on the subject. The purposes of the present article are to present a broader understanding of the Supply Chain Management (SCM) concept, and to propose a methodology to support companies in the understanding and analysis of such process. This methodology is based on the conceptual model of Supply Chain Management proposed by Cooper et al. and can be divided into two parts. The first one, presented in this article, encompasses the discussion of the main stages and critical questions related to the implementation of the Supply Chain Management: the supply chain network structure, the business processes and the management components. The second one, to be developed in a future work, deals with the definition of the criteria to analyse: 1. the supply chain network structure – members, structural dimensions and types of links of business processes; 2. the business processes in the relationship with clients and suppliers; and, 3. the management components of SCM.