What is Supply Chain

The network like structure of companies in which all of them are customer of the preceding and supplier of the succeeding that begins with extraction of raw materials from nature and supplies products and services to end customer. Learn more in: How Supply Chain Management Will Change in the Industry 4.0 Era?

Includes all activities which are involved in delivering product from raw material through manufacture and distribution to the end user (e.g. exchange of information among entities in supply chain). Learn more in: The Role of Information Technology in Supply Chain Management

The network created amongst different companies producing, handling and/or distributing a specific product. Specifically, the supply chain encompasses the steps it takes to get a good or service from the supplier to the customer. Supply chain management is a crucial process for many companies, and many companies strive to have the most optimized supply chain because it usually translates to lower costs for the company. Quite often, many people confuse the term logistics with supply chain. In general, logistics refers to the distribution process within the company whereas the supply chain includes multiple companies such as suppliers, manufacturers, and the retailers. Learn more in: Organizational Learning and Innovation: Organizational Learning

Entire network of entities, directly or indirectly interlinked and interdependent in serving the same consumer or customer. It comprises of vendors that supply raw material, producers who convert the material into products, warehouses that store, distribution centers that deliver to the retailers, and retailers who bring the product to the ultimate user. Learn more in: New Strategy and Thinking in Global Business System: Creating Value Through Supply Chain Management

A network of distinct organisations acting together in a coordinated fashion to transform inputs from original suppliers into finished products and services for end consumers. Learn more in: Facilitation of Supply Chain Decision Processes in SMEs, Using Information Systems

A network of multiple companies (typically manufacturers/suppliers, distributors, transporters, storage facilities and retailers) that participate in the manufacture, delivery and sale of a product to the final consumer. Learn more in: A Holistic View of the Challenges and Social Implications of Online Distribution: The Case of Pensions

The transformation of raw materials to the final consumer, along with associated knowledge and communication. A supply chain involves multiple stakeholders and includes material and exchange of knowledge both upstream and downstream. Learn more in: An Interdisciplinary Inquiry Into Sustainable Supply Chain Management

Two or more organizations that are involved in the upstream and downstream flows of products, services, information, and money from sources to final consumers. Learn more in: Inter-Organizational Information Systems in the Supply Chain

The supply chain is a network that procures raw materials, converts these raw materials into intermediate goods and final products, and distributes final products to customers. Learn more in: Economic Impacts of Closed-Loop Supply Chains

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Two or more directly dependent organisations vertically aligned such that the outputs of one provides goods or services that are essential inputs to the value chain of the other. Physical supply chains are inventory-based; virtual supply chains are information-based. Learn more in: Factors for Effective E-Collaboration in the Supply Chain

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Dynamic, interconnected and collaborative group of companies working jointly on planning, management and execution of cross-company business processes spanning from the first tier suppliers to the end-customers. Learn more in: A Review of Advances in Supply Chain Intelligence

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Set of activities which implements logistics specifications, goals and definitions, using calculation methods and technological resources, as information technology, for example. Learn more in: Numbers Can Restrict Results?: Qualitative Research Methods as Information and Knowledge Management Support in Supply Chain and Logistics Sectors

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Is an integrated process for the aim to deliver products or services to the final clients. Learn more in: Supply Chain and Inter-Organizational Information Systems Role

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A complex and dynamic network of agents (suppliers, producers, distributors, retailers, and customers), activities, resources, and technology involved in moving a product or service from suppliers to customers. The agents are interconnected by material, financial, information, and decision flows. Learn more in: Modeling the Design Phase of Sustainable Supply Chains

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Flow of product from raw material to customer. Learn more in: Optimization Approaches to Assess Manufacturing Agility

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A network of suppliers, storage facilities, distributors, transporters, and retailers that participate in the sale, delivery and production of a product either for a particular firm or as part of a particular industry. Learn more in: Tourism Networks and Clusters

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All interactions involved and adding value to the whole processes between the point of production of goods or services and the point of delivering those goods or services to the end customer. Learn more in: Risk Management in Supplier Selection: A FMEA-Based Approach for Retail Supply Chain

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It is the collection of steps that a company takes to transform raw components into final products and deliver them to customers. Learn more in: Fuzzy Logic in Health Services: Integrated Fuzzy Method for Multi-Criteria Inventory Classification

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A network of facilities and distribution options that performs the functions of procurement of materials, transformation of these materials into intermediate and finished products, and the distribution of these finished products to customers. Learn more in: Management and Organization in Transportation and Logistics

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Sequence of activities conducted in separate companies transporting a materials flow to consumers while progressively transforming it into the desired products. Information from the market flows to the producers. Learn more in: Sentiment Analysis in Supply Chain Management

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Refers to the suppliers for a given organizations. Learn more in: The B2B Market Place: A Review and a Typology

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The workflow that involves different stakeholders in order to produce satisfactory result-service, physical products. Learn more in: Using Six Sigma to Achieve Sustainable Manufacturing

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A network of facilities and distribution options that performs the functions of procurement of materials, transformation of these materials into intermediate and finished products, and the distribution of these finished products to customers. Learn more in: Leveraging Supply Chain Management in the Digital Economy

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Refers to a system of organizations, people, activities, information, and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer. The activities involved the transformation of natural resources, raw materials, and components into a finished product that is delivered to the end customer. Learn more in: Supplier Selection in the Healthcare Sector: A Multi-Criteria Proposal

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Network of companies that serve the same end consumer. It comprises all companies from the raw-material supplier to the retailer. Learn more in: The Bullwhip Effect in Supply Chains

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In its basic form, a buyer-centric chain or network of independent companies that are loosely interlinked by activity along a manufacturing, servicing, and distribution channel of a product service specialty, from sources of raw material to delivery to an end customer. Supplementary to this supply chain management is a set of approaches utilized to integrate suppliers, manufacturers, warehouses, retail stores, and so on. Consequently, merchandise is produced and distributed in right quantities, to right locations at the right time, to minimize system-wide costs while at the same time satisfying service-level requirements. Learn more in: Human-Centric E-Business

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The supply chain includes all the companies or organizations, people and resources involving management of upstream and downstream value-added flows of materials, final goods, and related information among suppliers, company, resellers, and final consumers. Learn more in: Internationalization in Business-to-Business Markets: The Importance of New Product Development

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A logistic process that includes warehousing and transport activities and involves two or more participants connected by trade transactions. Learn more in: A Secure Bet in the Maritime Supply Chain: Current Situation and Opportunities for Ports' Attractiveness

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The entire network of entities, directly or indirectly interlinked and interdependent in serving the same customer. Learn more in: Fostering Supply Chain Management in Global Business

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A network of organizations, people, activities, information, and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer. Learn more in: Adoption of Supply Chain Sustainability in Developing Countries: An Empirical Investigation

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The entire network of entities, directly or indirectly interlinked and interdependent in serving the same customer. Learn more in: Advocating Information System, Information Integration, and Information Sharing in Global Supply Chain

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The network consisting of manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and customers. Learn more in: Sustainability, Risk, and Business Intelligence in Supply Chains

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The supply chain is the process of starting all products and services from the supplier to the customer at the last stage; it is one of the crucial points of the companies covering all activities, human resources, technology, company structures and resources. Learn more in: Integrating Performance Measurement Systems Into the Global Lean and Sustainable Construction Supply Chain Management: Enhancing Sustainability Performance of the Construction Industry

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Sequence of processes involved in the production and distribution of a commodity. Learn more in: Tourism Development in Least Developed Countries: Challenges and Opportunities

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A system of organizations, people, technology, activities, information and resources involved in moving products or services from suppliers to customers or clients. The activities of such a system intends at transforming some materials and components into finished products or services. Learn more in: Mathematical Model for Designing Supply Chains

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A systemic concept that considers all the activities from procurement of raw materials to the delivery of finished goods as a linked chain of business processes. Learn more in: Hybrid SD/DES Simulation for Supply Chain Analysis

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A system of organizations, people, technology, activities, information and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer. Learn more in: Marketing Decisions with Reference Price Effect

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Production/construction and value creation chain consisting of all subcontractors/suppliers etc. taking part in the production/construction process. Learn more in: Global Trends in the Construction Industry: Challenges of Employment

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A way of facilitating the transfer of produce from producer/farmer to end consumer. Learn more in: Organic Cooperatives Facilitating Sustainable Consumption

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The network created from different companies producing, handling and distributing a specific product. Learn more in: With the Head in the Cloud

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An integrated process wherein a number of various business entities (i.e., suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers) work together in an effort to acquire raw materials, convert these raw materials into specified final products, and deliver these final products to retailers. Learn more in: A Stochastic Approach to Product-Driven Supply Chain Design

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Sequence of processes involved in the production and distribution of a commodity. Learn more in: Lesotho, a Tourism Destination: An Analysis of Lesotho's Current Tourism Products and Potential for Growth

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It is a system of organizations, people, activities, information and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer. Learn more in: Networks Collaboration in Wine Sector SME: A Study Applied to a Portuguese Wine Region

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A set of industrial manufacturers collectively involved in design and production of a set of related products. Each pair of directly interacting manufacturers is related by supplying relationship. Learn more in: Optimal Collaborative Design in Supply Chains

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It is a scheme of organizations, people, information, activities, and resources in the process of transferring a product or service from supplier to customer. Learn more in: Best Practices in the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Management

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A system comprising of organizations, personnel, information, logistics, distribution, and other resources involved in the movement of products and services from the manufacturer to the end customers. Learn more in: Knowledge Sharing Barriers Affecting Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Performance

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A supply chain is the network of all the individuals, organizations, resources, activities and technology involved in the creation and sale of a product, from the delivery of source materials from the supplier to the manufacturer, through to its eventual delivery to the end user. Learn more in: Supply Chain Management and Strategy Implementation for Perishable Goods

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includes the management of the supply and demand of the product, the supply of raw materials, production and assembly, storage, inventory management, order management and distribution of products to customers. The supply chain includes all the products and services from the supplier to the customer at the latest stage and all the activities, human resources, technology, company structures and resources that take place in this path. Learn more in: A Digital Transformation in International Transport and Logistics: Blockchain

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The supply chain involves all the companies or organizations, people and resources involving management of upstream and downstream value-added flows of materials, final goods, and related information among suppliers, company, resellers, and final consumers. Learn more in: New Product Development and the Challenges of Internationalization

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A network of companies involved in the supply chain activities that aim to create, sell, and deliver goods and services to the customers. Learn more in: Blockchain Characteristics and Green Supply Chain Advancement

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A worldwide network of supplier, factories, warehouses, distribution centers and retailers through which raw material are acquired, transformed, and delivered to customers (Fox et al., 2000) Learn more in: Virtual Logistics from Outsourcing Logistics

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An integrated collection of various business entities, such as suppliers, manufacturing plants, retailers, distribution centers, among others, working together to acquire and transform raw materials and deliver value added products to customers. Learn more in: Supply Chain Design Including Quality Considerations: Modeling and Solution Approaches based on Metaheuristics

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S upply chain is the network of all the organizations, individuals, activities, resources, and technology from the supplier to the manufacturer or to the end user. Learn more in: Introduction to International Transportation and Logistics

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A supply chain is a network of organisation involved in producing and delivering a finished product to the end-customer. Supply chains exist for goods and services. From the viewpoint of a focal organisation, a supply chain involves a number of tiers of suppliers and of buyers. A supply chain involves the flow of products, funds, and information. Learn more in: Supply Chain Information Systems and Decision Support

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Supply chain and value chain are used interchangeably. Learn more in: Challenges for Measuring Value Chain Relation Coordination of SMEs of the Textile and Apparel Industry: The Case of a Small Family Industrial Safety Footwear Firm of Ambato, Ecuador

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The distribution channel of a product, from its sourcing to its delivery to the end-user (also known as the value chain). Learn more in: Architectural Model for Supply Chain Orchestration and Management

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Is the network of all the individuals, organizations, resources, activities and technology involved in the creation and sale of a product, from the delivery of source materials from the supplier to the manufacturer, through to its eventual delivery to the end user. Learn more in: Accelerating the Adoption of Industry 4.0 Industrial Digital Technologies in the Manufacturing Business Value Chain

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A supply chain is the series of integrated corporates that coordinate the physical execution and share information in order to assure a smooth flow of products and/or services, cash and information through the entire chain. The functions of supply chain are - the supply of products to the manufacturer, work in process, inventory and finished product distribution to the final customer. Learn more in: Evaluation of RFID Tag Anti-Collision Algorithms in Supply Chain Automation

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The entire chain of all the organisations involved in producing and marketing a product, starting from the raw materials to the sale of finished products. For example: second level supplier - first level supplier - focal company - distributor - retailer. Learn more in: The Challenge of Sustainability within the Italian Fashion System

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A supply chain is a system of organizations, people, technology, activities, information and resources involved in producing and moving a product or service from supplier to customer. Supply chain activities transform natural resources, raw materials and components into a finished product that is delivered to the end customer. Learn more in: An Agent-Based Operational Virtual Enterprise Framework enabled by RFID

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A system involved in transforming and moving products or services from suppliers to customers. Learn more in: Designing Supply Chains Using Optimization

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Flow of product from raw material to customer. Learn more in: Empirical Approaches to Assess Manufacturing Agility

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A supply chain is a system of organizations, people, activities, information, and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer. Learn more in: Evaluation of Make or Buy Approaches for Batteries Used in Electric Cars: A Comprehensive Make-Buy Analysis With Qualitative Factors Defending the Decision to Make Batteries

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A network through which material and information are interchanged in the logistical process stretching from acquisition of raw materials to delivery of finished products to the end users. Learn more in: Risk and Risk Aversion in Supply Chain Management

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The sequence of organizations and functions that mine, make, or assemble materials and products from suppliers to manufacturers to distributors to customers. Learn more in: The Right Path to SCM-CRM Integration

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Starting with unprocessed raw materials and ending with the final customer using the finished goods, the supply chain links many companies together. Learn more in: Reverse Logistics in the Electronics Waste Industry

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The system and resources used to provide goods and services from origin to consumption. Learn more in: Social Capital Accounting: The Social Capital Protocol and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals

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The channel of distribution that enables products to be delivered from the supplier to the final buyer. Learn more in: An Assessment for Classification of Distribution Network Design

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It is a “network of facilities and distribution options that performs the functions of procurement of materials, transformation of these materials into intermediate and finished products, and the distribution of these finished products to customers” (Scheer, 1999). Learn more in: Diagrammatic Decision-Support Modeling Tools in the Context of Supply Chain Management

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The set of all business units (firms, organizations), their activities associated with the physical flow and transformation of goods from raw materials to end products, and their activities associated with the information flow transmitted across units. Learn more in: Supply Chain Integration in Construction Industry

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the sequential process involved in the production by the manufacturer and distribution of final goods and services to the consumer or end buyer. Learn more in: Assessment on Market Share of Spurious Spare Parts of ABC Earth Moving Equipments Pvt. Ltd., India

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The value adding chain of the movement of resources from the procurement phase up until its consumption and disposal by the end user. Learn more in: Factors Inhibiting Green Supply Chain Management Initiatives in a South African Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

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