Introduction

Abstract

The recent past has seen a growing interest in supply chain management (SCM) topics. These SCM topics cover research on inter-firm collaboration, risk management processes, various works on purchasing competences, research on measuring and benchmarking SCM efforts and many more. Despite the vast amount of published supply chain research, the need for the further refinement of SCM tools is even more relevant today. Many researchers found in their studies that the theoretical SCM tools and concepts still lack practical implementation in today’s business world (Kouvelis et al., 2006). Many conceptual models of SCM still require empirical validation and in- depth case studies of how to implement the theoretical concepts into the day-to-day business of multinational corporations. With this thesis, the author contributes to the field of SCM research in various ways.