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Supply chains may not seem the sexiest of research topics, but they present a number of challenges in topic definition, resource identification, and alternative language. Supply chain research often bleeds into other areas, such as logistics, information technology, risk management, telecommunications, international economic development, and disaster relief. Official definitions sometimes, but now always, acknowledge the breadth of the topic.
Wikipedia quotes the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals for its definition:
The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals defines supply chain management as follows: "Supply Chain Management encompasses the planning and management of all activities involved in sourcing and procurement, conversion, and all logistics management activities. Importantly, it also includes coordination and collaboration with channel partners, which can be suppliers, intermediaries, third-party service providers, and customers. In essence, supply chain management integrates supply and demand management within and across companies. Supply Chain Management is an integrating function with primary responsibility for linking maj or business functions and business processes within and across companies into a cohesive and high-performing business model. It includes all of the logistics management activities noted above, as well as manufacturing operations, and it drives coordination of processes and activities with and across marketing, sales, product design, finance and information technology."
At the end of its entry for Supply Chain, Wikipedia provides 32 "see also" references, which can be enormously useful in refining your thinking of how to start a research project.
INVESTOPEDIA'S SUPPLY CHAIN DEFINITION
This is how Investopedia defines it:
[A] 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, logisitics [sic] refers to the distribution process within the company whereas the supply chain includes multiple companies such as suppliers, manufacturers, and the retailers.
Notwithstanding the typo in that definition, I'd say it's too narrow and seems to concentrate more on the manufacturing aspects of supply chains, which for the business researcher,...