Directions of supply chain development

4 Directions of supply chain development (Anna Baraniecka) 

All discussions on supply chain development are dominated by references to the environment (Rutkowski 2011, pp. 96-110 Witkowski 2003, pp. 179-181). This is obvious, as external conditions provide the background, the source of opportunities and threats, as well as the inspiration for business activity, including business activities undertaken in the supply chain. However, the complexity of extended enterprises, as supply chains are often called, requires heightened alertness to and careful observation of the conditions of their operation. The connections between the external phenomena and the directions of supply chain development are discussed later in this chapter. 

The theoretical development of the SCM concept described is an auspicious sign in the context of future successes of its application in business practice. Unfortunately, ineffective promotion of the concept to date and the relatively poorly described process of its operationalisation (implementation) and the resulting lack of understanding of the idea 

Modern inventory control or process planning methods assume wide-scale cooperation with collaborators. Hence, mere awareness of potential benefits for the internal logistics system of the company is not a sufficient driver for implementing those methods. The differences in knowledge and competence, as well as the limited trust of the company and its collaborators, considerably reduce - or even exclude - the possibility of implementing the methods or solutions (Baraniecka 2011b, pp. 156-166). 

To implement the SCM concept, one needs logistics knowledge and skills however, equating these with SCM knowledge in the face of the complexity of this concept may be regarded as somewhat abusive, and is a significant source of delays in the development of supply chains in Poland. 

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