A taxonomy of supply networks

Harland, Christine M., Lamming, Richard C., Zheng, Jurong and Johnsen, Thomas E. (2001) A taxonomy of supply networks. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 37 (4), 21-27. (doi:10.1111/j.1745-493X.2001.tb00109.x).

Record type: Article

Abstract

There has been limited research into how different types of supply networks can be created and operated. This article develops a taxonomy of supply networks with a particular focus on managing network creation and operation. The taxonomy is based on a review of network literature from various academic perspectives and extensive empirical data across a variety of industry sectors including automotive, fast-moving consumer goods, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and communications technologies. The main differentiating factors for classifying a matrix of four types of supply network are found to be the degree of supply network dynamics and the degree of focal company supply network influence. Network characteristics and different patterns of networking activities are identified for each type of supply network.

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