Supply Chain Flexibility: Review and Future Directions

Abstract

The importance of flexibility has long been known in operations management and it is becoming a central issue in supply chain management. However, the terminology and methodology differ among researchers, leading to unsystematic theories. This paper surveys the recent high-quality literature, synthesizes the knowledge about relevant practices, their antecedents and consequences into a framework, which acts as common platform for modeling and empirical studies, and suggests future research directions. Risks, information, flexibility and control over demand or supply are identified as core issues and their interplay deserves further investigation.

Keywords: Supply chain flexibility, Risk management, Framework, Literature survey, Electronic business