Supply Chain Principles versus Practice: Differentiating Between the Two

As a discipline still taking shape, there are still a number of issues surrounding the teaching and learning of supply chain. Difficulty in differentiating between what constitute the fundamental principles on the one hand and applied supply chain on the other hand is one such issue. This lack of clarity tends to create confusion in the minds of newcomers to the subject. Therefore, the aim of this theoretical paper is to set the tone towards breaking the subject into two parts: the principles of supply chain, and applied supply chain. This demarcation, hopefully, will boost the shaping of the discipline. The paper relies mainly on literature review to argue out its position. Therefore, the methodology employed is desk study which implies a constructivist orientation. Based on the literature review, the paper identifies four criteria on which the principles of supply chain can be based, namely: context, interconnectedness, system, and generic supply chain. It is recommended that any future consolidation of the principles of supply chain should emanate from these four areas; residual concepts that deal with the practicalities of supply chain and do not directly address the four criteria can be brought under applied supply chain. It is expected that such a demarcation will improve the coherence of the subject.