Development of supply chain strategies has become a major growth industry in its own right; most organizations now see managing their supply chain as a key strategic issue. The main tenet of this book is that supply needs to be thought about as a dynamic strategic process, and not as a bureaucratic business function.

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"Strategic Supply Management: principles, theories and practice" traces the development of purchasing and supply management from its origins as a tactical commercial function into a key strategic business process. Integrating conceptual models, including the strategic supply wheel, with a host of practical examples, the authors illuminate the philosophy, concepts and techniques of supply management. They also contrast the traditional, conventional concepts of purchasing and supply management with new ideas, radical concepts, and examples of interesting practice.

Designed to provide a comprehensive course structure for teaching and studying this wide-ranging and constantly developing topic, this book guides the reader through the subject with clarity and logic. Whether used as a course textbook or a source of reference, students and practitioners will find the authors' comprehensive overviews of the topics indispensable.

"Cousins et al have drawn from their extensive experience in industry, and crafted a book that provides deep contextual insights into why supply chains are the foundation for competitive strategy, the dynamics that drive economic change, and most importantly, the importance of relationships as the glue that keeps supply chains functioning properly. Executives and students will benefit from the frameworks, examples, and discussions inthis book, which should be on everyone who has an interest in global competitiveness' bookshelves."

Rob Handfield

Bank of America University Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management

North Carolina State University

About the Authors

Prof. Paul Cousins is Professor of Operations Management and CIPS Professor of Supply Chain Management at Manchester Business School, The University of Manchester, and also Director of the Supply Chain Management Research Group.

Prof Richard Lamming is Director of the School of Management at the University of Southampton.

Dr Benn Lawson is a lecturer in operations management at Queen's University Belfast, and is Visiting Senior Fellow at ManchesterBusiness School.

Dr Brian Squire is a lecturer in the Decision Sciences and Operations Management Group at Manchester Business School.

The motivation for this book came out of a shared belief that what passed as 'theory' in operations management (OM) was all too often inadequate. In one respect, OM scholars were bending over backwards to make theories from other fields fit our research problems. In another, questionable assumptions were being used to apply mathematics to OM problems. Neither proved a good match with what the authors' had observed in practice. Successful operations were managed by considerations that were far more straightforward than much of what was being published. The authors of this book codify these practical considerations into a set of ten fundamental principles that bring together a century of operations management thinking. The authors then apply these principles to important topics such as process design, process improvement, the supply chain, new product development, project management, environmental sustainability, and the interfaces between operations management and other business school disciplines.

The motivation for this book came out of a shared belief that what passed as 'theory' in operations management (OM) was all too often inadequate. In one respect, OM scholars were bending over backwards to make theories from other fields fit our research problems. In another, questionable assumptions were being used to apply mathematics to OM problems. Neither proved a good match with what the authors' had observed in practice. Successful operations were managed by considerations that were far more straightforward than much of what was being published. The authors of this book codify these practical considerations into a set of ten fundamental principles that bring together a century of operations management thinking. The authors then apply these principles to important topics such as process design, process improvement, the supply chain, new product development, project management, environmental sustainability, and the interfaces between operations management and other business school disciplines.