ABSTRACT
Supply chain management, as a business and management concept, has received great attention from academics and practitioners. The emphasis on the supply chain and its management has increased as a consequence of industrial practitioners and academics recognising that it is a key factor for companies not just to compete, but to survive and stay in the marketplace. This is because companies consider supply chain management as a core vehicle for success inside the competitive business environment and as the factor that enables them to provide a sustainable image for their products or service offerings inside their market place. Supply chain management was first introduced in 1982 by logistics researchers to describe an inventory management approach with regard to the managing of raw materials supply. The importance of supply chain management from a Middle East company's perspective has to be investigated in more than one company, and also in small and medium-sized enterprises, and in manufacturing and service organisations.
