Developing a conceptual framework to analyse supply chain design practices

Analysis of the supply chain is necessary to improve performance. For this reason, \nsupply chain management (SCM) has received a lot of attention recently and supply \nchain design (SCD) is a concept that forms an integral part of the adoption and \nimplementation of SCM. Effective SCD contributes towards better supply chain \nintegration (SCI) which, in turn, contributes towards improved supply chain \nperformance. The focus of this study is on the analysis of SCD practices. Designing \nthe supply chain structure is a complex and demanding undertaking that needs to be \naligned with the needs of the supply chain’s end customers, because their needs \nultimately have to be satisfied. This study proposes a conceptual framework that has \nbeen developed from literature to assist organisations in the analysis of their SCD \npractices, with the aim of improving supply chain performance. The conceptual \nframework was exploratively tested by means of empirical research to determine \nwhether it can be used as an assessment tool to assess the SCD practices of \norganisations. The study concluded that the conceptual framework that was \ndeveloped in this study can be used as an assessment tool with which organisations \ncan analyse their SCD practices.