Service Orientation in Demand-Supply Chains: Towards an Integrated Framework

Offering customer-centric value through dynamic and networked capabilities is a strategic need in the current business environment. This strategic need can be met by a Service-Oriented Demand-Supply Chain (SODSC) concept. Various direct and indirect notions in different contexts have been developed about SODSC concept. However, the lack of integration between these notions can easily lead to confusion. This paper aims to counter this confusion by providing a framework for structuring various related notions and explaining them through illustrative cases. Based on a cybernetic system approach, the service-oriented value, partnership and control aspects of SODSC have been investigated respectively. On the basis of a distinction between demand and supply chain perspectives, two distinct dimensions of service orientation have been explored in each of the aspects. The resulting integrated framework, visualized by three related two-dimensional matrices and illustrated by real cases, offers the possibility to characterize and analyze the various SODSC notions.