Supplier development and supply chain management in small and medium size enterprises

This paper provides the outcomes of a supplier development and supply chain management attitude survey designed to identify current trends in businesses within supply chains. The analysis identifies the adaptation of supplier development and supply chain management techniques. The relationships between customers and smaller suppliers are also examined, giving an indication of the lack of effective adaptation from the traditional adversarial relationships to the modern collaborative supply chain relationships. The outcomes based on a survey of 400 small firms identify issues which businesses need to address to improve the performance of their supply chains, and so improve their competitive position by grasping the benefits of effective supply chain management.