Having come off age in recent years as a recognized discipline in academia and a demanding and challenging field of practice, Supply Chain Management carries enormous potential, both for those interested in pursuing the research track and for others following diverse career paths into professional practice.

According to Dean Emeritus Donald J. Bowersox of MSU's Eli Broad School of Management a discipline is an integrated body of knowledge that defines the theory and practice of a field of study. He adds, “A discipline explains interrelationships between knowledge and practice in the form of constructs, which ideally are supported by empirical research and documentation. Perhaps most importantly, the totality of a discipline provides a framework to help anticipate or predict outcomes. Supply chain management is a discipline because it offers an integrated body of knowledge to guide research and practice.”1
Further evidence of the exploding field of SCM research and practice is apparent in the recent proliferation of large supply chain practices established by the major international consulting firms, and in the rapid growth of published research papers. As research and innovation in the field advance, the new knowledge and technology applications are increasingly finding their way into and across the global supply networks of enterprises. For these firms, the promise of SCM is largely as a critical business process optimizer encompassing everything from initial design, through to materials procurement, production/processing, and delivery to the end-customer. This is reflects the broad-based, end-to-end perspective of the supply and value chain.

Past, Present and Future Perspective

Depending on the individual or organization describing the historical perspective of SCM, its roots are said to originate in purchasing, or transportation, or logistics, or physical distribution. It was during the era of the Great Depression, World War II, and the late 1940s post-war economy that the awareness was first created, of logistics -- primarily a military concept, defined as the science of supporting global operations -- being a possible solution to some of the most complex business problems of the time that were directly linked to distribution.
The discipline got a huge shot in the arm when no less a personage than the late Peter F. Drucker once declared: "Physical distribution is simply another way of saying 'the whole process of business." "The only model of a business we can so far truly design—the only operational system, in other words—is that of the business as physical distribution, as a flow of materials... Physical distribution is thus today's frontier in business. It is the one area where managerial results of great magnitude can be achieved".2
A McKinsey & Company study indicates that "…by the year 2020, 80% of the goods in the world will be manufactured in a country different from where they are consumed compared with 20% now." Increased globalization, free trade, and outsourcing have all contributed to the tremendous shift in the movement and consumption of goods, thereby also inducing a shift in strategy and SCM perspective. From a past focus on increasing efficiency and minimizing supply chain costs within the constraints of meeting customer service needs, today’s strategic objective emphasizes demand generation and has already moved further along the continuum towards using SCM as a competitive strategy to drive revenue and maximize profit growth or return on supply chain assets (Ballou, 2006).3
Responding to a Dynamic Global Marketplace   

Thus, PMAC's recognition of the field of practice of comprehensive strategic supply chain management is in keeping with the expectations of the changing marketplace, where supply chains have evolved quickly from a tactical focus to strategic sources of competitive advantage.

PMAC defines Supply Chain Management as:
The process of strategically managing flows of goods, services, finances and knowledge, along with relationships within and among organizations, to realize greater economic value through:
• Supporting enterprise strategic objectives.
• Contributing to the achievement of strategic competitiveness of the enterprise.
• Contributing to the enhancement of the competitive advantage of the enterprise.
• Enhancing customer satisfaction.
PMAC has further asserted profession leadership by undertaking a strategic renewal of the Professional Accreditation Program. PMAC's market-leading Strategic Supply Chain Management Leadership Program -- Canada's most advanced and comprehensive SCM education program has been redesigned and vastly enhanced to provide the depth and breadth of knowledge required by the new field of practice. Drawing on best-practice thinking to develop PMAC's model of the integrated value chain (Figure 1 ), PMAC has also established the body of knowledge for the field of practice, and mapped the competencies of strategic supply chain management professionals, all of which are reflected throughout the program. Accredited professionals (Certified SCMP credential holders) graduating from the renewed program will have the training necessary to be catalysts for strategic supply chain management. Possessing unique and distinctive competencies as the strategic supply chain professional who provides innovative strategic leadership to enterprises to achieve strategic competitiveness and sustained competitive advantage, they will be recognized as the pre-eminent authority in this demanding and rewarding field of practice.

PMAC's profession leadership also extends to the education of tactical level supply chain specialists. To meet the needs of entry- to intermediate-level practitioners for supply chain technical competencies, a new training program will be developed to replace the Certificate in Purchasing (CIP); this unique program will fill an important market gap when it debuts in Fall 2008.

Figure 1: Integrated Supply/Value Chain Model

Today, organizations rely increasingly on supply chains to succeed in the global, networked economy. With relationships extending beyond traditional enterprise boundaries, organizations are managing business processes throughout an integrated value chain of multiple companies.

Core Concepts

To better understand the core concepts requires an understanding of what constitutes the supply chain. Simply put, supply chain is the collective term that refers to the grouping of multiple organizations/entities, whose combined efforts are responsible for getting any given product/service to the end user (customer); it encompasses the range of players extending upstream, from the supplier’s supplier, to all the way downstream, to the customer’s customer. In fact, practically every product can involve multiple supply chains that are inter-connected at some level, to ultimately form networks that in turn, may touch or link to other networks.

However, although the reality of supply chains has existed for a long time – albeit well outside the public consciousness, the concepts and practices have until recently been rather insufficiently understood. No wonder, then, that far too many businesses have held on to their traditional inward focus for far too long, paying little or no attention to the extended supply chains, thus sacrificing the opportunity to achieve supply chain effectiveness and efficiency.
By definition, supply chain management involves the active coordination, integration and management of supply chain processes, activities and relationships in a manner that optimizes enterprise and customer value and achieves sustainable competitive advantage. It represents a concerted effort on the part of the supply chain participants (firms) to design, develop and run highly effective & efficient supply chains. Supply chain activities run the entire gamut from product design-development, sourcing, production, and logistics, to the information systems needed to effectively coordinate and integrate these activities.

The physical flows – involving the transformation, movement, and storage of goods and materials, the flows of information/knowledge and finances, along with the vital relationships between and amongst the supply chain participants constitute the “links” that bind together the disparate organizations across increasingly complex global supply chains and networks. While the physical flows are most visible, the information/knowledge flows enable the various supply chain partners to coordinate their forecasts, long-term plans, and to control the day-to-day supply chain activities and flows up and down the supply chain.

References
1. Bowersox, 2007, SCM: The past is prologue, CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly.
2. Peter F. Drucker’s address titled "Physical Distribution: The Frontier of Modern Management" to the annual meeting of the National Council of Physical Distribution Management, April 6, 1965.
3. Ronald H. Ballou, 2006, Case Western Reserve University; The evolution and future of logistics and supply chain management.