1 Introduction

摘要

A significant strategic challenge, which has been widely addressed in recent research, is the design of a company's supply chain to effectively align with its business model. Indeed, the thread of this issue dates back to the emergence of the "focused factory", which was Skinner's (1974) advice for US manufacturers who, he claimed, lacked a congruent manufacturing structure integrated with correct competitive objective(s). This thread was followed by many researchers, and resulted in an extensive literature. For instance, Dhalla and Yuspeh (1976) claimed that companies need a set of "marketing-communications models" that enable them to constantly monitor market conditions such as demand changes, and to take a remedial action when appropriate. Further, Hayes and Wheelwright (1979a; 1979b) suggested a "product-process matrix" to help companies link their manufacturing systems with their product and market competence as well as choosing appropriate market entrance-exit and learning curve strategies.