IntroductionThe supply chain constitutes the processes through which goods or services pass to reach the end user, including the stages of design, manufacturing and delivery (Buxmann et al. 2004). It therefore encompasses suppliers, manufacturers, transporters, warehouses, wholesalers, retailers and customers. According to Datta et al. (2008), all businesses and societies are part of one or more supply chains and depend on them to thrive. Nowadays, most companies want to understand the concept of supply chain and the specific roles they should play in it (Ertek & Eryılmaz 2008). Their main goal is to participate in profitable channels to gain a competitive advantage over their competitors. In this regard, supply chain management refers to the actions that a company takes to influence the way its supply chain is operated in order to maximize profits and reduce costs, among other things. desirable effects (Buxmann et al. 2004). Traditionally, businesses view activities such as procurement, maintenance, distribution and inventory control as the most important elements of logistics. According to Buxmann et al. (2004), supply chain management not only considers traditional logistics, but also integrates customer service, marketing, finance and product development into the supply chain. Supply chain management views organizations, their products and the supply chain as a single entity and aims to understand, manage and control the various activities that enable the smooth flow of goods or services to the customer (Buxmann et al. 2004). Supply Chain ComponentsThe five main components of the supply chain are: production, inventory, location, transportation, and communication (Du et al. 2012). Production concerns...... middle of paper ...... ems Journal, vol. 14, no. 7, pp. 295-309. Datta, S, Granger, C, Graham, D, Sagar, N, Doody, P, Slone, R & Hilmola, O 2008, 'Forecasting and Risk Analysis in Supply Chain Management', Working Paper, Engineering Systems Division, Forum for Supply Chain Innovation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA, pp.13 -25. Du, S, Lu, T, Zhao, L, Xu, B, Guo, I, San Francisco, California, pp. 211-235. Ertek, G & Eryılmaz, E 2008, 'The bullwhip effect in the supply chain: reflections after a decade', CELS 2008, Sabancı University, Jonkoping, Sweden. (Presented by Emre Eryılmaz). Gelderman, J & Weele, A 2005, 'Purchasing portfolio models: critique and update', The Journal of Supply Chain Management, vol. 14, no. 3, p.p... 19-28.