Supply chain management is the design, the planning, the execution, control and the monitoring of activities of the supply chain with the aim of creating the net value and therefore building a competitive infrastructure and synchronizing the supply with demands. Supply chain management can also be defined as the management of the flow of goods and services which includes movements and storage of raw materials.
The term supply chain management was first developed by Keith Oliver in the year 1982. He claimed that the concept of supply chain management was of great importance long before the 20th century when there was the creation of the assembly line. The term supply chain management became widely adopted after the publication of the seminal book "introduction to supply chain management" in the year 1990 by Robert B. Handfield and Ernest L. Nichols, Jr.
The pioneer of supply chain management was Dr. Donald J. Bowersox. He was a professor at Michigan State University where he earned a doctorate in business management. He was later selected and helped as a dean of the Eli Broad Graduate School of Management. He also pioneered in the study of logistics and was the co-author of the pioneer text in that field, in the year 1961. Donald J. Bowersox was the founding member of and second president of the national council of physical distribution management in the year 1963, this later became a council of supply |Chain Management Professionals. Donald J. Bowersox has received the council's distinguished service and founder Award's, a special commendation from the society of logistic engineers for the publication of Logistical administration. He has been documented by the Michigan State University as a distinguished Alumnus and University Distinguished Faculty Member. From all the facts that have been provided above, I think that Donald J. Bowersox was the pioneer of supply chain management.
Donald J. Bowersox has been one of the most well-known and influential supply chain management academics in the world, Donald J. Bowersox died in the year 2011, on July 4th. He died from cancer when he was 79 years of age. He has been a professor emeritus of marketing and supply chain management and he also served as a dean of the Board College from 2001-2002. Donald J. Bowersox has dedicated more than forty of his years at the Michigan State University and he was largely responsible for the stature that the Broad College has in the field of Supply chain management.
Donald J. Bowersox has written ten textbooks that have been since translated into fifteen languages. He also co-authored the fourth edition of the text book "supply chain logistic management" and "Physical Distribution Management" which has since been said to be the industry's first logistic textbook. He has also authored more than 250 articles on marketing, transportation and logistics and he was a member of the editorial review board of the Council of supply chain professional quarterly. All this evidence has proved that Donald J. Bowersox is the main pioneer of Supply Chain Management.