Abstract:
I am often asked by both students and practitioners what is meant by supply
chain management. The term, like so many before it, has entered the everyday language of both researcher and practitioner. I hope that this book will
provide an agenda for discussion for the experienced researcher and practitioner and an introduction for the novice. The seeds of this book were sown
in my early research career during my time working with British Airports
Authority and Slough Estates as well as a number of major developers and
construction fi rms. Those early attempts to emulate manufacturing left a
great impression upon me. Yet over the intervening period relatively little
has been written about the subject of supply chain management (SCM) in
construction.
I am convinced of the importance of SCM whether as a source of tools
and techniques in projects or as a higher level theoretical framework for
conceptualising the activities of our project organisations.
I hope that this book will be read by undergraduate and postgraduate
students of construction, project management, engineering and architecture,
as well as quantity surveyors. I hope to show through these pages, and
through the discussion of both concepts and practice, that SCM has an
important part to play in both academic discussion and practice.
I feel privileged to have worked with a prestigious team of academics and
practitioners on this project. I hope you enjoy the fi nal product as much as
I enjoyed the journey that led up to the production of this book.
S
