An exploration of supply chain structure in Korean companies

A supply chain's structure describes the processes that control and co-ordinate the objectives and activities of independent organisational units that comprise the supply chain. This research explores supply chain structures based on case studies of Korean automobile, semiconductor and tyre manufacturing firms. The study found that the supply chain structures of the three product families are different from one another. Based on the case studies, we propose that supply chain structures can be classified as supply network dominated, conversion network dominated, or distribution network dominated. Factors that are likely to influence the supply chain structure are identified and discussed.