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Review of Supply Chain Management Research Issue number 8 Vol.5 n°1 - 2004 Vol.5 n°1 - 2004 FREE article : download now Abstract: A study of 37 studies published during the period 1996-2003 all concerning international supply chain management, focused on issues related to global supply chain strategies and internationalization of operations in general, with special attention to practical business value and managerial implications. On a more detailed level, the studies were classified along the following key areas: business process improvement, management of organizations, and information technology. It became apparent that most of the studies concerned special cases and domestic issues, which limits the impact of the international dimension. Practical implications that would provide the managers of global supply chains with new insights and operational guidelines were few. Some of these findings concern how organizations should adapt to the removal of trade barriers, what kind of supply/demand chains structures are needed to respond to different customer needs, how to implement channel management, and how to apply new concepts to supply chain planning in order to improve efficiency. Authors: Dan Ahlstedt, Ari-Pekka Hameri HEC Lausanne Business School Keywords: supply chain management literature review international supply chains improvement process management information technology