Project Proposal

A) Introduction
It is known that supply chain management is, as a research subject, still in its infancy, and in
a phase of strong development. This reflects upon the usage of advanced logistical applicants
in companies; not all aware possibilities that modern logistics could bring to their operations.
To recognize the significance of logistics, companies have to understand that it could be a
source of competitive advantage. Additionall, fast-growth companies often argue that
logistics could limit their growth. This is specially true when companies expand
internationally; strategic decisions concerning logistics must be well considered. The main
research of the thesis is : Can one of the sources of competitive advantage in fast-growth
companies be found in SCM?
Objective
The purpose of this thesis is to conduct both a theoretical and an emperical study of two
fields of research: the resource-based view (RBV) and Supply Chain Management (SCM).
The theoretical study has two main stages:
1) RBV describing competitive advantage
2) SCM practises as a source of competitive advantage
In this study we investigate whether case companies utilise SCM practises that are pointed
out as a source of competitive advantage in the in the literature.










B) Literature Review



The main research question will be investigated within the theories of RBV and SCM. In the
imperical studies we will analyse the question of whether the case companies SCM practises
are in line with the pracises found in the literature. (e.g Closs & Mollenkopf. 2004; Li et
al.,2004; Yusuf et al., 2004). To lead the way to main research question for which the thesis
is pursuing the answer:

1) What makes SCM a competitive advantage for a company according literature?
2) Can the recommended SCM practises be found in in Selected companies? If not
what seems to be the reasons?

C) Methodlogy

- Sources of data:

Data relevant to the research is gathered through both secondary and primary data sources.
To support the research problem secondary data is obtained from the following sources.

- Secondary data:
Journals, Previous Research Articles, Text books, Websites

- Primary data
Quantitative research design will be used to collect the primary data








D) References