Abstract
Both practitioners and research scientists have noted a number of problems regarding measurement activities during the past decade. The problems reported suggest that measurement activities are fragmented both within and across organizations. Expands on a systems perspective on supply chain measurements and describes how problems can be communicated, understood and managed by developing methods and tools for describing interrelationships within supply chains. Empirical evidence from a case study of a Swedish home furnishing business supply chain provides data suggesting that firms within a supply chain cannot simply be categorized as either having adopted systems thinking or not. Rather, both structured models indicating a high degree of systems thinking, and problems showing fragmentation, are present. A performance model, which is used to reflect the systemic structure of an underlying supply chain and a potential integrator, is introduced and suggested as the focus of future research initiatives within supply chain measurements.

Article type: case study.
Keywords: Supply chain, Measurement, Systems integration, Performance measurement.
Content Indicators: Research Implications** Practice Implications** Originality** Readability**

International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management
Volume 30 Number 10 2000 pp. 847-868
Copyright © MCB University Press ISSN 0960-0035

Introduction
Background
The interest in managing supply chains is growing rapidly among companies around the world. Major forces behind this development are increasing competitive pressure and a belief that working cooperatively in supply chains can create a competitive advantage. Firms abandon the old antagonistic approach to doing business in favor of a more integrative management style focused on coordinating activities along the supply chain in order to attain or sustain their competitive position.
Coordinating activities in a supply chain...