Eltantawy, R: The Impact of Strategic Skills on Supply Manag

Although previous literature documented the strong link between supply management and firms performance, the study of supply management performance antecedents has been largely overlooked. Using the resource-based theory of the firm to establish a theoretical foundation, this study serves to fill a gap in the supply management literature with respect to supply management performance antecedents such as strategic supply management skills, supplier integration, and the supply management function s perceived status. Such an understanding will help supply management professionals in rationalizing their investments in various inter- and intra-departmental decisions. The sample used for this study consists of 152 supply management functions, represented by high level supply management professionals. The conceptual model and the hypothesized relationships are tested using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The significance of these results for theory, practice and future research are discussed. A future research agenda is also presented.