Supply chain efficiency framework to improve business performance in a competitive era

Purpose The main aim of this paper is to develop a supply chain efficiency framework to improve overall business performance in the competitive era. This paper offers a critical literature review on supply chain efficiency that aims to reveal the basic research that has been carried out, the problem areas and requirements for the efficiency in the new era of the supply chain. Design/methodology/approach The methodology followed during this research involves beginning with a wide base of articles lying at the supply chain intersection, performance measurement topics, and then screening the list to concentrate on supply chain efficiency. Findings Findings show that supply chain efficiency in the modern era remains an open research field. This research contributes to the supply chain literature by clarifying the supply chain efficiency definition, defining key measurements and variables for supply chain efficiency and developing a supply chain efficiency framework to improve overall performance. Practical implications This study will be very useful to the scholars working in this field. The proposed framework would help researchers and academicians to understand every dimension and variable of supply chain efficiency, allowing practitioners to measure efficiency levels and identify improvement measures. This framework would also act as a comprehensive guide for future studies and business practices. Originality/value As there are several state-of-the-art review papers on various supply chain areas, there is a lack of literature available on supply chain efficiency studies that can provide a comprehensive framework for researchers on related literature. Thus, the present study seeks to bridge this gap in the supply chain literature. Also, this study will provide a strong basis for researchers and academicians to apply the supply chain efficiency measurement system to the dynamic supply chain.