The Essence of Integration in Supply Chains and Reverse Supply Chains: Similarities and Differences

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the issue of integration in supply chains and in reverse supply chains. The Authors specify the factors key to integration and examine their impact on the process. The first part addresses the issues affecting forward flows and the benefits offered by a close cooperation between the links in the supply chain. In the second part the Authors discuss the factors which may contribute to a more seamless operation of backward flows. The third part presents the outcome of a survey into the measures taken by companies with a view to developing closer relationships with business partners in individual chains. These results provided the grounds for selecting the most crucial integration factors and highlighted the similarities and differences in integration-oriented activities taken in supply and reverse supply chains. In the last part of the chapter the Authors investigate the issue of barriers to building close relationships between supply chain partners.