Traceability in the Supply Chain

Abstract

Traceability in firms' supply chain operations has become increasingly important today, calling for greater scrutiny and transparency. Firms have responded by increasing and improving product traceability throughout their global supply. Traceability is a significant benefit to firms. Areas affected include quality control and product safety, tracking product recalls, and reverse logistics. Research does exist on the importance and benefits of implementing traceability initiatives but in very targeted areas. In addition, missing from the literature is the important discussion of what factors predicate firms to implement traceability initiatives beyond those prescribed by law and how industries other than very specific categories, create and implement effective traceability initiatives throughout the supply chain. In turn, the purpose of this research is to investigate traceability to gain greater understanding of why firms implement traceability & what actions or initiatives lead to greater traceability effectiveness.