It could be observed that the stages within these SCM maturity levels started when
a stronger relationship developed among the internal functions. Therefore, since SCM
TQM
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Downloaded by SRIPATUM UNIVERSITY At 21:08 17 August 2014 (PT)starts from a weak coordination among the internal functions, it matures into an ultimate integration among external business partners. Ideally, the entire supply chain should be viewed as a single system, or the so-called “seamless supply chain” (SSC),which is defined as “the state of total integration in which all players think and act as one” (Towill et al., 2002, p. 89). If TQM represents a superior QM, SSC could be a superior form of SCM. However, there is still no consensus on a common definition of superior SCM.