What Is a "Body of Knowledge"?
SCMBOK Introduction
A "Body of Knowledge", or BOK, refers to the total of all authoritative, documented knowledge in a particular discipline at a point in time.. Usually a BOK must be officially endorsed by a leading professional or standards body in the subject matter. Commonly, primary sources are referenced as the basis of the elements of the body of knowledge. These may include books, articles and other media authored by respected authorities in the given field.
We take a broad definition of "Supply Chain Management", such that business support functions are recognized as critical enablers for the enterprise supply chain. Specific functional BOK's may overlap and we utilize sources sanctioned by each function's most prominent organization or standards body. Most principles apply equally to the service sector, although penetration is currently greater in manufacturing. The term "value chain" may be used interchangeably with "supply chain" for service organizations.
SCM Knowledge Management
Other knowledge concepts or terms are often applied to Supply Chain Management:
| Term / Concept | Definition* | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Framework | "A basic conceptual structure (as of ideas)." | SCOR: Supply Chain Operations Reference-model© |
| Model | "A system of postulates, data, and inferences presented as a mathematical description of an entity or state of affairs."* | SCOR: Supply Chain Operations Reference-model© |
| Knowledge Base | "A special kind of database for knowledge management. It provides the means for the computerized collection, organization, and retrieval of knowledge." | Usually specific to a business or industry. |
| Taxonomy | "The study of the general principles of scientific classification." | The Five Kingdoms: Fungi, Plantae, Animalia, etc. Organisms in each kingdom are divided into phyla, then classes, then orders, then into families, then genus and finally, into species. |
| Ontology | "A particular theory about the nature of being or the kinds of things that have existence." | Primarily philosophical and metaphysical theories or explanations. |
* Definitions from Webster's Open On-Line Dictionary, or Wikipedia where lacking in Webster's.