Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the global economy we are witness to the outcomes of supply chains in all of our diverse demand-driven purchasing decisions, be it fast moving consumer goods, electronic equipment or even automobiles. A great deal of exposure relating to the topic of supply chain is based on talk about supply chains and how they are delivering enormous value to companies such as General Electric, Dell and Wal-Mart. But what does all of this really mean? How can an even further exploitation of supply chains be used to gain competitive advantage over ever advancing competitors? Average is no longer sufficient to stay ahead of the pack in the demand vs. supply rat-race. Companies have to find and exploit unique characteristics in order to achieve true differentiation over companies competing in similar environments and sharing a common customer base. The exploitation of the capabilities of Supply Chain Management requires a theoretical and conceptual understanding of their underlying business processes as well as capabilities. It requires the fostering of an understanding of Business Process Reengineering via segmentation and analysis of the overall supply chain into the various basic components. The identification and evaluation of the associated measures and metrics within in the supply chain provides insight of how embedded knowledge is created and utilised in day-to-day operations, in order to ultimately deliver not only business value but a unique value proposition for the distinct market sectors. The scrutiny of the lubricants supply chain is used to gain an understanding of an application of supply chain principles in the oil and gas industry in South Africa, detailing the intrinsic business processes as well as their inherent measures and metrics. Particular attention is paid to the underlying measures and metrics developed and how they are utilised to enhance inherent decision making capability. Subsequent to the analysis of the lubricants supply chain, an exploration of core competencies is used to illustrate how the lubricants supply chain can be differentiated from competitors. These core competencies ultimately allows for greater competitive advantage, leapfrog of competitors and staying ahead of the pack. The final outcome of the thesis is to develop a framework using Boisot’s information space pertaining to codification and abstraction in order to map the processes required to plan, implement and review a generic lubricants supply chain. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In die globale ekonomie is ons getuie aan die uitkomste van voorsieningskanale in al ons diverse vraag-gedrewe aankope besluite, insluitend vinnig bewegende verbruikersgoedere, elektroniese toerusting of selfs motors. Daar is baie van blootstelling met betrekking tot die onderwerp van voorsieningskanale gebaseer op praat oor voorsieningskanale en hoe hul besig is om groot waarde aan maatskappye soos General Electric, Dell en Wal-Mart te lewer. Maar wat beteken dit alles nou eintlik? Hoe kan selfs 'n verdere ontginning van die aanbod van voorsieningskanale gebruik word om mededingende voordeel te verkry oor ons bevorderinge kompetisie? Middelmatigheid is nie meer voldoend om voor die pak te bly nie in die vraag vs. aanbod reis. Maatskappye moet unieke eienskappe vind en benut om ware differensiasie te bereik oor maatskappye meeding in' n soortgelyke omgewing en die deel van 'n gemeenskaplike kliënte basis. Die uitbuiting van die vermoëns van Voorsieningskanaal Bestuur vereis 'n teoretiese en konseptuele begrip van hulle onderliggende besigheids prosesse asook vermoëns. Dit vereis dat die bevordering van 'n begrip van Besigheidsprosesse Heringinering via segmentering en analise van die totale voorsieningskanale in verskillende basiese komponente. Die identifisering en evaluering van die gepaardgaande maatreëls en statistieke binne in die voorsieningskanaal bied insig van hoe vasgelegde kennis geskep is en benut word in dag-tot-dag bedrywighede, ten einde te maak om uiteindelik nie net maatskappy se waarde, maar 'n unieke waarde proposisie te lewer vir die verskillende mark sektore. Die toetsing van die smeermiddels voorsieningskanaal word gebruik om 'n begrip van 'n aansoek van voorsieningskanaal beginsels in die olie en gas industrie in Suid-Afrika te verkry, met besonderhede oor die intrinsieke besigheid prosesse, sowel as hul inherente maatreëls en statistieke. Besondere aandag word geskenk aan die onderliggende maatreëls en statistieke ontwikkel en hul aanwending om inherente vermoë besluitneming te verbeter. Na afloop van die analise van die smeermiddels voorsieningskanaal, word 'n verkenning van kern vaardighede gebruik om te illustreer hoe die smeermiddels voorsieningskanaal kan onderskei word van die kompetisie. Dit kan uiteindelik kernvaardighede vir 'n groter mededingende voordeel lewer, die haasje van mededingers en die pak aanloop. Die finale uitkoms van die tesis is om 'n raamwerk te ontwikkel met behulp van Boisot se inligting spasie met betrekking tot codificasie en abstraksie om die prosesse wat nodig is vir die beplaning, implementering en hersiening van' n generiese smeermiddels voorsieningskanaal te skep.