# Supply Chain Management Maturity and Business Performance: The Balanced Scorecard Perspective
## 3 Supply Chain Management Maturity and Balanced Scorecard Perspective: Hypothesis Development
A few studies, such as [3; 11; 36], have revealed a positive relationship between maturity and financial outcome in small and medium-sized enterprises. Although scarce, the research indicates the financial benefits associated with SCMM. Therefore, the first hypothesis is defined as follows:  
**H1**. : _Supply chain management maturity is positively related to business performance from the financial perspective of the balanced scorecard framework._  
Relationship between Supply Chain Maturity and Business Performance from the Customer Perspective of the Balanced Scorecard Framework  
One of the greatest impetuses for implementing a supply chain and the management of its maturity is the market, in which businesses attempt to satisfy changing customer needs and achieve a competitive advantage over their main market competitors [46]. Offering products with high quality is no longer sufficient, as the impetus is to provide the right products and services to customers at the right time, cost, place, condition, and quantity [4]. Organizations must develop the processes and structures of their supply chain accordingly to meet changing customer demands and develop the corresponding knowledge and abilities [11]. Higher maturity reflects the organizational ability to satisfy customer needs concerning time and the rapid delivery of high-quality products and services, together with operational flexibility [30]. To achieve this, real-time advancements in terms of customer service and the internal operating efficiencies of supply chain organizations are sought [47]. The overall goal of SCM is to increase the quality of a company's relationship with their customers [31]. Superior firm performance for organizations that seek to be responsive to changing customer needs is thus dependent on superior supply chain performance [34]. To ensure these higher performance levels, organizations, through their supply chain, develop corresponding abilities and knowledge that they use in their key supply chain processes [22]. Ref. [25] stress how the development of supply chain processes should be oriented towards customer satisfaction; for instance, flexibility and responsiveness of the supply chain can affect customers' anticipation regarding response times, while transparency and visibility of order flow can lead to enhanced customer experiences. Ref. [27] also stress how satisfaction can be enhanced by facilitating shorter lead times, through constant communication with customers along the supply chain, and by providing reliable products or services. In the end, a chain with greater maturity that focuses on enhancing customers' expectations can help create additional value for the chain. Previous research indicates a connection between SCM and customer satisfaction, e.g., [10; 48]. Concerning customers and supply chain performance, [23] show how superior SCM competency leads to higher levels of customer satisfaction, while [49] show how it results in fewer customer complaints. Ref. [50] stress the existence of a positive connection between supply chain integration and customer service. Ref. [51] show that customer integration affects customer satisfaction directly or indirectly through, for instance, product quality performance. Ref. [52] indicated in their research that companies that have successfully advanced their supply chain by implementing IT in SCM have positively impacted customer relationship management through focused e-business solutions. Ref. [53] show that greater supply chain responsiveness (in terms of operations systems responsiveness and logistics process responsiveness) can affect the organizational ability to attract, satisfy, and retain customers. In addition, knowledge-sharing and collaboration practices in the supply chain can also significantly influence customer satisfaction [54]. Ref. [55] researched the relationship between green supply chain management and customer performance.