SOC for Supply Chain

Appendix AInformation for Entity Management

This appendix is nonauthoritative and is included for informational purposes only.

The purpose of this document is to assist entity management with understanding its responsibilities in a SOC for Supply Chain examination. It is also intended to provide helpful guidance to entity management when discharging those responsibilities.

Introduction and Background

Many entities, such as the following, produce, manufacture, or distribute products:

• Producers. Producers include entities that extract raw materials through operations that remove metals, minerals, and aggregates from the earth (such as oil and gas extraction, mining, dredging, and quarrying); produce food, feed, fiber and other products by the cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals (livestock); and develop software for on‐site installation.
• Manufacturers. Manufacturers include entities that transform raw materials or components into other components or finished goods for use or sale using labor and machines, tools, chemical and biological processes, fabrication, or formulation. The components or finished goods may be sold to other manufacturers for the production of other products such as aircraft, computers or computer parts, household appliances, furniture, sports equipment or automobiles. In other cases, the finished goods may be sold to wholesalers that, in turn, sell them to retailers that then sell them to end users and consumers. ...