E-supply Chain Research Articles

E-Business and ERP

The blending of Internet technologies and traditional business concerns impacts all industries and is the latest phase in the ongoing evolution of business. In this changing business environment, the most successful companies are those that leverage their investment in Web-based technologies by implementing e-business solutions supported by sound existing infrastructures based on well-functioning Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. Companies must also forge tighter links in the supply chain, from raw materials to customers and have increasingly turned to the Internet and Web-based technologies to do so. This paper presents a framework for understanding e-business opportunities within the context of a traditional enterprise and its infrastructure and examines the evolving relationship between e-business and ERP. These developments are moving businesses toward the concept of e-Supply Chain to achieve true supply chain integration. The issues and challenges faced by organizations in moving to such a complete e-business environment are discussed and suggestions are offered for businesses to navigate this challenging transformation.

E-supply chain operational and behavioural perspectives: an empirical study of Malaysian SMEs

A review of the literature suggests that much of the existing e-supply chain adoption literature is not firmly grounded in theory. Where many previous studies have identified technology as the key determinant, we argue that operational and behavioural perspectives should be duly taken into consideration while adopting e-technology. Therefore, inspired by the systems engineering principles, we propose a generic framework for evaluating business performance of e-supply chain companies. A questionnaire was designed and survey data from 208 Malaysian SMEs was collected. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to test the impact of Supply Chain Strategy, E-Business Adoption, and the interaction of these constructs, on overall Business Performance. With regards to the operational perspective the results suggest that E-Business Adoption relates more positively to Business Performance compared to Supply Chain Strategy construct. Also, Technology Capability scored relatively higher compared to Organisational Capability and Attitudinal Capability. Overall Supply Chain Relationship (behavioural perspective) demonstrates a relatively weak result. Our findings suggest that where Malaysian SMEs are technology orientated, however, they need to develop efficient logistics networks to cater for a geographically dispersed population. Also, they need to pay serious attention towards ‘softer’ issues, in that to bring about attitudinal changes that allow developing closer collaboration with their supply chain companies. We argue that operational and behavioural perspectives can be embedded within the systems engineering principles that provide necessary theoretical underpinning for conducting such a research. The empirical findings provide useful guidelines for SMEs that wish to embark upon an e-business adoption journey. Furthermore, the measures produced here can be used as a benchmarking exercise for the SMEs who have already adopted e-technology.

Requirements for forming an ‘e-supply chain’

In today's digital economy, web-based integration of the enterprises to form an e-supply chain is a critical weapon for orchestrating the whole supply chain towards competitiveness. This paper intends to discuss the requirements for forming an e-supply chain from different perspectives, such as integration with the legacy systems, timing and prior presence of ERP (enterprise resources planning) systems, BPR (business process re-engineering) needs of internal and external business processes and business intelligence/decision support needs. A look at technical knowledge and structure to construct an e-supply chain is provided. Challenges involved in forming an e-supply chain are also briefly mentioned as a separate section in this paper. During the study, requirements are gathered by making a review of recent literature.

Research on Firm IT Capability and Competitive Advantages

Effective and efficient use of IT capability is a key factor for a firm to get competitive advantages. This paper develops the concept of IT-capability and it’s function mechanism, firm IT resources are classified as IT infrastructure, human IT resources, and IT relationship infrastructure as well as IT-Related capabilities. The paper discusses valuable, competitive, and dynamic capabilities as three related IT capabilities, and presents a model that describes relationship between these capabilities and competitive advantages. This study also interprets that a firm’s ability to effectively leverage its IT investments by developing a strong IT capability can result in improving firms performances, such as integration of customer relationship management (CRM), E-Supply chain management etc.

IFC Global Logistics: Our Success Story

No accessInternational Journal of e-Business ManagementOther Journal Article01 November 2008IFC Global Logistics: Our Success Story Authors: Joe Dumas Authors: Joe Dumas Head, IT Division, IFC, email: [email protected] Google Scholar More articles by this author SectionsAboutPDF/EPUBExport CitationsAdd to FavouriteAdd to FavouriteCreate a New ListNameCancelCreate ToolsTrack CitationsCreate Clip ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInEmail Abstract This article explores the business strategy and transformation that took place within a freight forwarding company and amongst its clients as the company embraced enabling technologies, the Internet, and modern business practices to integrate its e-supply chain management processes and create for itself differentiation and a competitive advantage in the tough logistics industry. Previous article RelatedDetailsCited ByNone View PUBLICATION DETAILSDate of Publication:November 2008Journal:International Journal of e-Business ManagementISSN:1835-5412Volume:2Issue:2Page Range:47-51First Page:47Last Page:51Source:International Journal of e-Business Management, Vol. 2, No. 2, Nov 2008: 47-51Date Last Modified:13 June 2019 16:18Date Last Revised:21 September 2010 Original DOI: 10.3316/IJEBM0202047SubjectSmall business--ManagementBusiness planning--Data processing METRICS Downloaded 0 times Copyright© RMIT Publishing, 2008Download PDFLoading ...

Information technology and collaboration tools within the e-supply chain management of the aviation industry

This paper investigates strategic actions and grand strategies in the aviation industry. To address this purpose, a review of main strategic change is conducted and information technology is considered as a key factor to identify behaviours of main players. In this context, collaboration emerges as one of the core aspects driving the e-supply chain management. A specific and increasing role is given to e-marketplaces where integration and co-operation seem to be the appropriate competences to create durable competitive advantages. This paper does not attempt to consider the full range of e-tools developed in the aviation industry, but at the same time it highlights the impact of information and communication technologies on customer relations and supply chain management.

Development of a three-echelon SC model to optimize coordination costs

The purpose of this study is to suggest a conceptual framework for aligning the strategic issues and the structural issues of supply chain management, and also to disclose the effect of E-business application on such an alignment. The number of suppliers, number of tiers, the level of SC integration, order penetration point, lead time, and safety stock are defined as supply chain structural issues, and the characteristics of traded products and buyer–supplier relationship are set as key strategic issues for efficient construction of supply chain structure. E-business application is designed as a moderate variable for the alignment between the strategic issues and the structural issues of supply chain management. Such effort suggests a conceptual framework required for developing an advisable set of E-business application strategies for the efficiency improvement of overall supply chain management. The empirical research model proposed in this work may be used to establish an E-supply chain progression paradigm and a new dimensional manufacturing strategy framework in the E-business era.

Strategic Cost Management in E-Supply Chain

Strategic cost management of the E-supply chain is one new concept which integrates three fields: strategic cost management, supply chain management and internet application, and develops one of the most important tools about how to apply E-supply chain to the improvement of the competence in creating wealth for firm shareholders and market competitive capacity. This study has two objectives: one is to discover the cyber-value chain coordinating mechanism which is one new mechanism other than market mechanism and firm mechanism; the other one is to construct the framework model of strategic cost management accounting of E-supply chain based on the new mechanism. More specifically, this paper develops three main methods of strategic cost management (including sharing information beyond one company boundary, the synergic management of the product design, and synergic utilization and management of intellectual assets), in order to improve the competitive capacity and to solve some current problems in the cost management beyond company boundary.

Integration of e-business and Supply Chain Management for Small and Medium sized Enterprises in Iran

Large international corporations overture into the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises' (SMEs) market have alarmed SMEs for they do not have the infrastructure and necessary resources to fight back. The lack of easy access to imperative information of business partners, the long process of communication with customers and the shortage of fundamental skills make the SMEs susceptible in the market place. Majorities of sample SMEs in research have not adopted to any kind of Electronic Data Interchange because of the lack of required skills for implementing and running it within the organisation and the high costs involved. Despite of the wide availability of techniques, flexible manufacturing processes, automated warehousing and rapid logistics, poor supply chain performance is still the norm. Their main focus centres on management of dyadic or immediate suppliers and their relationships, which are often based on win lose circumstances. The introduction of e-supply chain model will fill the communication gap between the different trading partners of the supply chain and allow the supply chain network to act as a single entity and sustain their competitiveness within the fast changing environment.

E-fulfilling the e-supply chain of digital print

This paper employs a qualitative case study methodology aiming to shed light on the integration process between the supply chain and the information technology operations of a business network in the UK digital print sector. That integration process, combined with the simultaneous and parallel transformation of the supply chain management operations in order to distribute and print material online, via numerous partners and distributors, results in the emergence of a fourth party digital print logistics network. The unique characteristics of the network are related to the fast response to on-print customer demand and to the ability to print material in numerous locations; hence, it is gradually becoming a demand-chain digital print logistics network. It also illustrates a new business model and a new way of working, enabled by the internet and related technologies, that were not financially viable in the past.

Customers' Clustering Analysis and Corresponding Marketing Strategies based on Improved SOFM ANN in e-Supply Chain

Abstract According to the similarity of data, the huge number of customers' data in e-supply chain can be clustered objectively and scientifically, and those customers are be clustered into corresponding groups based on SOFM ANN (Self-Organizing Feature Map Artificial Neural Network). Through recognizing and analyzing the different features of these different groups, adopting corresponding marketing strategies can enhance customers' satisfaction, and moreover, can realize the e-supply chain's benefit maximization. In this article, three aspects of improvement are made in the SOFM ANN that applied in customers' clustering analysis; the sample data comes from the Google group. The result shows that the improved SOFM ANN's performance is considerably better than the traditional one's performance. Customers' clustering analysis and corresponding marketing strategies based on the SOFM ANN is a comparatively new topic. Therefore, the result of the research in the article is only for reference.

Information management: The adoption of order processing for B2B e-commerce

The management of information flow in the order processing activities of small enterprises is not always understood. An inefficient supply chain is often the result of the lack of timely and accessible inter-firm information and data exchange. Small suppliers often do not have the technology infrastructure and capable resources available for proper integration with supply chains. This research investigated suppliers and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) retailers, adopting business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce. Small businesses are the focus of this research, as they contribute to a large portion of the South African economy and play an important role in the supply chains of retailers. Case study research using evidence obtained from nine small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) and suppliers located in the Western Cape, South Africa, was used. It was found that small suppliers have different processes for conducting business with various retailers. Literature revealed little evidence of using the Internet as an enabling technology in on-line order processing. From the analysis, nine improvement areas were identified to enhance the conduct of efficient B2B order processing and associated information flow. These improvement areas were merged with four factors that were identified in a framework when adopting e-supply chains. This resulted in the proposition of guidelines for small suppliers when adopting B2B e-commerce for order processing.

The role of forecasting on bullwhip effect for E-SCM applications

The bullwhip effect represents the information distortion in customer demand between orders to supplier and sales to the buyer. Demand forecasting is one of the main causes of the bullwhip effect. The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of exponential smoothing forecasts on the bullwhip effect for electronic supply chain management (E-SCM) applications. A simulation model is developed to experiment the different scenarios of selecting right parameters for the exponential smoothing forecasting technique. It is found that longer lead times and poor selection of forecasting model parameters lead to strong bullwhip effect in E-SCM. In contrast, increased seasonality helps to reduce the bullwhip effect. The most significant managerial implication of this study lies in the need to reduce lead times along the E-supply chain to mitigate the bullwhip effect. While high seasonality would reduce the forecast accuracy, it has a positive influence on the reduction of bullwhip effect. E-SCM managers are therefore strongly suggested to utilize exponential smoothing by selecting lower values for α and β and a mid-value for γ to keep the bullwhip ratio low, while at the same time to increase forecast accuracy.

On-demand e-supply chain integration: A multi-agent constraint-based approach

With e-business emerging as a key enabler to drive supply chains, the focus of supply chain management has been shifted from production efficiency to customer-driven and partnership synchronization approaches. This strategic shift depends on the match between the demands and offerings that deliver the services. To achieve this, we need to coordinate the flow of information among the services, and link their business processes under various constraints. Existing approaches to this problem have relied on complete information of services and resources, and have failed to adequately address the dynamics and uncertainties of the operating environments. The real-world situation is complicated as a result of undetermined requirements of services involved in the chain, unpredictable solutions contributed by service providers, and dynamic selection and aggregation of solutions to services. This paper examines an agent-mediated approach to on-demand e-business supply chain integration. Each agent works as a service broker, exploring individual service decisions as well as interacting with each other for achieving compatibility and coherence among the decisions of all services. Based on the framework, a prototype has been implemented with simulated experiments highlighting the effectiveness of the approach.

E-supply chains: understanding current and future opportunities and barriers

This paper examines the development of e-business within the supply chain domain. Case study research highlights an increased uptake of e-business across supply chains, outlines a shift in focus to more strategic activities across the whole supply chain network and reveals emerging characteristics of e-supply chains. A number of strategic opportunities that can be supported through e-supply chains are identified. Firstly, e-business technologies are being used for integrating supply chain-related systems leading to improved information sharing and visibility. Secondly, they are being used to increase the flexibility of supply chains and thirdly, to improve the level of personalisation in supply chains. Organisations are, however, likely to face a range of organisational, security, technological, cultural and social barriers that may challenge the use of e-supply chains. The paper closes by evaluating the importance of e-supply chains, the direction they are likely to go in and identifying areas for future research.

Pioneering e-supply chain integration in semiconductor industry: a case study

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is the largest semiconductor foundry in the world. Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. (ASE) is the world’s leader in semiconductor assembly and testing. From 1998 to 2004, the two companies completed electronic integration of 11 key business processes through the Internet. The result is a seamless interface between TSMC, ASE and their joint customers. They can now obtain accurate, timely information on their product status and respond appropriately when needed. While the direct economic benefits are estimated to be around US$ 10 million through productivity increase over a total investment of about US$ 2 million, the indirect benefits of this initiative could be on the order of US $100 million if the joint customers’ benefits are considered. In collaboration with the RosettaNet organization, TSMC and ASE leveraged their pioneering experiences to define three data exchange standards which can then be widely adopted in the semiconductor industry. This case study is a demonstration of how two leading companies in their respective fields can join forces to make a difference in creating value for the entire semiconductor industry, which in turn benefits society at large. With the momentum continuing to build and the sphere of influence continuing to expand, it is anticipated that TSMC, ASE and the entire sector will upgrade their competitiveness in terms of cost, quality, responsiveness and customer orientation.

Security systems of point-of-sales devices

Security is a systematic issue which covers product design, implementation, logistic, manufacture and management. With the exponential growth of electronic business in recent years, the security of e-payment which is an important part of e-supply chain management (eSCM), becomes a critical issue. A large amount of payment in transactions is made via POS (point of sales) devices. The security of the POS system has its own specialties. However, few research papers focus on POS device security. This paper provides comprehensive investigation into security on POS devices. Firstly, it offers first-hand information on hardware and design of physical security. In particular, attacks, countermeasures and practical implementation are studied. Secondly, secure key management and security management in manufacture are investigated. Further research directions have been discussed according to the authors’ analysis.

Design and optimization of integrated E-supply chain for agile and environmentally conscious manufacturing

An agile and environmentally conscious manufacturing paradigm refers to the ability to reconfigure a flexible system quickly, economically, and environmentally responsibly. In modern manufacturing enterprises, e-supply chains integrate Internet and web-based electronic market and are promising systems to achieve agility. A key issue in the strategic logistic planning of integrated e-supply chains (IESCs) is the configuration of the partner network. This paper proposes a single- and multiobjective optimization model to configure the network of IESCs. Considering an Internet-based distributed manufacturing system composed of different stages connected by material and information links, a procedure is presented to select the appropriate links. A set of performance indices is associated with the network links. Single-criterion and multicriteria optimization models are presented under structural constraint definitions. The integer linear programming (ILP) problem solution provides different network structures that allow to improve supply chain (SC) flexibility, agility, and environmental performance in the design process. The proposed optimization strategy is applied to two case studies describing two networks for desktop computer production.

Agents in e-supply chains

Realizing the potential of intelligent infomediary-based e-marketplaces.

Integrating EDI with an E-Scm System Using Eai Technology

Based on a real-world E-supply chain management system, this article describes an architecture design, logical model, and physical model to connect legacy EDI systems used by suppliers to the XML-based ERP applications of a buyer using EAI technology. the general benefits in system functionality and business outcomes are also presented. This basic primer can be used to inform business practitioners and academic audiences about this type of enterprise integration solution.