The frontiers of eBusiness technology and supply chains

This article is an Introduction to this Special Issue on “eBusiness and Supply Chain Management.” It also provides a vision for eBusiness and supply chain for the future.     

College eBusiness Programs

Abstract

With eBusiness becoming the norm for many business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions, companies are eager to hire trained eBusiness specialists and/or to locate in areas which can provide a pool of skilled eBusiness professionals. Schools of Business all over the country are beefing up their eBusiness offerings to fulfill student and industry demands. This paper describes the burgeoning need for eBusiness professionals and provides an overview of eBusiness programs offered by colleges and universities. The paper also compares the way three different institutions of higher learning in a midwestern community are answering the call for eBusiness programs and describes in more detail the program that is currently the most complete.     

Customization and real time information access in integrated eBusiness supply chain relationships

eBusiness enabled information systems and technology have proliferated with the diffusion and technological advances of the Internet. This research examines supply chain management relationships between service providers and clients, focusing on the performance impacts of (1) the level of customization implemented by clients using vendor provided eBusiness solutions and (2) the subsequent real time access achieved with respect to operational information maintained by vendors. The study also focuses on the impacts of the provider's information exchange behavior and both parties’ level of trust. Using dyadic data collected from a logistics services provider and 91 clients, findings show that the level of customization and real time information access has a direct positive impact on performance outcomes realized by both. Additionally, results demonstrate that provider's level of trust in the client positively influences their information exchange behavior, and in turn, information exchange behavior positively impacts client customizations.     

eBusiness applications in SMEs of Italian industrial districts: the textile and wood/furniture cases

The paper presents the results of a study dealing with the adoption of eBusiness applications in two Italian industrial districts: the textile district in Como and the wood/furniture district in the area of Brianza. These two districts are part of important “made in Italy” industries, with a high volume of worldwide exports. The goal of the paper is to show how Internet technology is changing the behavior of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in these two local (but with worldwide relevance) districts and to understand how the potential benefits and constraints for SMEs pointed out in several literature contributions are really acting in these districts.

Impact of eBusiness technologies on operational performance: The role of production information integration in the supply chain

While the information technology (IT) literature is mixed regarding the direct benefits of eBusiness technologies on performance, the impact of such technologies on supply chain practices remains largely an unexplored area of research. We hypothesize that while there may be no direct benefit of eBusiness technologies on performance, these technologies might support customer integration and supplier integration in the supply chain, which in turn might impact operating performance.To examine our hypotheses, we collected data from respondents who focused their responses to a single major product the process that manufactures it, a significant customer, and an important supplier. Our analyses showed that there was no direct benefit of eBusiness technologies on performance; however these technologies supported customer integration and supplier integration. Further, supplier integration was found to positively impact cost, quality, flexibility, and delivery performance; however there was no relationship between customer integration and performance. Consequently, there is a relationship between eBusiness technologies and supplier integration that leads to better performance. Further, there is an interactive effect between customer integration and supplier integration that supports the notion that firms that have both forms of integration, supported by eBusiness technologies, significantly outperform the others.     

Barriers to supply chain information integration: SMEs adrift of eLands

The literature extols the potential benefits of supply chain integration and the crucial role of integrated eBusiness to deliver those benefits. However, adoption of eBusiness in supply chains has been slower than expected, particularly in small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs). This paper reports findings of a longitudinal study of four supply chains in different sectors over a 4-year period. Specifically it examines the barriers to adoption of eBusiness technologies and therefore to achievement of integrated information in supply chains. Differences between firms in supply chains and between supply chains are examined. The study reveals disparity between existing and planned use of eBusiness by larger downstream firms compared to upstream SMEs. The SMEs are cautious, only planning to invest in eBusiness if dominant downstream customers force them; however, they do not appreciate the full benefits to be gained from eBusiness adoption. The downstream larger businesses are forging ahead with eBusiness in ‘eIsolation’ and are not providing supply chain leadership. They are creating eLands with SMEs adrift of them.     

我国电子商务发展过程中存在的问题及对策

电子商务在我国各行各业迅猛发展，但受传统经济运作模式的影响，还存在许多问题，这就严重制约了其强劲的发展势态。本语文对电子商务发展的最新动态和存在进行剖析，并结合现状，提出了相应的对策和建议。