Key Issues and Challenges for Managing and Evaluating B2B E-Commerce Projects within the Australian Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

High Expectations ◽

Pharmaceutical Manufacturers ◽

Key Issues ◽

Effective Use ◽

The use of Business-to-Business (B2B) e-commerce within the Australian pharmaceutical supply chain can potentially assist in setting up an infrastructure which supports complex, multiparty Internet-based trading and transactions among pharmaceutical manufacturers, wholesalers, hospitals, pharmacies, medical supply importers and exporters, and other players in the healthcare system. Effective use of B2B e-commerce can help these organizations reduce costs in supplying and distributing medicines and other medical-related products to the general public. However, despite high expectations for realizing the benefits of B2B e-commerce in the pharmaceutical supply chain, issues surrounding its evaluation and management remain poorly understood and relatively under-researched. This chapter presents case study findings on key management and evaluation issues and challenges in adopting and utilizing B2B e-commerce systems on eight pharmaceutical organizations in Australia. The key objectives of this study are: (1) to establish current practices and norms in evaluating B2B e-commerce investments and projects in the pharmaceutical industry; and (2) to identify key B2B e-commerce management issues and challenges within the Australian pharmaceutical supply chain. A key contribution of this chapter is the identification and examination of key issues and challenges faced by the pharmaceutical organizations undertaking B2B e-commerce activities within their supply chain. The findings will guide senior executives in these organizations to develop their own approaches or strategies to manage the opportunities and threats that exist in the Australian pharmaceutical supply chain.

Key Issues and Challenges for Managing and Evaluating B2B E-Commerce Projects within the Australian Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

Supply Chain Management ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-2625-6.ch064 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 1083-1100

Author(s):

Chad Lin ◽

Geoffrey Jalleh

Keyword(s):

Supply Chain ◽

Key Management ◽

Senior Executives ◽

High Expectations ◽

Pharmaceutical Manufacturers ◽

Key Issues ◽

Effective Use ◽

Evaluation of Decentralized Verifiable Credentials to Authenticate Authorized Trading Partners and Verify Drug Provenance

Blockchain in Healthcare Today ◽

10.30953/bhty.v4.168 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ghada L. Ashkar ◽

Kalpan s. Patel ◽

Josenor De Jesus ◽

Nikkhil Vinnakota ◽

Natalie Helms ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Supply Chain ◽

Prescription Drugs ◽

Single Point ◽

Full Potential ◽

Business Relationship ◽

Counterfeit Drugs ◽

Pharmaceutical Manufacturers ◽

Trading Partners ◽

Drug Supply Chain

Summary: In 2013, the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) was signed into law to address the growing threat of counterfeit drugs and to ensure prescription drugs remain safe and effective for patients. As part of this law, US pharmaceutical supply chain stakeholders are required to confirm the authorized status of trading partners for transactions and information disclosures, even when there is no prior business relationship. While larger Authorized Trading Partners (ATPs) have connectivity solutions in place, newer and smaller ATPs have not traditionally participated, including tens of thousands of dispensers. To unlock the full potential of the interoperable system mandated by the DSCSA, the authors tested eXtended ATP (XATP), a blockchain-backed framework for ATP authentication and enhanced verification in a real-world pharmacy with genuine drug packages. The objective of this research study was to prove that electronic authentication and enhanced verification can be achieved between ATPs using a mobile-based solution. Moreover, we tested accurate reading of drug and associated electronic med guides, flagging of expired and recalled drugs, and correct generation of documentation to support saleable returns. Methods: This study involved two dispensers and three participating manufacturers. Dispensers were onboarded to a mobile application and used supporting documentation to authenticate their identities, and then scanned 2D drug barcodes to submit drug verification requests to manufacturers (including 11 additional, randomly selected manufacturers). Genuine and synthetic drug package barcodes were used to test workflows against genuine and synthetic manufacturer serialization data records. Manufacturers authenticated the identity of requesting dispensers with verifiable credentials and responded to verification requests. Results: Enhanced drug verification was achieved, with 100% of requests successfully delivered to participating manufacturers and 88% of requests being delivered to other manufacturers (based on the pharmacist selection of random packages from the pharmacy). Drug verification matching against synthetic serialization data records resulted in 86% accuracy, with the 14% error rate attributed to human factors. All barcodes were successfully scanned and provided package-accurate data, and 97% of randomly selected packages successfully generated drug package inserts. All synthetic recalls and expired drugs were successfully flagged. Four of the manufacturers contacted were among the top 15 pharmaceutical manufacturers globally; all four responded. Conclusions: The XATP framework provides a secure, reliable, and seamless remote method to conduct enhanced verification as required by law. Interoperability between manufacturers and dispensers with no prior business relationship can be achieved on ‘day zero’ using mobile devices that enable digital authentication and rapid barcode scanning. As users retain control of their own private keys, the framework also mitigates the single-point-of-attack risks associated with centrally managed systems.

Pharmacoinformatics and Drug Discovery Technologies - Advances in Bioinformatics and Biomedical Engineering ◽

A Preliminary Study of the Practices and Processes of B2B E-Commerce Evaluation and Benefits Realization in Taiwanese Hospitals

10.4018/978-1-4666-0309-7.ch008 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 110-128

Author(s):

Chad Lin ◽

Hao-Chiang Koong Lin ◽

Yu-An Huang ◽

Geoffrey Jalleh ◽

Sheng-Hsiang Hung ◽

...

Keyword(s):

User Satisfaction ◽

Business Performance ◽

Evaluation Methodology ◽

Senior Executives ◽

Study Approach ◽

Investment Evaluation ◽

Benefits Realization ◽

Expected Benefits ◽

Many hospitals still have not fully received the expected benefits from their investments in Business-to-Business (B2B) electronic commerce (e-commerce). Senior executives in these hospitals are often under increasing pressure to find a way to evaluate the contribution of their B2B e-commerce investments to business performance and to ensure that the expected benefits from these investments are eventually delivered. This is as true in hospitals as it is in the other industries. However, relatively little research has examined how Taiwanese hospitals evaluate their B2B e-commerce investments and to what extent their B2B e-commerce benefits are realized. Hence, the authors take a multi-case study approach to investigate the practices and processes of B2B e-commerce evaluation and benefits realization and their impact on B2B e-commerce benefits and user satisfaction in Taiwanese hospitals. Issues arising from the study include a lack of B2B benefits realization methodology or process and a lack of understanding of B2B benefits realization practices. The results also reveal that a B2B investment evaluation methodology or process was used in most hospitals interviewed. However, there appears to be a lack of proper B2B investment post-implementation review measures in most participating hospitals. Moreover, the findings also show that the level of B2B investment evaluation methodology or process adoption was directly related to the levels of organizational IT maturity and user satisfaction. Furthermore, the authors found that most Taiwanese hospitals in general had not allocated sufficient resources and funding to undertake proper evaluation of their B2B investments.

Service quality in the pharmaceutical supply chain: a case study with reference to a major Indian pharmaceutical company

International Journal of Services Sciences ◽

10.1504/ijssci.2017.10009607 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 147

Author(s):

B. Raja Shekhar ◽

B. Sankara Rao ◽

P. Uma Maheswari Devi

Keyword(s):

Supply Chain ◽

Service Quality ◽

Pharmaceutical Company ◽

Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

A case study of kanban implementation within the pharmaceutical supply chain

International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications ◽

10.1080/13675567.2015.1075478 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 19 (4) ◽

pp. 239-255 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Marina Papalexi ◽

David Bamford ◽

Benjamin Dehe

Keyword(s):

Supply Chain ◽

Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

Advances in E-Business Research - Strategic E-Commerce Systems and Tools for Competing in the Digital Marketplace ◽

Evaluation of B2B Pharmaceutical Supply Chain in Australia

10.4018/978-1-4666-8133-0.ch003 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 56-79

Author(s):

Chad Lin ◽

Geoffrey Jalleh

Keyword(s):

Supply Chain ◽

Pharmaceutical Companies ◽

Evaluation Methodologies ◽

Management Evaluation ◽

Supply Chain Costs ◽

The World ◽

Benefits Realization ◽

Realization Factors ◽

The pharmaceutical industry is one of the most innovative and research-intensive industries in the world. For example, five out of the top global Research and Development (R&D) companies were pharmaceutical companies. However, the industry is lagging behind other industries in adopting Business-to-Business (B2B) and supply chain technologies. With supply chain costs constituting around 25-40% of an organization's operating expenses, it is imperative for senior pharmaceutical executives to minimize this cost. Hence, the main objective of this chapter is to identify key B2B e-commerce management, evaluation, and benefits realization factors and challenges within the Australian pharmaceutical supply chain. The results of this study suggest that pharmaceutical companies not only need to carefully examine their B2B investment management and evaluation practices but also must invest in using appropriate evaluation methodologies for identifying and managing benefits, risks, and costs associated with their investments in B2B and supply chains.

Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Risk Assessment in the Time of COVID 19/Case Study

10.1007/978-3-030-85906-0_76 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 697-704

Author(s):

Jihene Jlassi ◽

Nesrin Halouani ◽

Abderrahman El Mhamedi

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Supply Chain ◽

Supply Chain Risk ◽

Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

WPG Holdings: Electronic Integration of Supply Chain Network

Asian Case Research Journal ◽

10.1142/s0218927517500079 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 21 (01) ◽

pp. 207-230 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Hsin-Lu Chang ◽

Wan-Chu Yen

Keyword(s):

Information Technology ◽

Supply Chain ◽

Electronics Industry ◽

Supply Chain Network ◽

Leadership Position ◽

Network Integration ◽

Electronic Components ◽

Supply Chain System ◽

Globalization and the development of information technology not only accelerate the growth of the electronics industry but also threaten the industry in an increasingly competitive market. In order to have a leadership position in the electronics industry’s supply chain system, WPG Holdings, as a distributor of electronic components, needs to not only maintain a good relationship with existing upstream suppliers and downstream customers but also to consolidate its position through continuous mergers and acquisitions. However, these strategies also confront WPG with the complexity of network structure. Thus, the application and adjustment of information technology play an important role in WPG’s operations. This case study presents an example for business-to-business supply chain network integration. The study allows students to understand how WPG has overcomed its problems using various solutions and additionally has become the largest Asian electronic components distributor and one of the top three electronic components distributors worldwide.