Enabling the Glass Pipeline

In recent years, the prospect of information exchange independent of time and place has been a compelling driver for organizations worldwide to adopt mobile technology applications in their various business practices. In particular, the application of mobile technology in Supply Chain Management has drawn widespread attention from researchers and practitioners who endorse adaptive and agile supply chain processes. This chapter discusses the applications of mobile technologies in various areas of supply chain management and the potential benefits of those technologies along the dimensions of reduced replenishment time and transactions and billing cycles. Among other discussions, the role of mobile procurement, inventory management, product identification, package tracking, sales force, and field service automation technologies is highlighted. To substantiate the basis for adopting mobile technologies for supplychain management, different market drivers for mobile applications are exemplified and applied to the three macro-level processes of supplier relationship management, internal supply chain management, and customer relationship management; a resulting typology of mobile supply chain management applications is presented.

An Agent-Based Collaborative Negotiation System for Global Manufacturing Supply Chain Management

This chapter applies the multi-agent system paradigm to collaborative negotiation in a global manufacturing supply chain network. Multi-agent computational environments are suitable for dealing with a broad class of coordination and negotiation issues involving multiple autonomous or semi-autonomous problem-solving agents. An agent-based multi-contract negotiation system is proposed for global manufacturingsupply chain coordination. Also reported is a case study of mobile phone global manufacturing supply chain management.

A Methodology for Developing Integrated Supply Chain Management System

Integrated Supply Chain Management (ISCM) involves the linking of suppliers and customers with the internal business processes of an organization. ISCM solutions allow organizations to automate workflows concerning the execution and analysis of planning, sourcing, making, delivering, returns handling, and maintenance, to name but a few. Many of today’s ISCM systems use primarily Web technology as the supporting infrastructure. Undoubtedly, the electronic (Internet-based) ISCM systems deliver the enterprises with a competitive advantage by opening up opportunities to streamline processes, reduce costs, increase customer patronage, and enable thorough planning abilities. However, there has been significant customer backlash concerning the inability of software vendors to deliver easy integration and promised functionality. Although various researchers have suggested strategies to overcome some of the failures in operating ISCM systems, there appears to be a lacunae in terms of architectural investigations in the analysis stage. The methodology proposed in this chapter seeks to resolve these gaps and provides a fundamental framework for analyzing ISCM systems.

The Critical Success Factors in Supply Chain Implementation

This chapter introduces critical success in supply chain implementation by empirical research. The widespread implementation of supply chain management induced companies to move beyond national borders and be enticed by the global competition in business. Applying supply chain management overall in organizations, companies generally considered it successful in managing their supply chains. However, some of them have not reached the magnitude of improvements or the desired results ascribed to supply chain management. With supply chain concerns and problems related to some basic companies’ infrastructures, the supply chain knowledge and operational skill affected the effectiveness of supply chain practices and performances. In this research, we studied the infrastructures enhancing the success of supply chain implementation that influence supply chain performance. The author adopts three categories of infrastructure as the critical success factors of supply chain implementation: man, machines, and management. The EQS is used to analyze the data collection. A total of 114 pieces of data were completed, and the result shows the significant relationship of operational infrastructures and the success of supply chain management.

A Time-Dependent Supply Chain Network Equilibrium Problem

This chapter deals with a time-dependent supply chain network equilibrium (TD-SCNE) problem, which allows product flows to be distributed over a network, not only between two successive sectors in the same time period (a transaction), but also between two successive periods for the same agency (an inventory). Since product price and flow interactions are inherently embedded within it, the TD-SCNE problem is formulated as a variational inequality (VI) model. A three-loop-nested diagonalization method, along with a specially designed supernetwork representation, then is proposed and demonstrated with a numerical example. In equilibrium, for each time-dependent retailer agency or demand market, the product prices of transactions are the same and minimum, no matter when or where the product comes from, which is a realization of the Wardropian first principle. The proposed framework can be extended with minor modifications to other TD-SCNE-related equilibrium problems.

A Multi-Objective Model for Taiwan Notebook Computer Distribution Problem

A multi-objective model of global distribution for the Taiwan notebook computer industry is proposed. The proposed two-stage approach involves a mixed integer linear programming model and the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) approach. The analytic method provides quantitative assessment of the relationships between manufacturers and customer service. To show the effectiveness of the proposed approach, a Taiwan notebook computer model is solved. The results of this multi-objective model show some dynamic characteristics among various performance criteria of the outbound logistics.

Evaluation of the SCM Performances in Using of Global Logistics Information Technologies

This chapter explores and evaluates the performance of supply chain management (SCM) (i.e., effectiveness and efficiency) in using global logistics information technologies (GIST) (i.e., information technology [IT] and information systems [IS]) in Hong Kong firms. This chapter is organized as follows. First, previous research on the role of functional information systems for supply chain management is discussed. Next, the characteristics of information systems utilized for supply chain management are identified, based on factor analysis of sample data from 71 Hong Kong firms. Third, a conceptual model and hypothesis relating to utilization of information systems, information technology, and SCM performance will be identified. Discussion and recommendations are explained, based on the results.

Inter-Enterprise Process Integration for E-Supply Chain Business Practices

For every industry, the demands for optimization and greater efficiency become particularly urgent when the flow of business information goes beyond the borders of organizations. Driven by the need to attain even greater corporate competitive advantages, many organizations already have reengineered their internal processes, and the focus has shifted to their trading partners. With network connectivity, supply chain integration is now the core strategic competence that enables many companies to act as one. he development of an integrated supply chain by way of the Internet is one of the most important business trends in today’s e-business practices. This chapter focuses on the development of an object-oriented enterprise business blueprint for e-supply chain inter-enterprise process integration. The approach described here will illustrate how the enterprise applications can be developed and woven into the very fabric of business practices by using object-oriented techniques. In contrast to an isolated IT system, this approach allows business processes to permeate different organizations, and communication in this system becomes process-to-process oriented.

Supply Chain Management in China

China, a high-developing country, is facing reform in the 21st century. Almost every company in China is undergoing some form of transformation in order to reduce costs and to maximize profits. It is easy to understand the position of the supply chain in a Chinese company, because taking good control of a supply chain means acquiring quality materials at lower costs, so that the cost of unit products will be dramatically reduced, and maximum profits will be made. However, in China, this is easier said than done. This chapter discusses the current status of supply chain management (SCM), challenges and solutions to SCM critical issues, and the role of technology used in SCM in China.

Determinant of E-Based Succes Attributes for Integrated Supply Chain System

An e-integrated supply chain system is an enabler that enriches the effectiveness of global supply chains. This chapter adopts factor analysis to determine four success factors: work performance quality, system quality, information quality, and service quality. A critical analysis of areas that require improvement is also conducted