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See firsthand how a number of companies have used the Internet to lower costs and add value to their businesses; learn a framework showing how the Internet impacts supply chains and two major requirements for successful implementations. Experiment with a simulation comparing standard purchase arrangements with the option of purchasing some materials via spot markets, and look to the future of Internet-enabled supply chains to gain an understanding of what challenges lie ahead for a number of new ideas.

The Internet has already had a tremendous impact on the field of supply chain management, and there is more to come. Through this module you will see firsthand how a number of companies (Cisco, Dell, Adaptec, Zara, and Texas Instruments) have used the Internet successfully to lower costs and add value to their businesses. You will see a framework showing how the Internet impacts supply chains and you'll learn two major requirements for successful implementations. You will examine the variety of e-business relationships made possible through the Internet and learn important reasons why some approaches work better than others.

The Internet can create more sourcing opportunities for raw materials; we'll use a spot market simulation to show how combining long-term contracts with spot market purchases can reduce safety stocks and their associated holding costs. You'll also discover how emerging standards like Web Services (XML, SOAP, UDDI, and WSDL) can simplify information exchange and business processes within the enterprise and between supply chain partners; a closer look at RosettaNet will show how the development of standard business practices for Internet relationships can reduce costs and improve response times.

Finally, you can't just blindly accept everything you hear about the future of supply chain management; for each new innovation, the risks for each player must be weighed against the chain-wide benefits. You'll look to the future of Internet-enabled supply chains to gain an understanding of what challenges lie ahead for a number of new ideas.

Objectives

• Learn how the Internet has changed traditional supply chain flows
• Define a framework for major business benefits from Internet-enabled supply chains
• Review examples of how companies have used the Internet in their supply chain operations
• Learn about e-business relationships, auctions, and public vs. private exchanges
• Discover how spot markets and contracts can be combined to lower procurement costs
• Define Web Services (XML, SOAP, UDDI, WSDL) and review a successful example of their application in a vertical market
• Examine characteristics (and likelihood of adoption) of possible future supply chains made possible by Internet technologies