Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Supply chain management (SCM) is one of the important applications of information technology in organizations. The supply chain is the set of activities that begin with the acquisition of goods and services, continue with activities that the organization performs, and end with the delivery of goods and services to customers. Typical activities include forecasting of demand, estimating delivery times, purchasing, inventory management, production planning and scheduling activities, scheduling delivery of goods and services, and customer service. Supply chain management may involve online collaboration with suppliers and customers. Private exchanges may be established to allow suppliers to bid on procurement needs. The requirements for obtaining information related to the supply chain and the complexity of scheduling and coordinating the supply chain activities make information system applications for supply chain management an important and valuable application in organizations. See also manufacturing use of information technology ... log in or subscribe to read full text