The Effect of e-Business on Supply Chain Strategy

Abstract

Internet technology has forced companies to redefine their business models so as to improve the extended enterprise performance - this is popularly called e-business. The focus has been on improving the extended enterprise transactions including Intraorganizational, Business-to-Consumer (B2C) and Business-to-Business (B2B) transactions. This shift in corporate focus allowed a number of companies to employ a hybrid approach, the Push-Pull supply chain paradigm. In this article we review and analyze the evolution of supply chain strategies from the traditional Push to Pull and finally to the hybrid Push-Pull approach. The analysis motivates the development of a framework that allows companies to identify the appropriate supply chain strategy depending on product characteristics. Finally, we introduce new opportunities that contribute and support this supply chain paradigm.