Electronic commerce: re-engineering the buyer-supplier interface

Citation

(2001), "Electronic commerce: re-engineering the buyer-supplier interface", Measuring Business Excellence, Vol. 5 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/mbe.2001.26705baf.004

Electronic commerce: re-engineering the buyer-supplier interface

Electronic commerce: re-engineering the buyer-supplier interface

R. McIvor, P. Humphreys and G. Huang, Business Process Management Journal (UK), Vol. 6 No. 2, 2000

Explores the enabling role of electronic commerce in changing the traditional nature of relationships between customers and their suppliers, showing how it can change the interorganizational processes at the interface between the two parties. Gives an introduction to the features of e-commerce, charting how it is a combination of technologies, applications, processes, business strategies and practices necessary to do business electronically. Presents three case studies outlining how these various e-commerce technologies have been implemented in buyer supplier environments, illustrating the benefits to organizations of effectively implementing technologies such as electronic data interchange and the Internet. Analyses the case studies in relation to: strategic purchasing decisions and their impact on small- to medium-sized enterprises; the make or buy decision-making process; and supplier development strategies. Shows how e-commerce is radically changing how organizations trade, how it affects the traditional role of functions involved in the buyer-supplier relationship, how it provides an opportunity for suppliers to add value to their customer's business, and how it enables suppliers to increase their leverage with customers.

Quality focus says: A case study offering implication for both research and practice.