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International Journal of Information Management 23 (2003) 493–505
Internet-based supply chain management: using the Internet to
revolutionize your business
Zillur Rahman*
Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee (UA)-247667, India
Abstract
The Internet has emerged in the recent past as a dynamic medium for channeling transactions between
customers and firms in virtual marketplace. In particular, the World Wide Web has emerged as a powerful
new channel for supply chain, rendering many intermediaries obsolete, and radically revamping the value
chain.
The Internet is challenging the traditional supply chain structures that firms have employed to get goods
and services to market. In addition, it is forcing firms to re-evaluate their value proposition to customers,
and meet the challenges of more nimble rivals.
In this article, the author discusses how Internet is being used in the management of various areas of
supply chain.
r 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Supply chain; Internet; Supply chain management; Business-to-business
1. Introduction
The growth of the Web has been phenomenal, and there has been a corresponding growth in
commerce on this robust platform. While some firms and industries have rapidly absorbed this
new paradigm of competition, there are several others that have been slow to respond to change.
This has been partly due to structural reasons, but also in part due to inability and unwillingness
by entrenched players to gasp the magnitude and speed of change imposed by competition in such
a networked economy.
Nowhere have these changes been more evident than in supply chain functions (procurement,
inventory control, logistics) (Soloner & Spence, 2002). In the last decade, supply chain
management (SCM) has moved from a low profile, ancillary concern to a recognized strategic
*Tel.: +91-1332-85081; fax: +91-1332-73560.
E-mail address: zrahman786@yahoo.com, yusuffdm@iitr.ernet.in (Z. Rahman).
0268-4012/$ - see front matter r 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2003.09.004

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component with tangible, positive impact on the firms bottom line. Time was when companies
looked at their supply chains as a means of focusing on their own core competencies, of leveraging
those of vendors, of lowering their costs, and of becoming more responsive to customers. With the
advent of Internet and www; the goals would be superseded by a single superobjective: competing
on the basis of how well managed your supply chain is (Lancioni, 2000).
Successful SCM requires a change from managing individual functions to integrating activities
into the key supply chain process. The advantages far outweigh the effort involved in accessing the
final product; a seamless supply chain that operates fluidly and benefits the entire chain.
Several parallel forces reshaping the world of global business are contributing to this shift of the
supply chain from a position where it was critical to cost and quality to one where it is becoming
one of the most powerful ways for companies to offer greater, and differentiated, value to
customers (Boyer, 2001). Manufacturing is giving way to assembling on shop floors since
companies no longer find it either economical or quality smart to be vertically integrated. For
example, the Mumbai-based BlowPlast used to buy lock components and give them to an
assembler. It would then test them before passing them on to its manufacturing line. Today, it
procures entire lock assemblies tested and certified for quality by its vendor. This was the result of
\"
an analysis of transaction-cost vis-a-vis material costs, which revealed the inefficiencies in the
system.
Indeed, every component and raw material and, in some cases, even the design that goes into a
product needs increasingly specialized manufacturing expertise. Larsen & Toubro, for instance,
outsources its CAD/CAM designs for gas turbines for power stations instead of doing itself. Hero
Motors shops for its post-engineering moulds and dyes in Taiwan, Japan, and Europe. Reebok
outsources its entire product range, limiting itself to marketing. Any company that focuses only
on value adding to inputs can benefit by outsourcing from specialists (Business Today, 2000
February 7).
Thus there are the competitive advantages in shifting from the shop floor to getting those inputs
into the company, or, from manufacturing to managing the supply chain. Consider how the
Delhi-based Liberty Shoes is able to introduce 1000 new styles every year. While the dummy foot
is created in Italy, Korea, Spain or Germany, moulds for soles also come from Italy and
Germany. The uppers are designed indigenously through internal CAD/CAM facilities and
specialized designs are also brought from design studios in Europe.
At the same time, another major upheaval is taking place in all industries around the world: the
emergence, in the post-net economy, of the truly global marketplace (This is turning the
conventional wisdom of SCM upside down in many cases (Fisher, Hammod, Obermeyer, &
Raman, 1994). In the past, a great supply chain meant long-term relationships with vendors, with
the company and the supplier working together to improve design, boost quality, reduce costs,
and share the benefits.
Good supply chain managers have been shopping in labor-intensive countries with low-cost
manufacturing bases. But, even there, the assumption was that the relationships are meant to be
long term. But now, it has become quicker, cheaper and, by implication, smarter to shop globally,
using the Net (Harvey & Richey, 2001).
The supplier could be different each time since pricing of Net-based transactions is becoming
flexible, being determined more by demand and supply at the specific time you want to make your
purchase rather than by any fixed-pricing strategy on the part of the seller (Poirier & Bauer, 2002).

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For instance, when the Bangalore-based Wipro’s fluid power division needs rubber seats for its
hydraulic cylinders, it shops for suppliers in the UK, Japan, the US, and Germany on the Net for
the best bargain each time it needs to import them. Lift manufacturer Otis Elevators found an
excellent bargain for its traveling cables in the form of a Swiss supplier, which lowered the input
costs by 25%.
The outcome of these two forces is that the supply chain can no longer be the carefully
cultivated, long-term relationship-driven construct that it used to be (Reyonlds, 2000). Instead,
finding the right supply chain, given your strategic needs, will be a constant matter of choosing the
right options from a menu which is itself in a constant state of flux (Rayport & Sviolka, 1995).
Few challenges are tougher—particularly since this will not allow you to abandon earlier
practices like Just-in-time supplies or collaborative design. That is why competition in tomorrow’s
markets will, essentially, be a clash between competing supply chains explaining why your supply
chain can be a source of competitive advantage (Kalokota & Robinson, 2000).
Competitive advantage flows from the ability of a company to perform activities on the
industry’s value chain designing, or manufacturing, or servicing, for instance—in a way that offers
greater value to the customer than those of competitors. In this deconstructed value chain, major
value addition is done not by the manufacturer and the marketer, but by those who supply the
components and raw material. In the TV industry, for instance, tuners and electronic gadgets
undergo such changes that all TV manufacturers rely heavily on the supplier’s ability to introduce
new concepts and components.
The focus, in this situation, must shift from building differentiation into the company’s
activities to ensuring that the players in its supply chain are building differentiation into theirs. A
carmaker, thus, cannot expect to offer value to its customers from the way that it assembles its
vehicles. Instead, it must ensure that its suppliers perform their tasks such that the specific
component that each manufactures can offer give greater value to the customer. So, the
aggregation of the unique customer value that a company can extract from its entire supply chain
can provide it with a definitive advantage.
2. Objectives of the study
In order to determine to what extent Indian companies are using the Internet in the operations
and management of their supply chains, the author conducted a nation-wide survey of firms that
appeared in the list of 1000 companies published by Business Standard, a leading business daily in
India (Business Standard, 2002).
The objectives of the study were to determine
1. whether firms use the Internet in their supply chains,
2. how and to what extent the Internet is used in customer service,
3. how and to what extent the Internet is used in purchasing,
4. how and to what extent the Internet is used in material handling systems,
5. how and to what extent the Internet is used in the transportation operations and management
of transportation fleet,
6. how and to what extent the Internet is used in the backing of products.

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3. Methodology
3.1. Sample
All the companies that appeared in the list of 1000 companies were sent an E-mail
questionnaire. The research questionnaire was three pages in length, covering all aspects of SCM
(see Appendix A for a listing of the issues that were covered). One hundred and forty completed
questionnaires were returned via E-mail, a response rate of 14%. Although this is a relatively low
response rate, the number of returns may be compensated by the extreme heterogeneity of the
industries and companies represented by the respondents (see Appendix B for a listing of
respondent industries and companies).
Beside the seven substantive supply chain decision areas (see Appendix A), the questionnaire
also addressed Extranet and Intranet usage. All of the supply chain dimensions addressed in the
questionnaire were analyzed using student T-test, multiple response, and cross-tab analyses.
Internet, Extranet, and Intranet usage was also explored by contrasting the size of the firm
(measured in terms of sales).
3.2. Findings
A total of 80% of the respondents indicated using the Internet in some part of their SCM. This
result should be viewed with caution due to the self-selection bias inherent in this type of survey.
In light of those firms who do use the Internet for SCM, the most popular application (Table 1)
was for the management of their transportation systems. The area in which the Internet was least
used in SCM was production scheduling. Tables 2–8 provide results for how and to what extent
the Internet is used in each of the logistics functional areas (1—little usage; 5—high usage).
3.3. Supply chain management (SCM)
The research showed that the most popular use of the Internet for SCM is in transportation,
followed next by order processing, managing vendor relations, purchasing procurement, and
customer service (see Table 1). The ranking is explained by the level of operating activity in each
area, i.e., shipment frequency, the number of orders received, and the level of expenditures made
Table 1
Internet applications by logistics decision area
Application % using Rank
Purchasing/procurement 49 4
Inventory management 30 6
Transportation 50 1
Order processing 45 2
Customer service 37 5
Production scheduling 07 7
Relations with vendors 40 3

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Table 2
Purchasing/procurement applications
% using Rate of usage
EDI with vendors 30 2.14
Purchase from catalogs 32 2.50
Communicate with vendors 45 3.00
Negotiate with vendors 29 2.00
Check vendor price quotes 30 2.00
Damaged products to vendors 15 1.00
Vendor warranty issues 15 1.00
Table 3
Inventory management applications
% using Rate of usage
EDI programs with vendors 25 3.55
JIT delivery programs 25 3.50
Communicate out-of-stock 32 3.65
Order ship date delays 38 3.00
Raw material inventory levels 22 3.17
Emergencies affecting inventory 32 3.05
Finished goods inventory levels 25 3.20
Field warehouses/depots inventory levels 35 3.17
Field depots on out-of-stock 27 3.05
Table 4
Transportation applications
% using Rate of usage
Pickups, regional distribution centers 22.3 3.18
Drop-offs, regional distribution centers 21.9 2.94
Monitor on-time arrivals of carriers 41.1 3.07
Managing claims, overall performance 26.0 2.43
by firms to support each one. The use of the Internet in customer service, inventory management,
and production planning and scheduling will become more popular as the technology develops.
3.4. Purchasing and the Internet
The research demonstrates that the Internet is utilized in a variety of procurement applications
including the communication with vendors, checking vendor price quotes, and making purchases
from vendor catalogs (Table 2). Vendor negotiation has also been streamlined through the use of
the Internet. Face-to-face negotiations are not used frequently because the negotiations are

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Table 5
Order processing applications
% using Rate of usage
Customer order status/placement 52.1 3.26
Vendor order efforts 27.3 3.05
Customer on out-of-stock 28.8 3.33
Check customer credit 22.3 2.88
Check vendor credit 21.5 2.53
Returned customer merchandise 21.5 3.67
Total customer order cycle performance 22.4 3.30
Credit processing status to customers 21.5 2.00
Obtain price quotes from vendors 19.2 2.36
Provide price quotes to customers 31.1 3.00
Table 6
Customer service applications
% using Rate of usage
Receive customer complaints 43.8 2.59
Provide technical service 29.8 2.81
Notify customers of emergencies 33.9 2.79
Sell to customers 47.9 2.63
Manage outsourcing of service 15.1 2.36
Table 7
Vendor relations applications
% using Rate of usage
Vendor deliveries 26.0 2.95
Vendor raw material stock levels 13.7 1.40
Purchase from on-line catalogs 4.11 2.17
Receive queries from vendors 38.4 2.00
Provide vendor information from queries 28.8 2.05
Vendor ratings on overall performance 23.3 2.24
Process returns/damaged products 24.7 3.00
Ratings of on-time performance of carries 20.5 1.80
conducted through the Internet. This includes the bargaining, renegotiation, price, and term
agreements.
3.5. Inventory management and the Internet
One of the most costly aspects of supply chains is the management of inventory. The research
has shown that the most popular use of the Internet in this area is the communication of

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Table 8
Production scheduling applications
% using Rate of usage
Coordinate schedules with vendors 21.9 2.63
Coordinate schedules with field depots 13.7 2.50
Coordinate with JIT of vendors 20.5 3.00
Coordinate schedules with multiple Indian 19.1 2.07
sites
Coordinate schedules with multiple 16.4 1.92
International sites
stock-outs by customers to vendors, or the notification of stock-outs by companies to their
customers. The Internet has enabled companies to more quickly institute EDI information
programs with their customers (Table 3).
The Internet has affected inventory, management most dramatically in the ability of firms to be
proactive in the management of inventory systems. This is demonstrated in the ability of firms to
notify customers of order-shipping delays and inventory emergencies. The research showed that
the information available to inventory managers is becoming more readily available because of
the reporting systems that can be used through the Internet. The Internet also provides managers
with the ability to track out-of-stock inventory items in field depots. The overall benefit of the
Internet to firms in managing inventory in their supply chains is to keep inventory levels low,
reduce overall holding costs, and still provide high levels of customer service.
3.6. Transportation and the Internet
The most popular use of the Internet in supply chains is in the management of transport.
Transportation typically is the second highest cost component in a supply chain (see Table 4). The
research showed that the monitoring of pickups at regional distribution centers by carriers is the
most popular application of the Internet in this area. This enables transportation managers to
make sure that the motor carriers they use are meeting their promised arrival times. It also
provides managers with the information they need to inform carriers of shipment delays as they
occur, and to not have to wait for days before the information becomes available for corrective
measures to be taken.
3.7. Order processing and the Internet
The second most popular use of the Internet in supply chains is in order processing applications
(see Table 5). The most frequent use of the Internet here is in order placement and order status.
Over half of the firms use the Internet for this purpose. This has dramatically reduced the costs of
order processing, which before the Internet accounted for approximately 18–20% of the total cost
of managing a supply chain system. A major component of this cost saving is the reduction of
paperwork involved in traditional order processing systems because of the Internet. The reduction
in order-cycle time, or the time between the order is placed and the time it is received by a

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customer has been reduced by as much as one-half. The study revealed that the most frequent rate
of usage of the Internet in order processing was in the handling of return goods (3.67%) followed
by out-of-stock notification of the customer (3.33%). Of course, the greatest usage of the Internet
here is in order placement and order status (52.1%). The accuracy of pricing is of utmost
importance in order processing, and the Internet provides companies with the ability to check
vendor prices on-line before an order is placed (Table 5).
3.8. Customer service and the Internet
The Internet has provided firms with the ability to offer their customers another way to contact
the firm regarding services issues. The research shows that 43.8% of the companies use the
Internet to receive customer complaints, while 33.9% utilize it for emergency notifications (see
Table 6). The Internet also gives customers 24-hour access to a company’s service department,
enabling customers to immediately notify companies of any services issues or problems that may
arise. The overall effect has led to reduced response times and resolutions of customer service
problems.
The two-way communication capability of Internet can have a profound effect on cementing
customer–firm relationships. Experience with Internet service systems shows that customers
whose service issues are dealt with quickly and to their satisfaction, are more likely to want to
purchase the firm’s products again. The Internet can build strong product and service loyalty if
used appropriately in the customer service area.
3.9. The Internet and vendor relationships
The Internet has proven itself to be an important communication link with vendors. The
research showed that the most widespread use of the Internet here is in purchasing from on-line
catalogs (41.1%). An example of this is shown in the results of the research in Table 7. The receipt
of queries from vendors (38.4%), providing vendors with information (28.8%), and the processing
of return and damaged goods (24.7%) were all handled by the Internet. Again, the Internet
enables vendors and their customers to handle these functions on a 7-day/24-hour basis.
3.10. The Internet and production scheduling
The Internet has enabled Indian firms to minimize the difficulty in their production scheduling
by improving the communication between vendors, firms and customers. In addition, the study
showed that 21.9% of the firms are beginning to use the Internet to coordinate their production
schedules with their vendors (see Table 8). This communication is not only being done
domestically, but internationally as well, with over 16.4% of the firms coordinating their
production schedules with multiple overseas sites.
3.11. Intranet usage
The research showed that 70.4% of the firms indicated the use of Intranet. The principal use of
an Intranet was for communication (59%).

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3.12. Extranet usage
The use of an Extranet was also explored, with 30.1% of those using the Internet for SCM
indicating that they also use an Extranet. Significant results for those using an Extranet included
those in inventory management decisions where Extranet users were more likely to use EDI
programs with vendors (t ¼ 3:96; po0:001); those who were more likely to use the Internet
to communication with customers on out-of-stock (t ¼ 2:43; po0:024); those who were
more likely to notify customers on order shipping delays (t ¼ 2:40; po0:25); and those who
were more likely to use the Internet to communicate with field warehouses and depots
on inventory levels (t ¼ 2:49; po0:23). Those who used the Extranet were also more likely to use
the Internet for scheduling pickup at regional distribution centers (t ¼ 2:31; po0:036);
receive customer complaints (t ¼ 2:26; po0:033); and receive information queries from vendors
(t ¼ 3:05; po0:006).
3.13. Company size and the Internet
Internet usage was also explored in the context of the size of the firm with sales volume. The
results for the size of firm determined by sales indicate that smaller firms use the Internet more (1)
to communicate with vendors on finished-goods inventory levels (t ¼ 2:09; po0:059); (2) to
communicate with customers on out-of-stocks (t ¼ 2:11; po0:049); (3) to check the credit status
of customers (t ¼ 2:56; po0:022) and of vendors (t ¼ 2:75; po0:016); (4) to obtain price quotes
from vendors (t ¼ 5:92; po0:001); and (5) to provide technical service (t ¼ 2:95; po0:008).
Conversely, larger firms use the Internet more to purchase items from vendor on-line catalogs and
supply lists (t ¼ À2:02; po0:053) and to provide vendors with ratings for the on-time
performance of their carriers (t ¼ À2:25; po0:043).
4. Management implications
The advent of Internet has transformed industries and redefined the rules of competition. The
old rules still exist, but they have also given way to new channels and info-mediaries, and changed
the nature of relationships between businesses and between businesses and their customers. Given
current trends, the Internet’s influence will continue to grow into the foreseeable future as
businesses collaborate with suppliers and partners; source, produce and distribute products and
services globally.
The Internet has and will continue to provide managers with fast and accurate information
from a wide range of operating areas including transportation, inventory, purchasing, customer
service, production scheduling, order processing, and vendor operations to enable them
to improve profitability of their supply chain. On a continuing basis, the Internet will
enable logistics managers to monitor their supply chain operations and reduce costs when
inefficiencies arise. The effects of this are and will continue to affect the profitability of firms
dramatically.

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Appendix A
Supply chain management decision areas
Purchasing/procurement
Inventory management
Transportation
Order processing
Customer service
Production scheduling
Relations with vendors
Purchase/procurement decision areas
EDI programs with vendors
On-line purchasing from vendor catalogs
Communicating with vendors
Negotiation with vendors
Checking price quotations of vendors
Arranging for returned/damaged products to vendors
Dealing with warranty issues of vendors
Inventory management decision areas
EDI programs with vendors
Coordination of JIT delivery programs
Communication with customers on out-of-stocks, etc.
Notification of delays in order ship dates to customers
Communication with vendors on raw-material inventory levels
Communication with customers on emergency situations affecting inventory levels
Communication with vendors on finished-goods inventory levels
Communication with field warehouses and depots on field inventory levels
Communication with field depots on out-of-stock situations, emergencies, etc.
Transportation management decision areas
Scheduling pickups at regional distribution centers
Scheduling drop-offs at regional distribution centers
Monitoring on-time arrivals of carriers
Managing claims status and processing communication with carriers on overall performance
Order processing management decision areas
Communication with customers on orders status
Communication with vendors on order efforts
Communication with customers on out-of-stocks
Check credit status of customers
Check credit status of vendors
Communication with customers on returned merchandise

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Providing total order-cycle performance for customers
Providing credit-processing status to customers
Obtaining price quotes from vendors
Providing price quotes to customers
Customer service management decision areas
Receipt of customer complaints
Providing technical service
Notifying customers of emergencies in the supply chain-strikes, fires, etc.
Use of Internet to sell to customers
Manage the outsourcing of customer service functions
Production scheduling decision areas
Coordination of production schedules with vendors
Coordination of production schedules with field depots
Coordination of production schedules with JIT schedules of vendors
Coordination of production schedules of multiple manufacturing sites in India
Coordination of production schedules of multiple manufacturing sites at international locations
Vendor relations decision areas
Coordination of deliveries of vendors to field warehouses and depots
Communication with vendors regarding raw-material stock levels at their plant sites
Purchasing of items from vendor on-line catalogs—supply lists
Receipt of information queries from vendors
Provision of information regarding vendor queries
Providing vendors with service ratings on their overall performance
Processing of returned materials, damaged products to vendors
Providing vendors with ratings of the on-time performance of their carriers
Appendix B
Respondent industries
Auto ancillary
*
Automobile-2/3 wheelers, HCV/MCV/LCV, tractors
*
Breweries/distilleries
*
Cement and cement products
*
Ceramic tiles/sanitary ware
*
Chemicals
*
Cigarettes
*
Construction
*
Domestic appliances—audio/video, white goods and others
*

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Electrical equipment
*
Electronics
*
Engineering
*
Entertainment
*
Fertilizers
*
Food products
*
Hotels
*
Information technology
*
Leather footwear/products
*
Moulded luggage
*
Packaging—metallic and polys/BOPP film
*
Paints
*
Paper
*
Personal care products
*
Pharmaceuticals
*
Power
*
Services—couriers/transport
*
Shipping
*
Steel—alloys, composite, HR/CR/GP/CG, strips/bars/wires, tubes/pipes
*
Sugar
*
Tea/coffee
*
Telecommunication
*
Textile—cotton, manmade fibers, readymade apparels, silk/jute/woolen, spinning/weaving/
*
processing, texturing
Trading
*
Tires
*
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Zillur Rahman is Assistant Professor in the Department of Management Studies at Indian Institute of Technology
Roorkee, India. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree and Ph.D. in Business Administration from The
Aligarh Muslim University, India where he was also a Lecturer in the Department of Business Administration. He has
published extensively in various National and International journals. His current research is focused on International
Business, Information Systems, E-Commerce, and Strategic Management.