Supply chain management and the Internet

Supply chain management (SCM) encompasses all activities associated with a firm moving its composite flow of information, materials and services from the raw materials stage through production and on to the end customer. This includes sourcing and procurement, production scheduling, order processing, inventory management, transportation, manufacturing, warehousing, customer service and the information systems used to monitor these activities. The sudden increase in electronic commerce and the Internet have resulted in new opportunities to improve the performance of the supply chain. Potential internet‐based opportunities and problems related to SCM will be discussed.