Purpose – The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of contemporary supply‐chain management systems. Design/methodology/approach – The paper highlights the examples of state‐of‐the‐art practice in supply‐chain management, and speculates about where this movement is headed....

Concerns about cost management have led purchasing officers of many companies to look for new solutions – an Internet‐based electronic procurement system. The promise of Web procurement has made it one of the hottest topics of business‐to‐business e‐commerce. The promise is simple: to...

Presents cases in which US firms successfully applied CIM and capitalized on the advantages of such an advanced technology. Addresses barriers to factory automation and steps for successful implementation. Finally, examines technologies that enhance CIM implementation.