Electronic commerce and supply chain management: value‐adding service for clothing manufacturers

Abstract

This paper presents a business‐to‐business electronic commerce (B2B EC) model for enabling supply chain management (SCM). The application of this model is substantiated by a case study of a leading clothing manufacturer in Hong Kong. On the technical side, the findings support the notion of harnessing information technologies (the Web, e‐mail, and electronic data interchange) to integrate business processes across the clothing supply chain. That is, information technologies could facilitate SCM, adding more value to customers. On the managerial side, the study highlights that manufacturers can assume a proactive role in leading changes in a supply chain, and that a fair share of gains from co‐operation must exist if collaboration between supply chain members is to be developed. Additionally, it is important for the members to have a thorough understanding of the impact of EC on inter‐firm relation‐ ship as well as the role they play in a supply chain before they engage in the virtual business world.