The Role of Electronic Supply Chains and ERP Systems in the Realm of E-Commerce

Businesses around the world experience many challenges to acquire raw materials, parts, subassemblies, and the other necessary inputs to their production systems. As businesses are all moving into the e-commerce platform to gain market share, they realize that electronic supply chain management (e-SCM) powered by enterprise resource planning systems (ERPs) are the new norms and no business organization can operate without both in the new world of e-commerce. Little attention has been devoted to e-SCM dynamic with ERP and the challenges they pose to organizations. In the e-commerce environment, e-SCM is among the most important factors to organizational success. Effective e-SCM can enhance competitiveness and increase market share leading a higher profitability. Nevertheless, the new e-SCM professionals and other actors must understand the factors that undergird e-SCM performance, their drivers, and the necessity of fully functional ERPs for an effective e-SCM.