Abstract

Recent developments have continued to underscore the relevance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in contemporary supply chain management (SCM) as practiced by several organizations. The topic has continued to gain increasing relevance in the modern world as it is becoming more and more relevant in all spheres of human endeavor. However, there is less empirical evidence in support of the actual benefits of ICT in SCM. This study examines within selected progressive companies what benefits, types of use, and trend in the use of ICT in SCM. The study discovered eight benefits. First, it helps companies developed focused e-business solutions for improving customer service elements that are most important in their business. Second, e-business solutions based on planning, collaboration improve agility of the of the supply network. Third, it leads to improved organizational efficiency thereby allowing company personnel to focus more on critical business activities. Fourth, it leads to improvement of information quality. Fifth, it enhanced receipt of strategic benefits. Sixth, it assists to reduce response time. Seventh, it enables organizations to redesign business processes. Lastly, it enhances customer services for competitive advantage. The key enabling factor principally is the proliferation of internet technology. In practice, the benefits from the use of ICT in SCM are mostly related to operational efficiency: to single supply chain processes, such as order information exchange. However, based on the study results, some companies have been able to implement larger scale e-business solutions using technology diversely in network level.