How has the IT Industry Supported the Supply Change Management System?

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

My thanks go out to all who have helped me complete this study and with whom this project may have not been possible. In particular, my gratitude goes out to friends, facilitator and family for extensive and helpful comments on early drafts.

DECLARATION

I [type your full first names & surname here], declare that the following dissertation/thesis and its entire content has been an individual, unaided effort and has not been submitted or published before. Furthermore, it reflects my opinion and take on the topic and is does not represent the opinion of the University.

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ABSTRACT

This report explores the process of supply chain management. It discusses different practices that have been carried out by organisations in supply chain management system. Furthermore, the paper discusses the Information technology functions carried out in Supply chain. It provides the idea about how important it is to manage change in order to implement IT systems in Supply chain Management. The research is carried on the basis of secondary research, reviewing other people's researches, studies and analysis. It discusses the role of IT in supply chain management and the how Information technology supports supply chain processes. Moreover, it presents the importance of supply chain management through change management.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background of the Study1

Research Questions1

Research Aims and Objectives2

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW3

What is Supply Chain Management?3

Supply Chain Strategies3

Lean Suppl Chain Strategy4

Agile Supply Chain Marketing Strategy5

Hybrid Supply Chain Strategy5

Supply Chain Management Practices6

Strategic Supplier Partnership6

Customer Relationship7

Internal lean practices8

Postponement8

Information Sharing9

Information Quality9

Components of the Global Supply Chain10

Challengs and Concerns related to Supply Chain11

Technology Uncertainty12

Market Internalization13

Intellectual Property Protection13

Economic Uncertainty14

Supply Chain Integration15

Change Management15

Role of Information technology15

Supply Chain management and IT Function16

Supply Chain management and IT planning17

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY19

Research Methodology19

Research Design19

Qualitative Research Methodology19

Data Collection Technique20

Literature Search20

Limitations21

Validity21

Ethical Considerations22

CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS23

Role of Information Technology in SCM23

Impact of Supply Chain Management on Organisation's performance24

Lean Supply Chain26

Agile Supply Chain27

Information Technology in SCM27

Managing change in Supply Chain Management31

The Case Study of Walmart31

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS34

Implications for Managers34

Conclusion36

REFERENCES38

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Supply chain management is related with the flow of information and products between the members of supply chain department of an organisation. Current development and innovations in the Information industry has enabled firms in availing information and data easily while staying in their organisation (Daniel &Mentzer, 2005, 113). These innovations in technology have helped the organisations in coordinating the activities for the appropriate management of supply chain processes. The increase in rate of technological changes has decreased the cost of acquiring and accessing information for the organisations. Managers are required to understand that information technology is more than just computer technology. It also includes factory automation, communication technologies and other hardware related services.

Research Questions

The research questions are stated below:

What are the benefits of Information Technology in supply chain management?

How change can be implemented and managed in supply chain management systems?

What are the effects of supply chain management on the organisations performance?

How has the IT industry supported the supply chain management system?

Research Aims and Objectives

The aim of ...