E-Business Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

E-Business - Case Study Example Hoffman & Novak (1996:51) described the internet as a "phenomenal marketing opportunity". This same definition was later echoed by Palmer & Griffith (1998:45) when they state that, the internet has created a new revolution in marketing by providing much more than just a new medium through which organization communicate to the public. E-marketing has become an important phenomenal for Business to Business, Consumers to Consumers as well as Business to consumers marketing. As the fight of market shares and quest for product success continue, e-strategy has offered marketers and businesses all the necessary tactics, and methods to give their product a break through, or remain competitive (Frost et al. 2001). This assignment examines and evaluates the supply chain management functions of an ebusiness. Using Wal-Mart as a case study, the paper examines the electronic business platform of the organisation with attention on the supply chain. Supply chain management (SCM) is a tactical and management tool employed by present day business to efficiently integrate suppliers, manufacturers, warehouses, and customers so that a company's merchandise is produced, distributed at the right quantities, locations, and the right time (Cheng, Lai & Gunasekaran 2006). This is to minimize system wide costs while satisfying service-level requirements (Cheng, Lai & Gunasekaran 2006). ... Using Wal-Mart as a case study, the paper examines the electronic business platform of the organisation with attention on the supply chain. 1.1Overview of Supply Chain Management Supply chain management (SCM) is a tactical and management tool employed by present day business to efficiently integrate suppliers, manufacturers, warehouses, and customers so that a company's merchandise is produced, distributed at the right quantities, locations, and the right time (Cheng, Lai & Gunasekaran 2006). This is to minimize system wide costs while satisfying service-level requirements (Cheng, Lai & Gunasekaran 2006). Today, SCM gained momentum and received due attention from practitioners and researchers. It has become present day managerial competitive weapon for improving performance (Ramsay 2000). To minimize wastages and meet up with customers demand. Customers and suppliers are important stakeholders. "Stakeholders are those individual or groups who depend on the organisation to fulfill their own goals and on whom, in turn, the organisation depends" (Johnson et al 2005:179). An organisation SCM set the pace and the platform for this to take place. Wal-mart is the largest grocery retailer in the United States with estimated 20% of the retail grocery and consumable business as well as the largest toy seller in the States having 22% share of the market, and the highest private employer with about 1.9million workers and employees. The company had a net income of US$11.3Billion in 2007. Thus, this study was initiated to investigate the application of supply chain management strategy in Wal-mart in its electronic business platform. Using Porters competitive advantage, Porters value chain framework, and the SWOT analysis, the company was