Page 663 - Introduction to Business

CHAPTER 18 The Digital Enterprise 637

Chapter Questions success or failure for companies that have
implemented an ERP system?
1. What is a business process? 2. Experiences of companies such as Dell and Wal-
2. What is a digital enterprise? Mart show that supply chain management yields
3. What is the Internet? substantial savings for the entire supply chain, but
4. What is the relationship among intranets, at the same time, those savings are not uniform
extranets, and virtual private networks? across the companies in the supply chain. How do
5. What is a three-tier client/server network? you think those savings should be allocated among
6. What is an ERP system? the members of the supply chain?
7. Discuss the benefits and costs of ERP systems. 3. Over the past five years, e-business showed great
8. Who are the five major vendors of ERP software? promise for a lot of companies, but was not able to
9. What is the difference between the best-of-breed deliver on that promise for several companies. Why
and the monolithic approaches? do you think this was the case?
10. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the
phased and big-bang strategies?
11. What is supply chain management? Web Assignments
12. What are the four basic supply chain management
strategies? 1. One of the student and professional organizations
13. What is e-business? for supply chain management is called Council of
14. What are the most common types of electronic Logistics Management. Visit its website at
payment systems in e-business? www.clm1.org and learn more about supply chain
15. What are some of the challenges and opportunities management, student membership, and
of e-business? certification programs for supply chain
management professionals. What does it take to
become certified?
Interpreting Business News 2. Use a search engine to look for enterprise resource
planning jobs. What do the jobs have in common?
1. The Wall Street Journal and magazines such as 3. Use a search engine to look for undergraduate and
Business Week have published numerous stories graduate programs in supply chain management.
about companies that experienced great success or Describe the kinds of courses involved in this
great failure when implementing an ERP system. program of study.
What do you think are the major determinants of

Portfolio Projects

Exploring Your Own Case in Point Starting Your Own Business
After reading this chapter, answering the questions After reading this chapter, you should be more
below should help you understand whether the comfortable deciding on the following elements of your
company that you have elected to investigate is on its business plan.
way to becoming a digital firm. 1. Should an enterprise resource planning system be
1. Does your company use a virtual private network? used in your firm?
Has it implemented an enterprise resource 2. What is your supply chain management strategy?
planning system? If so, which ERP software vendor
3. Will your business engage in B2C and B2B
did it use?
transactions? Will you be using an electronic
2. Identify the companies that are members of your payment system?
company’s supply chain. Has your company used
one of the four supply chain management strategies?
3. Is your company engaged in e-business? If so, is it
doing B2C and/or B2B? What forms of electronic
payment does it use?

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