E business strategy: How companies are shaping their manufacturing and supply chain through the internet. A review and outlook
The original paper investigated, on a large sample of manufacturing firms, the adoption of Internet based tools to support supply chain processes. Four strategies are identified, according to the level of adoption of e commerce, e procurement and e operations. The four strategies are subsequently analysed according to contingent factors and supply chain integration mechanisms. Results show a clear relationship between the use of Internet based tools and the adoption of integration mechanisms. The commentary shows that the paper has been widely cited in both operations, supply chain and ICT literature, recognizing its seminal contribution to the analysis of the impact of Internet technologies on supply chain processes, their relation with supply chain integration and their impact on performance. The research directions suggested in the original paper are discussed analysing the subsequent literature, including the replication studies performed by the original authors. The importance of investigating emerging topics, as well as observing their evolution over time, is highlighted.