ABSTRACT
Internet technologies have already had a dramatic impact on the way that people around the world think and act. In the six or so years since the World Wide Web’s inception, its speed of acceptance has been unprecedented. The first two years of the 21st century have seen a boom and a bust in predictions of the impact of technology on supply chain management. For instance, a recent study conducted by the Momentum Research Group found that United States organizations currently deploying Internet business solutions had realized cumulative cost savings of $155 billion over a three-year period, starting on average in 1998. Furthermore, the study estimated that US organizations deploying Internet business solutions expect to realize $0.5 trillion in cost savings once all Internet business solutions have been fully implemented by 2010. I suspect that these estimates are probably realistic for the potential of 2010 but over generous in their assessment of benefits being delivered to current supply chain.
