ABSTRACT
Task 1, Designing Supply Chains for Strategic Advantage, covered the application of IT to improvement in competitive position. The authors in that section contended that “optimization” was insufficient for this task. But many, if not most, IT projects are undertaken with cost-reduction benefits as the primary goal. Justification procedures frequently demand it. Each of the chapters here focus on issues related to monetary paybacks from IT efforts. These benefits may derive from outright cuts in operating costs or improvements in top-line revenues and marketshare.
