IT Benefits in E-Supply Chain Coordination

This report discusses the benefits of IT in e-supply chain coordination, including improved collaboration, quality control, and productivity. It also explores how companies can use IT to compete in the current business environment. The role of 5G networks in supply chain management is highlighted. The report focuses on the operational working of Xiaomi, a mobile company headquartered in China.

Business IT and Supply Chain

Executive summary
The e-supply chain with the use of ICTs, digital media or private network to bring
widely distributed suppliers and buyers together, increase coordination and the exchange of
knowledge, and regulate up and down business process channels. E-Supply Chain
Technologies and Management provides the most thorough examination of electronic supply
chains idea, model and IT infrastructure. This Premier Reference Source offers an overview
of questions concerning the application and influence on the flexibility and management of
the supply chain in evolving information technologies.

Contents
Executive summary....................................................................................................................2
Introduction................................................................................................................................4
Discussion..................................................................................................................................4
How IT has benefited the business in its e-supply chain coordination?................................4
Why IT has benefited the business in their e-supply chain coordination?.............................6
How can a company use IT in eSC coordination to compete in this environment?..............7
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................9
References................................................................................................................................10

Introduction
In attempt to survive on the market, firms now have to fight worldwide competition.
New approaches based on new technology must be implemented to be relevant. Internet-
based supply chain management is the approach which promotes Supply Chain collaboration
and maintains a competitive edge. Many web technologies are necessary to build and deploy
a web-based SCM solution, to evaluate their work through SC partners in data systems and
applications and to assess the amount of integration required. The present report will focus on
operational working of Xiaomi. It is a mobile company being headquartered in China with its
founder Lei Jun. The present report will highlight several aspects of IT which has benefited
the use of supply chain coordination of the given company and in addition to this it would
also highlight various role of 5G network configuration being used by the company in its
supply chain management (Ali and et. al., 2020).
Discussion
How IT has benefited the business in its e-supply chain coordination?
Argument 1
According to John Gomez, 2021, the supply chain networks today are becoming more
and more complicated and a strategy based on data to supply chain management is required.
Data-driven MCS gives effective insight from purchasing, production and supply to end-
consumers for monitoring of information, service and commodity flows. Data is not just the
engine for effective supply chain management; other aspects such as solid relationships
between suppliers and suppliers, efficient cost controls, the procurement of appropriate
logistics partners and the use of new supply chain technology i.e. using of 5G network also
play a major influence.
Better collaboration: The availability of information is a major concern for businesses.
A reports that showed 76% of enterprises do not have an automatic information flow
throughout the supply chain, and half of the enterprises claim unstructured data lead to
missed sales opportunities. Integrated software solutions reduce bottlenecks and provide
quick information interchange, which provides a broad perspective of the supply chain from
one end to another. Through enhanced data access, supply chain leaders have the knowledge
to take educated decisions in context.

Improved quality control: Supply chain difficulties are in accordance with rule 10,
says in a post for the CIO Review Arshad Hafees, SCM-Groupe Function (GF) global expert
in supply chain management and quality control. Under rule 10, the cost of replacement or
repair of an item grows twice at every stage of the development, leading to large expenditures
for businesses in the event of quality difficulties (Li and et. al., 2020).
Argument 2
As per blog written in Opentext, 2021, Companies have been very interesting in
supply chain management due to the rising supply chain complexity (SCM). They concluded
that they had to adopt a strong range of methods, which would make all supply chain
activities economically easier for increased visibility and traceability, decrease waste and
expenses, simplify and integrate operations, speed up "time to customer" and maximise
overall performance (The Benefits of Supply Chain Management, 2021). By using 5G
networks which enables establishment of fast networks between individual ensure transfer of
data through long chain with effectiveness.
Improved material flow: A key metric of product flow efficiency is time to consume.
The time required to get products to the ultimate consumer is the longer the product flow
becomes more efficient. Many other factors, such as materials or products reaching clients,
the balance of supply and demand, shipping alternatives, expenses and inventories, must,
however, be taken into account.
Seamless information flow: Effective and smooth information flow resolves distortion
and misunderstanding of information and fosters increased collaboration between supply
chain players and value relationships. It also improves visibility of all transactions and
accelerates the collection of insights into the supply chain through the production of previous
reports.
Argument 3
According to Jonathan Davies, 2021, adoption of technologies in supply chain
management can boost company’s competitive edge when ones organisation has good supply
chain planning. This advantage helps you reduce the inherent risks of buying and selling raw
materials and services. A number of advantages include the good supply chain planning by
using 5G networks are as follows;

Enhanced productivity: Companies can predict demand and take appropriate actions
by combining supply chains, inventive product concepts and integrated logistics. This is one
of the biggest advantages of the supply chain planning without doubt. Because when a robust
supply chain plan is formed, it will be well positioned to adapt flexibly to demand volatility,
developing markets and short life cycles of particular items.
Better cooperation: Excellent communication is a crucial component of the most
successful companies. In reality, company suppliers, retailers and staff will have difficulty
getting a sense of what their planning is when communication is weak. Supply chain planning
will provide enormous advantages to enhanced partnerships. In addition, business may take
advantage of not even needing to interact and cooperate successfully in the same place when
they expose their operational tasks to modern technologies such as supply chain management
software.
Why IT has benefited the business in their e-supply chain coordination?
Argument 1
As per analysis of Indeed Editorial Team, 2021, a vital part to the long-term success
of a business is control of the supply chain. Efficient supply chain management is a trait that
many successful companies share. Knowledge of the supply chain management idea can help
manager talk in an interview more confidently and provide an advantage in a new
career. These are the grounds why IT benefitted the company in its coordination of the e-
Supply Chain;
Strategic plan: In the firm and assists develop the infrastructure, even globally, for
future development. When people, as the owner of a mobile store, build strategic ties with its
technical department early in their firm, manufacturer may expand as they grow. Those
collaborations can be improved with the growth of the company.
Customer services: This enables managers of the firm to enable better after sales
customers. This collaboratively contributes towards better coordination in supply chain
management of the chosen company.
Argument 2
As per article published in inspirage, 2016, In order to be as productive as possible
and create income, any firm requires four fundamental components in its corporation. In
order to generate the most possible value inside the business, regardless of the industry,

strategic product innovations, efficient transportation systems, robust supply chains, and
flexible financial and operational planning are necessary. Moreover, a well-functioning
logistics organisation, supply chain, product design process or financial strategy are no longer
adequate in a climate that is continuously changing and driven by economic instability.
Flexibility: A flexibility is one of the major advantages of an integrated supply chain.
Through use of several technologies, it can ensure better coordination in company’s supply
chain management.
Eliminate waste: It's not easy to maintain a sustainable supply chain. Researcher of
supply chain management and contributor to inbound logistics Paul A. Myerson pointed out
that lean approaches assist detect and remove waste in the supply chain and enable firms to
react to unpredictability efficiently.
Argument 3
According to Dean Vella, 2012, more organisations are increasingly using technology
into their supplier chains to remain competitive globally and remain at the forefront of a
challenging business climate. Consumers with high product and dependability expectations
have been increasingly demanding in recent years. In turn, supply chain managers recognise
that state-of-the-art technology may enhance responsibility and visibility, ensuring tight
controls and stays ahead of the pack (Using technology to improve supply chain
management, 2016).
The technology currently has comprehensive capability in order to monitor the
production of a firm, to anticipate and correct mistakes and to make modifications in order to
assure high quality products. Every link in the supply chain is simultaneously monitored and
automated notification systems are extremely useful for transmitting a single message to
many parties via a variety of media channels.
How can a company use IT in eSC coordination to compete in this environment?
As the newest SCM advancement, e-SCM has two pillars: SCM's developing strategic
capabilities and SCM empowering web technology. e-SCM strives to promote agile
organisations and collaborations between suppliers and buyers. In relation to chosen company
i.e. Xiaomi, managers of the company uses 5G networking speed which enables them more
comfort over this complicated supply chain management.
Argument 1

According to Tara Duggan, 2021, typically, planning and organisations are required to
coordinate complicated activities inside an organisation. Business owners may use advances
in technology to manage their company's projects and business by using a number of free
software applications available. Techniques such as efficient decision-making, improved
processes, and time management enable your organisation to reach your strategic objectives
in less time (Techniques of Coordination in an Organization, 2021).
Establishing structure: The establishment of a clear sequence of commands starts to
create an effective workflow. It ensures that everyone knows what to do by defining work
positions and the accompanying duties. Setting up an organisational chart allows anyone to
know who to contact if things go wrong. This might be sent by e-mail, newsletter or website
of the firm. In order to guarantee work flows from one section of the company to another,
each department should generate frequent Status reports and interact with other departments.
Process improvements projects analyse procedures for waste management, error reduction
and customer satisfaction. Process improvement efforts
Planning tasks: Key stakeholders normally make thorough plans for work on the
production of products and services of a corporation. They employ the approaches advocated
by professional organisations, such the Institute for Project Management. These coordinators
are using standard templates, for instance, to carry out stakeholder analysis, build a Project
Charter and design a framework to disrupt work, assign resources and monitor job
performance. The project manager specifies the goals and demands of stakeholders to
organise the team and guide efforts throughout a planning process, according to the Project
Management Institute (Li and et. al., 2021).
Argument 2
According to blog published in Teammusic, 2021, To be brief, this is the process of
binding all the departments' actions and resources in the organisation to achieve a unified
aim. Not only may a corporation fail to coordinate, but also compounds the procedures and
delays the completion of projects that an organisation must provide if its employees'
productivity decreases. In the long term, the implications might not only damage the
company and its profitability, but also the morality of personnel (Coordination in an
Organisation: The Key to Achieving Business Goals Efficiently, 2021).
Avoids duplication: Redundancy is the normal symptom of an organization's lack of
communication. This happens when different individuals and departments have

miscommunications. Due to redundancy, an organisation spends excessive time and effort
twice to achieve the same result. This is, of course, a complete waste of labour and the
expenditure of resources.
Avoids loss of information: Information has to be communicated with each other to
fulfil various departments' obligations. Once again, information loss is indicative of an
uncoordinated organisation due to inadequate communication. Failure to provide information
might eventually have a cascade effect and inflict substantial organisational damage.
Argument 3
According to Richard F. and et. al., 2021, the generally recognised strategic planning
idea for companies is basic over a multi-year period, Management Team reassesses its current
strategy by searching for environmental issues and resources to find the strengths and
weaknesses of Top Management. Management may establish and assess several possible
strategic scenarios against the long-term goals of the firm. The management team is working
on the activities to be done in the near future to start the implementation of the strategy
chosen (Strategic Planning in Diversified Companies, 2021).
When it speaks about the most essential aspects of their work each manager employs
the phrases strategy and planning. Of course, the President has an interest in strategy; the
heart of his tasks is strategic planning. A divisional manager often believes he is the chairman
of his own business, accountable for his strategy and strategic planning to keep it lively and
expanding. Even a functional manager, such as a marketing division manager, realises the
importance of its strategic planning; after all, a marketing strategy for the firm is essential to
its success (Wang and et. al., 2020).
Conclusion
From the analysis of above report document, it can be concluded that effective use of
resources is a key component of every firm as it promotes efficiency, resource management,
etc. It also builds good relationships and major stakeholders like as suppliers, customers etc.
It integrates and combines all of the business activities and takes care of all steps that
eventually contribute to customer happiness and corporate objectives. Moreover, by using 5G
connection speed enables managers of the given company to overcome several loopholes
encountered during the process of supply chain management.

References
Books and Journals
Chi, M., Huang, R. and George, J.F., 2020. Collaboration in demand-driven supply chain:
Based on a perspective of governance and IT-business strategic alignment. International
Journal of Information Management, 52, p.102062.
Krishnan, R., Yen, P., Agarwal, R., Arshinder, K. and Bajada, C., 2021. Collaborative
innovation and sustainability in the food supply chain-evidence from farmer producer
organisations. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 168, p.105253.
Mor, R.S., Bhardwaj, A., Singh, S. and Arora, V.K., 2020. Exploring the factors affecting
supply chain performance in dairy industry using exploratory factor analysis
technique. International Journal of Industrial and Systems Engineering, 36(2), pp.248-265.
Zhang, Y., Montenegro-Marin, C.E. and Díaz, V.G., 2021. Holistic cognitive conflict chain
management framework in supply chain management. Environmental Impact Assessment
Review, 88, p.106564.
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