Information Technology

Abstract

It is hard to envision the rapid globalization of industry and supply chains without a similar rapid advancement in information and communications technologies (ICT). The increase in organization size and complexity that occurred as businesses expanded their operations across the globe required ever more powerful computer systems to effectively manage operations. Similarly, the expansion of business supply chains needed more advanced communications technologies to enable organizations to manage them properly. With each advance in ICT and each expansion of business operations, the tight relationship between ICT and business growth has become even more important. This chapter provides an introduction to the various systems and technologies that are being used to manage modern global businesses and their supply chains. Since there are myriad different systems and technologies available to industry today, a single chapter does not provide sufficient space for an in depth discussion of any of them. What the chapter does attempt to do is introduce the reader to the various technologies that are currently being used by industry to manage their extended business (basic and advanced sections) and provide insights into some of the new and exciting technologies that will play an important role in the interaction between ICT, business and society in the future (state-of-the-art section).