IT USE ALONG THE SUPPLY CHAIN IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE MAJOR MANAGEMENT COLLABORATION TECHNIQUES

Abstract

In recent years, the methods of managing the supply chain have been advancing in a collaborative trend, in which organizations develop closer relationships with their partners as a strategy to improve their processes. Collaboration is a highly competitive strategy focused on information sharing, and so that decisions can be taken together, it is necessary that information is updated and available to all relevant partners. It can be asked: What are the existing tools for managing the supply chain? How can they be used? And, what are the minimal resources for the implementation of collaborative practices? This paper reports on the first stage of a research project whose goals were: a) literature review about the main IT tools; b) identification of IT use along the supply chain; and c) identification of its use in conjunction with the main collaborative management techniques. This phase is characterized as being qualitative, descriptive and bibliographical. A comparative analysis was performed, even at the theoretical level, between the IT tools, the concepts of supply chain management and collaborative management, seeking to confront the research objects and to find possible overlaps. At the end, 21 IT tools (and concepts) were identified that can be applied in operational and strategic management environments along the supply chain. It was noted that the Internet has become the tool responsible for the interconnection of all links in the chain and that the investment in IT will depend on the technique to be implemented, ranging from the simple use of spreadsheets to sophisticated integrations of ERP systems.