Internet and Supply Chain Management: Adoption Modalities for Italian Firms

The paper aims at analysing how and to what extent large firms use internet-based tools for supply chain management. Findings from a research based on a survey on 1458 large firms operating in Italy are presented. 463 firms have taken part in the research, with a 31,8% response rate. Results show a still scarce diffusion of internet-based tools for supply chain management, but some interesting adoption modalities can be pointed out. Firms can be divided in those mainly oriented to supply chain execution processes, from those mainly driven to collaboration in new product development or marketing processes. Most of the former operate in chemical and pharmaceutics industry with high order frequency and low product complexity in a make-to-catalog environment, while the latter belong to electro-mechanics industry where product complexity, variability and customization are higher. A general trend is the correlation between the use of internet-based tools in supply chain processes and the collaborative environment within the supply chain, as marked by intense information and knowledge sharing among partners.