¶ … Internet Procurement and Fulfillment Strategies. John Browning wrote: "Information technology is no longer a business resource; it is the business environment"(Browning, p. 5). Business is moving at a rate which was not possible only a decade ago. The opportunities which have been made possible by using the internet for integration of procurement, fulfillment, customer's service and sales throughout an entire company have enabled the digitally enhanced company to access accurate information faster than ever before. With information in hand, businesses are equipped to made better decision, capture more sales opportunities and run a tighter inventory management system. However, just putting a company presence on the internet in the way of a corporate electronic information brochure is not what id meant by a digitally enhanced company. The power to run faster, leaner and more accurately is harnessed by integrating sectors of the business.

According to Muffatto and Payaro, companies which have moved their operations to the internet during the past decade have done so by way of taking full advantage of the technology which is available at any given time. When the industrial revolution occurred, businesses which still manufactured products by hand were at a competitive disadvantage to those who made the investment in assembly line machinery. A shop which manufactured automobiles one or two at a time had no means by which to stay competitive with the Henry ford company which was able to produce dozens of completed vehicles each day. Undoubtedly many qualified and quality automobile companies ceased to operate soon after assembly line technology came to the auto industry.

In the same way, today a company or organization which has to look through files for company sales information, put customers on hold while they look up inventory levels, etc. has no opportunity to compete with the digital company. Companies which have leverages their information management needs into company intranets can access total CRM information at the touch of a button from any...

Customers who receive this kind of accurate service will soon leave the non-digital vendors, if for no other reason because of the level of sales and service accuracy they receive. Information systems play a dynamic role in today's business organization and in order to become a profitable player in a worldwide market, firms need powerful information and communication systems (Laudon, p.5).
For most organizations, the backbone of their information management structure is the internet. The Internet has become the number one tool for collecting and disseminating sales and marketing date. Information availability via the internet is instantaneous, making it more important than ever for businesses to be able to operate without duplicating efforts, or working with outdated information.

Organizations have moved through a step-by-step process in order to bring their business operation to this level of operations. Muffatto and Payaro identify this process in order to make a road map for companies which are just making the commitment to a digital transformation. The four steps are:

The company begins with traditional communications tools in their dealings with customers and vendors.

The company begins to use internet-based communications tools, such as static websites and email to communicate with customers and vendors. In doing so, they begin to reap the benefits of using the internet for convenience and speed.

The company begins to integrate internal information management within the company with the internet. Steps can include making sales history and sales and ordering system available on the internet to customers and sales staff. This step is enabled by creating a XML-based platform for real-time and dynamic operations between inside the company and outside the company operations which encompass more than just communication.

The company makes a final step to an integrated operation when dealers, suppliers and the company are all tied into…