Narrative response evaluation based on accuracy depth and completeness

Identify the reasons (be specific) why Carrier should NOT be interested in adopting the "new model", the "E-marketplace", as their means of E-procurement and relying on the internally developed SupplierLink process. Base this on the case information and what you have learned in this class regarding the function of procurement and e-business as well as any other credible sources that you have researched such as other course knowledge or job experience. (Value: 10 points)

The main reason that they should keep things internal and not embrace the more open source model is because of the level of customization and complexity that Carrier has. While embracing and using an open source model might be attractive in terms of interacting with other companies and using the same model that they do, it is extremely unlikely that any open source model is going to have the customizable nature that Carrier would need. Open source and commonly used models are typically going to be about being what is needed for most (but not all) people. Even if the open model would work for most firms, it is unlikely it would work for Carrier as well as a customized model (like SupplierLink) could do and the open model was surely not designed with Carrier's business model and framework in mind.

Another reason that SupplierLink is probably the better solution is because, in addition to being customized to their own structure and process, it is indeed not that hard to customize output and such so that external parties can read it . . . whether it be Excel, PDF or what have you, there is a way to synthesize the data for outside parties in a way that keeps things customized and efficient but at the same time does not make the job of vendors and other such people hard to do. Further, the resistance from the internal employees can be dealt with so long as the proper tenets of change management and buy-in are managed. Beyond that, the mention of "prioritization" is key to focus on because if the economy is slowing, this is all the more reason to get costs down, lower error rates and keep things efficient. Even if Carrier has to slow things down a bit and/or just be more diligent, they do need to move forward with SupplierLink, based on the information at hand at this time.

Identify the reasons (be specific) why Carrier should be interested in adopting the "new model", the "E-marketplace", as their means of E-procurement. Base this on the case information and what you have learned in this class regarding the function of procurement and e-business as well as any other credible sources that you have researched such as any other course knowledge or job experience. (Value: 10 points)

Even if it would be difficult, embracing and using the open model would serve Carrier very well and would pay huge dividends. First, the model is widely known to a lot of people. Second, Carrier itself and the vendors and suppliers that they work with could all be on the same platform. This would save more time than even SupplierLink ever could, all else equal, since SupplierLink would be a proprietary solution and the extension that could be made to the external vendors et al. would be limited. Third, it would reduce costs for everyone involved, most notably Carrier. Fourth, it would reduce costs more so than any other solution. As noted in the first question's answer, there are some real concerns about whether this open/universal model could or should be applied to the complex framework that Carrier has. However, if it is workable, it would allow Carrier to take it to Trane and others that rely on non-engineering concerns like suppliers, advertising and so forth. If indeed, Carrier is choosing to roll back or cancel SupplierLink as their own internal solution, they have to explore doing the universal platform because, as the case notes, the error-prone nature and so forth of the paper-based method is just not workable. The amount of time it takes to go through reports, the amount of paper that is used, the proneness to errors that is created and so forth is not acceptable. In a list of choices that includes standing pat, using the universal platform and using SupplierLink, the last two of the three are the only real viable choices unless ongoing operations would be affected by trying either of those two. Unless money really is that bad, they need to do SOMETHING rather than use the inefficient, error-filled and uncompetitive process. It is akin to the electronic healthcare records thing in healthcare. Doing it but doing it wrong is bad . . . but not doing it at all is such a waste. Further, it CAN be done if done the right way . . . Carrier just needs to figure out if the universal platform is workable. If so, they should move forward with that. If not, they need to go full speed ahead with SupplierLink. Once the initial costs are buried, it will be much smoother sailing.