Authors: Boon L. Tan; Nelson K. H. Tang; Paul L. Forrester

Source: Production Planning and Control, Volume 15, Number 8, December 2004 , pp. 802-818(17)

Publisher: Taylor and Francis Ltd

Abstract:

E-Business represents new avenues for sustainable competitive advantage. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are now expected to be digital-ready to continue as trading partners for their customers. SMEs require socio-technical skills and organizational skills and know-how to comprehend e-Potentials and transform them into e-Implementation. An e-Business planning framework is proposed here which links both in strategic and operations management by applying quality function deployment (QFD, also known as house of quality). The balanced scorecard (BSC) will be used to provide an organization overview to objectives setting, critical in ensuring e-Initiatives are aligned with organization vision and objectives. The paper presents the pilot stage of this research project, discussing how the proposed planning framework works. Data from a case study are employed, and expert advice was sought to prioritize and rank the system components (the 'whats') and their interrelationships. The paper begins with an introduction to the importance of e-Business to SMEs, and a brief review of the key components of the proposed framework. Next follows a discussion of the case study and how the framework can be applied in this particular situation. The paper concludes with suggestions for proposed future work; the conclusion can also be extended to provide a series of matrices to provide a clear, step-by-step planning framework for SMEs which are planning and implementing e-Business, by converting customer needs into feasible e-Business plans.

Keywords: E-Business; SME; QFD; balanced scorecard; value chain; planning framework

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09537280412331309190

Publication date: 2004-12-01

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