An information technology and information systems acquisition and justification model for supply-chain management

Supply-chain management (SCM) involves coordinating and managing all the activities from raw materials procurement to the delivery of the final product to the customer. A key ingredient for effective SCM is timely planning and information processing across the entire value-added chain. This process demands the efficient use of information technologies/information systems (IT/IS) at strategic, tactical, and operational levels of SCM. There are currently several software vendors that support planning and execution at each of the aforementioned levels, which provide the decision-maker with several alternative choices. Proposes a multi-objective mathematical model for effective acquisition and justification of IT/IS systems for SCM. An illustrative example details the application of the model.