Extended Enterprise

In today's highly competitive, volatile and increasingly global manufacturing environment, manufacturing companies are increasingly aware of the need for agility and effectiveness at the supply- chain level, rather than simply at company level. Business Process Re-engineering and the resulting emphasis on core competence has influenced a move towards de-centralisation, flatter organisation structures and increased use of "outsourcing". It has been said that it is now supply-chain versus supply-chain and that this poses both opportunity and threat for SMEs. A detailed description of Extended Enterprise is provided and a conceptual reference model is developed, with the aim of providing a strategic planning tool, which will help organisations to identify the extent to which they operate as part of an EE. The model is intended also to help organisations in their evolution towards more effective operation within EE. This book provides a thorough review of literature with respect to supply-chain integration and Extended Enterprise. Current practice is evaluated on the basis of the literature review and a case study of company.