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The Role of Mobile Technology in

Buyer-Supplier Relationship: SteelIndustry Case

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Business Relationships and Bonding

Different schools provide different viewpoints which sometimes overlap each

other

A bond is a building block of a relationship that is created through interaction

between business parties

Technical , Ideological and Social Bonds

Bonding can have a positive or negative impact

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Businesses are using mobile technologies like: Blackberries and personal digital assistants (PDAs)

Devices that enable e-mails, placing orders, and logging onto company networks fromthe road

4G technologies are emerging

Bluetooth and other short-range wireless transmission

RFID in the manufacturing process

Impacts of mobile technology on the coordination in the buyer-seller relationship

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Interview data

Type of contact Date, duration of interview and transcribed pages

Mill

Purchasing Manager Telephone calls, e-mail correspondence, and interview November 24, 2003,1 hour 40 minutes, 17 pages

IT Manager 1 Telephone calls and interview March 15, 2004, 1 hour 30 minutes, 25 pages

IT Manager 2 Telephone calls, e-mail correspondence, and interview March 24, 2004, 1 hour 45

minutes, 18 pages Technology Advisor Telephone calls, e-mail correspondence, interview, and plant tour March 17,

2004, 1 hour, 45 minutes, 21 pages

Production Planner Telephone calls and interview March 17, 2004, 1 hour 59 minutes, 30 pages

Product Manager Telephone calls and interview March 17, 2004, 1 hour 59 minutes, 30 pages

Supplier

CEO Telephone calls, e-mail correspondence, plant visit, and interview November 17, 2003, 2 hours

10 minutes, 37 pages Production Manager Interview and plant tour November 17, 2003, 1 hour 30 minutes, 13 pages

CIO Telephone calls and interview November 18, 2003, 1 hour 45 minutes, 23 pages

Production specialist Interview and plant tour November, 17, 2003, 1 hour 10 minutes, 13 pages

CFO Telephone call and interview November 18, 2003, 1 hour 55 minutes, 20 pages

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Traditional vs. Modern Mill- Supplier

Relationship

Traditional

Order to Delivery-

Manual Process

Pricing manual

Transport scheduling

was phone or fax Delivery dates not

guaranteed

Modern

Organised activites based

on information delivery

Pricing and checking

automatically

Increased order

Adaptability to respondto changes in product

order

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Role of Mobile Technology in Mill-

Supplier Relationship

Speeds up the processes like inventory control,

report transmissions and others

Makes the reporting system into digital form

easier to process for both parties

Enables direct input of information (using PDAs)

and automatic updation of data for both parties

Enables wider inter-organisational coordinationdue to sharing and smooth flow of information

within internal systems

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