RFID technology and the EPC network as enablers of mobile business: a case study in a retail supply chain

The main objective of this study is to explore the impact of integrating Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology and the Electronic Product Code (EPC) network into one specific supply chain in the retail industry and investigate their potentials as enablers of Mobile Business (m-business). Based on empirical data gathered from three layers of a supply chain, several scenarios integrating RFID and the EPC network have been developed and tested in a laboratory setting. In the context of warehousing activities, the results indicate that (a) these technologies can improve the 'shipping' and 'receiving' processes and allow 'in transit visibility'; (b) they offer opportunities for optimisation through business process redesign, (c) allow the emergence of new 'smart processes'; (d) facilitate information flow between supply chain members; and (e) they enable supply chain members to leverage their existing IS investments.

[1]  Lorenz M. Hilty,et al.  Electronic waste—an emerging risk? , 2005 .

[2]  Martyn Mallick.  Mobile and Wireless Design Essentials , 2003 .

[3]  J.M. Carrol,et al.  Five reasons for scenario-based design , 1999, Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences. 1999. HICSS-32. Abstracts and CD-ROM of Full Papers.

[4]  Sirkka L. Jarvenpaa,et al.  Trust and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Adoption within an Alliance , 2005, Proceedings of the 38th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

[5]  Upkar Varshney,et al.  Mobile Commerce: Framework, Applications and Networking Support , 2002, Mob. Networks Appl..

[6]  M. Kärkkäinen,et al.  Increasing efficiency in the supply chain for short shelf life goods using RFID tagging , 2003 .

[7]  Janice H. Hammond,et al.  Retailing and Supply Chains in the Information Age , 2000 .

[8]  Jerome Swartz,et al.  Changing retail trends, new technologies, and the supply chain , 2000 .

[9]  Ygal Bendavid,et al.  The potential of RFID in warehousing activities in a retail industry supply chain , 2005 .

[10]  Kenneth C. C. Yang,et al.  Exploring factors affecting the adoption of mobile commerce in Singapore , 2005, Telematics Informatics.

[11]  Bharatendu Srivastava,et al.  Radio frequency ID technology: The next revolution in SCM , 2004 .

[12]  Elgar Fleisch,et al.  Inventory Inaccuracy and Supply Chain Performance: A Simulation Study of a Retail Supply Chain , 2005 .

[13]  Martin Strassner,et al.  Today's Impact of Ubiquitous Computing on Business Processes , 2002 .

[14]  Ming Feng,et al.  An Exploratory Study of Web-Based Electronic Commerce Applications , 2001 .

[15]  Munir Mandviwalla,et al.  Integrating the Supply Chain with RFID: A Technical and Business Analysis , 2005, Commun. Assoc. Inf. Syst..

[16]  Michael J. Shaw,et al.  The Effects of Process Characteristics on the Value of B2B E-Procurement , 2004, Inf. Technol. Manag..

[17]  T. C. Edwin Cheng,et al.  Mobile commerce integrated with RFID technology in a container depot , 2007, Decis. Support Syst..

[18]  Ravi Kalakota,et al.  M-Business: The Race to Mobility , 2001 .

[19]  Robert C. Nickerson,et al.  The state of wireless information systems and mobile commerce research , 2004, Inf. Syst. E Bus. Manag..

[20]  Yossi Sheffi,et al.  RFID AND THE INNOVATION CYCLE , 2004 .

[21]  Sanjay E. Sarma,et al.  Measuring the Impact of Information Technology on Value and Productivity Using a Process-Based Approach: The Case for RFID Technologies , 2003 .

[22]  Angappa Gunasekaran,et al.  A review for mobile commerce research and applications , 2007, Decis. Support Syst..

[23]  Stuart J. Barnes,et al.  Mobile Business Research, 2000-2004: Emergence, Current Status, and Future Opportunities , 2005, ECIS.