Chapter 1: Comparing Pre- And Post-Internet Technologies for the Management of the Supply Chain: A Technology Acceptance Model View

This chapter compares use of technologies used for the management of the supply chain over a 6-year period. A technology acceptance model (TAM) perspective is adopted in order to provide a basis in theory for this comparison. The data on which this chapter is based were gathered from three separate surveys conducted within the membership of GS1 (formerly EAN) Australia and CIPSA (the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Australia). The evidence from this study indicates that on average the use of Internet based technologies over the 6-year period of this study had not increased substantially in the manufacturing, wholesale distribution and retail sectors. This is despite these technologies being perceived to be characteristically improved in terms of both ease of use and perceived benefits from use—both characteristics that would indicate higher levels of use and acceptance as predicted by TAM. Structural and organizational impediments to implementation, both within firms and the supply chain, were identified. The TAM model was found in this study to not predict higher usage as expected, a result attributed to the complexity of organizations, and the limitations inherent in trying to apply theories developed to predict individual actions at an organizational level.