Supply chain management (SCM) is the practice of coordinating the design, procurement, and flow of goods, services, information and finances, from raw material flows to parts supplier to manufacturer to distributor to retailer to consumer. This process includes product design, order generation, order taking, information feedback and the efficient timely delivery of goods and services, and typically involves many or more of the business functions in firms that are linked to specific supply chains. Efficient and effective supply chain management assists an organization in getting the right goods and services to the place needed at the right time, in the proper quantity and at acceptable cost. Managing this process involves developing and overseeing relationships with suppliers and customers, controlling inventory, and forecasting demand, all requiring constant feedback from every link in the chain.

Recent advances in technological support for eCommerce, combined with the propensity of modern organizations to outsource non-core functions, have created an increasingly complex set of issues that are transforming SCM. This symposium will outline current research on the most critical of these issues and will present solutions adopted by industry leaders. Future directions of SCM will also be discussed.

• to enhance interactions among supply chain management practitioners and researchers, creating permanent networking opportunities
• to improve the understanding of how best to transform supply chains and their associated activities, thus enhancing the competitiveness of business, government, and not-for-profit institutions
• to increase industry knowledge of recent eBusiness contributions to the supply chain management field
• to showcase research strengths in supply chain management and transformation, and to encourage the corporate community to take advantage of these strengths

If your organization is looking for ways to transform its organization and execution of SCM, this symposium may give you ideas to help you make those changes. Researchers and practitioners will meet others with similar interests, and through networking will build permanent relationships. Purchasing Management Association of Canada members will receive credits that count toward certification.

 The McMaster eBusiness Research Centre (MeRC) is the top university centre in Canada for research, education, and outreach on business issues in electronic commerce. Based in the Michael G. DeGroote School of Business, it is a founding member of the Ontario Research Network in Electronic Commerce (ORNEC), a consortium of four Ontario universities that addresses a range of relevant eCommerce topics in the business, legal, and systems environment. MeRC is funded by business memberships, private donations, and matching government grants. Its three-fold mission is: 1) to carry out research relevant to eCommerce issues in business and to provide ready access to this research, 2) to educate students who can become key employees for Canadian businesses and institutions, and 3) to provide training and other services to managers and professionals in business, government, and non-profit institutions that will help them make the most effective use of eBusiness.

Serving 7,000 members, the national association and provincial and territorial Institutes are the principal source of education for supply management - from the internationally recognized program leading to the Certified Professional Purchaser (C.P.P.) designation, to an array of professional-development offerings. Among its business contributions, PMAC sponsors the Leenders Purchasing Management Association of Canada Chair at the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario; co-publishes the Ivey Purchasing Managers Index, a major economic indicator; and is founder of the Canadian Purchasing Research Foundation (CPRF).

Ontario Research Network in Electronic Commerce (ORNEC) The Universities of Ottawa, McMaster, Carleton, and Queen's, together with leading corporate partners, established the Ontario Research Network for Electronic Commerce (ORNEC) as the focal point and driving force for electronic commerce research in Ontario, Canada, and internationally. Building upon existing strengths and expertise in information technology, business and law, ORNEC strives to be at the forefront of e-Commerce innovation, inter-disciplinary research and training. Recent industry shakeouts and consolidations signal the pressing need to tackle efficiently all issues challenging e-Commerce and better direct research and development activities. ORNEC represents a timely response to that pressing need for R&D and Intellectual Property (IP) transfer to Canadian businesses in order to help them increase productivity and maintain a competitive advantage over global players.