Track: Technology Management

Abstract

Cloud technology offers a lot of benefits for organizations in the global supply chain network to achieve agile and sustainable Supply Chain Collaborations (SCCs). Characteristics of cloud computing (especially Software as a Service and Coordination as a Service) – i.e. on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, measured service – shift SCCs’ traditional business model. By facilitating transparency in data exchange, supporting the establishment of neutral orchestrators, and increasing the collaborations’ flexibility to choose members and service providers, cloud transforms the nature of the Inter-Organizational System (IOS) from a support system to an enabling IOS. This paper explains the revolution in SCCs’ business models and structures which are enabled by cloud implementation. Each element of SCCs’ Business Model Canvas – i.e. customers, key resources, partners, channels, revenue streams, key activities, and cost structures – and the influence of cloud to each element are described. Cloud-enabled SCCs’ structures are not limited to a hierarchical structure with a central orchestrator, but can also be a less hierarchical network with individualistic decision-making and shared governance. In the end, a set of alternatives elements and structures are presented. Some examples of SCCs are also identified based on the framework proposed. This framework could be used by academics and practitioners in transforming a traditional SCCs and establishing or evaluating a cloud-enabled SCCs’ business model.