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E-commerce is not sim-ply about business transactions that run over the Internet, but is fundamentally about the flow of information. Nowadays the boundaries of organizations are more fluid than they used to be. Supply-chain management forces companies to streamline the ways they manufacture, distribute, and sell products and ultimately will improve the way organizations conduct business. The supply-chain cycle begins with a customer’s order. The manufacturer passes the order through the usual intra-enterprise activities, for example, sales, marketing, manufacturing, distribution, purchasing, and fiscal accounting. Usually the manufacturer turns to outside support from suppliers, utilities, transportation, and other providers of goods and services that are needed to make the product. The information exchange pertains to such matters as requests for quote, bids, purchase orders, order confirmations, shipping …