Objectives

The main purpose of the article written by Chae et al is to explore the capabilities of various social media tools in the B2B supply chain setting. The article reports the findings based on a survey conducted by workers in supply chain operations. The findings in the article allow readers to understand how social media may create advantages to business operations and how it can
enhance the capabilities of managers.

Theories

The key subjects of Chae et al’s article are the development of modern technology and supply chain management. The article investigates how the use of modern technologies such as social media has now become crucial for the success of many businesses.

The article also discusses how the ability to obtain information and data from social media is related to the success of B2B operations. Sivarajah et al similarly contended that the efficient use of social media analytics and big data can enable B2B companies to become more profitable. This can help managers in serving their stakeholders and monitoring the ongoing trends across the three domains of sustainability.

Further, another theme discussed in the article includes credibility in the B2B supply chain. That is, how social media offers managers and trading partners to build credibility in the B2B supply chain settings. As Gruner and Power stated social media is targeted more towards one-to-one instead of conventional broadcast communications.

Arguments

The authors examined the impact of the technology on supply chain operations and highlighted the different advantages of using social media in B2C and B2B contexts. One of the main differences authors found is in their purposes; the authors argue that social media in B2C supply chains is utilized as a marketing tool while it is commonly used as an operational tool in B2B supply chains.

According to the authors, this understanding allows managers to better manage efficiency and create a stable relationship with supply chain partners. Chae et al claim since social media can support an association between people and data, information becomes more identifiable. Therefore, the authors argue that companies in the B2B supply chain setting are able to retrieve relevant information from social media and gain intelligence from big data for supply chain activity.

Moreover, Chae et al found that social media has the potential to create benefits to supply chain coordination through real-time communication amongst stakeholders. This can contribute to an improvement in operational efficiency. Hence, the authors conclude that this can ultimately lead to successful business relationships.

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