Glossary
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
View Whole Glossary
Collecting data from disparate sources and making it accessible at a single location (usually a Web page).
Application Program Interface (API)
Some software solutions offer an API, which is set of tools and protocals that help integrate that solution with other software programs, or facilitate the customization of a user interface.
Application Service Provider (ASP)
ASPs offer the ability to rent applications in lieu of purchasing software; usually a cheaper solution to establishing e-commerce and e-business. Customers pay a usage fee to access these applications over the Web.
APS
Advanced Planning and Scheduling software. This type of software application helps companies manage customer demand and product supply, taking into consideration constraints such as plant capacity.
Auction
Matches buyers and sellers in any marketplace (or exchange) to transact in any quantity at any time. Allows users to submit a request for goods and services to be bid on by suppliers.
B2B
Business-to-business
B2C
Business-to-consumer
B2D
Business-to-distributor
B2E
Business-to- employee
B2G
Business-to- government
Back-end Integration
The process of connecting buy/sell front-end applications of an e-commerce system with the back-end systems. Oftentimes, companies have different systems running the front- and back-end processes, and integration is needed.
Back-office system
All the non-customer-facing systems within an enterprise, including enterprise resource planning (ERP) and materials/manufacturing resource planning (both referred to as MRP) systems, financial, billing and accounting systems, human resources (HR), distr
Bid/Quote Process
Another term for reverse auctions.
Brick-and-Mortar
Nickname for a traditional business, refers to its physical location in a building.
Bullwhip Effect
A pervasive supply chain problem whereby order variability grows as demand signals propagate upstream. Essentially, demand spikes as orders flow back from retailer to distributor to original equipment manufacturers to tier-one suppliers, and so on.
Buyer-driven auctions
A price-centric auction where buyers list what they are interested in purchasing and sellers enter competing bids.
Cash-to-cash cycles
The time difference between the monetary expenditure for raw and direct materials and supplies, and the receipt of payment from the customer for the finished goods. e-Commerce software companies often claim to reduce cash-to-cash cycle times.
CEM
Contract Electronic Manufacturer
CFO
Chief Financial Officer
CIO
Chief Information Officer
Click-and-Mortar
Nickname for a brick-and-mortar that has moved into e-commerce. Sears is a good example.
CoBAM
Coalition of Bricks and Mortars. This is a group of brick-and-mortar companies that organizes to form an online marketplace or exchange, like Covisint.
Collaboration
The use of Web-based software for the purpose of sharing information between businesses or organizations. Ex: Design collaboration allows engineers at different companies to share plans and data in real time.
Collaborative Commerce
B2B systems that enable companies to interactively share data, develop plans and create products online.
Content
Online materials including publications and catalog data.
Content Management
Sometimes called 'knowledge management'. Content management is often used to refer to the process of handling information presented in either a buy- or sell-side catalogs, including part numbers, descriptions and unit size. It also refers to the process
COO
Chief Operations Officer.
CPFR
Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment. This is a type of software system that enables businesses to interactively share production, inventory and order information online with their partners.
CPO
Chief Privacy Officer. These individuals ensure that customer data is kept safe, and more importantly, customer satisfaction is kept high. Processes CPO may be involved with include spam prevention, protecting customer data that the company already posse
CRM
Customer relationship management. The use of Web-based software to analyze customer behavior. CRM systems generally store customer information that is aggregated from sales calls, purchases and customer-service centers.
CSO
Chief Security Officer
CTO
Chief Technology Officer
Data Mining
The analysis of database information; this usually involves identifying specific product information and codes, cleansing data and re-formatting it.
Digital Certificate
Used by a company to authenticate its identity onlien as an attachment to other documents or as a record kept on file. Digital Certificates are also used as a means to provide a public key to a trading partner, which encrypts information that a company s
Digital Signature
A series of numbers at the end of an email message or in an attachment that guarantees that the contents of a document or message have not been altered.
Direct Goods/Services
Goods or services that are part of the production process.
Dynamic Commerce
Commerce with no set price. This is the big promise of B2B for more efficient pricing. Examples can be found in auctions and reverse auctions.
e-Sourcing
Web-based execution of the sourcing process for goods and services
E2E
Exchange-to-exchange or Enterprise-to-enterprise
EAI
Enterprise Application Integration. Generally refers to the ability to share information between software systems at different companies, specifically, the transmitting of data.
EDI
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)-- the transmission of trade documents electronically using standardized formatting.
End-to-End Solution
A common e-business buzzword, end-to-end refers to a streamlined, seamless and real-time flow of information and linkages across a value chain.
eProcurement
The act of acquiring/procuring/purchasing via an electronic format, i.e. the Internet.
ERP
Enterprise Resource Planning. A planning and scheduling system whereby various modules of a company's system can share data. For example, orders can be entered directly into a company's planning system and manufacturing is automatically coordianated.
ERP
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is a set of applications that automate human resources and finances as well as handle tasks such as order processing and production scheduling.
Exchange
Also known as an e-marketplace. A Web site for buying and seling goods and services, usually via auctions.
Extranet
A network that is partially accessible to authorized parties outside an organization.
Firewall
A firewalls are software or systems that create a barrier and gateway between the computers that are networked for use internally and the computers that interface with the Internet. Firewalls block unauthorized log-ins from outside an organziation.
Fulfillment
In the world of e-business, fulfillment refers to the process of shipping an order to a customer, and the automation of that process.
Fulfillment Service Provider (FSP)
An organization that manages and executes part or all of a company's fulfillment process, utilizing its own assets and resources.
Horizontal Exchange
An e-marketplace that facilitates transactions for goods and services across several industries.
Host
An organization that installs and maintains software on behalf of a separate organization.
Indirect Goods/Services
Goods or services that are not part of the production process.
Industry Consortium
An exchange run by several companies of an industry who are attempting to streamline the supply chain and aggregate buying power. Typically, members of the consortium are rivals in the "old economy," as in Covisint, which is comprised of General Motors,
Information Technology (IT)
The systems, procendures, software and hardware involved in e-commerce.
Integration
The act of taking data from one software application (output) and, without human intervention, using it as input into a separate application.
Intranet
A network within an organization that is accessible only to that organization's members, employees and authorized persons.
Just-in-time Inventory (JIT)
An inventory system model based on the idea that one can coordinate the demand and supply channels to the point that desired items arrive just in time for use, therefore significantly reducing inventory levels.
LAN
Local Area Network
Lead Logistics Provider (LLP)
An organization that manages a full scope of logistics services for a company by aggregating and coordinating the services of multiple logistics service providers.
Legacy
Information stored in an old system and is unreadable by the new system. Legacy systems typically require some program to translate them into the new format.
Logistics
The processes involved in transferring goods through manufacture, storage and transportation to business customers and end consumers.
Logistics Visibility Provider
An Internet-based service that provides the integration to and captures the data from logistics service providers; cleanses, verifies and analyzes the data; and reports on logistics activities to facilitate supply chain visibility.
Maverick Buying
Any company or employee purchase that does not meet a company's purchasing policy. This includes using off-contract methods of procurement and non-authorized purchases. Also called Rogue Purchasing.
MRO
Maintenance, Repair and Operations. MRO products are those goods and services that a company purchases which are not used in production or offered for resale. Typical MRO purchases include manufacturing supplies, computers and office supplies.
Neutral exchange
An exchange run by a company that claims to have no vested interest in an industry.
OBI
Open Buying on the Internet. OBI is a project of the OBI Consortium (OBIC), formed in 1996 at the initiative of a group of Fortune 500 companies to establish interoperable sets of process standards for handling maintenance, repair and operations-related
OEM
Original equipment manufacturers.
Order/Demand Capture
These systems obtain information about a specific customer order as it happens. The software aggregates and evaluates customer orders and calculates how much of what product should be made in the future.
P2P
Peer-to-peer: Electronic file swapping systems that allow users to share files, computing capabilities, networks, bandwidth and storage.
Pick and axe companies
In the B2B world, ?pick and axe? companies, or equipment companies, are supposed to be the profit centers of tomorrow. They get their name from the business practice of backing the companies that sell to miners (companies that sell picks and axes) rather
Portal
The word portal can mean a number of different things. Originally synonymous with a Web homepage, portal usually refers to an online search engine, like Google. More generally, however, it can refer to the hub in a hub-and-spoke system. Portals can also
Private exchange
An exchange run by a single entity/company.
Public exchange
An industry consortium or third-party owned exchange that offers a many-to-many model.
Purchasing Card
Also known as a p-card. A program for businesses that combines credit card purchasing with back-end reporting. American Express, MasterCard and Visa are examples of companies that offer p-cards.
Recurring Revenue Model
Revenue model based on subscription fees rather than on up-front license fees.
Reverse Auction
Also called a buyer?s auction, a reverse auction empowers the buyer and allows them to find the lowest bidder from among suppliers/sellers.
Reverse Logistics
The supply chain that flows opposite to the traditional process of order acceptance and fulfillment. For example, reverse logistics includes the handling of customer returns, the disposal of excess inventory and the return journey of empty trucks and fre
Reverse Supply Chain Management
The process of tracking items that return from customers and accounting for them in inventory; also includes resolving customer credit lines, automating return policies and curbing unauthorized returns.
RFI
Request for Information. When a buyer asks a seller to provide information about its business and capabilities.
RFP
Request for Proposal. A request sent by a buyer to one or more suppliers for contract pricing and/or services for a specified period of time.
RFQ
Request for Quote. A request sent by a buyer to one or more sellers for the pricing and availability of a defined quantity of specific items.
Rogue Purchasing
See Maverick Buying
S3
Stands for the sell-source-ship model for distributors, rather than traditional buy-hold-sell (BHS) model
Scalability
In one sense, it is the ability to meet ever-expanding demands. In another sense, it is an application capable of operating in small business to enterprise environments.
SCEM
Supply Chain Event Management. A term coined by AMR to describe software that proactively alerts users when a supply chain issue arises.
SCP
Supply Chain Planning. Forecasting changes in supply and demand planning production accordingly.
Seller-driven auctions
Sellers post goods for sale and buyers bid on them.
SKU
Stock Keeping Unit. A code by which all products are defined within a company.
SOAP
It stands for Simple Object Access Protocol, and it?s a proposal from some heavy hitters (IBM and Microsoft, among others) to bridge the gap between Windows and the tandem of Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) and Java. It does this by tra
Solution
A fluffy PR word that means anything that fills a need or fixes a problem. Example: My washing machine is a clothing solution.
Spot Buys
A spot buy takes place when a buyer purchases a required item, or items, from a non-contracted, non-strategic supplier. Spot buys usually take place in emergency situations, when a buyer's strategic suppliers are unable to provide the required product at
SRM
Supplier relationship management
Strategic Sourcing
The process of determining long-term supply requirements, finding sources to fulfill those needs, selecting suppliers to provide the services, negotiating the purchase agreements and managing the suppliers' performance.
Supply Chain Management (SCM)
SCM refers to the analysis of and effort to improve a company's processes for product and service design, purchasing, invoicing, inventory management, distribution, customer satisfaction and other elements of the supply chain. SCM usually refers to an ef
Theory of Constraints (TOC)
According to TOC principles, an operation is a chain of inter-dependent resources, in which only a few elements - called constraints - control the output of the entire operation
Third-party Logistics Provider (3PL
An organization that manages and executes a particular logistics function, utilizing its own assets and resources, on behalf of another company.
UDDI
Universal Description, Discovery and Integration. UDDI is a standard established for building online databases of companies and the goods and services they provide, similar to a Yellow Pages for the Internet. UDDI is intended to help businesses locate cu
Value-added Services
Any product offering that extends beyond simple buy-and-sell capabilities. This includes logistics, collaborative design, payment, verification and settlement.
VAN
Value-Added Network. A VAN company is an organization that helps companies exchange private documents, usual via EDI systems.
Vertical exchanges
An e-marketplace that serves a particular industry.
Virtual Private Network (VPN)
A theoretically safe area on the ?Net in which secure transactions can take place.
Visibility, or Total Visibility
The ability to receive real-time information and view data from all tiers of a company's supply chain, from the raw materials all the way to the needs of the consumers.
VMI
Vendor Managed Inventory. When sellers maintain inventory they own on the buyers' premises. This helps to minimize the buyer's investment in inventory.
WAP
Wireless application provider
WLAN
Wireless local area network. Allows a laptop user (or a strong desktop user) to unhook and roam freely about the building while maintaining a connection to the Internet. Starting to show up in some airports and convention halls
XML
eXtensible Markup Language. XML is a computer language that was created to facilitate e-commerce because it allows disparate systems to more easily transmit data and communicate. More specifically, XML creates a universal way for companies to describe pr
RSS Feeds
