Logistics: E-Business and the Push/Pull Boundary Point
The Information Age has revolutionized the commerce transaction logistics. As the popularity and accessibility of the internet has grown, several industries have been compelled to shift focus from simply trying to improve business logistical systems efficiency, to a more “holistic perspective on improving customer relations” (Wrathall, 2000). Like the shipping industry, the home video and music industries have been greatly impacted by the shift in balance of the push-pull paradigm. Through the internet, consumers have direct access to company and competitor information and products, making B2C business much easier (Alberta efuturecentre, 2004). However, unlike the shipping industry, the music and home video industries have to contend with an additional feature of the Information Revolution: the ability to download information for free. As such, both the music and home video industries have implemented different forms of logistical changes in order to deal with the shift in power from the suppliers to consumers in the commerce model (Alberta efuturecentre, 2004).
