Business-to-Business Connectivity on the Internet: EDI, Intermediaries, and Interorganizational Dimensions

by Jonathan W. Palmer and J. Scott Johnston The University of Oklahoma distribution was putting together the bulletins on paper, which were around 25 pages long, and mailing them to customers. The whole process took anywhere from a few days to two or three weeks for international customers. Fruit of the Loom has around 50 wholesalers nationwide to ship its goods in bulk to thousands of silkscreen printers, embroidery shops, and similar outfits. Fruit of the Loom in the past was not sophisticated in information technology, but now, they are offering to put their wholesalers on the Web, at virtually no cost. Their goal, according to CIO Charles M. Kirk, is to make their inventory system a virtual inventory for their wholesalers in order to avoid losing customers because the wholesaler is out of stock (Verity, 1996).