Supply Chain Management Standards in Ubiquitous Commerce

On Thursday the 29th of November 1951 at the offices of J. Lyons & Co LEO (Lyons Electronic Office) became the first ever software used to conduct business. The purpose of this software application was to calculate the amount and cost of raw materials required to meet the nationwide orders for bread placed with the company [5, 8]. Until then, the massive computing machines of the time had only been used for military or scientific applications. To be sure, LEO was a far-sighted application of information technology for business that initiated a trend which resulted today in having computer systems embedded into and controlling many supply chains. Yet, it is also true that in other ways we have not truly met or progressed much further than LEO’s aims. These laudable aims were for computers to support and improve the efficiency of business processes through a thorough understanding of the objectives of those business users. Indeed, the Holy Grail sought by businesses and government alike in supply chain applications – ranging from supplying fresh food from the farm to the supermarket shelf to delivering uniforms from the manufacturer to the soldier in the desert – is to keep the process simple, standard, speedy, and certain [9, 10]. To achieve this goal, it is necessary that all participants in the supply chain exchange information frequently and accurately, that supply chain costs be minimized, and that all goods and services moving through the supply