Supply chain system integration in retailing: A case study of LianHua

Supply Chain Management (SCM) is one of the most important concepts, which focuses on customer requirement and sets Core Company in the centre, integrating the suppliers, distributors and customers as a whole. Integration is the trend and advantage of SCM. It is necessary for the retail industry to introduce the concepts and methods of SC Integration Management. Through close cooperation and systematical integration with upper enterprises, retailers can effectively improve the operation level of enterprises, reduce cost and improve customer's service level. This thesis introduces SCM theory and development in retailing industry, and then discusses implementation of SC integration according to problems existing in Lian Hua Supermarket. Lian Hua will collaborate with IBM to do a project about supply chain integration. We analyze the information and put forward supply chain integration plan that includes a framework, transaction applications, an IT framework and operation service. We also give some suggestions after analyzing the results of Supply Chain Integration Management.