Comparison between Upstream and Downstream Supply Chain Management and How they are affected by E-business

With the increasing interactions and interrelationships among companies, their suppliers and customers, the need for management of the flow of products, material and information is increasing, which created the concept of the Supply Chain Management. SCM is an old concept implemented to create integration between these entities for many years ago, but with the emergent of e-business and the widespread of internet technologies, the activities and processes of supply chain management have been enhanced. This paper gives short description of the concept of SCM, with its two models, Upstream and Downstream. Two case studies are discussed within these concepts. And finally, it discusses the impact of e-business evolution on the processes of both models of SCM.