Abstract
This research focuses on planning, designing and rototyping a web-based business-to-business e-commerce (B2B EC) information system for professional (third party) distribution centers (DCs). A B2B EC enabled professional distribution center offers full logistic operations and provides related information services to its clients. First, in the thesis works, the generic DC process model is designed and analyzed for the combination of logistic services and e-commerce information services. A professional distribution center must serve the full range supply chain logistics from transferring row materials, works in progress, all the way to the delivery of final products. During the life cycle of logistic services, how to construct an integrated information system considering logical business processes, workflows and information integration (between the DC and all of its customers) become the critical issue for a successful DC operation. Other than planning and designing the architecture and necessary process and data models for a B2B EC enabled DC operation, the research also emphasizes on building a prototyped, web-based system to demonstrate the concept at work. Information technology, such as XML, ASP, HTML and DBMS, are applied to construct a B2B EC platform for professional distribution centers to interact with customers of both ends (manufacturers and retailers) via the Internet.