Global content management services for product … content management services for product providers...
Transcript of Global content management services for product … content management services for product providers...
Global content management services forproduct providers and purchasers
Amy J.C. Trappey*, Charles V. TrappeyDepartment of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan, ROC
Received 20 September 2002; accepted 23 May 2003
Abstract
This research defines a method for developing eXtended Markup Language (XML)-based content management services for
global product manufacturers and distributors. Content management services for multi-channel trades play an important role in
e-business because it enables the seamless flow of product information between suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and
customers. In today’s business world, transactions over the Internet are growing rapidly requiring constant and dynamic
information sharing and exchange among business partners. Thus, globally compatible content management services are
essential to serve the modern business community. This research defines, develops and integrates new technologies and
methodologies into a global content management (GCM) services platform. The platform provides a multi-functional system
architecture that defines XML schema as a neutral product content representation, proposes a suitable content search engine,
implements a Web user interface for a variety of content users, and provides Web tools for e-content creation, maintenance and
management. The GCM system links to other content management and transaction platforms so that end-users can use multi-
channel services to procure, market and sell products globally.
# 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Content management; E-commerce; E-catalog; E-channels; E-procurement; E-marketplace; eXtended Markup Language (XML)
1. Introduction
The world over, companies experience difficulties
finding products and product information because the
search takes too long or results in a non-ideal outcome.
The search can be further confounded by information
overload and disorganization. Buyers attempting to find
products with good price and high quality will spend a
great deal of time browsing traditional paper catalogs,
contacting suppliers, and surfing the Web for sources.
However, with the abundance of global suppliers and
time constraints, buyers may have to limit the search
and settle for higher prices and lower quality.
E-catalog applications are used to simplify and
automate the business processes for the benefit of
buyers and sellers. The automated process must be
consistent with business policies; otherwise, there is
the danger that buyers will covertly maintain tradition
while overtly patronizing automation. Obviously,
companies cannot avoid the use of Internet tools since
they help to eliminate inefficient business processes.
Electronic channels integrate communications into
well-connected, fast moving flows. Product informa-
tion can be rapidly and inexpensively moved between
channel partners but often the information flows
are too disorganized and in the wrong formats for
Computers in Industry 53 (2004) 39–58
* Corresponding author. Tel.: þ886-3-5742651.
Fax: þ886-3-5722685.
E-mail address: [email protected] (A.J.C. Trappey).
0166-3615/$ – see front matter # 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/S0166-3615(03)00125-8
other applications. Thus, global content management
(GCM) for multi-tier product providers and purchasers
are critical to efficiently fulfill constant demands for
e-catalog management, publishing and distribution.
GCM can enable real-time content integration between
supplier’s latest product information, purchaser’s pro-
curement systems and a variety of e-marketplace plat-
forms such as Covicint, an automotive supply hub, and
Exostar, an aerospace supply hub.
Content management requires the daily attention of
dedicated staff to create, maintain and distribute pro-
duct information. Product information is constantly
changing, making the updating of catalog content both
critical and difficult. If a company uses a content
management service approach, then it must handle
information effectively and satisfy a variety of e-chan-
nel members that are content providers as well as users.
From the perspective of managing many-to-many pro-
duct data requests where the requests stem from multi-
ple enterprise systems, there must be a universal or
global means to facilitate conversions between formats,
translations between languages, and rapid response to
data and document requests. Otherwise, a company’s
online content is only as effective as a fax or a paper
catalog since the information cannot be rapidly placed
in the format required by prospective customers that
intent to compare products and place orders online.
The characteristics of global content management
services are listed as follows. First, the e-catalog
content is created and maintained under a universal
repository and re-distributed to many platforms offer-
ing information consistency across the board for all
applications. Second, using an eXtended Markup
Language (XML) schema, the content can be quickly
converted for multiple channels including vertical and
horizontal marketplaces operated publicly or privately
(e.g. CommerceOne, Global eXchange Services, Cov-
incint and Exostar). Finally, a Web portal interface for
the GCM enables updates, access, and customization
of the content for a full range of market participants.
A GCM system applies a resource-sharing concept
that aggregates multiple suppliers’ catalogs according
to product taxonomies that facilitate the buying deci-
sions of end-users. In addition, the system decreases
telecommunication costs since end-users can acquire
product information in a variety of data formats. In
this manner, product information flows freely between
trade partners. GCM services are extremely rare for a
public exchange to offer without charging high fees,
which inhibit the content popularization to a critical
mass for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Thus,
this research focuses on solving the GCM enabling
issues for smaller enterprises engaged in marketplace
and trade exchanges. In Section 2, the background
knowledge and previous research are reviewed. Sec-
tion 3 describes the methodologies used to derive the
GCM functions. The GCM platform architecture is
defined, the prototype is implemented, and the appli-
cation case is introduced in Section 4. Finally, a
conclusion is drawn to summarize the research con-
tribution and the future directions.
2. Background
The Internet, as an important channel for business
transactions, continues to increase the speed of busi-
ness. Obviously, companies desire efficient channels
to complete their business transactions, and expect to
increase their revenue through savings derived from e-
channels embedded with e-procurement, e-sales and
e-marketplaces.
E-channel services mean that users can utilize online
channels to ensure efficient business activities. The
power of the Internet as an information transformation
tool is evident since so many businesses are taking
advantage of e-procurement [1]. The e-procurement
system is an electronic purchasing channel where users
can find, select, buy and return goods via the Internet.
Through the use of these systems, users can eliminate
inefficient operations in the procurement process.
E-sales are the means by which companies can
build an online store to sell products to customers
worldwide. The sales system often provides the seller
with a mechanism to post products or services infor-
mation on a Web site. Kobayashi and Takeda [2] report
that online sales are showing a 300% increase in sales
dollars and a 270% increase in the number of orders
placed. As such, e-sales systems from the manufac-
turer and distributor’s perspectives are an important
channel to use for corporate procurement.
The notion of an e-marketplace is derived from the
aggregation of integrated business services delivered
through the Internet. With the goal of introducing new
and efficient ways of selling and purchasing products
and services, e-marketplace services have been
40 A.J.C. Trappey, C.V. Trappey / Computers in Industry 53 (2004) 39–58
applied across various industries [3]. An e-market-
place is a cross-organizational system for bringing
sellers and buyers together online to exchange infor-
mation and conduct businesses. The mode of opera-
tion drastically reduces time and cost in product search
and enhances the efficiency of business transactions.
E-channel services are additions to a marketplace
and offer e-business transaction processes and admin-
istrative functions for suppliers and buyers. The sys-
tem provides users with the details of their products
and the ability to customize information to support
business decisions. E-channel services use current
technical capabilities offered by the Internet to pro-
vide cost saving to both suppliers and customers. The
basic elements of e-channels solutions are divided
into two domains. These domains are (1) business-
to-business (B2B) process integration and (2) content
management automation. Across these domains,
researchers have studied B2B integration issues but
have not addressed sufficiently how to consolidate,
align and re-distribute product information from
diverse sources to diverse destinations. From a sys-
tems viewpoint, users of e-channels need to streamline
their business processes to reduce transaction costs.
Most companies merge multiple source content into
a single e-channel system but they do not convert
diverse formats into a standard format. This approach
does not achieve the goal of seamless information
sharing since the content are not easily accessed.
The worse case occurs when the e-channel content
becomes disconnected from an enterprise’s internal
systems (Fig. 1). Thus, global content management
aims to improve the success of the e-channel system.
Researchers have different definitions for content
management services. An e-catalog or catalog man-
agement system can be viewed as a specific applica-
tion whereas content management covers processes
for content creation, tracking, versioning, storing and
dissemination of semi-structured and unstructured
information owned by enterprises [4]. Guenther [5]
further notes that content management combines well-
defined roles and formal processes with a systems
architecture that helps organizations contribute, col-
laborate, and control text, graphics, multimedia, and
applet contents that make up a page in a catalog.
However, content management systems offer func-
tions that go beyond the management of traditional
HTML pages. Content must be defined, placed in a
standard format, and controlled. In order to convert or
transfer content, the process must be combined with
quality control, information transferred along known
routes and stored upon delivery.
The growing focus is the management of content
from multiple sources. Corporate content includes
paper-printed catalogs, data from back-end enterprise
resource planning (ERP) systems, legacy databases,
spreadsheets and files. Traditional paper catalogs pre-
sent product information via pages with embedded
text and pictures. On the other hand, electronic content
management services present product information
using different information technologies. Electronic
content presentations include pictures, digital text,
Multiple Suppliers
Multiple ContentFormats
Non-UnifiedCatalog
FirewallMultiple Users
Non-universalMulti-format
Catalogs
Non-universal
Multi-format
Catalogs
Fig. 1. Traditional e-channel system.
A.J.C. Trappey, C.V. Trappey / Computers in Industry 53 (2004) 39–58 41
electronic documents and multimedia that use different
file types and data definitions. The characteristic of text-
only presentation is that of low vividness with the cus-
tomer seeing only the products’ attributes. Multimedia
presentations have high vividness because of integrated
animated graphical images, audio, and video [6].
Large enterprises work with thousands of suppliers
and integrate and automate the catalog content to
facilitate procurement, a process that is called catalog
management [7]. An online catalog however, must
provide interfaces to create and maintain e-content as
well as to help users in product search and further
commercial activities [8]. Content management ser-
vices bring many benefits to enterprises. For example,
enterprises learn how to organize product portfolios
and brand lines, maintain relationships between con-
tract satellites, and increase the company’s global
competitiveness. For the current e-catalog building
process, suppliers participate in the content manage-
ment provider’s supplier hub. The supplier hub receives
multiple content formats from suppliers and moves
across the system providers’ internal firewall. The
content from suppliers undergoes transformation into
one standard and open structure via the use of e-content
management tools. The content management system
can transmit the single standard format (or global
content) into other types of formats according to end-
user requirements. In addition, users access the search
engines to quickly locate needed products or services.
Current e-content management services face bar-
riers in implementation and popularization [9]. The
bottleneck of an e-catalog is that it offers little incen-
tive to small suppliers to participate. However, in
today’s business environment, small and medium
enterprises bring huge economic benefits by providing
comprehensive content to customers. The expense of
participating in e-marketplaces is the primary hurdle
that often precludes small businesses. Thus, several
factors must be considered when developing a content
management system. First, an e-catalog should pro-
vide intelligence in product sales and procurement just
as a knowledgeable shop assistant would [10]. Such a
system offers add-on values to customers, manufac-
turers and suppliers. In addition, the supplier service
hub enables suppliers to create online catalogs that can
be distributed to multiple marketplaces and procure-
ment systems. Thus, an e-catalog maps the global
content to other major e-business catalog formats.
3. Global content management (GCM) services
Content management technology and approaches
include multi-function architectures, powerful search
engines, friendly user interfaces, and tools for creat-
ing, managing and maintaining e-content for multiple
uses. Fig. 2 shows the detailed concept of GCM
services. Manufacturers and suppliers building e-cat-
alog content can achieve their goals using multiple
service approaches. One approach commonly used by
small and medium enterprises enables them to parti-
cipate in the supplier service hub without paying for
platform-dependent content management tools.
Another approach is used mostly by larger enterprises
(such as channel distributors) that buy online tools to
create an e-catalog directly linked to the platform.
There is also the option to contract content conversion
to service providers (i.e. content builders). The service
providers help companies process large quantities of
content data and often guarantee a higher quality e-
catalog. These three channels convert legacy system
data, paper-printed catalogs, document files, spread-
sheets, and databases into global data residing on a
platform that provides open access to product buyers.
The GCM service providers emphasize that the
content platform offers suppliers, manufacturers, dis-
tributors and end-users an environment to share and
transfer consistent and high quality content data with-
out data reentry. This advantage exists when there is a
substantial purchasing demand that is accumulated
from numerous marketplaces and procurement sys-
tems. An e-content management system, capable of
converting content into numerous formats, means
little when accessed by a hand-full of low volume
buyers. A content management system must allow for
the quick conversion of content format and the wide
distribution of content to many procurement systems
and marketplaces.
The objective of this research is to develop a
GCM platform to help global product providers build
e-catalogs that can be distributed to many market-
places. Enterprises linking to the GCM platform can
seamlessly link to other international content manage-
ment platforms that help re-distribute the content.
The linkages and re-distribution of content increases
the exposure of domestic products in global markets.
Thus, suppliers, buyers, marketplaces and other inter-
national e-catalog platforms can use the platform to
42 A.J.C. Trappey, C.V. Trappey / Computers in Industry 53 (2004) 39–58
retrieve product information with consistent format
and instant conversion.
3.1. A flat structure versus hierarchical structure
Due to the existence of many international classifi-
cation schemes, a flat structure, instead of hierarchical
structure, is used to organize content on the GCM
platform. Thus, content management for re-classify-
ing or re-mapping to multiple classification schemes
(e.g. UNSPSC, eCl@ss, Harmonized System, and
SITC), as well as the subsequent search of content
by different users, can be achieved with efficacy and
flexibility (Fig. 3). A multiple hierarchical (branch)
Fig. 2. Internationally synchronized GCM services.
Fig. 3. Mapping between a flat product definition structure to multi-standard hierarchical classifications.
A.J.C. Trappey, C.V. Trappey / Computers in Industry 53 (2004) 39–58 43
search requires complicated steps to map the right
items to the associated attribute description, particu-
larly when multiple cross-references of classifications
are required. Through the use of a flat structure
architecture for GCM, loading new data and updating
old data is simple and straightforward. All that is
required is the search of a flat source file with an
open standard XML schema [11,12]. Modern comput-
ing power enables the fast search through a flat source
file without activating complex search algorithms.
For example, a flat-type e-catalog XML (ECX)
schema is depicted in Fig. 4 without specific catego-
rical and hierarchical XML tags complying with
standard codes such as UNSPSC or eCl@ss [13].
An example item is defined using the flat <DATA>
schema as follows:
OW NER
CATA LOG
AD M IN SCH EM A DA TA
IT EM DA TAEXTENSIO N
NA M EVALUE KEYVALUE
COM M EN T
UPDA TE
DA TAEXTENSIO N
PRIC ING
N AM E INFORM AT ION
C AT EGO RY AT T R IBU T E N AV IG AT ION M ET AD AT A
M ET ADAT A
Fig. 4. Definition of e-catalog XML tags with the characteristics of flat structure.
<DATA>
<!— Copy the item with a supplier part num of 123456 into the Fine Writing Pens category. Map the value for the
Color and Point attributes in the Pens category to Ink Color and Point Style in the Fine Writing Pens category––>
<ITEM ACTION¼‘‘COPY’’>
<OWNER><NAME>Pens</NAME></OWNER>
<KEYVALUE>
<KEY>Sup Part Num</KEY>
<VALUE>123456</VALUE>
</KEYVALUE>
<UPDATE>
<OWNER><NAME>Fine Writing Pens</NAME></OWNER>
<KEYVALUE>
<KEY>Ink Color</KEY>
<VALUE>Color</VALUE>
</KEYVALUE>
<KEYVALUE>
<KEY>Point Style</KEY>
<VALUE> Point </VALUE>
</KEYVALUE>
</UPDATE>
</ITEM>
</DATA>
44 A.J.C. Trappey, C.V. Trappey / Computers in Industry 53 (2004) 39–58
Given the intermediary role of a GCM system, the flat
content structure overcomes the minor disadvantages
in search efficiency by taking greater advantages in
flexible conversions among standard coding schemes,
particularly when the computing power is vast
improved.
3.2. E-content search engine
Although many content management services are
flexible, scalable, and comprehensive, the fact that
users cannot readily find products reveals limita-
tions. Therefore, a more powerful e-content search
engine is necessary. A catalog search engine is a
mechanism that allows users to query a catalog
database and show the results in a concise electronic
content presentation. In addition, the e-catalog must
be as easy-to-use as a paper catalog and not require
training.
Traditionally, search engines used in e-catalogs are
divided into text search engines and hierarchical
search engines [14]. For text search engines, end-users
enter text to find an item. If a matching string is found,
a list of products or services is returned and displayed
on the computer screen. Sometimes, too many results
are returned and if users cannot add more information
to narrow the search, they need to start a new search.
Traditional text search engines used in many e-cata-
logs have other disadvantages as well. Some engines
return with empty searches, use an incorrect word
order, display incorrect units of measure, duplicate
items, use dated information, or display information
with grammatical errors and display errors. These
factors can influence procurement decisions and
thereby decrease the companies’ Web-based procure-
ment returns [15].
The hierarchical engine searches through a tree-like
architecture. Users need to enter search strings at the
top level and then enter detailed strings to fathom
additional branches of the tree. The disadvantage of
this approach is the arbitrary classification of items
under the top level. Users that do not know the
classification of the item can end up searching the
wrong branches particularly if different e-catalog
builders organize the same items into different classi-
fications. Therefore, a hierarchical search can be an
inefficient method to search for products or services
online. As the way that content is stored in the GCM
database, the e-catalog search engine presented in this
research also uses a flat structure search method and
operates at two levels. The first level consists of a basic
product category with common product attributes (e.g.
supplier part number, supplier name, and price) and
the second level consists of a genus category where
products that are in a similar genus are placed in the
same category. The logic of a genus category is that a
search for ‘‘armchairs’’ returns all chairs because
of the clustering effect associated with the genus
‘‘chairs’’. Armchairs are then ranked higher and users
can click on the higher ranked items to find specific
products. If users cannot find the products they want,
then they search the remaining genus items lists to
find similar products. This type of search engine has
advantages that overcome the disadvantages of the
hierarchical search engine.
3.3. User interfaces
Develop a user-friendly interface is important
and necessary for GCM. Traditional user interfaces,
such as paper catalogs, or the new user-friendly
Web interface define the modes of information
exchange in the commercial marketplaces. The core
measure of effectiveness for the user interface is
whether or not information transmission from the
supplier side to the buyer side is facilitated. There-
fore, a user-friendly interface that builds a positive
consumer experience while interacting with products
presentations is an unavoidable design consideration
[6].
3.4. E-content creation and management tool
Product display and advertising formats include
spreadsheets, ASCII text, XML, Word files and others.
These formats, in order to become transferable, are
merged into a comprehensive format under the GCM
system. Suppliers are constantly creating original
e-content, converting paper content into electronic
format, or converting system files into e-content.
The purpose of a content creation and management
tools is to map category attributes from one category
to another or to create new categories. In addition,
multi-languages and currencies are needed because
customers may purchase products from countries
around the world.
A.J.C. Trappey, C.V. Trappey / Computers in Industry 53 (2004) 39–58 45
The means to categorize products is an important
task. A category is a collection of similar products
and services and common product attributes (e.g. des-
cription, manufacturer name, supplier name, etc.) that
apply to all products and services. There are also
optional attributes to track (e.g. color and size) that
can differ between categories. These complications
support the need for a flat architecture that organizes
products’ common attributes.
3.5. E-content maintenance tool
Another difficult task in the implementation of
e-catalogs is e-content management. The rapid growth
of product information is creating difficulties for
e-content builders to maintain product information
since it is constantly changing. Therefore, e-content
maintenance tools are required to edit, update, and
keep the product information consistent and authentic.
For example, when someone finds a mistake in the
catalog, the mistake needs to be quickly fixed. The
Web-based content management systems should
update the content on a regular basis without becom-
ing an overly time consuming processes [16]. In
addition, the entry of data for multiple products
will inevitably result in errors and require time for
corrections.
3.6. Evaluation of GCM services
Buyers can find products using paper-printed cat-
alogs or electronic catalogs. Previously it was argued
that using paper catalogs and traditional hierarchical
e-catalogs creates uncertain search results. The pro-
posed e-catalog with a flat architecture offers func-
tions and capabilities that add new benefits for
suppliers and buyers. The advantage of GCM services
is the conversion of different format sources into a
standard format that is mapped onto other formats
depending on customer or platform requirements. In
short, the mapping of content is a core technology
needed for building a successful e-catalog. The rea-
sons why globally synchronized content management
services are important are as follows:
(1) Buyers have complex enterprise systems that
require the reduction of data entry for business
processes such as pricing and buying.
(2) Suppliers can be eliminated if they do not
provide their product or service information over
the Internet. That is, when large buyers purchase
products from international sources, they prefer
suppliers with online catalogs.
(3) Suppliers recognize that survival means adapting
to the trends of the marketplace. The trend is to
make product information accessible and to post
information in multiple and convenient places
where buyers can purchase online.
(4) Given a global marketplace, catalog information
in different languages and formats must be
standardized so that it can be mapped into other
languages and formats.
(5) Large enterprise system suppliers and database
suppliers enhance their competitiveness by en-
abling customers to do business online and
provide access to e-catalogs.
4. GCM functions and enabling methodology
In order to make content management services
universally applicable, CM services should maintain
several features. Table 1 depicts the GCM service
features and functions. Each feature has its unique
values to both buyer and suppliers.
In the past, product information integration was a
problem that occurred within a single company, and
was traditionally solved via data warehousing tech-
nology. In today’s e-business environment, product
information needs to be integrated across enterprise
boundaries. The key challenge is how to transfer
information across heterogeneous platforms in a
decentralized environment and thereby share useful
product information. Mapping content includes the
access and the transformation of product information.
Contents provided via the Internet allow for the trans-
fer of a larger number of different e-content formats to
be supplied to multiple recipients. In addition, the
GCM system requires a powerful search engines and a
scalable content repository [4].
In this research, the system uses XML [17] as the
standard for internal and external mapping and
exchange of data since XML translates content for-
mats into a homogeneous format [18]. Beyond the
basic capability to exchange and communicate elec-
tronic messages using XML technology, the business
46 A.J.C. Trappey, C.V. Trappey / Computers in Industry 53 (2004) 39–58
logic behind the service provision and partner inter-
action must be enforced [3]. XML offers efficient
resource discovery on the Internet and makes semi-
structured data portable on the Web [19]. XML, or the
notion of an eXtensible Markup Language, emerged
under the auspices of the World Wide Web Consor-
tium (W3C). XML contains characteristics that can
solve problems in information exchange, interoper-
ability and convertibility in the open e-commerce
environments. XML expresses both data (XML mes-
sage) and syntax (Data Type Definition (DTD)) so that
users and systems can easily understand the data
semantic ontology and meanings. Further, since
XML is a language that is concerned with creating,
sharing and processing information [20,21], the
technology is conducive to integrating information
from databases, including displaying information to
browsers or converting information between different
servers.
Most commonly, HTML technology is used for
Web layout and many e-stores use HTML-based webs
to display products. On the other hand, XML is
designed for the communication between computers.
Through XML, search engines can find targets accu-
rately according to interdependent relations between
tags and contents. With leading edge technologies of
accessing legacy database and delivering data to the
client side, XML enhances performance in data
exchange and data transmission for e-commerce and
other applications. The XML-based GCM services
take advantage of the capabilities of XML syntax to
provide a higher degree of extensibility in line with the
original design goals of XML itself.
Besides using XML and DTDs to convert different
formats, a content management system needs to con-
sider the display of content. eXtensible Stylesheet
Language (XSL) is designed for dynamically present-
ing XML documents online. XSL includes two parts,
the Formatting Object (FO) and the eXtensible Style-
sheet Language Transformation (XSLT). FO provides
a large number of formatting commands. XSLT is
used for transforming XML source code to other
formats. The XSL stylesheet and XML source code
are well-formed XML documents. Hence, before run-
ning the XSL processor, the XML parser needs to
analyze every object in the XSL and XML documents.
In terms of XSLT, there are two important concepts,
such as the source tree and the result tree. The source
tree defines the structures of XML files before trans-
formation. The result tree presents the transforma-
tion results. Before running the XSL processor, the
system will make the XML processor parse the XSL
Table 1
GCM service features and functions
Features/functions Description
Centralized and Web-based
technology
The centralized and Web-based technologies can avoid the expense and inconvenience of enterprises installing
and maintaining their own IT infrastructures. At the same time, the Web-based technology makes use of the
Internet that supports documentation to users (suppliers and buyers) around the world and around the clock.
Global content format
and mapping
Content management system has a global structure that has consistent attributes and definitions. Global e-
content support different formats conversion across e-business platforms and facilitates distribution of product
information to many sites. The key function is to map different formats into one standard format, and then
convert the standard into other formats to satisfy e-business requirements.
Full catalog management
capability
Content management capabilities enable suppliers to manage and control e-catalogs efficiently. It minimizes
the time for loading and refreshing e-content, and reduces costs for maintaining and updating e-content.
E-catalog search engine A powerful e-catalog search engine allows users to quickly and easily find products or services. In addition, a
user-friendly interface allows users to use e-catalogs as a paper catalog replacement.
Multiple language An e-catalog supports multiple languages for end-users around the world.
Seamless integration From suppliers to buyers, the product information is integrated seamlessly, and users transmit and receive
information instantaneously.
E-commerce applications With product or service information merged into one standard format, suppliers have access to a community of
buyers and marketplaces. They can seamlessly expand the e-content to a growing list of suppliers.
A.J.C. Trappey, C.V. Trappey / Computers in Industry 53 (2004) 39–58 47
stylesheet and the XML source documents. After
controlling XSL commands in the stylesheet, the
XSL processor starts to crawl in the source tree.
According to the stylesheet specifications and when
the XSL processor finds a suitable XML fragment, the
process yields a new XML fragment and brings all of
the XML fragments together in a new result tree.
Finally, the result tree can be saved in the database
or shown on the computer screen.
4.1. System scope
The system scope of this GCM service includes
three parts, the supplier management system, the
buyer management system, and the content manage-
ment system. Both the supplier and buyer manage-
ment system allow users to modify the registration and
company information. The content management sys-
tem enables users to upload, modify, classify, edit,
delete, view, approve, and maintain catalog content.
In addition, there are conditions to maintain a quality
service offering to clients. That is, the service must be
able
� to build on the industry-specific and item quality
assurance regulations;
� to attach specific regulations according to specific
suppliers or catalogs;
� to add additional common attributes according to
specific requirements;
� to manage UNSPSC [22,23] and RosettaNet [24]
standards of taxonomy.
The objective is to develop a GCM system to
build an open and standard marketing channel where
users can search for the latest product information or
promotions over the Internet. The system design
attributes are as follows:
� Easy-to-operate: Endeavor to simplify the users’
operation interface.
� Easy-to-maintain: The system development technol-
ogies adopt the general and efficient mechanisms
presently used to simplify system maintenance.
� Easy-to-popularize: The GCM is Web-based. Sup-
pliers, marketplaces and buyers can join in and use
the system with seamless connectivity.
� Easy-to-use: The interface is easy-to-operate with-
out extensive training.
� E-procurement: In the future, developing an entire
e-procurement environment is an unavoidable busi-
ness trend, and the GCM is the short cut to reach
that state.
4.2. Process model
This section describes the process models used to
build GCM services. Fig. 5 illustrates that the system
should have a member acquisition mechanism where
interested users become a member by filling out an
application form. Users can enter different portals
(supplier side page, buyer side page or system call
center) according to their requirements.
Fig. 6 depicts the supplier side process of the GCM
service. In this process, suppliers have three choices to
build their e-catalog. If suppliers already have XML
product content then they can upload the files directly.
If suppliers do not have an electronic catalog, then they
can edit an e-catalog template step-by-step online.
Fig. 5. The GCM process flow diagram.
48 A.J.C. Trappey, C.V. Trappey / Computers in Industry 53 (2004) 39–58
Fig. 6. The supplier side process.
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Suppliers that do not have the time or skills for building
an e-catalog can contact the systems professionals for
help. After uploading, editing or asking help from pro-
fessionals, suppliers all can modify, view and approve
product contents.
Fig. 7 depicts the buyer side process of the GCM
service. Buyers use the menu search and keyword
search to find products. Users who do not know which
product they need can use the menu search function.
The menu lists products by industry and category
classifications. Buyers who only know the item name
and do not know which category or industry can use
the keyword search function.
4.3. Data model
This section describes the data model for the GCM
service. Fig. 8 shows the relationships between tables.
When the system finds an item that users want, the
result is displayed on the computer screen. According
to the relationships between tables, the returned results
may include an item’s industry, category, suppliers,
common attributes, and specific attributes.
Data storage underlies all GCM services. A well-
formed XML document is not sufficient and also needs
to define the document format clearly according to the
DTD (Appendix A). During the data transmission
process, the system’s XML processor can check
approved data formats according to this particular
DTD and as a result can eliminate data syntax errors.
Table 2 shows the common content attributes and
refers to other international catalog management
design structures. The PRICE attribute needs addi-
tional description. When content builders edit and
manage items in this content management system,
each item can be assigned a price attribute. The PRICE
attribute will be extracted with the item to each buyer
with access to this content. Traditionally, each buyer
gets the same price with the item. With the price list,
each buyer receives a unique price from this content.
That is, content builders provide each buyer with a
price list along with the content.
Fig. 7. The buyer side process with drill-down details.
50 A.J.C. Trappey, C.V. Trappey / Computers in Industry 53 (2004) 39–58
5. Implementation and case study
The research tests and evaluates the GCM system
using the e-content of automobile parts and computer
components.
5.1. System infrastructure
Fig. 9 shows the functional structure and descrip-
tions of GCM services. The system supplier side
includes the Registration Module, the eCatalog
Upload Module, and the Content Management Mod-
ule. The eCatalog Upload Module is used for mana-
ging the process of uploading content. The Content
Management Module is used for content creation,
modification, and deletion. There are several func-
tions, such as uploading, adding, deleting, classifying,
viewing, approving and maintaining content, that are
included to improve the service to suppliers. The
buyer side includes the Registration Module, the
Content Finding Module and the XSLT Data Display
Module. The work of the buyer side is to parse the
keywords to search the related product information.
After finding appropriate product data, the system then
structures it to XML format files, and displays it to
users through XSLT. Fig. 10 depicts the system work-
flow and structure in five steps.
The detailed steps of the workflow are as follows:
1. The client side browser translates the data into an
XML data packet through VBScript or JavaScript.
2. The client side browser sends the XML data
package to the server side for further handling
through the XML/HTTP object.
3. Extract and merge data from the XML data package
through the Document Object Model (DOM) to
update the system database on the server side.
4. On the server side, the system extracts and merges
data from the database into XML documents
through ASP.
5. The server delivers XML documents to the client
side while at the same time, attaching a XSLT
Fig. 8. The GCM information model.
A.J.C. Trappey, C.V. Trappey / Computers in Industry 53 (2004) 39–58 51
Table 2
Product attribute table
Attributes Definition
SUPPARTNUM Part number provided by the company that sells the products and owns the content contained
in the catalog.
DATE Date is catalog creation or extraction date.
SOURCE Source is the company that created the XML.
ITEMNAME This tag is used to represent an item in the catalog.
CATEGORY This tag is used to represent a category in the catalog.
DESCRIPTION A condensed, readable, and easily searchable description of the product or service.
SUBDESCRIPTION Additional information about the product or service.
PICTURE File name of the image associated with the product.
UOM Saleable unit of measure associated with a particular product or service. Salable UOMs are the marketed
units by which an item will be delivered when purchased.
QUANTITY Describes complete packaging detail in conjunction with the UOM attribute. Suppliers often assign
SKUs (stock keeping unit) or supplier part numbers according to the packaging unit by which an item
will be sold. The attribute permits detailed packaging information that cannot otherwise be depicted
in the UOM attribute.
MFGNAME Name of the company that manufactures or provides the product or service.
MFGPARTNUM Part number provided by the manufacturers or provides the product or service.
OWNED An indication that a supplier that is offering a product or service.
Data Universal Numbering
System (DUNS)
DUNS number for a supplier. A sequentially generated nine-digit number that is assigned and maintained
by http://www.dandb.com.
SUPURL A URL for a supplier Web site.
PRICE This tag allows for pricing schemes within a catalog.
CURRENCY Identifies the type of currency used in the price field.
SPECIFIC_NAME Specific content attribute name.
SPECIFIC_VALUE Specific content attribute value.
Supplier Side
Buyer Side
Call Center
eContentLoading
Load Pictures
Find GCMS Category
eContentEditor
VieweContent
Content Attribute Table
eContentFinding
View Order
Load electronic content (XML documents) into the hub
Add images to build the e-catalog
Find a appropriate item category
Edit product content in the catalog
Conduct a search to review e-content
Define the meanings of content attributes
Find electronic content (XML documents) in the hub
Users having questions about the GCMS can contact the callcenter for assistance
Fig. 9. Functional structure of GCM services.
52 A.J.C. Trappey, C.V. Trappey / Computers in Industry 53 (2004) 39–58
document to transfer XML format into HTML
format on the browsers.
Fig. 10 shows the detailed process for sending XML
documents from the client side to the server side. The
client side browser makes it possible to send infor-
mation into the element and attribute nodes on the
XML DOM Tree. Then the browser designates the
XML DOM Tree to the XML/HTTP object and
transmits the XML data packet to the server through
the XML/HTTP object. Finally, the server runs the
ASP program and constructs the server side’s XML
DOM Tree to receive the passed XML data packet.
Once the packet is received, the transfer of the XML
document from the server side to the client side is
complete.
5.2. Prototype illustration
The main page requests that the user login and
briefly introduces how to use the Web-based content
management services. The supplier side provides an
online application for suppliers to create their own
e-catalog and the buyer side provides an online appli-
cation for buyers to find products over the Internet.
The registration mechanism provides a means for
users to become a member of the member list. If users
have questions, then the call center option provides
detailed customer service. The customer service cen-
ter assigns a query tracking number, analyzes user
questions, and forwards mail to appropriate company
departments or employees.
5.2.1. Registration Module
The Registration Module is used to establish system
member accounts. The member is granted privileges
and can request specific services upon completing
the registration. The system screens the input data
for consistency and sends mail to the users upon
acceptance.
5.2.2. eCatalog Upload Module
Some companies maintain catalog content in the
form of Excel spreadsheets, ASCII text, XML, or
Word files. These formats can be uploaded and the
system converts the documents into XML. Two upload
pages are used to upload documents and catalog
pictures separately. Before suppliers load files, they
should ensure the file adheres to a common set of
criteria.
5.2.3. eContent Editor Module
The eContent Editor Module (Fig. 11) guides
suppliers step-by-step for online creation and editing
Fig. 10. The system workflow and structure.
A.J.C. Trappey, C.V. Trappey / Computers in Industry 53 (2004) 39–58 53
of product content for the electronic content re-
pository.
5.2.4. Content Search Module
Customers that want to buy products or services use
a search tool with the process shown in Fig. 7. After
choosing a product to purchase, the system checks and
then re-displays the content. For the research proto-
type, the search module generates an XML-based PO
using VBScript and DOM technologies on the client
side. Users can key in an item name or a supplier name
to begin the search. The system retrieves the product
information from the database through ADO and
XSL and then the XML-based Web pages are sent
to the user. Meanwhile, it displays an HTML table
with the query results. For connecting to the GCM
repository, the system produces Web pages consisting
of the XML Data Island dynamically. The XML Data
Island records complete catalog contents. The work of
browsing the XML Data Island is delivered and
implemented on the client side to decrease the work-
load of the server. In addition, the system converts the
XML Data Island into another XML file through
DOM on the client side. At the same time, this system
develops a XSLT file that can convert the XML Data
Island into an XML document and carry out the
conversion job. Finally, the system retrieves the con-
tents of the XML Data Island and displays it using
HTML Web pages.
5.2.5. XSLT Data Display Module
Product information found by the search engine
will be converted into the required output format
and displayed online (Fig. 12) or automatically re-
distributed to procurement and marketplace alliances
(using appropriate XSLT). The display and data con-
version are customized based on different industries’
or customers’ requirements.
Fig. 11. The e-content editor interface for content management.
54 A.J.C. Trappey, C.V. Trappey / Computers in Industry 53 (2004) 39–58
5.3. Case study—Computer and peripheral industry
The computer and peripheral industry is well devel-
oped with global distribution channels and standard
catalog information. The Web-based GCM services
can rapidly expand manufacturers’ global market
opportunities.
In this industry, products enter into the market and
become obsolete in the marketplace very quickly.
There are hundreds of new products, peripherals
and components for users to choose from. In the past,
users would visit computer shops or search paper
catalogs to find items. Often, specific items could
not be found or a complete list of available sources
would be hard to compose because of inconsistent
product presentations in multiple catalogs. Thus, glo-
bal e-content tools have become more convenient to
support supplier and buyer activities over the Internet.
For example, computer equipment providers can man-
age their items through the GCM services that allow
multi-channeling of product information (e.g. price,
functional specification, standard, etc.) to customers
through the Internet in a timely matter.
By outlining the essence of the content management
services, studying the basic advantages of the tradi-
tional paper catalogs, researching the technologies of
Internet communication and analyzing the process of
developing e-catalogs, the Web-based GCMS proto-
type has been developed and implemented for the
computer and peripheral industries and the e-content
management tool implemented. In the case study,
the company, category and product attributes are
described in a pre-defined XML schema. Table 3
shows the description of four laptop computers. These
content data are built into the GCMS platform rapidly
only once for multiple distribution of e-content to
Fig. 12. Content display page.
A.J.C. Trappey, C.V. Trappey / Computers in Industry 53 (2004) 39–58 55
procurement sites as well as to public and private
marketplaces.
6. Conclusions
Corporations such as Commerce One and Ariba
have been developing their own XML-based content
management systems for years. These XML-based
solutions are suitable for cooperating companies in
vertically aligned industries. The content vocabularies
of these XML-based e-catalogs have limited intero-
perability for cross-industry or inter-exchange com-
munications. Therefore, this research identifies the
difficulty of the content exchange between different
companies (and in particular small companies)
and works out the problem by producing an open
XML-based catalog-exchange format. An electronic
working environment is created where suppliers, man-
ufacturers, distributors, and buyers easily exchange
catalog information. Uploading XML files merges
content from multiple suppliers into a standard
hub and converts this standard format into formats
required by end-users. Meanwhile, end-users can
download the XML files using XML-based content
management services.
The GCM platform is far from perfection. It
needs additional functions for practical implemen-
tation and requires adopting approach with incen-
tives. For instance, in a heterogeneous environment,
the multi-language support helps users search and
exchange data by overcoming language barriers.
The multi-language functionality focuses on linking
other e-business platforms to align the global product
supply chain. This solution provides the GCM
concept that helps users manage multiple content
sources, encourage real-time information exchange,
promote transaction integration over the Internet, and
provide complete interoperability with all back-end
systems.
Acknowledgements
This research is partially supported by the ROC
National Science Council research grant.
Table 3
Example attribute values of four laptop computers for e-content creation
Manufacturer Acer Acer Twinhead Twinhead
Product name TM210 TM260 Efio!2400 Efio!2A00
CPU Intel Celeron 700 MHz Intel Pentium III-M 1 GHz Intel Pentium III-M 1.2 GHz Intel Pentium 4 1.6 GHz
Chipset 1535M Intel 830MG SIS 630ST SiS 650, SiS961
RAM 64MB SDRAM
(Max 512MB)
256MB SDRAM
(Max 1024MB)
128MB SDRAM
SO-DIMM (Max 384MB)
256MB DDR SDRAM
SO-DIMM
Display 13.3 in. XGA TFT LCD
1024 � 768
14.1 in. XGA TFT LCD
1024 � 768
12.1 in. XGA TFT LCD
1024 � 768
14.1 in. XGA TFT LCD
1024 � 768
HDD 10GB 20GB 30GB 30GB
CD-ROM 24X CD-ROM 24X CD-ROM/8X DVD DVD/CD-RW DVD/CD-RW
Battery Lithium–hydrogen battery Lithium battery Lithium battery Lithium battery
PCMCIA Type III*1 Type III*1 Type II*1 Type II*1
Internal Ethernet Unknown Ethernet 10/100 Mbps Ethernet 10/100 Mbps Ethernet 10/100 Mbps
Internal modem 56 kbps modem 56 kbps modem 56 kbps modem 56 kbps modem
OS Windows XP Home Edition Windows XP Home Edition Windows XP Professional Windows XP Professional
Size 310 � 261 � 36.6 310 � 261 � 38.8 269 � 242 � 29 320 � 260 � 42
Weight (kg) 3.08 2.78 1.7 3.3
Picture
56 A.J.C. Trappey, C.V. Trappey / Computers in Industry 53 (2004) 39–58
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Document Type Definition (DTD)
<?xml version¼‘‘1.0’’ encoding¼‘‘Big5’’?>
<!ELEMENT CATALOG (PRODUCT)þ>
<!ATTLIST CATALOG xml:lang NMTOKEN #IMPLIED>
<!ELEMENT PRODUCT (ADMIN, SPECIFICATION, SALABLE, OPTIONS?, PRICE, SPECIFICS?)>
<!ATTLIST PRODUCT SUPPARTNUM CDATA #REQUIRED>
<!ELEMENT ADMIN (DATE, SOURCE)>
<!ELEMENT DATE (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT SOURCE (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT SPECIFICATION (ITEMNAME, CATEGORY, DESCRIPTION, SUBDESCRIPTION*,
PICTURE?)>
<!ELEMENT ITEMNAME (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT CATEGORY (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT DESCRIPTION (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT SUBDESCRIPTION (#PCDATA)>
<!NOTATION gif SYSTEM ‘‘C:\Program Files\ACD\ACDSee\ACDSee.exe’’>
<!ENTITY PICTURE SYSTEM ‘‘Photo1.gif’’ NDATA gif>
<!ELEMENT SALABLE (UOM, QUANTITY)>
<!ELEMENT UOM (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT QUANTITY (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT OPTIONS (MFGNAME, MFGPARTNUM, OWNED, DUNS, SUPURL)>
<!ELEMENT MFGNAME (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT MFGPARTNUM (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT OWNED (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT DUNS (#PCDATA)>
<!ELEMENT SUPURL (#PCDATA)>
Appendix A. XML DTD of standard data model for the GCM services
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Amy J.C. Trappey is a professor of
Industrial Engineering and Engineering
Management and the director of Electro-
nic Business Center at the National Tsing
Hua University, Taiwan, ROC. She
received her PhD degree in industrial
engineering from Purdue University. Her
research interests and publications are in
the areas of e-business, product data
standards/management and knowledge
engineering. She is the editor-in-chief
of the International Journal of E-Business Management and the
Journal of Chinese Institute of Industrial Engineers.
Charles V. Trappey is a professor of
marketing, the Department of Manage-
ment Science at National Chiao Tung
University, Taiwan, ROC. He received a
PhD in consumer behavior from Purdue
University. Dr. Trappey’s research inter-
ests include electronic commerce, inter-
national marketing, trade area analysis,
and consumer psychology. He frequently
works with international companies and
organizations analyzing market potential,
consumer preferences and product trends.
58 A.J.C. Trappey, C.V. Trappey / Computers in Industry 53 (2004) 39–58