The emergence of e-commerce as a core business enabler is fully evidenced in this issue. The articles speak to the criticalness of developing this capability ... fast. (One author described the feeling many managers are experiencing as "e-panic.")

In offering his vision of the e-enabled future, Dow Bauknight of Andersen Consulting portrays a world that has been changed forever by technology, global competition, and heightened customer expectations. Who will win in this environment? The answer, says Bauknight, is the leaders who at once can achieve operational excellence while developing their e-business expertise.

e-Procurement is, of course, one of the principal e-business applications. The business pages and vendor brochures tout the smashing bottom-line savings of this technology. But e-procurement, in and of itself, will not deliver these kinds of results. Something else is needed, writes John Corini of Deloitte Consulting in his article. And that something is a comprehensive strategic-sourcing strategy that is integrated with the e-procurement initiative.

In evaluating supply chain solutions like e-procurement, don't be misled by conventional wisdom that somehow has transformed into irrefutable fact, says technology expert and management consultant Paul Bender. His challenging article identifies five of the most pervasive misperceptions in play today.

No one disputes that technology is a pillar of supply chain success. But there's a cautionary note to be sounded here, believes Edward Marien of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Marien's latest research shows that technology is only one factor in effective supply chain management. His survey of logistics and supply chain practitioners found that other key elements like organizational infrastructure and sound human-resource management must be present for the technology to work its magic.

One place where the electronic magic seems to be working is Peapod. Company executive John Caltagirone describes how this online supermarket continually fine tunes its logistics operations to keep pace with changing customer demands and market dynamics. Who knew that e-commerce would come on so hard and so fast? And who could have predicted that the people responsible for moving product to market would be right in the middle of the action?

The answer is that very few called this scenario. But it's here. This issue is intended to help you survive in a new e-supply chain world.

A new look: We have redesigned Supply Chain Management Review to give it a more user-friendly look. Cahners Director of Creative Services Norm Graf and Art Director Nancy Null headed the redesign effort. With this issue, we're also increasing our frequency to six times a year. We hope you'll like both changes.

617-558-4468, fquinn@cahners.com