Using IT for competitive advantage is not restricted to companies. Singapore is a well-known example that a nation can use IT for competitive advantage as well.

As a small island nation with few natural resources, Singapore concluded some time ago that its most valuable resource was its people. The government decided that the wave of the future was IT, and that it should invest in training a cadre of IT workers and focus on becoming what they called the “Intelligent Island.” Singapore subsequently became renowned for the way it used IT to speed up the flow of goods through its port facilities by replacing cumbersome paperwork processes with e-commerce techniques.

On its Web site, the Singapore Economic Development Board (SEDB) invites companies to “Plug into one of the best business environments in the world. Big or small, new or established, this is where you can innovate and create, grow and globalize. Be part of the Singapore success story!”

As evidence of its continuing efforts, the SEDB recently recognized 17 Singapore-based companies for their success in harnessing Internet technologies for their supply chain management systems by presenting them with the eSupply Chain Management (eSCM) Certificate. Each company met the standards set by the eSCM Assessment Program sponsored by the Singapore Manufacturers Federation with the support of several government agencies. The goal of the eSCM program is to improve the SCM capabilities of Singapore companies by benchmarking their performance against world-class practices, and thereby help to ensure that Singapore maintains its position as a leader in the use of information technology for competitive advantage.