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Optimizing the internal supply chain for direct or production goods was a major element during the implementation of enterprise resource planning systems (ERP) which has taken place since the late 1980s. However, supply chains to the suppliers of indirect materials were not usually included due to low transaction volumes, low product values and low strategic importance of these goods. With the advent of the Internet, systems for streamlining indirect goods supply chains emerged and were adopted by many companies. In view of the paperprone processes in many companies, the implementation of these electronic procurement systems led to substantial improvement potentials.This research reports the quantitative and qualitative results of a benchmarking study which explores the use of the Internet in procurement (eProcurement). Among the major goals are to obtain more insight on how European and North American companies used and introduced eProcurement solutions as well as how these systems enhanced the procurement function. The analysis presents a heterogeneous picture and shows that all analyzed solutions emphasize different parts of the procurement and coordination process. Based on interviews and case studies the research proposes an initial set of generalized success factors which may improve future implementations and stimulate further success factor research.

The financial services industry is currently undergoing a major transformation, with digitization and sustainability being the core drivers. While both concepts have been researched in recent years, their intersection, often conceived as “green FinTech,” remains under-determined. Therefore, this paper contributes to this important discussion about green FinTech by, first, synthesizing the relevant literature systematically. Second, it shows the results of an empirical, in-depth analysis of the Swiss FinTech landscape both in terms of green FinTech startups as well as the services offered by the incumbents. The research results show that literature in this new domain has only emerged recently, is mostly characterized by a specific focus on isolated aspects of green FinTech and does not provide a comprehensive perspective on the topic yet. In addition, the results from the literature and the market analysis indicate that green FinTech has an impact along the whole value chain of financial services covering customer-to-customer (c2c), business-to-customer (b2c), and business-to-business (b2b) services. Today the field is predominantly captured by startup companies in contrast to the incumbents whose solutions are still rare.