100+ word response to each student (2). Response must be positive and not critical of work. Must ask a question about the topic as well.

Main Question for reference:

Discuss the advances in technology such as EDI, RFID, and the Internet within the intermodal industry as well as how these technologies are beneficial to retail customers using intermodal transportation to get their product to market. Give sources to back up your position.

Student 1:

HI Class,

Today's industries are being dominated in all facets by that of technology. Technology is the new "in thing" and for businesses to compete consistently on a high level with its competitors, being equipped with the latest and most up to date gadgets is the way to go. The intermodal industry is no different. Technological advances such as EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and even the world wide web are valuable tools that organizations in this industry should become familiar with if they have not done so already.

EDI is achieved via computer to computer. It pretty much removes the need for manual handling and or processing of documents or any information being transmitted and received. I am from the old school and I can remember back in the day when my mom would order all of the Christmas gifts for myself and siblings from a big thick catalog. She would fill out the order form and mail it in along with a check and wait weeks and weeks before the items would show up. That process was just plain out slow and invites errors. Well with the help of EDI, no one should have to suffer from such pain and anguish associated with that procedure any longer. Retail customers' benefits from EDI because it reduces ordering and processing times as well as the dreaded fat finger error.

RFID tags are bar codes on steroids. These tags communicate to a network and are used for tracking purposes. The intermodal industry normally uses RFID tags to track containers from point A to point B and passes this information along to consumer and commercial customers. This tracking information is also passed on to the other modes of travel that are involved in the transporting process. With the help of RFID tags, manufacturers would be able to track their products from the production line all the way to the retail store and even up to when a customer has purchased that particular product. It has been said that in the near distant future consumers will be allowed to go to an Amazon or a Walmart store to do their shopping and would be able to walk right out of the store without having to stop at a cash register to check out. This would all be done and accomplished through the use of RFID tags. I don't know about you but that is scary to me. Technology as I previously mentioned is the new "in thing." Either you're all aboard or you'll be overboard and left behind.

Student2:

EDI or Electronic Data Interchange, is basically where documents meets a computer as opposed to physically filing away a piece of paper(s). Electronic Data Interchange according to Roger Clarke is, "the exchange of documents in standardized electronic form, between organizations, in an automated manner, directly from a computer application in one organization to an application in another." (Clarke, 2001.) Despite this article dating back to 2001, it is very prevalent in a greater part of the business that exist. Currently where I work everything is filed physically, meaning there are physical copies of receipts, contracts, etc.  as opposed to making this information accessible through the internet or a shared network.

RFID or Radio Frequency Identification utilize tags to "track assets, manage inventory and authorize payments, and they increasingly serve as electronic keys for everything from autos to secure facilities." (Brewin, 2002.) The tags being utilized tracks data which is then captured by a reader unit, and the better half of these RFID's are a "write once/read-only." (Brewin, 2002.) For most business owners, Radio Frequency Identification assists in managing their inventory instead of your traditional barcode system that usually requires a direct line of vision in order for that product to be checked.

Despite these two sources being 15 years old, they are still relevant to today's processes. They both bring their own advantages to those who have a hand in retail, and since the introduction of the internet and all it's innovations, supply management has never been more simpler.

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