Information Sharing in Global Supply Chain Systems

Abstract

With increasing frequency the effective management and coordination of supply chains requires the sharing of a wide range of data. But the challenge, both technically and socially, to share information increases when customers and suppliers are spread throughout the geographic regions of the world. It is this challenge that is addressed here. First a conceptual framework is built. This framework classifies the stages of information sharing within a supply chain and proposes seven variables that affect the flow of information between customers and their suppliers. These variables include industry, market and competitive environment, national culture, corporate IT culture, size, IT infrastructure, and country IT support. The results are generalized and summarized in a Supply Chain IT Linkage Capability Model. Case studies of four organizations are presented and analyzed to validate the role of these variables in data sharing strategies. The paper concludes with several implications for global information technology supply chain management systems.

KEY WORDS:

• Supply Chain Management
• Interorganizational Information Systems
• Data Sharing
• Relationship-Specific Investments
• National Culture
• Enterprise Resource Planning

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Barry Shore

Barry Shore is a Professor of Management Information Systems at the Whittemore School of Business and Economics, The University of New Hampshire. He received his Ph.D. from The University of Wisconsin. Professor Shore is the author of four books published by McGraw-Hill and Holt, Rinehart and Winston. He has worked for Boeing Company, General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, and Arthur D. Little. His research Interests are in the area of global information systems and has published in such journals as the Journal of Global Information Management, Information and Management, Journal of Strategic Information Systems, and the Journal of Computer Information Systems.