Mobile Consumer Scanning Technology: A Replacement for Interorganizational Information Systems for Demand Information Learning in Supply Chains?

Recently, firms in supply chains have begun to deploy popular mobile apps (e.g., WeChat) into their supply chain practices to improve demand visibility. These efforts rely on consumers to scan the products they purchase using these apps, which we refer to as consumer scanning technology (CST). CST can be an alternative to the conventional interorganizational information technology (IOIT) that relies on collaboration between supply chain firms. This paper develops a theoretical model to examine the value of CST to learn supply chain (demand) information and the impact of CST on IOIT. Using an extensive simulation analysis based on real-world data from a manufacturer that has implemented a CST program, we show that the value of CST to a manufacturer can be substantial and provide insights into how market conditions affect the value.

Interorganizational Information Systems: A Study of Practice

Interorganizational relationships are initiatives between organizations that aim to facilitate resource sharing and information exchange. In this context, information systems are developed to support the involved organizations, often encompassing several smaller systems. However, little is known about interorganizational information systems (IOIS), especially regarding their state of practice. This paper investigates the use of IOISs in real scenarios. For this, we performed a non-systematic search of IOISs examples and identified repositories on GitHub about these systems. Hence, it was possible to map a set of sources and requirements that help understand how IOISs work and why they are adopted.

Designing interorganizational information systems for supply chain integration: a framework

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding on the essential managerial and technical decisions in the design of IOIS for supply chain integration (SCI). Toward this end, the authors elaborate on IOIS constructs in the SCI context, and propose a framework on the design of IOIS for SCI based on the current literature. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws from prior literature on interorganizational information systems (IOISs) and supply chain management (SCM), and builds a conceptual framework that is illustrated by empirical examples from three case studies of a ten-year research program that focussed on e-business in SCM. Findings – Based on prior literature from several domains, the authors propose a framework, which combines the managerial viewpoints and the technical viewpoints for designing IOIS for SCI. The authors argue that these decisions form the basis for constructing three main elements of the IOIS for SCI design theory, namely, purpose and scope, design principles, and technical framework. Furthermore, the authors suggest that the real thread binding the decisions on all levels – purpose and scope; design principles; technical framework – is the flexible differentiation over use contexts, primarily over partners and focal interorganizational processes. Research limitations/implications – The key limitation of this work is the propositional nature of the advanced framework. However, the framework is strongly grounded in prior literature and is illustrated by examples from three empirical studies. Practical implications – The proposed framework provides a systematic tool for both the design and evaluation of the practical implementation of IOISs in SCI context. Furthermore, the results point explicitly to the implications of the benefits received from unilateral and bilateral modes of IOIS design. Originality/value – The synthesized framework and the observation of the requisite differentiation over use context complement prior work from multiple domains by discussing both managerial and technical questions of IOIS deployment within a single conceptualization.