The effect of IT on information sharing and supply chain performance: Case study of automotive industry (original) (raw)

Today, the increase of competition and unstable conditions in business made various organizations that for sustainability or attaining more profit create a strong supply chain. It can be said that creation and managing such supply chain requires having key information of all the partners of that chain. Despite the environmental instabilities, having access to such information without information systems is impossible. However, only having access to the highest and the best technology levels and information systems to meet the supply chain needs is not adequate, it is required to identify the needs rapidly and plan for the best strategy. The correct information sharing in all levels of chain and partners pave the way to achieve this aim. The present study investigates the role of information technology (IT) in information sharing and improving supply chain performance. To do this, based on the increase of IT application in automotive industry, supply chain in industrial group of Iran Khodro is selected for evaluation. Then, the structural equations modeling method is used to analyze the information. The results of the study showed that IT had directly significant association with information sharing. Also, information sharing had also directly significant association with supply chain performance that is divided here into capability, responsiveness and flexibility and this association is stronger with capability than other factors.