How Does Information Technology Shape
Supply-Chain Structure? Evidence on the
Number of Suppliers
This research investigates the relationship between a manufacturer’s use
of information technology (IT) (particularly electronic procurement) and the number
of suppliers in its supply chain. Will a manufacturer use more or fewer suppliers due
to the increasing use of IT? Based on data from a sample of 150 U.S. manufacturers,
we find no direct relationship between e‑procurement and number of suppliers at the
aggregate level. However, when we distinguish the type of goods purchased, we find
that the use of electronic procurement is associated with buying from more suppliers
for custom goods but from fewer suppliers for standard (or commodity) goods. It
is possible that for commodity goods, an efficiently functioning transparent market
ensures that a few suppliers are sufficient, whereas for custom goods the need for protection from opportunistic vendor holdup leads to the use of more suppliers. Further,
the positive relationship between number of suppliers and electronic procurement for
custom goods is negatively moderated by deeper buyer–supplier system integration.
This implies that such integration can help buyers obtain better “fit” for their customized requirements, an alternative to increasing fit by employing more suppliers as
proposed in the extant literature.
How Does Information Technology Shape
วิธีรูปร่างเทคโนโลยีสารสนเทศไม่โครงสร้างห่วงโซ่อุปทาน หลักฐานเกี่ยวกับจำนวนของผู้วิจัยนี้ศึกษาความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างผู้ผลิต' (และจำนวนของผู้ผลิตในห่วงโซ่อุปทานของตน Supply-Chain Structure? Evidence on the
Number of Suppliers
This research investigates the relationship between a manufacturer’s use
of information technology (IT) (particularly electronic procurement) and the number
of suppliers in its supply chain. Will a manufacturer use more or fewer suppliers due
to the increasing use of IT? Based on data from a sample of 150 U.S. manufacturers,
we find no direct relationship between e‑procurement and number of suppliers at the
aggregate level. However, when we distinguish the type of goods purchased, we find
that the use of electronic procurement is associated with buying from more suppliers
for custom goods but from fewer suppliers for standard (or commodity) goods. It
is possible that for commodity goods, an efficiently functioning transparent market
ensures that a few suppliers are sufficient, whereas for custom goods the need for protection from opportunistic vendor holdup leads to the use of more suppliers. Further,
the positive relationship between number of suppliers and electronic procurement for
custom goods is negatively moderated by deeper buyer–supplier system integration.
This implies that such integration can help buyers obtain better “fit” for their customized requirements, an alternative to increasing fit by employing more suppliers as
proposed in the extant literature.
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