Yi-Ming Tai

A Structural Approach to Measuring Uncertainty in Supply Chains

Supply-chain management is a complex process because of the many uncertainties it involves. The uncertainty associated with inter-organizational coordination comes about when the activities of supply-chain participants are not in harmony. Recent developments in e-commerce have contributed to Internet-based solutions to this problem. Applying e-commerce solutions to the supply chain can increase the efficiency of coordination and resource integration among partners. Because the effectiveness of e-commerce systems depends on whether the problems that disrupt supply-chain integration can be overcome, diagnosing supply-chain problems is important in deploying e-commerce solutions. This study uses a structural approach to measure supply-chain uncertainty. The results produce a validated uncertainty scale that can help in diagnosing supply-chain problems. The suggested uncertainty constructs can be incorporated into a performance-evaluation scheme for e-commerce systems that can help in monitoring and assessing supply-chain performance to ensure that the objective of supply-chain integration is met.

Strategies for the adaptation of ERP systems

Given the significant impact of implementing enterprise resources planning (ERP), managerial adaptation of ERP offers a useful method of further maximizing the benefits of this system. This study employs a technology adaptation perspective and case research methodology to examine three dimensions of alignment between organization and ERP system. Four medium size electronic component manufacturers are selected, which are typical of domestic companies that could afford and implement ERP. From the findings of the case study, this research attempts to build a theoretical model of prescribing management strategies for implementing ERP. The findings indicated that the requirement for successful alignment between the system and organization falls into two categories. The alignment issues in the two categories help explain the working of process integration in the organization and also how to reduce the alignment gap. To summarize, this study proposes an adaptation framework containing a set of propositions and hypotheses to delineate the relevant research issues.

The performance impact of implementing Web-based e-procurement systems

As Web-based e-procurement has become an important business avenue for the improvement of inter-organisational process efficiency, its implementation for purchasing direct materials nevertheless implies establishing collaboration mechanism among supply chain participants based on the adopted Internet based infrastructure. However, the value of Web-based procurement to the supply chain participants remains an arduous task for researchers. This study proposes a Web-based e-procurement impact model based on supply chain orientation, which includes both operational and strategic impacts. Specifically, the strategic dimension is about partner relationship, and the operational efficiency dimension includes supplier performance, buyer performance, process integration, and process automation. To prove the proposed models contribution, a questionnaire survey was conducted on 137 firms in Taiwan who have all participated in e-procurement related projects. The results verify that the electronic execution of purchasing activities improves both the operational efficiency dimension and the strategic dimension. Furthermore, partnership has a positive impact on supplier performance and buyer performance.

Sharing information strategically in a supply chain: antecedents, content and impact

Information sharing has been an important research issue in supply chain management. Although it has been studied frequently, our understanding of sharing information strategically and appropriately remains limited. To fill the gap, this study aims to understand the content of information sharing strategy (ISS) in a supply chain, and specifically how ISS influences supply chain uncertainty and performance. A survey of the Taiwanese manufacturing industry was carried out in order to test a proposed model. Results indicated that ISS includes information sharing and coordination aspects, and that these aspects have a strong impact on reducing supply chain uncertainty and enhancing chain performance. While a supply chain partner must share high-quality information to assist its supply chain partners’ decision-making, it is also clear that a supply chain partner must rely on mutual adjustment and formalised inter-organisational processes to cope with demands. Future research directions and contributions to theory are provided.

Perceived value for customers in information sharing services

– This paper seeks to investigate the value enterprise customers perceive in information sharing services and the consequences of that perceived value for relationship intention., – An impact model was developed to assess the associations between the functional and relational value perceived by enterprise customers in regards to information sharing services and their relationship commitment and loyalty intention. The model was tested on 81 firms which had participated in e‐business projects subsidized by the Taiwan Government. Partial least squares was conducted to assess hypothesized information sharing marketing effects., – The findings suggest that functional and relational value enterprise customers perceive in information sharing services will positively influence their relationship intention., – The proposed model provides an expanded view of the marketing effects of an information sharing service. Researchers believe this work to be a starting point for the research of the marketing effects of an information sharing service., – The research results of this study reveal that information sharing not only can be used to support supply chain activities (i.e. facilitating supply chain management), but also can be used to support marketing activities (i.e. enhancing customer relationships).

Effects of information sharing on customer relationship intention

Purpose – This study aims to analyze the effects of information sharing on customer relationship intention (CRI) based on the characteristics of different trading relationships.Design/methodology/approach – This research was conducted in two phases to explore the effects of information sharing on relationship intention of different customer segments. The objective of phase one was to segment different customer groups according to two criteria: customer relationship value and customer responsiveness. The objective of phase two was to analyze the impact of information sharing on these segmented customer groups.Findings – Data from 239 customers of a large steel supplier indicate that information sharing positively influences CRI and that the characteristics of the trading relationship moderate the effects of information sharing. These findings suggest that, while information sharing is an important means of enhancing a customer relationship, not all types of customer should be treated the same way.Research ...

Competitive advantage impacts of direct procurement management capabilities and Web-based direct procurement system

This study adopts a resource-based view to investigate the impact of direct procurement management capabilities and information technology (IT) capabilities derived from Web-based direct procurement systems on competitive advantage. A sample of 128 manufacturing firms in Taiwan with an experience of participating in government-subsidised e-business development projects is surveyed, with resulting data subject to partial least squares analysis to investigate main and interaction effects. The results show that, as hypothesised, process efficiency capability and coordination capability contribute significantly to competitive advantage, but IT capabilities derived from Web-based direct procurement systems per se are not significantly associated with competitive advantage. However, IT capabilities are found to play important roles in reinforcing direct procurement management capabilities.

Exploring the impact of Web-based e-procurement on performance: organisational, interorganisational, and systems perspectives

This study investigates how the advantages derived from implementing a Web-based e-procurement system in a supply chain can influence a firms organisational performance. We propose a model that includes the contextual factors from organisational, interorganisational, and systems perspectives involved in the processes of Web-enabled direct procurement. To test the model, we conducted a survey in 105 manufacturing firms in Taiwan and used partial least-squares regression for data analysis. The results revealed that electronic purchasing activities improve organisational-level efficiency as well as the interorganisational dimension. In addition, an enhanced partnership has a positive impact on the performance of both suppliers and buyers. Finally, system initiation and system breadth both have a positive impact on buyers’ organisational performance.