Title: Strategic implementation of information technology to improve retail supply chain in India

Authors: Swapnil Pande, Terry Collins

Addresses: Department of Industrial Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409–3061, USA. ' Department of Industrial Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409–3061, USA

Abstract: Overall retail business efficiency in India is 2%, even though India is considered as one of the countries, where Information Technology (IT) is booming. With the survey and statistical tests, the level of IT implementation and Inventory Control Model (ICM) used by the companies were accessed. These were compared with the level of Demand and Supply Efficiency (DSE). The statistical results implied that the efficiency of the supply chain is the efficiency of its weakest link. Merely implementing high-tech IT would not solve the problem. Centralized Inventory Control Model (CICM) will be needed to reduce the bullwhip effect. The plan to implement the CICM, by suggesting the change in the supply chain architecture was written. The scope of this paper is to centralise the retail supply chain in India. This work contributes to recently (September 2004), formed organisation, |Retailers Association of India| (RAI) with the goal to improve overall retail business in India.

Keywords: retail supply chain; bullwhip effect; information technology; inventory control model; knowledge network; retail links; economies of sale; India; centralisation; supply chain management; SCM; retail industry.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLSM.2007.012071

International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management, 2007 Vol.3 No.1, pp.85 - 100

Published online: 16 Jan 2007 *

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