Title: The impact of strategy and information systems flexibility on the supply chain performance: a path analysis approach

Authors: Kamel A. Fantazy, Vinod Kumar, Uma Kumar, Subhas Mishra

Addresses: Carleton University, Sprott School of Business, 1125 Colonel By Drive, 1708 Dunton Tower, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6, Canada. ' Carleton University, Sprott School of Business, 1125 Colonel By Drive, 1711 Dunton Tower, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6, Canada. ' Carleton University, Sprott School of Business, 1125 Colonel By Drive, 807 Dunton Tower, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6, Canada. ' Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA

Abstract: Using the data collected from 175 small- and medium-sized manufacturing firms in Canada; we examine the effect that three different strategies with information systems flexibility (ISF) have on performance. The study produced three main conclusions. First, the findings provide evidence of the direct effects of strategy on ISF. Second, the total effect of strategy and ISF positively impacted non-financial performance. Third, the total effect of strategy and ISF has no effect on financial performance. The main implication is that the investment in ISF should be involved in the strategic decision-making about setting clear priorities before engaging in any flexibility investment program.

Keywords: flexibility; flexible information systems; firm performance; strategy; supply chain management; SCM; supply chain performance; manufacturing SMEs; Canada; small and medium-sized enterprises; strategic decision making.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBSR.2009.023518

International Journal of Business and Systems Research, 2009 Vol.3 No.1, pp.119 - 133

Published online: 25 Feb 2009 *

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