Title: Enhancing the Supply Chain Management performance using Information Technology: some evidence from UAE companies

Authors: Balan Sundarakani; Albert Wee Kwan Tan; David Van Over

Addresses: Faculty of Business and Management, University of Wollongong in Dubai, Block 15, Knowledge Village, P.O. Box 20183, Dubai, UAE. ' The Logistics Institute – Asia Pacific National University of Singapore, 21, Heng Mui Keng Terrace, #04-01, Singapore 119613. ' School of Business Administration, American University in Dubai, P.O. Box 28282, Dubai, UAE

Abstract: The objective of this paper is to investigate Supply Chain Management (SCM) performance of selected companies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) countries upon successful implementation of Information Technology (IT) applications. By carrying out an in-depth qualitative analysis, the paper seeks to evaluate how IT can enhance the SCM performance from a practitioner perspective. The survey results have indicated that respondents are aware that adopting IT does not necessarily translate to immediate benefits. Companies in UAE will, therefore, need to 'educate' their senior managers on using IT systems to streamline their supply chain operations, reduce cycle time and improve supply chain visibility. While most respondents have implemented IT systems for transactional processing, more can be done to implement more advanced IT systems for better planning and decision-making.

Keywords: IT applications; information technology; SCM; supply chain management; performance measurement; survey; Middle East; developing countries; United Arab Emirates; UAE; supply chain performance; cycle time areduction; supply chain visibility.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLSM.2012.045916

International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management, 2012 Vol.11 No.3, pp.306 - 324

Published online: 28 Nov 2014 *

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