Introducing electronic supply chain collaboration in China – evidence from manufacturing industries

Due to continuous internationalization and increasing international competition, procurement from and in China became a core element in the procurement strategy of multinational manufacturing companies over the past years. In order to create competitive supply chains, suppliers from there have to be integrated into existing processes and IT structures of such multinational companies. At the same time collaborative long-term oriented relationships with suppliers need

to be established in order to benefit from relational rents. Since electronically mediated exchange has a key role in the development of collaboration, electronic Supply Chain Collaboration (eSCC) is a key to such relationships with a Chinese supply base. However, successful realization of eSCC is a problem in science for more than a decade. Moreover, most generated models were based on data from developed markets. Since, socio-economic and technical prerequisites in China

differ from such markets, previous research findings cannot be transferred directly. Additionally, socio-economic and technical prerequisites and their influence on eSCC realization have not yet been researched holistically. Nevertheless, practice is asking for feasible realization approaches but science was not able to provide feasible concepts on how to implement eSCC in China yet.

Accordingly, the development of a realization model for eSCC implementation under consideration of socio-economic and technical factors is new to eSCC research. Also researching this topic in a dynamically emerging Chinese environment is new to eSCC research as well. After structuring the vast existing body of literature and developing an environmental framework for future eSCC

research this new approach was empirically explored. Based on four in-depth case studies from different manufacturing industries, the author developed a realization model for eSCC which considers environmental premises as well as their influences on different stages of the implementation process. The model is also characterized by four precisely described implementation phases that cover three areas of interorganizational design as well as the continuous reassessment of individual partnerships in order to achieve the most optimum fit of collaborative processes and IT systems for each relationship. Besides, deep insights into the environmental premises for eSCC in China are described and correlations of environmental influences on eSCC implementation are proposed.

Based on these findings helpful managerial guidelines for practitioners are derived to ensure successful eSCC realization in China in the future. A portfolio of collaborative relationships in China helps practitioners to understand different supplier types and shows how to establish collaborative relationships with them. Since China stands exemplary for technical, cultural, and economic challenges multinational companies face in Emerging Market, it is likely that the results will also help practitioners from other Emerging Markets in their eSCC realization efforts.