Inter-Organizational Information Systems Visibility in Buyer-Supplier Relationships: Buyer and Supplier Perspectives

Many researchers have called for the need to improve the understanding of the concept and working of supply chain visibility. The facilitating role of inter-organizational information systems (IOIS) in achieving SC visibility has received inadequate research attention. This paper is to elaborate on the novel concept of IOIS visibility and to look into the antecedents and consequences of IOIS visibility. Further, investigating SC cooperation from the perspectives of both partners is important, especially when channel partners depend on each other and there can be asymmetries in IOIS visibility. This study attempts to accommodate both partners’ perspectives in IOIS visibility. The data that this study requires were collected from 51 matched pairs of intermediate producers of telecommunication equipment components and their immediate suppliers. The results show that IOIS visibility from the supplier’s perspectives is an important predictor of supply chain performance. In turn, IOIS visibility is significantly influenced by supply chain partner’s internal IS integration and inter-organizational IT infrastructure compatibility. The impact of asymmetries in IOIS visibility on supply chain performance is also investigated.