| The purpose of this study is to explore the theoretical foundation for conceptualizing information-sharing behavior and to develop a composite index or a global scale for measuring the overall level of information sharing in the context of supply chains. Specifically, the study investigates two research questions: What are the basic characteristics of information-sharing behavior? How can the overall level of operational information sharing of small- and medium-sized Canadian enterprises in supply chains be measured?;In order to test the methodology for observing and analyzing interactions between actors in information-sharing activity, the overall level of information sharing in the context of supply chains is investigated. The study builds measurement models with three underlying dimensions, namely, the content, spatial, and temporal dimensions, which are measured by six indicators respectively: types of shared information, level of detail, distance, width, timeliness, and frequency of sharing. The measurement models are constructed in three different ways: the reflective model, the formative model, and the mixed model. The three competing models are tested empirically using data collected in a cross-sectional survey. The relationships between three major organizational characteristics of enterprises, i.e., company IT infrastructure level, company size (number of employees), and years in business, and the overall level of information sharing are investigated in the study as well.;Responses from senior executives in small- and medium-sized Canadian businesses in the automobile, aerospace, book, and computer industries were collected through a mixed-mode survey. Results of the study provide both theoretical and practical insights to researchers and practitioners regarding how information-sharing activity can be measured, analyzed, and improved. Statistical analysis of the survey data supports three of the four tested hypotheses, that is, company IT infrastructure level (H1), number of employees (H2), and manager's self-assessment of overall information-sharing performance (H 4), are positively associated with the overall information-sharing level in supply chains. In contrast, the association between years in business and the overall information-sharing level is not statistically significant (H 3).;The empirical test of the three measurement models shows that the reflective model and the mixed model fit the data well. However, estimates of the formative model do not show a good overall suitability for proposed relationships among variables. Therefore, it can be concluded that the overall level of information sharing can be measured by the three underlying dimensions, namely, the content, spatial, and temporal dimensions, in a reflective way or formative way. Meanwhile, each dimension can be measured by its corresponding indicators in a reflective way.;Three major characteristics of information-sharing behavior are identified in the study: there must be mutual benefits, a mixture of collaborative and competitive actions, and a dependent relationship. Correspondingly, a theoretical definition of information-sharing behavior is proposed: information-sharing behavior is a type of information behavior in which two groups of actors connected by a certain type of relationship transfer information between them through collective actions in order to achieve individual or common interests. Furthermore, a general analytical framework of information-sharing behavior is developed. The analytical framework, which includes major factors involved in information-sharing activity, broadens the scope of interactions beyond the systems and information, and adopts a new perspective emphasizing incentives and interactions between actors in addition to the system-centered and user-centered views traditionally assumed in information behavior studies. |
