| The popular trade press has noted that “while the idea of sharing information such as forecasting data, inventory levels, and order status with business partners is not altogether unique, today's Web technology is helping to create tighter partnerships and greater overall value.” (p.193) (Stein, 1998) Recognizing the capabilities of e-business enabled information systems and technology, this research examines supply-chain management outsourcing relationships between vendors and their clients, focusing on mutual strategic information sharing practices and their subsequent impact upon performance outcomes realized by both parties. These impacts are conceptualized as the tangible effectiveness and the intangible efficiency performance outcomes realized by both organizations. Additionally, a proposed model of client/vendor symmetric information sharing examines the impact of the type of relationship that exists between the parties upon their information sharing practices, in addition to the concept of the trust that exists within the relationship.; An examination of the impact of symmetric information sharing within e-business client/vendor relationships upon specific tangible effectiveness and intangible efficiency performance outcomes realized by both parties was conducted in two phases. An exploratory case study phase was conducted in an effort to generate qualitative data and refine the survey instrument used in the subsequent phase. The confirmatory phase examined the information sharing that exists within the relationship via a survey technique. This study focuses on the relationship as the unit of analysis, examining both the clients and vendor within the relationship, an approach not widely employed within the information systems community, but demonstrated by Dyer (1996) and Clemons and Row (1993). |
