Digital Technology Application And Enterprise Supply Chain Concentration:Mechanism Identification And Economic Consequences

During the "13th Five-Year Plan" period,China has made remarkable achievements in the development of digital economy,and digital technology has demonstrated great potential in economic development.The application of digital technology innovation has expanded to a larger scope,higher level and deeper level,showing strong vitality for development.The Outline of the 14 th Five-Year Plan proposes to "accelerate the development of digitalization and build a Digital China",which profoundly expounds the key role of digitalization construction in seizing the opportunity of the digital era and building a digital China.At the same time,due to the impact of the epidemic and the international environment,the risk of "chain break" in the upstream and downstream of the supply chain of enterprises is deepening,and the overall security and stability of the supply chain has suffered serious damage.In this environment,enterprises are also actively looking for and exploring ways to alleviate the crisis.Digital technologies have demonstrated a superior ability to mitigate supply chain crises.It can strengthen the connection of domestic and foreign industrial chains,provide a new opportunity to promote the cooperation of supply chain enterprises,and "iron out" abnormal fluctuations of the upstream and downstream of the supply chain,so that enterprises can develop stably and safely.In this context,based on Schumpeter’s innovation theory,DIKW model,transaction cost theory and information asymmetry theory,this thesis obtains data from annual reports of listed A-share manufacturing companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen during 2015-2020 by using "python" software,and conducts multiple regression analysis by using metrology software.This thesis explores the influence of digital technology application on the concentration degree of enterprise supply chain by literature analysis and empirical analysis,and systematically analyzes the path mechanism of digital technology application on the concentration degree of enterprise supply chain.In further analysis,the thesis also explores the effects of different property rights,different locations in digital infrastructure construction,and different R&D expenditure intensity on the relationship between digital technology application and the concentration of enterprise supply chain.In addition,this thesis also studies the economic consequences of the application of digital technology to reduce the concentration of enterprise supply chain.According to the empirical analysis results,this thesis mainly draws the following conclusions:(1)the application of digital technology can significantly reduce the concentration of enterprise supply chain;(2)The application of digital technology can reduce the transaction costs of enterprises,so that enterprises can reduce the cost constraints in the transaction with suppliers and customers,so as to reduce the concentration of supply chain;(3)The application of digital technology gives rise to the business model innovation based on digital technology.Such innovation reduces the information asymmetry between enterprises and the upstream and downstream of the supply chain,improves the efficiency of communication and transaction,and thus reduces the concentration of their own supply chain.(4)Compared with state-owned enterprises,digital technology application in non-state-owned enterprises has a more significant impact on reducing supply chain concentration;(5)For enterprises located in regions with better digital infrastructure construction,digital technology application has a more significant impact on supply chain concentration;(6)For enterprises with higher R&D expenditure,digital technology application has a more significant impact on the concentration of enterprise supply chain.(7)The application of digital technology can reduce the concentration of supply chain and improve the profitability of enterprises.The innovation and contribution of this thesis are mainly reflected in the following aspects: First,it enriches the research related to the application of digital technology.At present,there are few empirical studies on the impact of digital technology application on enterprise supply chain concentration.The research literature on the impact of digital technology application on enterprise supply chain concentration is mostly focused on enterprise performance,and the research literature on upstream and downstream supply chain concentration is not rich enough.Secondly,the measurement method of digital technology used in this thesis is relatively new.In this thesis,text analysis is used to identify 107 key words with digital technology application as the core.In addition,this thesis introduces some aspects of enterprise supply chain management to enrich the research on the mechanism and path of digital technology application affecting enterprise supply chain concentration,and finally analyzes the economic consequences of digital technology application reducing enterprise supply chain concentration.Finally,this thesis provides important enlightenment for enterprises to actively introduce digital technology and strengthen digital management of supply chain.