Supply chain digitalization

ContentslistsavailableatScienceDirect

International Journal of Information Management Data Insights

journalhomepage:www.elsevier.com/locate/jjimei

Supply chain digitalization: An integrated MCDM approach for

inter-organizational information systems selection in an electronic supply chain

T.S. Deepu, V. Ravi

^∗

Department of Humanities, Department of Space, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Valiamala P.O., Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695 547, India

a r t i c le i n f o

Keywords:

Inter-organizational information systems Digital technologies

AHP-TOPSIS electronics industry Supply chain digitalization

a b s t r a ct

EfficientInter-OrganizationalInformationSystems(IOIS)havebecomethebackboneofmodernsupplychains.

IOIScanbeusedtoplan,coordinate,collaborateandintegratesupplychainsforattainingcompetitiveadvantage.

Thespeedofinnovativetechnologyevolvement,lackofclarity,anddelayintakingappropriatemanagerialand strategicdecisionsforadoptingIOISdemandfurtherresearchinthisarea.Therobustadvancementindigital technologiesstressesaproperdecisionmodelfortheIOISadoptionprocess.Thispaperprovidesanovelmodelfor selectingthebestIOISalternativebyconsideringthecontents,scope,andcriticaldecision-makingfactorsaffecting supplychainintegration.Twelvedecision-makingfactorsaffectingIOISselectionwereidentifiedandcategorized underfoursignificantdimensions:technological,operational,application,andinnovativeforeffectivedecision- making.Studyresultsrevealthatprojectcompletiontimeisthemostrelevantcriterion,followedbydigital technologyenablersandthefinancialresourcesrequiredtoselectIOISalternatives.

1. Introduction

TheefficientuseofInter-OrganizationalInformationSystems(IOIS) by firms assistsin gaining a competitive advantage in the dynamic businessenvironment.IOIS isa value-addedsharedinformationsys- temamongbusinessesfacilitatinggenerating,converting,storing,and communicatinginformation,resultinginenhancedcapabilities.Inre- cent years, the digital transformation of the SC by using IOIS has gainedgreatersignificance.Hence,themanagersshouldmanageand deployIOIStoimproveSupplyChain(SC)capabilitiesandperformance (Asamoah,Agyei-Owusu,Andoh-Baidoo&Ayaburi,2021).IOISimple- mentationprocessinanorganizationisachallengingtaskduetothe involvementofmultipleparticipants,diversecultures,strategies,and interests.TheadaptabilityofIOISwiththeexistinginformationsystems isoneofthesignificantaspectstobeconsideredwhileintegratingtheSC digitally.Theeffectiveutilizationoftechnologicaladvancementinthe SCdependsupontheselectionofappropriateIOISsolutions.Thus,de- velopingandimplementingadecisionmodelthatcouldassistmanagers ineffectivedecision-makingwillberelevantinthedigitalera.

IOIShasemergedasoneofthedominanttopicsinSCduetoinno- vationsindigitaltechnologies.Thesignificanceofinformationtechnol- ogy(IT)inintegratingSCiswidelyaddressedintheliterature(Naway

&Rahmat,2019;Sutduean,Joemsittiprasert&Jermsittiparsert,2019).

IOISfacilitatesinterconnectionbetweenenterpriseinformationsystems

∗Correspondingauthor.

E-mailaddress:ravi.iist.isro@gmail.com(V.Ravi).

using informationandcommunicationtechnology tools.EffectiveSC integration using IOISenablestimelyaccesstoinformationrequired forforecasting,productionplanning,schedulingandcollaborativeplan- ning. IOIS can also be adopted to gain economies of scale, reduce risks,increasecompetitiveness,overcomeinvestmentbarriers,andbet- tercommunicationtoreapthebenefits(Kakhki&Gargeya,2019).

Informationsystemsadoptionhasemergedasthecoreaspecttobe consideredinthetechnologyrevolution.Implementinginformationsys- tems in anorganizationshould be regardedasa strategicdiscipline (Jeffreeetal.,2020).IOIScan strengthencollaborativeplanning,SC visibility,logistics,vendor-managedinventory,forecasting,andreplen- ishment. IOISenablesdevelopingatechnologyculturein theorgani- zationtogaincompetitive advantageandpracticalapplication ofin- formationsystemstools(Jayakrishnan,Mohamad&Abdullah,2019).

Cichosz,Wallenburg&Knemeyer(2020)hasmentionedtheallocation ofresourcesinexploitingadvanceddigitaltechnologiesresultinginthe transformationoforganizations.

The application of information systems by organizations is of greatersignificanceinachievingefficiencythroughcognitivecomput- ing.Hence,addressingtheissuesfacedduringtheanalyticsofbigdata andtheneedforfurtherexplorationoftheparameterswhichaffectcog- nitive computingis gaining relevance(Gupta, Kar,Baabdullah& Al- Khowaiter,2018).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jjimei.2021.100038

Received27June2021;Receivedinrevisedform21September2021;Accepted21September2021

2667-0968/© 2021TheAuthor(s).PublishedbyElsevierLtd.ThisisanopenaccessarticleundertheCCBY-NC-NDlicense (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

TheuncertaintiesanddynamicsofSCintheeraofIndustry4.0and theevaluationofSCperformancearealsohighlightedintheliterature (Han,Hou,Bi,Yang&Zheng,2021).InadigitizedSC,companiesuse varioussoftwareplatformstocollaborateanddriveSCactivities.Major softwareplatformsavailableinthemarketincludeOracle,E2open,Man- hattan,EpicorDassaultSystems,Logility,Descartes,etc.Theselection ofsoftwareplatformsandtheirassociateddigitalsolutionsvariesamong firmsasitdependsmainlyonthenatureofbusinessactivities.Thechal- lengesfacedwhiledevelopingsolutionsforthedigitalizationofSCsin adynamicbusinessenvironmentfindsmentionedintheliterature.Vast advancementsindigitalandInternet-enabledinnovativetechnologies demandmoreresearchinSCnetworks(Kakhki&Gargeya,2019).The existingliteraturelacksresearchonSupplyChainDigitalization(SCD) usingIOISanditsintegration.Literaturealsorevealsthateventhough therearepapersondigitalization,amodelforSCintegrationusingIOIS israrelyfound.

Inthisresearch,wearetryingtoaddressthisgapbydevelopinga modelfordecision-makingtoselectsuitableIOISsolutionsfordigital- ization.Varioustypesofrisksinfluencethedecision-makingforSCD.It involvesconsideringbothqualitativeandquantitativecriteria,making itchallengingfortheSCmanagers.ThemodelforSCintegrationpro- posedinthispaperaimstobringflexibility,capability,adaptabilityand quickresponsetoSCprocesses.Thisstudytriestoaddresstheknowl- edgegapintheprocedurebydevelopingasuitablemodelforSCDby adoptingIOIS.Themainobjectivesoftheresearchareasfollows:

(i) TodevelopamodelforSCDbyadoptingIOIS.

(ii) Toidentifythekeydecision-makingfactors(DMFs)tobeconsidered forselectingIOISsolutions.

(iii) Tochecktherobustnessofthemodelthroughcaseevaluationusing ahybridAHP-TOPSISmethod.

Thisstudyconsidersvariouskeydecision-makingfactorsanddimen- sionsfacilitatingthedigitalizationprocess.Also,itcontributes tothe theoryofdigitalizationofSC,itsintegration,andmethodologiestobe usedforselectingsuitableIOISsolutions.Inthisstudy,thekeyDMFsaf- fectingtheselectionofIOISwereinitiallyidentified,followedbydevel- opingamodelforIOISselection.Further,therobustnessofthemodelis verifiedbyapplyingitinacaseelectronicscompany.Theelectronicsin- dustryisoneofthemostdynamicindustries,fast-changingwiththerise intechnologicalinnovations.Differentchallengestheelectronicsindus- tryfaceincludetechnologicaladvancements,shorterproductlifecycles (Huang,Romero,Osterman,Das&Pecht,2019),decreasingoperating margins,uncertaindemandandsupply,outsourcing,warrantyandser- viceissues,outsourcing,etc.ThedigitalizationofSChelpsaddressthe challengesfacedbytheelectronicsindustrytosomeextentusingIOIS.

WhiledesigningandplanningtheSC,electronicsmanufacturersmust alsoconsidercontentdeliveryandphysicalSCduetoadvancementsin technology.Thus,digitalassetsanddigitalrightsmanagementbecome crucialaspectswhileadoptingappropriateIOISsystems.

ThemodelcomprisesapplyingAnalyticalHierarchicalProcess(AHP) integratedTOPSISmethodtoanalyzeandselectsuitableIOISalterna- tives.KeyDMFsinfluencingtheSCwhiledigitalizingusingIOISarealso analyzed.TheweightsofDMFsaredeterminedusingtheAHPmethod.

Finally,the weights obtained for theDMFs are used in the TOPSIS method,whichconsidersthebestandworstdealswhileevaluatingthe IOISalternatives.Therefore,thekeycontributionofthisstudyisidenti- fyingtheDMFsaffectingtheselectionofIOISsolutionsanddeveloping anintegratedMCDMapproachforselectingthemostappropriateIOIS solution.

Further,an Indian electronics SCis considered in validating the modelsuggestedforselectingthemostappropriateIOISsolution.Con- sideringtheseaspects,theelectronicsmanufacturersaredevelopingnew strategiesinmanagingSC.Thefirmconsideredinthisstudywouldlike toproceedwithSCDusingIOISsolutions.Themaincontributionsofthis researchareasfollows:

• KeyDMFsinfluencingtheselectionofIOISareidentifiedandshort- listed.

• AmodelforselectingthemostappropriateIOISforSCDisdeveloped.

• ThemodelisvalidatedthroughacasestudyusingAHPintegrated TOPSISmethodology.

• AddressessignificantconcernsforIOISadoptionandassistspractic- ingmanagersandpolicymakersinframingstrategiesfordigitaliza- tion.

This paperisfurtherorganizedasfollows.Section2dealswitha literaturereviewonthesubject.Theresearchmethodologyisdetailed inSection3.ThedecisionmodelforIOISintegrationoftheSCisgiven inSection4.Theapplicationofthemodelinacasecompany,alongwith theresults,isdetailedinSection5.Discussions,theoretical&managerial implications,limitationsandfuturescopeofresearcharementionedin Section6,followedbyconclusionsofthestudyinSection7.

2. Literaturereview

ThissectiondealswiththeliteraturereviewondigitalizationofSC andInter-OrganizationalInformationSystemsin theSC,followedby problemdescriptionandgapsintheliteratureinseparatesub-sections.

2.1. Digitalizationofsupplychain

Thestrategicadoptionofdigitaltechnologiesbyfirmsisgainingrel- evance.AdigitalSCnetworkisaninterconnectednetworkthatfacil- itates thecontinuous flowof informationandautomationamong SC partners.Thedigitalizationprocesswillcreatevalueandcaptureop- portunitiesthroughreal-timedataaccessanddataanalytics(Hakanen

&Rajala,2018).

Intheirstudy,Grover,Kar&Dwivedi(2020)addressedtheappli- cationofartificialintelligenceinoperationsmanagementlikeproduct development,manufacturing,SC,andservices.Theapplicationofdigital technologiesresultsinthegenerationofdatainputswhichfacilitatesef- fectivecontrolandplanningbyreducingcostandattainingenvironmen- talsustainability(Salgado,2021).Gu,Yang&Huo(2021)studiedthe implicationsoftheperformanceofinformationtechnologywithpart- nersinachievingSCresilienceandfoundthattheapplicationofITwith customersandsuppliershasasignificantimpactonSCresilience.

Yang,Fu&Zhang(2021b)havedevelopedaframeworkforadopting digitaltechnologymentioningthedrivers,processesandimpact,which assistsinfinalizingvariousstrategiesfordigitalization.Thefivecom- monmistakesthatcompaniesfacewhileadoptingdigitaltechnologies include(i)additionalcostforthecustomer,(ii) privacyandsecurity risks,(iii)threatfromcompetitorswithdigitallyadvancedproductsand services,(iv)delayinswitchingovertodigitizationresultinginlosing customersand(v)overestimationoftheinternalcapabilitiestoproceed withdigitalization(Porter&Heppelmann,2015).Fig.1showsaninte- gratedresearchframeworkforthedigitalizationoftheSCusingIOIS.

Aframeworkfordigitaltechnologies mustconsidervarioushard- wareandsoftwaresolutionsthatfacilitateanintegratedmodelforSCD.

Thisframeworkwouldbehelpfulfororganizationsinidentifyingand planningactivitiesforthedigitalizationofSCs.Itinvolvesvariousac- tivitiesviz.(i)decisiondimensions,(ii)selectionprocessand(iii)its implementation.Theuseofadvanceddigitalplatformshelpsingaining significantopportunities(Lenka,Parida&Wincent,2017).Intelligence capability,connect capability,andanalytic capabilitiesarethethree digitalizationcapabilitiesfoundintheliterature.Theimpactofvarious approacheslikecircularbusinessmodels,digitalbusinesstransforma- tionandorganizationalambidexterityonIndustry4.0andsustainable capabilitiesisalsomentioned.Itisfoundthatdigitalbusinesstransfor- mationmediatestherelationshipresultingintheintegrationofcircular principlesanddevisingbusinessmodels(Belhadi,Kamble,Gunasekaran

&Mani,2021).

TheroleofbigdataanalyticsanditsexecutioninSCmanagement practicesofthehealthcaresectorisfoundintheliterature.Yu,Wong,

Fig.1. A researchframeworkforIOISinte- gratedsupplychain.

Chavez & Jacobs (2021a)have addressed the capability of bigdata analyticsanditsapplicationbyintegratingwithhospitalSCandflex- ibility in operations.Blockchain technology offersimmutability and traceabilityofthetransactions,resultingin acompetitiveadvantage.

(Werner,Basalla,Schneider,Hays,&VomBrocke,2021)haveinvesti- gatedtheimpactoftheadoptionofblockchaintechnologyonafirm’s competitiveperformancefromaninter-organizationalperspective.

TheIndustry4.0initiativesandtheirprogressinmanufacturingfirms can be tracked through maturitymodelsand guideorganizations in thedigitalization process. Caiado et al.(2021) developed an Indus- try4.0maturity modelbasedon fuzzylogicmulti-method approach andvalidateditthroughanactualcaseapplication.Industry4.0isthe keyfactordrivingthedevelopmentofsmartcities.Sharma,Shanker&

Barve(2021)havedevelopedaframeworkforunderstandingSC4.0in smartcitydevelopment.

Deepu& Ravi(2021)havebuiltaconceptualframeworkforSCD usingdata,information,knowledgeandwisdomhierarchyanddevel- opeda decision supportsystem forproceedingeffectivelywith digi- talization.Thedigitalizationprocesscreatescollaborativevalueacross SCnetworksandtheirpartners.SCswillbecomemoreproductiveby collecting,sharing, andprocessing informationfor effectivedecision- making.Cloudcomputing andblockchainareadvanceddigital tech- nologiesthatprovidedatasharingonareal-timebasisacrosstheSC.

Inaddition,3Dprintingandreconfigurablemanufacturingtechnologies reduceleadtimeandSCcosts.Yang,Huo,Tian& Han(2021a)have studiedandvalidatedtheroleofdigitalizationinenhancingIOISand technologicalactivitiesintheSC.Literaturerevealsthatthedigitaliza- tionprocessgainscompetitiveadvantageandopportunitiesforacom- pany,whereasitsimplementationisequallychallenging.Itisalsofound thattheliteratureontheadoptionofdigitaltechnologiesinmanufac- turingfirmsattheSClevelisminimal.

2.2. Inter-organizationalinformationsystemsinsupplychain

LiteraturerevealsthatIOISisoneofthecriticalfactorsthatassistin maintaininginter-organizationalrelationships.Firmsinvolvedininte- gratingtheSCsusingIOIScansharetechnologiesandexchangeinfor- mationonareal-timebasistofacilitatedecision-making(Haseeb,Hus- sain,Slusarczyk&Jermsittiparsert,2019).SCsarerapidlytransforming basedondigitaltechnologies(Ivanov,Dolgui&Sokolov,2019).Ahigh levelofdynamismintheSCresultsinsharinginformationthroughin- tegratedsystemswithinandamongtheorganizations.Thecentralcon- ceptof inter-organizationalrelationshipsreferstotrust,commitment

andsharedvisionamongSCpartners.EnhancingtheperformanceofSC forsustainingcompetitiveadvantageisoneofthecriticalissues.The speedofinformationflowsgetsincreasedusingadvanceddigitaltech- nologies(Moeuf,Pellerin,Lamouri,Tamayo-Giraldo&Barbaray,2018).

Accurateandreal-timesharingofinformationamongtheSCpartners helpsineffectiveSCmanagement.

InformationsharingamongSCpartnersisoneofthecriticalcom- ponents of the SC while adopting IOIS. It leads to better inter- organizationalrelationshipsandinterfacingamongorganizationshav- ingasharedvision.Digitaltechnologiescanbeclassifiedintothreema- jorareas.Thefirstoneisthedigitaltechnologyenablerwhichis the backboneofthedigitizationprocessandconsistsofbigdata,Internetof things(Moeufetal.,2018)andcloudcomputing.Thesecondoneisthe digitalsystemintegratorwhichconsistsofcyber-physicalsystems,simu- lationsandartificialintelligence.Thethirdareaisapplicationtechnolo- gies, includingadditivemanufacturing, 3Dprinting, human-machine integration,andautonomousmachinesandsystems.Digitaltechnolo- gieshelpintegrate datacollectedfrom varioussourcesandfacilitate timelyproductionanddistributionofgoodsandservices.Further,ap- plyingtheseadvancedtechnologiescreatesbusinessvalueandhigher revenueforfirms(Buyukozkan&Gocer,2018).

Thenatureandapplicationofinformationsystemscanchangethe availabilityofdataanditsaccessacrossvariousSCpartner’splatforms.

Theimpactofartificialintelligenceanditsfutureapplicationsin the industryfindsmentionedintheliterature,dulyrecognizingthedrastic developmentandapplicationinthesector(Dwivedietal.,2021).Im- plementinginformationsystemsfacilitates artificialintelligencetech- nology,whichhasabroadimpactontheindustriesacrossvariousfunc- tions.

TheadoptionofIOISresultsinextendingtheorganizationalbound- aries.Asamoahetal.(2021)havefoundthatefficientIOISutilization andmaximizationofIOISmanagementcapabilityintheorganization aretheessentialrequirementsforbetterSCperformance.Huo,Haq&

Gu(2021)havestudiedtheimpactofinformationsharingonvarious SCstakeholdersanditsinfluenceonflexibilityperformance.Theyalso proposedaframeworkrevealingtheroleofinformationsharinginen- hancingSClearningandflexibilityperformance.

BigdataanalyticscapabilityhasanoticeablepositiveimpactonSC financeintegrationandSCpartners.Yu,Zhao,Liu&Song(2021b)pro- posedatheoreticalframeworkinvestigatingtheimpactofbigdataana- lyticscapabilityinimplementingSCfinance.Theplanningandcontrol- lingofinformationbasedoninformaticsfacilitateeffectiveandefficient coordinationamongthestakeholders.Theapplicationofdigitaldataand

Table1

LiteratureonInter-OrganizationalInformationSystemsinSupplyChain.

Sl. No Area of Study References Relevance of Study

1 IT and organizational performance Sutduean et al., 2019 Material and information flow in SC integration and its correlation with SC performance.

2 IT infrastructure and trade digitalization Saengchai & Jermsittiparsert, 2019 Relationship between IT standardization, integration and SC performance.

3 Digital supply chain business models Nurk, 2019 Capabilities of information systems in SC.

4 Green SC Management and Green Information System

Yang, Sun, Zhang & Wang, 2020 Studied the synergy between green SCM and green information systems.

5 Evolving information systems and technology

research issues for COVID-19 and other pandemics O’Leary, 2020 Issues concerning information systems and information technology researchers

6 Inter-organizational Information and communication technology

Zhang, van Donk & Jayaram, 2020 Information and communication technology implementation based on an inter-organizational perspective.

7 Information and digital technologies of Industry 4.0 and Lean supply chain management

Nunez-Merino, Maqueira-Marín, Moyano-Fuentes

& Martínez-Jurado, 2020

Relationship between information and digital technologies of Industry 4.0 and lean SC Management

8 Blockchain Adoption from an Interorganizational

Systems Perspective ( Werner, Basalla, Schneider, Hays, & VomBrocke,

2021 ) Presented the impact of blockchain technology adoption

from an inter-organizational systems perspective.

9 Agility in the humanitarian supply chain: an organizational information processing perspective and relational view.

Dubey, Bryde, Foropon, Graham, Giannakis &

Mishra, 2020

Role of information sharing in SC visibility in enhancing agility in humanitarian SCs.

10 Supply chain information integration and its impact on the operational performance

Vafaei-Zadeh, Ramayah, Hanifah, Kurnia &

Mahmud, 2020

Influence of SC information integration on the operational performance of manufacturing firms

11 Inter-organizational systems use and supply chain performance:

Asamoah et al., 2021 Mediating role of SC management capabilities.

Fig. 2. Inter-organizational information sys- temtypesandsupplychainmanagementcore technologies.

sharingamongthestakeholdersmaketorespondeffectivelyandquickly againstchangesinconstructionSC(Chen,Adey,Haas&Hall,2021).

ThedynamismoftheSCscanbemeasuredbasedontheintroduction ofnewproductsandtheirrevenueshare,frequencyofinnovationfor newproducts,andrateofoperatingprocessesforinnovation.Informa- tionsharing,trustandcollaborationaresomeofthekeyformsofinter- organizationalcompetenciesinarelationship-basedSC(Abdallah,Ab- dullah&MahmoudSaleh,2017).Table1highlightstherelevantlitera-

tureonIOISintheSC.Adiagrammaticrepresentationofvarioustypes ofIOISandcoreSCmanagementtechnologiesisshowninFig.2.

TheapplicationofIOISfacilitatesenhancingitsinternalresources andassistsin gaining competitiveadvantage andsignificant benefits (Asamoah,Agyei-Owusu,Andoh-Baidoo&Ayaburi,2019).Thereisa needtoinvestigatefurthertheinfluenceofIOISinSCanditsperfor- mance (Aydiner,Tatoglu,Bayraktar& Zaim,2019).Theroleofcus- tomersindevisingfirms’inventoryandinter-organizationallimitations

inSCrelationshipsismentionedinliteraturebasedontheeconometric analysis(Hofer,Barker&Eroglu,2021).

Thefeedbackofvarioussectorsintheimplementationofnational informationsecuritydirectivesandthechallengesinachievingdesired responsibilities,andthecapabilitytowatchoverSCcybersecurityare seenintheliterature.Further,thecooperationandsupportamongthe SCpartnerstoenhancetheefficacyofnationalinformationsecurityim- plementationhavealsobeenhighlighted(Wallis,Johnston&Khamis, 2021).

Researchesontherelationshipbetweensupplier,integrationofIT, logisticintegration andorganizational performancearefoundin the literature. Sutduean et al. (2019) have foundthat material and in- formationflowsignificantlycorrelatewithSCperformance.Kakhki&

Gargeya(2019)haveclassifiedtheliteraturereviewonIOISinSCman- agementintosixclusters.Studiesconcerningtherelationshipbetween ITstandardizationandSCperformanceandITintegrationarealsofound intheliterature.Saengchai& Jermsittiparsert(2019)haveaddressed themediatingroleofITinfrastructurebetweenstandardization, inte- grationandSCperformance. Thesignificanceof portlogisticsinthe eraofIndustry4.0isseeninliterature.Sarkar&Shankar(2021ana- lyzedmajorbarriersrelatedtoportlogistics.Theyidentifiedwaysto achieveenhancedefficiencyandreducethecostofportlogisticsopera- tionsthroughdata-drivendecision-making.

Consideringthevastadvancementsindigitaltechnologies,thema- jorityof theindustries arelookingforward tointegratingIOIS with SCmanagement,performanceandgainingadvantagesinstrategicdeci- sionmaking(Sorooshian&Panigrahi,2020).Rawat,Rawat,Kumarand Sabitha(2021)effectivelyappliedmachinelearninganddatavisual- ization techniques for decision-making in the insurance sector. The industry’s potential can be boosted through technology adoption by aligningindustryobjectiveswithtechnologyinfrastructure,improving keyfeaturesandperformance.Informationsystemsenablethetransfer ofknowledgeanddigitaltransformation,whichinfluencesthemarket throughglobalpressureandmeetingindustryfunctions.IOISadoption willbringstructuralchangeswithintheorganization.Hence,adopting informationsystemswillenablethefirmstotransformdatatoinforma- tionthatbenefits thedecision-makingprocess,resultinginbetterop- erativeperformance, enhancingprofitability andgainingcompetitive advantage.

Fromtheexistingliterature,itisfoundthattheresearchonthein- fluenceofDMFsontheselectionofIOISislimited.Theadvancement indigitaltechnologiesresultsin continuousapplicationanddevelop- mentof adecision-makingmodelforSCmanagement. MCDMbased techniquesandnumericalsimulationapproachesarecommonlyused indevelopingdecisionsupportsystemsinSC.Applicationofdecision supportsystemsinthefieldofproduction(Gardas,Raut,Cheikhrouhou

&Narkhede, 2019),construction(Guerlain,Renault,Ferrero& Faye, 2019),transactions(Brauner,Philipsen,CaleroValdez&Ziefle,2019) andsupplierrelationships(Sahu,Sahu&Sahu,2018)isseeninthelit- erature.Fromtheabovediscussion,itbecomesclearthatdevelopinga decision-makingmodelforselectingIOISforSCDwillbeanovelcon- tributiontothetheoryandpracticalapplications.

2.3. Problemdescriptionandgapsintheliterature

Theresearchonbigdataandinformationsystemstheorybuilding andadaptationmethodslead tofurtherresearch in informationsys- tems (Kar & Dwivedi, 2020). Literature reveals the requirement for furtherexplorationoftheoreticalcontributioninthestudiesoninfor- mationsystems. Decision-makingbased on dataandrelevanceis in- creasingdaybyday,managedthroughproperIOIS.Kushwaha,Karand Dwivedi(2021)havehighlightedtherequirementoffurtherresearch in informationsystems,bigdataanalyticsandits applications. They alsomentiontheneedtodevelopcompetenciesbasedonbigdataan- alytics,whichcanbe achievedbyanalyzingtheorganization’sstage- wisecapability-buildingprocess.Theapplicationofadvancedtechnolo-

giessignificantlyimpactstheimplementationcostandadoptionprocess, whichrequiresfurtherresearch(Kakhki&Gargeya,2019).Itdenotesa gapintheliteratureduetoenhancedcomplexityintheSCnetworkand itsmanagement,whichdemandsfurtherinvestigationbyresearchersin IOISadoption.

Further,research thatofferspractical guidanceforIOISadoption in firmsisveryfew. Existingliteraturealsorevealstheneedforfur- ther studiesinIOISduetoadvancementsin digitaltechnologieslike e-commerceandopenstandard-basedinternettechnologies.Hence,the literaturereviewonthedigitalSCdenotesagapbetween theoretical studiesandtheirpracticalapplications.Further,researchesontheim- plementationanddecision-makingprocessforSCDareverylimited.

SC’s of electrical and electronic equipment plays a vital role in the circular economy context, which is still not fully explored.

Bressanelli, Pigosso,Saccani, &Perona(2021) highlighttherequire- mentoffurtherstudiesintheelectronicSCtoadvancethecircularecon- omybyaddressingtheenablingroleofdigitalization,servitisedbusiness models,collaborationinelectronicSCs,designstrategiesandassessment ofsocialandeconomicbenefits.Astudyonthisaspectwillcontribute tothetheoreticalknowledgeanditspracticalapplicationsindevelop- ingamodelforIOISadoptionintheSC.Toourbestofknowledge,no paperhasattemptedtostudycriticaldecision-makingfactors(DMF)to selectIOISforSCD.Hence,thisresearchtriestoaddressthisgapinthe literatureindevelopingasuitablemodelforselectingsuitableIOISin anelectronicssupplychain.Thisstudyalsotriestoaddresstheconcerns ofthescholarsanddecision-makersduetotheuncertaintiesinselecting IOISforSCDduetoadvancedtechnologicaldevelopments.

3. Researchmethodology

Thissectiondealswiththeresearchmethodologyusedinthestudy.

ToshortlisttheDMFs,aliteraturereviewwasconductedtodetermine thefactorsthatinfluencetheselectionofIOIS.Further,theshortlisted factorswereevaluatedandanalyzedinconsultationwiththeexpertsto identifytheextentoftheimpactofDMFsonIOISselection.Thedecision- makingmodelconsiderstheinfluenceoftheDMFstorankandselectthe suitableIOISsolutionalternative.TheDMFswereevaluatedbasedon theconsultationwiththeexperts.

Further, anintegrated AHP-TOPSIS method is used todevelopa decision-makingmodeltoselectsuitableIOISalternativesolutions.The modeldevelopedhasconsideredandprioritizedtheDMFsinfluencing theIOISsolution.Theexpertswereexplainedthemethodofassigning scorestotheDMFsconsideringtherelevanceofeachDMF.TheDMFs werealsoclassifiedunderfourmajordimensionsforeffectivemanage- mentanddecision-making.Thestudy’sfindingswerevalidatedthrough case validationin anelectronicsSCandbasedonthefeedbackfrom expertsandcomparisonwithexistingliterature.

Theelectronicsindustryisoneofthefastest-growingindustriesglob- ally.Theadvancementsintechnologyandinnovationsresultinhigher demandforconsumerelectronicgoodswithadvancedfeatures.Thecon- sumerelectronicsindustryisfacingseverechallengesduetotechnologi- cal,environmental,andsocialdevelopments.Thesignificantdifficulties includebusinessrisks(Migalska&Pawlus,2020),socialresponsibility (Leclerc & Badami,2020),regulatory norms(Oteng-Ababio,van der Velden &Taylor, 2020),competition (Jena, Sarmah& Sarin, 2019), shorterproductlifecycles(Huangetal.,2019)andchangingcustomer demands(Li,Fang&Song,2019).

Tobecomecompetitive,theSCsoftheelectronicindustryshouldbe dynamicandequippedwithadvancedfeatures.Consideringthescope forthegrowthoftheIndianelectronicsindustrygloballyandgovern- mentinitiativesinvitingglobalfirmstocommenceproductioninIndia, thedomesticelectronicindustryhastobecomemorecompetitivetosur- viveinthedynamicmarket.Further,consideringtheshorterproductlife cycleofelectronicconsumergoodsduetotechnologicaladvancements, customerrequirementsneedtobemetontimetogainmarketshare.

Hence, tostrengthentheSCsofthedomesticindustry,SCs aretobe

Fig.3. Researchmethodology.

digitalizedusingthemostappropriateIOISsolutionstogainmaximum benefits.Further,theSCpartnersincludemultinationalcompanieshav- ingeffectiveoperationalcapabilitiesandfinancialinvestments.Unlike inanyotherSCswithlowtechnologyapplications,theelectronicSCis morepronetochangesinthemarket.Accordingly,theelectronicsin- dustrywasconsideredrepresentativecaseresearchoverotherSCsand validatedforselectingthemostappropriateIOISsolution.

Kar(2015)developedadecisionsupportsystemforsupplierselec- tionusingahybridapproachofAHP,Fuzzysettheoryandneuralnet- works.Further,constructivisttheoryanddecision-makingframework methodologyaresupportedwithacasestudy(Hakanen&Rajala,2018).

Acasestudyisdesignedwithanapproachtotechnologydevelopment forformingscientific theorytobuild andverifythedecision-making framework(Schallmo,Williams&Boardman,2017).Adiagrammatic representationoftheresearchmethodologyisshowninFig.3.Dueto complexitiesinprioritizingthestrategiesfordigitalization,adecision frameworkconsidering newconceptsandadvancedmethodologiesis developed.An elaborationof themethodologyused, its benefitsand proceduresfollowedaregiveninthenextsection.

3.1. AHP

AnalyticHierarchyProcess(AHP)isaneffectivemathematicaltool as it prioritizes the criteria and aids in effective decision making (Saaty,1980).AHPisoneofthemethodsusedindecisionsupportsys- temswhichisuniquecomparedtoothermethods(Saaty,1980).This methodis most suitedforassigningweights tocriteria wheremulti- criteriadecision-makingsituations areinvolved.Itcan alsocompare qualitativeandquantitativeindices,thusreducingcognitiveerrorsby simplifyingandcomparingdifferentattributes.Theseadvantagesofthe AHPmethodmakeitmostsuitedforapplicationsinvariousdomainslike priority,rankingandoptimization.AHPmethodologyhasjudiciously

been used in several recent typesof research for effective decision- making.For example,Mastrocinque,Ramírez, Honrubia-Escribano &

Pham(2020)haveusedtheAHPbasedmodelforasustainableSCinthe renewableenergysector.AyuNariswari,Bamford&Dehe(2019)have used AHP in the case of aircraft spare partinventory management.

AHP method eradicates the issues of weightedscoring in assigning weightsbasedonstandardpointestimation.Thescalingdoneon the AHPmethodismoreaccuratethanothermethods.Kar(2014)usedan integratedapproachofDelphi,AHPandCuckoosearchfordeveloping adecisionsupportsysteminselectingsuitablepartnerwebsitesbyiden- tifyingcriticalfactors.IntheAHPmethod,theweightsofcriteriaand alternativesarecalculatedinitially.Rani,Mishra,Rezaei,LiaoandMar- dani(2020)haveusedAHPtohandleMCDMinthePythagoreanfuzzy problem.

WhileapplyingAHP,thematrixderivedwillbeconsistentonlyifthe consistencyratiodoesnotexceed0.10.Accordingly,in thisresearch, theconsistencyofresultsischecked,thusreducingtheevaluator’sbias.

AHPconsistsofthefollowingsteps:(i)definingalternatives,(ii)defin- ingproblemsandcriteria,(iii)establishingpriority amongthecrite- riausingpairwisecomparison,(iv)consistencycheck,and(vi)finding outrelativeweights.Anine-pointSaaty’sscaleisusedinthisresearch (Saaty,1980).TheexpertsconsultedwereaskedtocomparetheDMFs on thenine-pointscalebasedonthepairwisecomparison.Thenine- pointscaleallowsthedecision-makersineffectivejudgementamong variousoptionsanditscomparison.

3.2. TOPSIS

TheTechniqueforOrderPreferencebySimilaritytoIdealSolution (TOPSIS)canevaluatealternativesthroughsimilaritywiththeidealso- lution.IntheTOPSISmethod,thealternativeclosetothepositiveideal solutionandfarfromthenegativeidealsolutionisconsideredthebest

alternative.Thecriteriathatmaximizethebenefits andminimizethe costareconsideredthepositive idealsolution,whereas thenegative idealsolutionmaximizescostandminimizesbenefitcriteria.Hence,a positiveidealsolutioncomprisesallthebestvaluesandworstvaluesat- tainableagainsteachcriterion.Li,Fang&Song(2019)haveusedtheex- tendedTOPSISmethodtodevelopasustainablesupplierselectionmodel basedonsustainablepractices.

TOPSISmethodisreliableandstraightforward(Saaty&Tran,2007).

IntheTOPSISmethod,thechosen alternativewouldbe closetothe positiveidealsolutionandfarfromthenegativeidealsolution.Hence, whileproceedingwiththeapplicationofTOPSIS,thedistancesofpos- itiveidealsolutionandnegativeidealsolutionfromeach alternative arecalculated.Subsequently,theclosenessindexofeachalternativeis calculatedbasedonthedistancesforthepositiveandnegativeidealso- lutionandrankedaccordingly.TheTOPSISmethodisinitiatedbyiden- tifyingthealternativesolutionandcalculatingthenormalizedweighted matrix.Further,thevalueofpositiveandnegativeidealsolutionsand theweighteddistanceofeachalternative’spositiveandnegativeideal solutionsiscalculated.Finally,thepreferencevalueiscalculated,and therankingofthealternativesisdone(Chou,Yen,Dang&Sun,2019).

3.3. Analytichierarchyprocessintegratedtopsismethod

Ingeneral,theproblemsinvolvingdecision-makingcallsforconsid- erationofbothqualitativeandquantitativecriteria.Oneofthedecision- maker’schallengesisthelackofpreciseknowledgeaboutthesystem’s factors.Theproposedmethodhelpsinutilizingtheadvantagesofthein- tegratedapproachagainsttheparticularMCDMmethods.Thus,inthis research,wehaveusedhybridMCDMmethodologiesintegratingAHP- TOPSIStheorytohandleuncertainties.

AHPmethodcanconsiderquantitativeandqualitativecriteria,mak- ingitapreferredMCDMtechniquefordecision-makinginmanyoper- ationsmanagementmodels.However,oneofthelimitationsofAHPis theinconsistencyofdecision-makersinjudgingthecriteria.Thiscould beovercome bycheckingtheconsistencyratiotoreducethebiasof decision-makersifany.TOPSISmethodassistsindecisionmakingwhich canbeusedtomeasurealternativeperformanceanddecisions.

TheidealsolutionselectedbyapplyingtheTOPSISmethodwillhave thebestvalueforallthecriteriaconsidered.Bothtangibleandintangi- blefactorsaffectingthedecision-makingprocesscanbeviewedinthis approach.TotakeadvantageofthemeritsofAHPandTOPSIS,acombi- nationofthesemethodologiesisusedtoselectthebestIOISalternative inthisresearch.Kumar,Singh&Jain(2020)haveusedanintegrated AHP-TOPSISmethodtoprioritizeattributesinagilemanufacturingin theIndiancontext.Bhattacharya,Raut,Gardas&Kamble(2020)have alsousedtheabove combinationof methodologiestoselectefficient sustainablepartners.Bathrinath,Bhalaji&Saravanasankar(2021)used ahybridmulti-criteriadecision-makingmodelusingtheAHP-TOPSIS methodtoidentifyandexaminethemostsignificantrisksthatcreate accidentsinthetextileindustry.TheselectionofappropriateIOISsolu- tionsforthedigitalizationoftheSCcanbemadebasedontheranking ofthealternativesderivedfromtheAHP-TOPSISmethod.Thefollowing sectiondealswiththedecisionmodeldevelopedfortheIOISintegration ofSC.

4. Decisionmodelforinter-organizationalinformationsystems integrationofsupplychain

Literaturereveals that digitalSC capabilitiesconsist of planning, customerinvolvement,coordination,supplierinvolvement,andITex- ploration.Further,theopportunitytoachieveorganizationalbenefitis possiblewiththehelpoftechnologyenablerslikedigitizing,integrat- ing,automating,intelligenceandanalytics.Aroadmapfordigitaliza- tioninhealthcareSCwasdevelopedconsideringinternalandexternal digitalizationrequirements.Beaulieu&Bentahar(2021)addressedthe

challengesinhealthcareSCandstrategiesformaximizingthebenefits throughdigitalization.

Toproceedwithdigitaltransformation,firmsshouldunderstandand analyzetheirinternalandexternalcapabilities.Thedigitizationofthe SCwillenhancetheperformanceofthefirmby;(i)retainingcustomers, (ii)reducingoperatingcosts,and(iii)increasingoverallcapability.Gain- ingSCcapabilitywillenhancecompetitiveadvantagethrougheffective integration fromsuppliers throughmanufacturingprocesses.This re- searchisnovelasitaddressesthestepstobefollowedforthedigitaliza- tionoftheSC.Fig.4showsageneralschematicdiagramofthemodel fordigitalizationoftheSCfortheIOISintegrationprocessinanyindus- try.TheapplicationoftheintegratedAHP-TOPISmethodfordecision- makinginSCDshouldfollowvarioussteps,asillustratedinFig.4. 4.1. Stepsforinter-organizationalinformationsystemsintegration

4.1.1. Step1:organizationalvisionininter-organizationalinformation systemsintegration

Afirm’svisionindigitizationshouldbe assessedbefore initiating steps indigitizingtheSC.Thefirm’sobjectivesandlong-termvision alsoneedtobeevaluated.Thenatureofbusinessactivitiesshouldalso beconsideredwhiledeterminingthevisioninthedigitizationoftheSC.

4.1.2. Step2:analysisofcurrentsituationandrisksinvolved

Theexisting businessandSCsituation iscriticalandneedstobe appropriatelystudied.Potentialdangersofdigitalizationalongwithits feasibilityneed attention.Riskmitigationstrategiescouldhelpoffset potentialrisks.

4.1.3. Step3:finalizationofimplementationstrategy

ImplementationofdigitaltechnologiesintheSCshouldbefinalized byconsideringfirms’internalandexternalcapabilities.Thefirm’sstrate- gic,tactical,andoperationalobjectivesshouldbegivendueconsidera- tionatthetimeofimplementation.Thesewillhelpadequatelyplanand implementtherequiredsolutionsinasequentialmannerthatsuitsthe organization.

4.1.4. Step4:assessmentofrequirementofinter-organizationalinformation systems

Theextentofthenecessityoftechnologicalanddigitalsolutionsto bridgethegapneedstobeassessed.AllSCpartnersneedtobeappropri- atelyconnectedthroughpracticaldigitaltechnologytools,facilitating effectivedecision-making.

4.1.5. Step5:researchandanalysisoninter-organizationalinformation systemseffects

Athoroughresearchandanalysisoftheimpactoftheimplementa- tionofdigitaltechnologiesareneededtofindoutthechangesandoccur- renceofdisruptions,ifany.Propersecurityandmaintenancemeasures aretobeadoptedtosetoff thedisruptions.Aproperlyanalyzedand implementedSCwouldberesilientandcompetitive.

4.1.6. Step6:evaluationofinter-organizationalinformationsystems implementation

Implementingdigitaltechnologyonbothinternalandexternalac- counts mustbe assessed.Theimpacton theadoptionofdigitaltech- nologyintheSCshouldbeevaluatedthoroughly.Necessarycorrective measuresormodificationscanbeplannediftheeffectonthebusiness activityisadequatelyassessed.

4.1.7. Step7:finalizationoffactorsforinter-organizationalinformation systemsdecisionmaking

Manycriterianeedtobeconsideredwhilechoosingordeveloping requiredsolutionsfordigitization.Primarycriteriathatneedconsidera- tionaredigitaltechnologyenablers,projectcompletiontime,financial resourcesrequired,capabilities,easeofoperations,post-salesproduct

Fig. 4. An integrated model for Inter- organizationalinformationsystemsintegration ofsupplychain.

Fig. 5. Digitalizationof supply chain- Inte- grateddecision-makingprocess.

support,brandnamereputation,functionalfit,andfuturescalability, controllinkagesamongSCpartners,informationsharingacrossSCpart- ners,businessanddataanalyticandqualityandriskcontrolfordecision making.

4.1.8. Step8:assessmentofinter-organizationalinformationsystems optionsandshortlisting

Thepossibilitiesofend-to-endsoftwaresolutionsshouldbeconsid- eredbygivingdueweightagetoprimarycriteriaidentifiedunderstep 7above.Thenatureofthesolutionsavailableandtheirsuitabilityto business,andadaptabilitytoexistingsystemsmustbeassessed.

4.1.9. Step9:finalizationofroadmapforimplementation

Aftercompleting steps1–8,basedon resultsanddecisionstaken, aroadmapforimplementationoftheprojectcouldbe finalized.The scheduleofperformance,alongwiththearrangements,istobemade foreffectiveimplementation.

4.1.10.Step10:Inter-organizationalinformationsystemsImplementation andUpgradation

Thefinalstep inthedigitaltransformationoftheSCisitsimple- mentationandup-gradation.Thesolutionshouldbedeployedbasedon findingsand,ifpossible,basedonapilotprojectmodeforreviewing theresults.Further,itshouldbeappropriatelyupgradedormodified basedontherequirement,asitisexpectedtoruninadynamicbusiness environment.

Thus,anend-to-endreengineereddigitizedSCconnectingallSCpart- nerscanbeimplementedbyfollowingthesequenceofstepsasdetailed above.AHP-TOPSISintegratedmethodforIOISintegrationoftheSCis integratedintoathree-phaseactivityasshowninFig.5andexplained below.

(i) PhaseI-ApplicationofintegratedmodelfordigitalizationofSC:This phaseconsidersthecurrentassessmentoftheorganizationalcondi- tionsandcapabilities.Theprocessshouldbeinitiatedbyfinalizing theorganization’svisionandassessingtheprevailingsituationsin themarketandassociatedrisks.Basedontheassessment,strategies foraddressingthechallengesandmeetingtherequirementsfordig- italizationneedtobefinalized.Identifyinggapsintechnologyand areaswheredigitalapplicationscanbeusedneedstobedone,fol- lowedbyresearchandanalysisofoverallimpactandeffectsonthe businessactivities.

(ii) PhaseII-ShortlistingofkeycriteriainfluencingIOISselection:Var- iouscriteriaaffectingtheimplementationofIOISareshortlistedin thisphase.TherequirementsofeachSCpartnerandfunctionalareas affectingthedigitalizationprocessarealsogivendueattention.

(iii) PhaseIII-Application ofintegrated AHP-TOPSISforrankingand selectionofIOISalternatives:AftercompletingPhaseIandII,the finalphasedealswithshortlistingIOISalternativesandapplyingin- tegratedAHP-TOPSISmethodologies.AHPmethodisusedtodeter- minetheweightsofDMF andTOPSISmethodtorankshortlisted IOISalternatives.AfterselectingthebestIOISalternative,effective strategiesaretobeadoptedtodeploythesame.

5. Applicationofthemodeltocaseelectronicscompany 5.1. Casestudy

The modeldevelopedis applied in acase studyandis discussed in this section.The SC of the electronics manufacturingindustry is verycomplex.Theelectronicsindustryfacesmanychallengesdue to increased globalcompetition,frequent changesin consumerrequire-

ments,andrapidadvancementintechnologies.Hence,allthedevelop- mentsandinnovationsinthefirmsdealingwithautonomousvehicles, smarthomesandconnectedcarscanbeassociatedwiththeconsumer electronicsindustryduetothebroaderapplicationofemergingtech- nologiesinthesectors.Digitalizationhasthepotentialtorevolutionize theSCprocessesinitiatingfromplanning,sourcing,manufacturing,de- livery,return,andafter-salesservice.IOISadoptionintheelectronics industryassumesgreatsignificanceasitenableselectronicmanufactur- erstobemoreagile andinnovative.Thecase studyis performedon M/s.XYZCompany,whichisoneoftheprominentconsumerelectronics companiesintheelectronicsindustry.Thecompanyisrapidlygrowing withavastrangeofproductsandservicesandplanningtoexpandthe SCnetworkfurtheracrosstheglobeinlinewiththeexpansionstrategy.

Duetotherecentadvancementsanddevelopmentsindigitaltechnol- ogysolutions,thecompany’stopmanagementbelieves thatapplying innovativetechnologiesintheirSCduringexpansioncouldbringmore benefitsagainsttheexistingsystem.Hence,fromalong-termperspec- tive,suitableprovisionsforeffectivemanagementoftheSCbydigitizing theactivitiesacrossthefunctionallevelsneedtobeconsideredbythe company.DuetothechallengesinvolvedinselectingIOISduringthe digitalizationprocess,applyingtheproposedmodelwillassisttheman- agersineffectivedecision-making.

Accordingly,themodeldevelopedasexplainedintheprevioussec- tionisevaluatedinacasecompany.Expertsinthecompanywerecon- sulted, anda discussion was held regarding theshortlisting of IOIS decision-makingfactorsandIOISsolutionalternatives.Aseriesofinter- viewsandmeetingswereheldwithindustryexpertsrepresentingvari- ousfunctionallevels.Theexpertsidentifiedfromthecasecompanyhad anexperienceofmorethantenyears.Discussionswereheldwithfour experts,threefromthecasecompanyandonefromacademia.Thethree industrialexpertsconsultedwereseniormanagersinProductLifeCy- cleManagement,InformationTechnologyandOperationsManagement.

ThefourthexpertwasaProfessorinareputedUniversityresearching OperationsandSCManagement.Theacademicexpertwasalsoassoci- atedwiththeautomationofSCactivitiesinvariousindustrialprojects.

Hence,consideringthevastworkexperienceandfunctionalareasofthe expertsconsulted,thefeedbackandinputsarereliableandusedinthis research.

Inthemethodology adopted, twelve decision-makingfactorsand fouralternativesofIOISsolutionsrequiredfortheXYZCompanyinthe electronicsindustrywereshortlisted.Asthecompanyplanstoexpand theSCnetworkglobally,end-to-endsolutionscoveringallaspectsofthe SCandthedecision-makingfactorsareconsidered.Thecriteriausedfor selectingIOISconsistofattributesoncostandbenefitwithvariouschar- acteristicsforassessment.AnintegratedmodelforIOISadoptionforthe caseelectronicsfirmisshowninFig.6.

5.2. Decision-makingfactorsconsideredforthecasecompany

Basedonthediscussionandfeedbackfromtheexpertsinthecom- pany,themostrelevanttwelveDMFsforSCDthroughIOISinthecase companywereshortlisted.Theidentificationandclassificationofkey DMFshelpanorganizationineffectivedecision-makinginselectingthe mostappropriateIOISalternativesolutionfordigitalization.Thekey DMFsidentifiedareinterrelatedandnotindividualorstandalonefac- tors.Hence,thisresearchhasalsoclassifiedthekeyDMFsidentified, whichwillassistineffectivedecision-making.

Accordingly,theDMFswereclassifiedunderfourprimarydimen- sions:technological,operational,application,andinnovative.Theclas- sificationwasbasedonthebusinessmodelconcept(Seppanen&Maki- nen,2007),whichresultedintheempiricalclassificationoftheDMFs.

Thebusinessmodelconceptdealswiththeclassificationoftheresources undervariousgroups.Themajorgroupsproposedinthebusinessmodel conceptincludephysical,informational,organizational,human,legal, relationalandfinancialdimensions.Thekeygroupsconsideredinthis researcharebasedonthebusinessmodelconceptcontainsvarioussub-

factorswhichareinterlinked.Hence,consideringtheinter-linkagebe- tweentheDMFs,theyhavebeenclassifiedintofourmaingroups:tech- nological,operational,application,andinnovative.Adiagrammaticrep- resentationof theclassificationof DMFsisshown inFig.7. Thekey DMFs identified and their relevanceto IOIS selectionare shown in Table2.

Inthisstudy,amongtheDMFsidentified,thetwotangiblevalues consideredareFinancialResourcesRequired(FRR)mentionedinUSD andProjectCompletionTime(PCT)mentionedinweeks.FRRismen- tionedasthetotalfundsrequiredfortheimplementationoftheIOIS solutionfordigitalization.Likewise,PCTisthetimeneededtocomplete thecomprehensiveimplementationofthesolution.ForotherDMFs,the expertevaluationsarerepresentedona1–10scale.VariousIOISalter- nativesolutionsfortheintegrationprocessbyusingIOISareshortlisted andshowninTable3.

Adecisionmatrixisfinalizedbasedonevaluationdecision-making factors, and four IOIS alternatives are shortlisted for consideration.

Theselectionofalternativesdependsontheinfluenceofthedecision- makingfactorsshortlisted.AHPisusedtofindouttheweightsoftwelve decision-makingfactors.IntheAHPmethod,initially,theproblemsare defined,andgoalsareset,followedbyarrangingtheproblemsintothe hierarchy.Further,theprioritiesof eachproblem areidentified, and weightsarefoundout.Theconsistencyratiosarefoundouttocheckthe accuracyoftheratings.Accordingly,apairwisecomparisonmatrixfor decision-makingfactorsisdoneandisshowninTable4.Anexampleof DMFsmentionedinTable4isexplainedforbetterunderstanding.The capabilities(CAP)valueinthefourthrowandthefirstcolumnis0.5, whichmeansCapabilitiesare0.5timesasimportantasDigitalTechnol- ogyEnablers(DTE).ThevaluesmentionedinTable4diagonallyare1, showingthevalueforcomparisonwiththesamecriteria.Thepairwise comparisondoneisverifiedbyfindingouttheconsistencyratio.Based ontheacceptableconsistencyratio(under0.10)obtained,weightsof DMFsarefoundusingtheAHPmethod,showninTable4.

5.3. Results

Inthisstudy,fourdifferentIOISalternativesolutionswereevaluated bytheTOPSISmethodtoselectthemostsuitablesolutionneededbythe caseelectronicscompany.First,theweightsofthecriteriaweredeter- minedbasedontheexpertconsultation.Then,thedistancesoftheIOIS alternativestotheidealsolutionwerecalculated. Theweightednor- malizeddecisionmatrixiscomputed,followedbypositiveandnegative idealsolutions.Further,therelativeclosenessoftheIOISalternativesto theidealsolutioniscomputed,andthealternativesarerankedaccord- ingly.TheresultsobtainedforthecasestudyusingtheTOPSISmethod aregiveninTable5.Thistableshowsthevaluesofseparationdistances of positiveandnegativeidealalternatives(d_i⁺ andd_i⁻) andrelative closeness(C_i⁺)tothepositiveidealalternativeforallalternatives.Itis seenthatAlternative4hascomeoutasthebestone,followedbyAl- ternative1.TherankingofAlternatives2and3remainsinfourthand thirdpositionrespectively.

ThetwelvemajorDMFsidentifiedwerecategorizedunderfourma- jordimensions.BasedontheresultsofAHP,projectcompletiontime (0.193)isfoundoutasthemostimportantcriteria,followedbydigital technologyenablers(0.178)andfinancialresourcesrequired(0.142), whichfallsasthetopthreedecisionmakingfactors.Thecompanycon- cernsabouttheprojectcompletiontimeanddigitaltechnologyenablers asthemostprominentDMFsamongallothercriteriaidentified.Based onthecasestudyconductedinanelectronicfirm,itcanbeconcluded thatAlternative4isfoundtobethemostsuitableIOISalternative,which isfromawell-knownandestablishedvendor.

Thedynamicnatureoftheelectronicsindustryandrapidproductin- novationsresultsinalowerproductlifecycle,whichdemandstheSCto remaincompetitive.SCDbecomesimportantandassistsineffectivecol- laborationofSC,riskmanagement,SCplanning(Allaoui,Guo&Sarkis, 2019),sustainability, andreverselogistics(Agrawal& Singh, 2019).

Fig. 6. An integrated model for Inter- organizationalinformationsystemadoptionin caseelectronicsfirm.

Legend: DTE: Digital Technology Enablers, PCT:ProjectCompletionTime,FRR:Financial Resources Required, CAP: Capabilities, EOP:

Ease of Operations, PSP: PostSales Product Support,BNR: BrandNameReputation, FFS:

Functionalfitandfuturescalability,CLS:Con- trollinkagesamongSCpartners,INS:Informa- tionsharingacrossSCpartners,BDA:Business anddataanalytics,QRC:QualityandRiskcon- trol.

Fig.7. Classificationofdecisionmakingfac- torsforInter-organizationalinformation sys- temsadoptionincaseelectronicsfirm.

Table2-

KeyDMFsandRelevancetoIOISSelection.

Sl No. Abbreviation DMFs Refs. Relevance to IOIS Selection

1 DTE Digital technology

enablers Agrawal & Narain, 2021 ; Attaran, 2020 ;

Schallmo et al., 2019 DTE creates a digitally enabled business model to bring SC partners on a common platform facilitating seamless communication.

2 PCT Project completion time Battula, Namburu & Kone, 2020 ;

RezaHoseini et al., 2021 ; Shishodia, Verma & Jain, 2020

PCT should include a detailed plan of all processes and steps to be followed for completion.

3 FRR Financial resources

required

Jia, Zhang & Chen, 2020 ;

Rodriguez-Espindola et al., 2020 ; Lee &

Shen, 2020

Budgets are needed for SCD, which will result in adequate cost savings in the long run.

4 CAP Capabilities Andiyappillai & Prakash, 2020 ; Hastig &

Sodhi, 2020 ; Taboada & Shee, 2021

Web-enabled capabilities can be utilized to the maximum possible extent while digitizing the SC.

5 EOP Ease of operations Salmi et al., 2020 ; Kulkarni & Halder, 2020 ; Martin, 2020 .

Digital SC network compatible with the existing system and user-friendly makes the transformation process more straightforward.

6 PSP Post sales product support

Jiang, He, Qin, Sun & Wang, 2020 ; Nergiz &

Barutcu, 2020 ; Pasi, Mahajan & Rane, 2020

Requires support for providing training, upgrades of the software solution, call breakdown maintenance and support, fixing bugs.

7 BNR Brand name reputation Hassija et al., 2020 ; Wanganoo & Patil, 2020 , The company’s reputation needs to be verified, based on references, as the project’s success depends upon the vendor’s reputation and brand.

8 FFS Functional fit and future scalability

Abu-Elezz, Hassan, Nazeemudeen, Househ, &

Abd-Alrazaq, 2020 ; Zhanget , Wei, Jiang, Peng &

Zhao, 2021 , Kopanaki, Karvela & Georgopoulos, 2018

Functional requirements and scalability to cope with the growing needs of the organizations assist in handling high business volume and data.

9 CLS Control linkages among SC partners

Birasnav & Bienstock, 2019 ; Ding & Jie, 2021 ; Nazifa & Ramachandran, 2019

Control linkages can be established based on trust and commitment among SC partners, facilitating better performance and gaining a competitive advantage.

10 INS Information sharing across SC partners

Jermsittiparsert & Rungsrisawat, 2019 ; Pham, Nguyen, Mcdonald & Tran-Kieu, 2019 ; Asamoah et al., 2021 .

Aids in establishing proper linkage to effectively transmit information and develop long-term cooperation and coordination among SC partners.

11 BDA Business and data analytics

Haulder, Kumar & Shiwakoti, 2019 ; Jha, Agi &

Ngai, 2020 ; Ogbuke et al., 2020

Business and data capabilities help in effective forecasting and production activities that can scale businesses by gaining deeper insights from the data.

12 QRC Quality and risk control Hassija et al., 2020 ; Liang, Liu, Guo, & Liu, 2021 ; Mohammed & Duffuaa, 2020

Quality and risk control of information depends upon the trust among the SC partners.

Table3

Scoresofalternatives.

Criteria Alternative − 1 Alternative − 2 Alternative − 3 Alternative − 4

DTE 7 6.5 5.5 8

PCT 14 19 16 12

FRR 17,000 19,500 18,000 13,250

CAP 6.5 4.5 5.5 7.5

EOP 7 7 6 8

PSP 6.5 4.5 3.5 6

BNR 6 6.5 5.5 7.5

FFS 8 5 5 8.5

CLS 6.5 5.5 7 7

INS 7 7 6.5 8

BDA 6 6.5 8 8.5

QRC 8 7 7.5 7

SCDalsoallowsmanufacturerstoassessdisruptionsandplanforad- justmentsonareal-timebasis.Electronicsmanufacturersshouldinvest inbusinessintelligenceandeventtrackingcapabilitiesduetodynamic changesinthebusinessenvironment.Thus,itbecomesevidentthatIOIS adoptionintheelectronicsindustryissignificantandhelpsbuildcost- effectiveandresponsiveSCs(Naway&Rahmat,2019).

AmongtheDMFsidentified,ProjectCompletionTime(0.193),Digi- talTechnologyEnablers(0.178),FinancialResourcesRequired(0.142), EaseofOperation(0.116),andCapabilities(0.104)hascomeoutasthe topfiveDMFsforselectionofIOIS.Oneofthesignificantfindingsisthat thetopthreeDMFshavecomeunderoperationaldimensions.Thus,it canbeinferredthatDMFsunderoperationaldimensionsaregivendue significancewhileadoptingIOIS.Theprojectcompletiontimeshould begiventhehighestweightage,asentireactivitiesrelatedtoIOISadop- tionshouldbecompletedwithintheminimumtime.RezaHoseini,Noori

&Ghannadpour(2021)havehighlightedthesignificanceofPCTwhile integratingSCsusingIOIS,whichshouldincludeadetailedplanofall

processesandstepstobefollowedforcompletion.Moretimeforinte- grationwillleadtodisruptionandalackofeffectivecoordinationinSC activities.

Further to the considerationof time, digital technology enablers shouldbegivenduesignificance.DTEhelpscreateadigitallyenabled businessmodeltobringSCpartnersonacommonplatformfacilitating seamlesscommunication(Schallmoetal.,2020).Advancedstate-of-the- artdigitaltechnologiesaretobeconsideredforaneffectiveSCDprocess.

Thelatestdevelopmentsinthetechnologicalarenaneedtobegivenad- equateweightagefortheselectionandadoptionofIOIS,resultinginthe transformationofbusinessmodelsandbetterSCperformance.

The financialinvestmentsrequired foradoptingIOISareanother factorthatistobegivendue weightage.FRRreferstofund require- mentsforSCD,whichwillresultinadequatecostsavingsinthelong run(Rodriguez-Espindola,Chowdhury,Beltagui&Albores,2020).The entireprocessneedstobedonereasonablybydevelopingaroadmapfor integrationthrougheffectiveassessmentoftheexistingSC.Further,the financialresourcesrequiredaretobeassessedconsideringthereturnon investment.

EaseofoperationoftheIOISsystemfacilitateseffectiveimplemen- tationandusageofthesystem.SCpartnersshouldhavetheeaseand accessibilityofusingadvanceddigitaltechnologies.Introducingadig- italSCnetworkcompatiblewiththeexistingsystemanduser-friendly makesthetransformationprocessmorestraightforward(Martin,2020).

AnIOIShavinggreatereaseofoperationintegratesandmanagesallac- tivitiesintheSCeffectively.ItalsoallowsSCpartnerstoaccessdata comprehensivelyanywhereandatanytime.ThecapabilitiesoftheIOIS systemaretobeadequatelyassessedbeforeshortlistingIOISalterna- tives.Hastig& Sodhi(2020)havehighlightedtherelevanceof web- enabledcapabilitiesandtheirutilizationtothemaximumpossibleex- tentintheprocessofSCD.IOISintegratesSCcapabilitiesandtechnical capabilities.Globaladvancementsandincreasinguncertaintieshaveled toincreasedSCchallenges.AdoptinganIOISalternativewithsoundca-