E-procurement and supply chain performance

Purpose: The aim of this study is to discuss the relationship between e-procurement and supply chain performance. Design/methodology/approach: Both interviews with practicing managers and an empirical study were conducted in the current study. Interviews with four practicing managers were conducted to gather the practical insights of the theoretical framework. Empirical data were collected from 108 Taiwanese enterprises. Findings: The paper found that partner relationships, information sharing, and supply chain integration can represent the processes through which e-procurement contributes to supply chain performance. Supply chain integration has the highest standardized total effect on supply chain performance. Research limitations/implications: Future studies could more systematically analyze the relationships among e-procurement, supply chain integration and supply chain performance. Cross-level analysis is also worthy of investigation when considering the influence of technology-usage characteristics. Practical implications: Compared to partner relationships and information sharing, supply chain integration has more influences on supply chain performance. Therefore, this study suggests that a joint-learning practice can be implemented for properly managing supply chains (e.g. know-how collaboration, mutual competency creation). Originality/value: This paper contributes to the literature by proposing and testing the influences of partner relationships, information sharing, and supply chain integration. This allows a strategic viewpoint when implementing e-procurement systems intended to improve supply chain performance.