A new model for investigating the impact of urban knowledge, urban intelligent transportation systems and IT infrastructures on the success of SCM systems in the distributed organizations
Authors: Jiang Nan , Tian Erlin , Daneshmand Malayeri Fattaneh , Balali Alireza 
Published: January 2020

Purpose

A fundamental concept of the smart city is to get the right information at the right place to make city-related decisions easier and quicker. The main goal of supply chain management (SCM) systems is to enhance the supply chain process for delivering the identified products to customers correctly in distributed organizations. In addition, new IT infrastructure such as cloud-based systems and internet of things (IoT) have changed many organizations and firms. Hence, this study aims to assess the factors that contribute to the success of SCM systems.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the usage of urban knowledge, urban intelligent transportation systems and IT infrastructure was considered as a key factor for the success of SCM systems. For assessing the features of the model, a comprehensive questionnaire was designed. The survey questionnaires were sent to critical informers who are practical heads associated with SCM and urbanism. Of these, 315 usable responses were received, resulting in a response rate of 82.03%. The data were examined using Smart-PLS version 3.2 and IBM SPSS version 25.

Findings

The obtained results showed the high strength of the proposed model. This study found that the impact of urban ITS (safety, accessibility, information management and flexibility) is important to the success of supply chain management systems. Another important finding is that the cloud-based system (cloud security, resource virtualization, on-demand self-service and scalability) has a very important role in the success of supply chain management systems. The finding showed that the effect of IoT service variable (commercialization, mobility features, infrastructure capabilities and security and privacy) on the success of supply chain management systems is significant and positive. The findings also showed that urban knowledge (usage skills, awareness, experience and knowledge sharing) is viewed as a significant factor in the success of supply chain management systems.

Research limitations/implications

The inductive nature of research methodology has introduced limitations on the generalizability of results. Therefore, it is recommended to examine the validity of this research model in other supply chains.

Practical implications

The statistical results support the crucial role of urban knowledge, urban intelligent transportation systems, IoT services and cloud-based systems. Therefore, aspects relating to these factors must be the focus of attention of any distributed organization in their endeavor to develop supply chain management systems. Implementing cloud based IoT through accurate and timely availability of information, can predict forecasting and planning processes, resources, logistics and support, service management and spare parts and many sub-processes in the supply chain. These technologies allow organizations to invest in manufacturing and operating processes rather than paying for the software section, which will generate more cash flow.

Originality/value

One of the most crucial and fundamental parts of an organization’s management is the supply chain management. The department is responsible for coordinating all units from the initial stages, such as supplying materials to the final stages, such as delivery and after-sales service. Comprehensive and credible information platforms are essential for managing a supply chain. Therefore, it is important to use integrated information systems such as IoT, cloud computing, intelligent transportation systems and more in this part of the organization management. Covering this information in a timely and accurate manner will facilitate the process and make the process more transparent. For this purpose, a model is needed to determine the relationship between technologies and supply chain management, which this study has provided a comprehensive model.