Maturity of supply chain integration within small- and medium-sized enterprises: lessons from the Taiwan IT manufacturing sector

Abstract

Abstract: Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are known to lack behind in terms of the adoption and exploitation of information and communication technology (ICT). In this paper, we explore the area of ICT adoption in the Taiwanese information technology manufacturing sector within SMEs based on a multiple case study research. The findings suggest that small enterprises were in the initial stages of the process maturity of their supply chain. Seven types of ICT connections used by the case companies to support their supply chains were identified which show that most of the companies stayed in the lower level of supplier chain management integration without exploiting the benefits of ICT in full. Our results provide a better understanding on ICT adoption for supply chain integration by SMEs in practice.