Information Visibility and Transparency - Free Paper Sample

Introduction

Information visibility in the supply chain refers to the process of sharing critical data that is vital to manage the flow of information, services, and products in real-time from suppliers to consumers (Hoeven et al., 2019). Transparency in the supply chain requires companies to understand what is happening upstream in the supply chain and communicate both internally and externally (Bateman and Bonanni, 2019).

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Balance

Information visibility and transparency are important as they help to balance demand and supply, encourage rapid response to supply chain disruptions, optimize company processes, and manage global suppliers (Wei and Wang, 2010). The risks associated with low visibility and transparency include contaminated products, labor disputes, and counterfeits that result in a reduction in sales, fines, and damaged reputations. Information visibility and transparency make handling such risks more manageable.

Barriers

Some of the barriers to information visibility and transparency can be classified under inter-firm rivalry and managerial complexity. Inter-firm rivalry results in misalignment of the behaviors and motives among the allying partners in the supply chain. Barriers under this category include poor collaboration among the chain partners, internal and external turf protection, and a lack of partner trust (Fawcett, Magnan, and Mccarter, 2008). It results in the tendency for allying partners to compete rather than cooperate willingly. Other barriers falling under the managerial complexity include incompatibility in the information and technological systems, and conflicting organizational culture and structures.

Conclusion

My business unit increases and protects the visibility and transparency of information about its supply chain operations by encouraging collaborative planning, and cross-functional collaboration across the supply chain (Gardner et al., 2019). When there is a need for dynamic decisions during dynamic environments, vital data must be available at the right time, at the right place, and at the right people who approach the problem from the appropriate perspectives and styles.

References

Bateman, A., and Bonanni, L. (2019, August 20). What supply chain transparency means. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2019/08/what-supply-chain-transparency-really-means#:~:text=Defining%20Transparency,more%20consumers%20are%20demanding%20it.

Fawcett, S., Magnan, G., & Mccarter, M. (2008, January). Benefits, barriers, and bridges to effective supply chain management. Researchgate.net, 13(1):35-48. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235286687_Benefits_Barriers_and_Bridges_to_Effective_Supply_Chain_Management.

Gardner, T.A. et al. (2019, September). Transparency and sustainability in global commodity supply chains. Sciencedirect.com, 121:163-177.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X18301736

Hoeven, C. et al. (2019, October 14). Assessing organizational information visibility: Development and validation of the information visibility scale. Sagepub.com.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0093650219877093

Wei, H., & Wang, E. (2010, March). The strategic value of supply chain visibility: Increasing the ability to reconfigure. Researchgate.net, 19(2): 238-249. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/220393111_The_strategic_value_of_supply_chain_visibility_Increasing_the_ability_to_reconfigure.