Nutzen und Risiko von Informationssystemen in der Supply Chain am Beispiel der chemischen Industrie

Abstract

Various types of information systems are used in most medium-sized and large companies. Especially in the field of supply chain management, for example, ERP systems have become standard and are necessary for the execution of business processes. Of course, other supporting systems for inventory management, production or transportation management are also in use. Particularly in times when supply chains need to be increasingly flexible, digitalization in the form of information systems can bring significant benefits. However, companies face many challenges when implementing information systems and some even fail completely. These circumstances are leading to high costs in the end. Since companies will be faced with the implementation of new technologies in the field of information systems also in the future, the motivation of this paper is to highlight the potential benefits of their use in the supply chain of the chemical industry, as well as to identify and analyze the risks associated with the implementation. Based on a thorough literature research, the theoretical part of the paper provides a general overview of information systems in the supply chain and highlights their potential benefits. In addition, the possible risks of implementation are also explored through literature research. For the empirical part, expert interviews serve as a basis for gaining further insights into the core topic and create a risk analysis. The specific characteristics of the supply chain in the chemical industry involve compliance with certain regulations when handling hazardous materials and mandatory batch traceability. This also highlights the potential benefits of using information systems. The further findings of the study are increased transparency through data exchange and efficiency improvements in operational areas. This leads to effective cost savings and positive effects on the supply chain performance. On the other hand, there are a lot of risks in due to the following categories: technology, organization, processes, costs, and security. The risk analysis shows that technological risks such as the increasing complexity of the system landscape, pose a significant threat as system failures can have a considerable negative impact on the company. Since implementation projects bring a high degree of change the organizational risks play a central role. Often there is a lack of willingness to change among the workforce and therefore no acceptance for the system is created. As a result, the process adjustments supported by the software are difficult to enforce and at the same time the project costs increase due to additional effort. Finally, the security concerning information systems is also a significant aspect, as targeted attacks or human error can cause systems to fail and this is leading to higher costs or revenue losses.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	German (Austria)
Supervisor	Gerald Johannes Aschauer (Supervisor)