• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.460-475
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• 2019

Notwithstanding the big potential benefits from interorganizational information systems (IOS), not very many companies have realized these benefits. In an attempt to explain this phenomenon, this study proposes a new construct of IOS asymmetry which refers to the asymmetry in information transparency between supply chain (SC) partners. When there is IOS asymmetry in SC relationships, IOS may not facilitate seamless information exchange among SC partners. Instead, IOS asymmetry may result in SC inefficiencies due to a lack of information sharing. The objective of this study is to empirically investigate whether IOS asymmetry exists in practice and whether it influences SC performance negatively. The data was collected from 130 matched pairs of upstream SC partners in manufacturing industries. The results show that IOS asymmetry indeed decreases overall SC performance. Also, the relationship between IOS asymmetry and SC performance is strengthened under the conditions of high environmental uncertainty.