Abstract:
The purpose of this master’s study is to understand partnerships for Big Data Analytics Services (BDA) in Supply Chain Management (SCM). In particular, my research focus is understanding the areas of the supply chain in which BDA is being applied, and to what degree companies engage in BDA partnerships with third party service providers. The research is qualitative and exploratory in nature, based on the collection of secondary data from online documents about utilisation of BDA in the top 26 Fortune Global 500 companies in 2019. Specifically, I adopted systematic and analytical techniques in the data collection process for this research, reviewing and evaluating electronic documents sourced through the Internet. For the data analysis, I applied document, content and thematic analysis to the electronic sources I collected in order to address the research questions.
My research findings reveal five common themes for BDA use within different areas of the supply chain. BDA is utilised across the supply chain 1) to support the implementation of predictive analytics tools and telematics, and 2) to support the application of digital technology, i.e. AI, machine learning, robotics and systems development. BDA also 3) drives investment in other organisations and the creation of data centers, projects and research teams. BDA is 4) applied in data-driven techniques including sensors, recognition and tracking tools, software, and for innovation, and 5) as the basis for data-driven decision making and obtaining insights.
The findings show that BDA is applied in all areas of the supply chain and individual organisations may utilise BDA in one or multiple areas of their supply chain to make data-driven business decisions. However, BDA is largely utilised in the manufacturing area as the processes within this area are complex, requiring a lot of time, resources and skills. Among the companies in the sample utilising BDA, most engaged in BDA partnerships with third party service providers. While the focus of such cooperation could be any area of the supply chain, again manufacturing was the main area – in order to streamline and optimise processes and operations, focus on research and development, develop and launch new products and digitalise information. Nine major themes emerged in relation to why partnerships are formed with third party service providers, including: 1) focus on digitalisation, 2) development and launch of products and services/applications/centers/platforms, 3) streamlining and optimisation of processes/operations/services, 4) utilisation of products/services, 5) collaboration for IoT, AI, machine learning, cloud computing and data analytics, 6) focus on innovation, 7) focus on research and development, 8) enhancement of customer experiences/organisational performance and 9) investment in/sponsorship of start-up organisations.