Electronic information transfer in a transport chain

The purpose of this paper is to assess electronic information transfer in logistics organizations. The paper approaches information transfer as an elemental component of contemporary business to business (B2B) processes.

The empirical material concerns companies that together comprise a logistical chain. The paper uses interview data to show information exchange patterns within one particular logistics chain. The interviews were designed according to current topics in information management literature and analyzed with content analysis.

The results show the need to enhance information distribution in B2B operations. In addition, business to government operations rely, to a large extent, on a combination of paper and electronic information distribution. The government interface should also be recognized: customs and information exchange is a major time consumer in international transport.

The empirical analysis of a logistic chain is not an easy task. This is due to the confidential nature of the business information that has to be acquired. Companies do not want to reveal too many details regarding their B2B relations: the interviewed companies gave information on data exchange on a general level only. For example, the goal of determining information content was affected by the reluctance of companies to discuss their business processes.

Three main components to a large extent determine the success of information and communication technologies implementation in the logistics business process. These are: reliability and interoperability that are achieved through standardization. This paper exemplifies these difficulties with empirical data from Finland. It also provides insight into how to carry out similar studies in different settings.