Author: Andrew Alotei Allotey
PhD Candidate, Business University of Costa Rica
Email: andrew.allotey@gmail.com
Abstract
Information management is one of the main ingredients to a successful supply chain management and so the introduction of various information systems such as Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERPS), Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), Enterprise Application Integration (EAI), etc has made the global business environment very competitive and highly electronic. This has made many companies and businesses including oil marketing companies in the Kumasi metropolis to move away from some of their manual processes of doing business. The main objective of this research was to find out the influence of information system in supply chain management for OMCs in the Kumasi metropolis. The methodology used was the case study approach together with questionnaires and interviews to collect data for the research work. The sample size was sixty-one (61) which included both staff of OMCs and some respective suppliers whose information was analysed using the statistical package for social scientist (SPSS). The outcome of the study revealed that most of the Multinational OMCs use IS both internally and for their suppliers whiles the situation was different with indigenous OMCs in the Kumasi metropolis. Again it was revealed that some OMCs are using I.Ss but there is still the need for some education on the use, benefits and importance of I.Ss for their operations. It is recommended that the various OMCs was for them not to only look at the cost of implementing useful I.S but to first look at the benefits they stand to gain which includes a sound solution for some operational cost savings which includes maverick spending, security and problems associated with order fulfilment, loss of documents, proper inventory management, etc. Though the study concludes that IS are very vital to the success of a supply chain management, OMCs who wish to implement its usage within their operations must ensure that all players in the chain are aligned to the aims and objectives of its usage.
Key Words: Information System, Supply Chain, Management
