A STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND SUPPLY CHAIN CAPABILITY

The aim of the present study is to explore the relationship among information technology, knowledge management and supply chain capability of 50 manufacturing companies in Mazandaran, Northern Province of Iran. Senior managers, middle managers, industrial engineers and supply chain managers of the companies were selected as appropriate respondents of the study. After distribution of 150 questionnaires among respondents, 126 usable questionnaires were returned. The research method used for this study is descriptive-correlation. Further, the analysis was carried out utilizing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) methodology by LISREL 8.8 software. Factor analysis and the findings show that information technology has a significant positive influence in managing knowledge in organizations. Further, knowledge management has a significant positive impact on supply chain capability of selected companies. The results of the current study provide further insight for business owners and managers of organizations, on investing in information technology to achieve competitive advantages.