Information sharing in the upstream and downstream supply chains of the UK discount retail sector.

关于Tesco、Asda、莫里森和Sainsbury等主要食品零售商的供应链转型，我们已经知道了很多。食品杂货供应链转型被描述为六个相互关联的趋势：加强对二级分销的控制、重组物流系统、采用快速反应、初级分销合理化、增加包装材料和处理设备的回流以及引入供应链管理（费尔尼和Sparks 2014年第6 - 8页）。这六个趋势概括了过去四十年来零售业的变化;传统零售商曾经直接从制造商那里接收货物到商店的系统被零售商组织和主导的过程所取代，这导致了更大程度的上游（从零售商到制造商）和下游（零售商到商店）供应链控制和权力的零售商（柯林斯2001，费尔尼1997，费尔尼等人2000，费尔尼等人2010）。促成这一成功的因素包括企业规模的扩大、私营企业、品牌发展以及建立分销中心、上游整合中心和综合分销。这种供应链转型还包括引入有效的消费者响应和及时原则，建立了供应链合作伙伴之间的协作计划和信息共享（柯林斯2001，费尔尼1997）。然而，今天的零售业已经不是十年前的样子了。消费者购物习惯的改变为便利和折扣零售商进入市场开辟了道路。2014年，55%的消费者现在在折扣零售商购物，而2010年只有38%（Mathur 2015）。在2014年，12%的消费者使用折扣零售商作为他们的主要商店，51%的消费者在上个月使用折扣店（Carpenter 2014）。近年来，折扣零售商迅速扩张，在食品市场的份额达到10%（Aldi和Lidl），并主导了非食品市场的低价端（Poundland、B&M）。传统零售商和折扣零售商之间存在供应链差异。较低的制造成本、增加的购买力和有限的产品线是折扣零售商商业战略的一些特征（Dryburgh 2015，Mirko and施密特2011）。许多折扣零售商的有限分类简化了供应链，并与选定的供应商建立了更密切的关系。由于需要处理“特殊购买”，这一点得到了加强;但总的来说，供应链被认为比传统零售商更短、更简单。虽然一个成功的供应链具有相互关联的物流组合要素，但对于任何供应链来说，沟通方面是最重要的（费尔尼和Sparks 2014年，第112页）。3 - 4）。信息分享、信息流动和信息技术都是这种交流的组成部分。供应链中的信息共享已经被研究过了。郭和李（2014）发现信息共享是供应链协调最重要的方面。最高管理层的支持、信任、共同愿景和频繁互动被认为是信息共享的四大积极因素（Mbhele 2014）。信息共享的好处包括降低供应链成本、提高生产力和制定市场战略（Anica-Popa，2012年）。信息共享面临的挑战包括供应链的长度、获取信息的竞争对手以及安装信息技术系统的风险（Mbhele，2014年; Manzouri等人，2013年）。然而，这些研究大多是一般性的，并没有集中在新兴的折扣部门。这些研究的研究目的和目标并不是为了充分确定和理解跨供应链共享信息的挑战。

Much is known in regards to the supply chain transformation of major food retailers such as Tesco, Asda, Morrison's and Sainsbury's. The grocery supply chain transformation has been presented as six inter - locking trends; increased control over secondary distribution, restructured logistical systems, adoption of quick response, rationalization of primary distribution, increased return flow of packaged material and handling equipment and the introduction of supply chain management (Fernie and Sparks 2014 pg 6 - 8). These six trends encapsulate the changes to the retail sector over the last forty years; the replacement of the systems where traditional retailers once received deliveries direct to stores from their manufacturers by a retailer-organised and dominated process that has led to a greater degree of upstream (retailer to the manufacturer) and downstream (retailer to the store) supply chain control and power for retailers (Collins 2001, Fernie 1997, Fernie et al 2000, Fernie et al 2010). Factors that have contributed to this success include increasing scale of business, private, brand development and the establishment of distribution centres, upstream consolidation centres and composite distribution. This supply chain transformation also includes the introduction of Efficient Consumer Response and Just in Time principles that established collaborative planning and information sharing between supply chain partners (Collins 2001, Fernie 1997). The grocery retail sector today however is not what it was ten years ago. Changing consumer shopping habits has led the way for convenience and discount retailers to enter the market. 55% of consumers are now shopping at discount retailers in 2014 compared with only 38% in 2010 (Mathur 2015). In 2014 12% of consumers used a discount retailer as their main store and 51% of consumers used a discounter in the previous month (Carpenter 2014). Discount retailers have expanded rapidly in recent years reaching 10% market share in food (Aldi and Lidl) and dominating the lower price end of the non - food market (Poundland, B&M). There are supply chain differences between traditional and discount retailers. Lower manufacturing costs, increased buying power and a limited number of product lines are some of the characteristics of a discount retailer's business strategy (Dryburgh 2015, Mirko and Schmidt 2011). The limited assortment of many discount retailers simplifies the supply chain and makes relationships with selected suppliers closer. This is augmented by the need to handle "special buys"; but overall the supply chain is believed to be shorter and simpler than in traditional retailers. Whilst a successful supply chain has the elements of the logistics mix interlinked, it is the communication aspect that is of most importance for any supply chain to be effective and efficient (Fernie and Sparks 2014, pg., 3 -4). Information sharing, information flow and information technology are all building blocks of such communication. Information sharing in supply chains has been previously researched. Guo and Li (2014) found information sharing is the most essential aspect of supply chain coordination. Top management support, trust, shared vision and frequent interaction was found as the top four positive factors of information sharing (Mbhele 2014). Benefits of information sharing include reduction in supply chain costs, productivity improvements and market strategies (Anica - Popa 2012). Challenges to information sharing include the length of the supply chain, competitors accessing information and the risks from installing Information Technology systems (Mbhele 2014, Manzouri et al 2013). However much of this research has been general and has not focused on the emerging discount sector. The research aims and objectives of such studies were not intended to fully identify and understand challenges from sharing information across supply chains.