The effect of Supply Chain Analytics on business decision-making

Abstract

Data is the raw material of the business of the future and information the oil of the 21st century. Several attempts have been made to examine the use of Big Data and Data Analytics in organisations to improve increasingly complex supply chains in uncertain markets with rising levels of consumer demand. The reality is that many organisations still struggle to create a competitive advantage at the supply chain level and even those organisations that have invested in the use of Supply Chain Analytics have struggled to translate the information into effective decision-making. Previous work has failed to address the competitive advantage of Supply Chain Analytics on decision-making where Supply Chain Analytics itself is a relatively under-researched area of Data Analytics. To determine the effect that Supply Chain Analytics has on business decision-making, an empirical study was performed, making use of an online questionnaire. The various aspects that influence business decision-making when applying Data Analytics were investigated, and it was found that there is a strong contribution of Data Analytics to business decision-making. Various other aspects of Data Analytics that indirectly contribute to business decision-making also emerged. The results demonstrate that the use of Supply Chain Analytics plays a pivotal role in elevating the decision-making abilities within an organisation.