| Information competency has been identified as a key to successful logistics management. Two components of information competency are technology adoption and quality. The research objective was to examine how selected elements of logistics organization structure and environment are related to information adoption and quality.; The number of computer applications, EDI linkages, and information technologies installed in logistics were studied as measures of information technology adoption and implementation. Perceptions of information quality were measured by examining attributes such as timeliness, accuracy, availability, and information formatting. Elements of organization structure included were organization size, level of formalization, and extent of centralization. Environmental factors examined were industry affiliation and channel position. Data analyzed for this research included survey responses from 187 manufacturers, 148 wholesalers, and 90 retailers.; Two elements of organization structure, size and level of formalization, were found to be positively related to technology adoption. In particular, components of formalization such as existence of a logistics mission statement and strategic plan, and number of functions reporting to the logistics organization were found to have significantly positive relationships with each measure of information technology adoption. These results indicate that elements of organization structure controllable by managers can impact technology adoption behavior. Centralization of logistics authority was not found to influence adoption. There was no indication that organization structure has direct impact on the quality of information.; Environmental factors examined were not found to be strongly related to technology adoption. Industry affiliation and channel position were only marginally related to the adoption of information technology. Industry affiliation had no impact on information quality. Significant differences were found in the perceptions of quality of information between manufacturers and merchandisers.; These results generally support earlier research conclusions that logistics practices of leading edge firms are similar. The results also indicate that information demands may differ by channel position. The information requirements of manufacturers and merchandisers are dissimilar. |
