The Usefulness of the Digitalization Integration Framework for Developing Digital Supply Chains in SMEs

Abstract

Although studies in the field of digital supply chains (DSC) have increased in recent years, there is still a lack of theoretical and empirical studies that show how DSC can be successfully implemented. There is a lack of studies in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular. This paper addresses this situation and explores the usefulness of the digitalization integration framework (DIF) proposed by Büyüközkan and Göçer in 2018 for the development of DSC in SMEs. More precisely, based on a case study design involving Swedish SMEs operating in the same supply chain, this paper provides insight into the DSC process of these Swedish SMEs adopting the DIF. The results of the study enable the proposal of an updated framework consisting of five main components in the digitalization process, namely: digital strategy, digital organization and culture, digital operations, digital products and services, and digital customer experience. Furthermore, each component consists of several steps, called sub-components, which could be considered by SMEs when developing DSC to increase the success of this challenging activity.