This study investigates the impact of environmental factors on the decision to electronically integrate operations with international customers and/or suppliers. The following research question motivates the study: How does the environmental context affect the level of electronic integration of an organization with its international partners? This study elaborates on the concept of electronic integration. Studies on integration in general and electronic integration in particular adopt a loose definition of integration: they all agree in that integration is the opposite of markets, but they define this opposite in different terms: relationship contracting, long-term contracting, coordination, etc. Finally, the study also responds to Wathne and Heide’s (2004) call for a more comprehensive study of governance mechanisms in B2B, with emphasis on monitoring mechanisms.

[pt] Atualmente as empresas estão unindo esforços para se tornarem mais competitivas no mercado global. O objetivo das empresas é prestar um serviço melhor com um custo menor e estão tentando alcançar esse objetivo analisando toda a cadeia de suprimento como se fosse uma empresa, para que, dessa forma, consigam reduzir o custo total do produto ao invés do custo específico de um elo da cadeia, pois às vezes uma ação pode reduzir o custo de um elo enquanto aumenta o custo do outro em um valor muito superior, ocasionando um aumento no custo final do produto. A maximização da solução ótima global é maior que a maximização da soma dos ótimos locais. Através desse modelo teremos ao invés de marcas contra marcas, a competição entre fornecedores - marca -loja contra fornecedores - marca - loja, ou melhor, cadeias de suprimento versus cadeias de suprimento. Por causa disso as empresas estão tentando controlar a cadeia de uma forma integrada, utilizando a tecnologia da informação para aumentar a produtividade, diminuir os custos e aumentar a velocidade na transferência das informações entre os elos da cadeia de suprimento. O objetivo principal dessa dissertação é mostrar os esforços realizados, entre os diversos elos da cadeia de suprimento, para integrar eletronicamente as informações entre as empresas, analisando o caso real entre as montadoras e os seus distribuidores. / [en] Currently the companies are joining efforts to become more competitive in the global market. The objective of the companies is to give a better service, with lesser cost and is trying to reach this objective analyzing all the supply chain as if it was a company, so that of this form they obtain to reduce the total cost of the product instead of the specific cost of a member of the chain, therefore the times an action can reduce the cost of a member while it increases the cost of the other in a very superior value, causing an increase in the final cost of the product. The maximum of global solution is greater that the maximum of the each member solution. Through this model we will have instead of marks against marks, the competition between suppliers - mark - store against suppliers - mark - store, or better supply chains versus supply chains. For cause of this, the companies are trying to control the chain of an integrated form, using the technology of the information to increase the productivity, to diminish the costs and to increase the speed in the transference of the information between the members of the supply chain. The main objective of this work is to show the carried through efforts, between the members of the supply chain, to integrate electronically the information between the companies, analyzing the real case between the assembly plants and its dealers.

Magistro baigiamajame darbe nagrinėjama IRT įtaka smulkaus ir vidutinio verslo įmonių valdymui. IRT skverbimosi į verslą reiškinys darbe vadinamas e. integracija. E. integracija susideda iš dviejų dalių – techninės ir strateginės. Tai procesas, kuris yra nulemtas šiuolaikinių IRT santykio su įmonės valdymo metodais ir verslo idėja. Darbo pirmojoje dalyje aprašomas e. integracijos teorinis modelis, nagrinėjama mokslinė literatūra, analizuojamas teorinis informacinių bei ryšio technologijų ir valdymo metodų santykis. Antroje dalyje gilinamasi į e. integracijos ir verslo santykį per konkrečių veiklų prizmę, analizuojami e. integraciją lemiantys veiksniai. Trečioje dalyje e. integracija analizuojama Lietuvos smulkaus ir vidutinio verslo įmonių (SVVĮ) kontekste. Analizuojami empirinio Lietuvos SVVĮ tyrimo duomenys. Darbo rengimo metu buvo atliktas Lietuvos SVVĮ tyrimas, siekiant išsiaiškinti kokie veiksniai daugiausiai įtakoja įmonių techninį ir strateginį e. integracijos lygį. Apklausos duomenų statistinės tyrimo analizės rezultatai leido daryti išvadą, kad įmonių techninei e. integracijai įtakos turi įmonės tipas, o pastarajam įtakos turi strateginė e. integracija. Duomenų analizė taip pat parodė, kad strateginė e. integracija turi daugiau įtakos techninei e. integracijai nei atvirkščiai. / This master’s paper presents a research on information and communication systems (ICS) influence of management of small and medium business enterprises (SME). An ICS penetration to business management phenomenon in this paper named as electronic integration (e. integration). E. integration consists of two major segments – technical and strategic. E. integration could be understood as a process, determined by the relationship of ICS and methods of business management. Lithuanian SME was examined in order to find witch factors has mainly influence for technical and strategic e. integration. Data of survey analysis shoved that: technical e. integration is affected by type of enterprise; type of enterprise is affected by strategic e. integration; strategic e. integration is affecting technical e. integration much stronger than technical e. integration is affecting strategic e. integration.