Information Sharing in Independent Dyadic Business Relstionships : A Case Study of Four Focal Companies in the Clothes Manufacturing Industry of Imbaba and Warrak, Great Cairo, Egypt. 

Abstract:     Purpose - The purpose of the thesis is to record the content of the information shared by buyer to supplier in independent dyadic business relationships in the clothes manufacturing industry of Imbaba and Warrak, Great Cairo, Egypt. The objective is as well to describe how this sharing is managed in terms of communication frequency, order cycle time and information technology used. Methodology – A case study was performed on four companies in the clothes manufacturing industry of Imbaba and Warrak, Egypt. The empirical data was collected through six semi-structured interviews. The results were thereafter analyzed through a summarized framework. Findings - The content of shared information is mainly of traditional character, nevertheless do 50 % of the relationships as well include elements of additional soft information. When the information sharing is performed through regular communication do the frequency vary with an average of 0.43, once every 2.3 days. The order cycle times vary from delivery the same day as order placement to three days after order placement, with an average of 0.5 days. The information is shared through two different information technologies: face-to-face and telephone. Research implications – Imbaba and Warrak are considered one of the poorest districts in the Great Cairo region. The region has although seen great development the last 12-15 years and is today a main district for the industry of clothes manufacturing in Cairo. The role of information sharing yet appears to be poorly examined. Originality/value - Making the situation evident to the case companies will impact on their possibilities to make further improvements within the area of information sharing. Key words Information sharing, dependence, independence, dyad, content, frequency, order cycle time, information technologies. Paper type Bachelor Thesis