The Impact of Intrinsic Characteristics of Modularity on Supply Chain Performances

The purpose of this study is to establish the basic concept of module characteristics and to investigate how those module characteristics affecting supply chain performance through understanding of the key factors of modularization. To identify the characteristics of the modules that affect the supply chain performance, measurement items and questionnaires were constructed through literature review and in - depth interviews. Secondary factor analysis is used for determination of module characteristics. Regression analysis is applied to determine how those of characteristics of modularity affect the supply chain. The purpose of this study is to construct and demonstrate questionnaires on the module characteristics that are conceptually presented in the previous research. In this study, component commonality, component combinability, functional binding, interface standardization, and decomposability are presented reflecting the characteristics of module characteristics proposed by Salvador (2007) and Vickery et al., (2016). This study verified how these characteristics affect supply chain performance. This study is expected to contribute to the follow - up studies on the module by empirically analyzing the main characteristics of the module. Since the causal relationship between module and supply chain performance is demonstrated, it can be suggested how the module specifically affects supply chain performance. The results of this study are expected to contribute greatly to firms.