The adoption of consortium B2B e-marketplaces: An exploratory study

Despite the considerable number of electronic B2B marketplaces formed and the benefits cited as arising from their use, many have gone out of business. This exploratory study seeks to provide a qualitative exposition of the specific factors influencing the adoption of consortium-owned B2B e-marketplaces. The study is based upon case studies of twelve companies trading through three different consortium B2B e-marketplaces. Twenty-six specific factors are identified and their impact on adoption is discussed. The identification of a significant number of factors specific to this domain provides real meaning and depth to those interested in the future of e-marketplaces. In particular, the factors identified provide those that operate such e-marketplaces with a detailed and actionable understanding of the issues they should address in order to survive, and provide users or potential users of consortium marketplaces with a practical framework with which to assess individual marketplaces. The factors can also form the basis of future studies of other types of marketplaces and of quantitative studies of adoption.     

Automotive e-hubs: Exploring motivations and barriers to collaboration and interaction

Business-to-business electronic marketplaces or ‘e-hubs’ `are increasingly being adopted by organizations seeking to achieve dramatic reductions in cost. While initially heralded in such industries as the automotive sector as the key to restructuring old economy firms, the claims for e-hubs appear optimistic. This paper explores collaboration and interaction by examining four cases of e-hub adoption by vehicle manufacturers and suppliers. A conceptual framework emerges from this examination that helps to assess the real benefits of electronic applications—not the hyperbole—by revealing firm and industry level motivations and barriers. The framework explains the dissonance between expected and realised benefits, and extends the literature on IS barriers. The investigation concludes with recommendations for how best to adopt e-hubs in terms of supply topology, buyer–supplier relationships, leadership, and the threat of disbenefit from e-hubs.     

Becoming agile together: Customer influence on agile adoption within commissioned software teams

Despite the ongoing expansion of agile practices beyond software firms, agile adoption remains risky, challenging, and poorly understood. Although agile practices emphasize self-organization and customer collaboration, we know little about how customers influence agile adoption within self-organizing teams. Here, we analyze how a commissioned software team engaged in customer collaboration during agile adoption at a Danish IT service provider. Our case study shows that the software team's transition to self-organized teamwork practices, agile planning routines, and active customer engagement was mutually dependent on the customer's trust in the software team and flexible collaborative routines. As a result, we advance a theoretical perspective of customer influence on agile adoption within commissioned software teams, implying that both software teams and customers need to navigate a contradictory tension between self-organization and collaboration to become agile together.     

Large-scale coordination: developing a framework to evaluate socio-technical and collaborative issues

Collaborative logistics, logistics-based networks, focused logistics, and distributed adaptive logistics refer to innovative approaches to logistics planning/execution encompassing automated, adaptive technologies, and proactive human collaboration. Because these approaches are collaborative and distributed in nature, they create novel challenges for coordination and collaboration within socio-technical systems, which encompass the collaborative technologies, the people or machines engaged in collaboration, and the social context of collaboration and coordination. The present challenges need to be met by theoretical models incorporating multidisciplinary perspectives in the study of collaboration. The current paper introduces a collaboration framework which may inform the design and implementation of collaborative technologies and systems, to include distributed logistics teams, from a socio-technical perspective.     

A framework to assess the factors affecting success or failure of the implementation of government-supported regional e-marketplaces for SMEs

Regional electronic marketplaces (REMs) have been used to promote e-commerce uptake by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). However, the community and regional economic development motives underpinning REM creation can cause complexities. While REM development and management can be informed by existing theoretical frameworks, there is no comprehensive framework that can be used to examine the factors affecting the success or failure of government-supported SME-REMs. The objective of this paper is to construct such a framework that can be used to examine these factors. The literature on e-marketplaces and IT/IS/e-commerce adoption by SMEs is examined to determine the appropriateness of existing theoretical frameworks, the key constructs of which are synthesised to form an integrated theoretical framework. The value of the framework is confirmed by content analysis of published case studies and empirical results from in-depth case studies of two SME-REMs. The most significant factors affecting success or failure of government-supported SME-REMs are as follows: SME-owner innovativeness; REM ownership structure and governance that engender trust and build critical mass by including SMEs in REM development and management; matching REM focus and structure with regional profile by leveraging community ties and existing business relationships; adopting a staged approach to REM development; and ensuring REM benefits are understood by SMEs.     

Institution-based trust in interorganizational exchange relationships: the role of online B2B marketplaces on trust formation

Given the uncertainty of online transactions, the digital economy encourages the creation of institutional structures that assure online interorganizational exchange relationships. This research examines how institution-based trust develops in online B2B marketplaces to facilitate interorganizational trust (buyers' trust in sellers). Building upon the notion of institutional trust [Zucker,1986], this study proposes how specific institution-based structures help engender interorganizational trust and indirectly influence transaction success in B2B marketplaces. Five specific institution-based mechanisms are proposed—perceived monitoring, perceived legal bonds, perceived accreditation, perceived feedback, and perceived cooperative norms. To assess the influence of the proposed two dimensions of interorganizational trust—credibility and benevolence—in buyer–seller relationships, three trust outcomes are examined—satisfaction, perceived risk, and continuity. The proposed model is tested on data from 102 organizational buyers in an online B2B marketplace. The results support the proposed model, delineating the relationship between institution-based trust and interorganizational trust. The study provides evidence on how specific institutional mechanisms build trust in online B2B marketplaces, stressing the ability of institution-based trust to build a trustworthy trading environment in the digital economy. The paper discusses the theoretical and managerial implications of this study and proposes several suggestions for future research.     

Virtual marketplaces: Building Management Information Systems for internet brokerage

On the World Wide Web (WWW), an increasing number of new trading forms for brokerage of business transactions are emerging. Almost inevitably, central contactpoints on the WWW are being formed, so-called virtual marketplaces, where supply and demand meet. The organisation they require is carried out by a central operator, who offers his brokerage services on a business footing. The aim of this paper is the generation of practical components of a Management Information System (MIS) for such marketplaces that are only accessible online. To do this, the theoretical assumptions of virtual marketplaces are combined with a case study of a German internet-broker for used cars.     

All in good time: knowledge introduction,restructuring, and development of shared opinions as different stages in collaborative writing

When learners collaborate with each other in order to elaborate on a particular subject, this collaboration may be influenced by the differing perspectives the learners have on the topic. There has been very little research to date on how differing perspectives have an impact in collaboration situations in which people are supposed to form a shared opinion on a particular topic. In this study, we analyzed which stages people’s activities pass through on their way to reaching shared opinions in a collaborative writing task. We examined how dyads of secondary school students, who in a previous instructional session had dealt with differing theoretical approaches to media effects, collaborated in writing a shared text about the topic of media violence. Quantitative analysis indicated that the participants engaged in different activities at different stages of the collaboration processes: In the early stages they were predominantly engaged in introducing the knowledge that they had acquired in the previous lesson. This activity was replaced in the middle stage of the collaboration by restructuring activities. Forming and phrasing shared opinions rarely occurred until very late in the collaboration, but played the leading role in the final stage. We applied a qualitative content analysis to illustrate these different activities by presenting examples of the collaboratively written texts. In doing so, we discuss the distinct activities as well as their character and functionalities for collaboration.     

An impact-oriented maturity model for IT-based case management

Case management comprises various complex activities. Consequently, case managers have to balance very diverging requirements and needs, while at the same time facing increasingly complex decisions. Case management software systems (CMS) provide capabilities such as information assessment and handling, decision and collaboration management as well as flexible process guidance to support case managers. When introducing a CMS into an organization, a maturity model of IT-based case management helps in mastering different levels of technology adoption by exploiting technological benefits and carefully addressing associated risks. In this paper, we propose the C3M maturity model for IT-based case management that links maturity levels with sets of capabilities that are typical for case management in social work, health care, and the handling of complex claims in insurance. The model focuses on the impact of technology and is linked to a map of benefits and risks across five impact areas. Each impact area is characterized by six impact factors that we consider as especially important when managing IT technology adoption within case management.     

Using online collaboration applications for group assignments: The interplay between design and human characteristics

In recent years, educators and students are increasingly employing online collaboration applications such as Google Docs™ and PBWorks™ for group projects and assignments. Yet, the effectiveness of these emerging technologies has not been rigorously examined. Anchoring upon and informed by the existing literature, two design characteristics – sociability and visibility, and two human characteristics – gender and age, are focused on, which are salient in online collaboration applications. A field experiment was conducted to examine the direct and moderating effects of design and human characteristics on learning outcomes. The research found that sociability improved process satisfaction and positive social environment while visibility enhanced academic performance and solution satisfaction of learners. Males had higher solution satisfaction while older learners had higher academic performance. Moderating effects were also found. Both theoretical and practical implications are drawn. In particular, a rubric for online collaboration application selection for academic performance is conceived. This study provides empirical support for online collaboration application effectiveness in education which will augur well for future adoption, use and evolution.     

面向用户的移动实时事务并发控制策略

-可串行化、 可串行化、准一致性可串行化等现有面向事务的放松可串行化正确性准则虽能帮助更多无线通信事务满足其截止期要求，但会导致数据的受限不一致。该文针对移动实时环境和应用，形式化定义并分析了 可串行化和 可串行化2种新的面向用户的并发控制策略，它们都比冲突可串行化宽松，但都能始终保证移动用户读取数据的一致性。     

Predicting open IOS adoption in SMEs: An integrated SEM-neural network approach

This research examines the predictors of open interorganizational systems (IOS) adoption by using RosettaNet as a case study. The model used in this research derived its theoretical supports from literature related to interorganizational relationships and knowledge management studies. A sequential, multi-method approach integrating both structural equation modeling (SEM) and neural network analysis was employed in this research. Data was collected from 136 small and medium sized enterprises (SME). Our result showed that interorganizational relationships such as communication, collaboration and information sharing play an important role in SMEs’ RosettaNet adoption decisions. Knowledge management practices such as knowledge application, knowledge acquisition and knowledge dissemination also influenced SMEs’ decision to adopt RosettaNet. The findings are useful for decision makers to understand how they can improve the adoption of RosettaNet in their organizations. Unlike previous studies, this research provided additional insights into what influence the adoption of RosettaNet by examining variables beyond the traditional technological attributes which have been studied quite extensively. By integrating SEM with artificial intelligence techniques such as neural network, this study also examined the non-linear and non-compensatory relationships involved in the adoption of RosettaNet.     

An equilibrium analysis of market selection strategies and fee strategies in competing double auction marketplaces

In this paper, we propose a game-theoretic framework for analysing competing double auction marketplaces that vie for traders and make profits by charging fees. Firstly, we analyse the equilibrium strategies for the traders’ market selection decision for given market fees using evolutionary game theory. Using this approach, we investigate how traders dynamically change their strategies, and thus, which equilibrium, if any, can be reached. In so doing, we show that, when the same type of fees are charged by two marketplaces, it is unlikely that competing marketplaces will continue to co-exist when traders converge to their equilibrium market selection strategies. Eventually, all the traders will congregate in one marketplace. However, when different types of fees are allowed (registration fees and profit fees), competing marketplaces are more likely to co-exist in equilibrium. We also find that sometimes all the traders eventually migrate to the marketplace that charges higher fees. We then further analyse this phenomenon, and specifically analyse how bidding strategies and random exploration of traders affects this migration respectively. Secondly, we analyse the equilibrium strategies of the marketplaces when they have the ability to vary their fees in response to changes in the traders’ market selection strategies. In this case, we consider the competition of the marketplaces as a two-stage game, where the traders’ market selection strategies are conditional on the market fees. In particular, we use a co-evolutionary approach to analyse how competing marketplaces dynamically set fees while taking into account the dynamics of the traders’ market selection strategies. In so doing, we find that two identical marketplaces undercut each other, and they will eventually charge the minimal fee as we set that guarantees positive market profits for them. Furthermore, we extend the co-evolutionary analysis of the marketplaces’ fee strategies to more general cases. Specifically, we analyse how an initially disadvantaged marketplace with an adaptive fee strategy can outperform an initially advantaged one with a fixed fee strategy, or even one with an adaptive fee strategy, and how competing marketplaces evolve their fee strategies when different types of fees are allowed.     

Business value of B2B electronic commerce: the critical role of inter-firm collaboration

B2B (business-to-business) electronic commerce provides firms with different business value depending on how organizations use the online network. In this paper, we distinguish two different types of B2B e-commerce adoption: basic and collaborative B2B e-commerce. With “basic B2B e-commerce”, firms implement the electronic network simply to automate the exchange of commercial documents. In contrast, B2B networks are used to create new inter-firm operations with channel partners in “collaborative B2B e-commerce.” The central claim of this paper is that firms are unlikely to achieve significant benefits with Basic B2B e-commerce. B2B electronic networks offer dramatic performance improvement only when the B2B network is used to create new collaboration with channel partners. Based on the survey conducted in the grocery industry, this study suggests that the real source of performance improvement in the B2B electronic commerce is not an electronic linkage itself, but the collaboration enabled by the electronic network.     

Planning and monitoring the execution of web service requests

Interaction with web services enabled marketplaces would be greatly facilitated if users were given a high level service request language to express their goals in complex business domains. This can be achieved by using a planning framework which monitors the execution of planned goals against predefined standard business processes and interacts with the user to achieve goal satisfaction. We present a planning architecture that accepts high level requests, expressed in a service request language known as XSRL. The planning framework is based on the principle of interleaving planning and execution. This is accomplished on the basis of refinement and revision as new service-related information is gathered from service repositories such as UDDI and web services instances, and as execution circumstances necessitate change. The planning system interacts with the user whenever confirmation or verification is needed.     

Towards a theory of delegation for agent-based systems

In this paper a theory of delegation is presented. There are at least three reasons for developing such a theory. First, one of the most relevant notions of “agent” is based on the notion of “task” and of “on behalf of”. In order to found this notion a theory of delegation among agents is needed. Second, the notion of autonomy should be based on different kinds and levels of delegation. Third, the entire theory of cooperation and collaboration requires the definition of the two complementary attitudes of goal delegation and adoption linking collaborating agents.

After motivating the necessity for a principled theory of delegation (and adoption) the paper presents a plan-based approach to this theory. We analyze several dimensions of the delegation/adoption (on the basis of the interaction between the agents, of the specification of the task, of the possibility to subdelegate, of the delegation of the control, of the help levels). The agent's autonomy and levels of agency are then deduced. We describe the modelling of the client from the contractor's point of view and vice versa, with their differences, and the notion of trust that directly derives from this modelling.

Finally, a series of possible conflicts between client and contractor are considered: in particular collaborative conflicts, which stem from the contractor's intention to help the client beyond its request or delegation and to exploit its own knowledge and intelligence (reasoning, problem solving, planning, and decision skills) for the client itself.     

Acceptance of Corporate Blogs for Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing

ABSTRACT

This study investigates employees’ acceptance of corporate Web 2.0 applications for collaboration and knowledge sharing. Results show that altruism, managerial support, and perceived usefulness are good predictors of the intention to use corporate blogs as tools for collaboration and knowledge sharing. The study further explores differences between employees from companies with low and high adoption rates, and uses prediction-oriented segmentation to unveil two different paths to adoption of Web 2.0 collaborative tools in companies.     

The relationship between information and communication technologies adoption and management

This paper examines the impact of information and communication technologies (ICT) adoption on management praxis. The study, building on the theoretical framework developed by Scott Morton and his colleagues, attempts to identify the dynamic relationships between ICT adoption and management efforts towards modernization and reorganization. Using data from leading Greek firms, we report evidence as to how changes in strategy, organizational structure, management systems, and human skills link with the current and prospective level of use of various types of advanced ICT. Findings generally appear to suggest that Greek firms are in a process of recognizing the potential of ICT to enable and support changes that are necessary for successfully competing in a hyper-competitive environment. In particular, ICT adoption is shown to affect strategy by supporting long-term strategic objectives and the quest for profitability. Indirectly, it also links to strategic planning systems. ICT is found to be related to an internal environment characterized by open organization and flexibility. Finally, the results show that the sample firms recognize the need for multi-skilled personnel to exploit the advantages stemming from ICT adoption.     

IT non-conformity in institutional environments: E-marketplace adoption in the government sector

Institutional authority is a factor that impacts adoption of IT. Institutional theory incorporates three different but complimentary perspectives and we used these to develop a layered analysis of IT adoption in organizations. We used a case study of State Government agencies in Australia to show how layers of authority influenced the adoption or rejection of technology and that such forces varied in their influence over time. Based on this, we proposed the notion of patterns of conformity and non-conformity which recognise the changes in levels of compliance over time as organizational forces arise. In particular, the alignment of layers of authority acts to ensure conformity with or rejection of IT adoption decisions.     

System sourcing and information processing capability in supply chains: a study of small suppliers

Although the adoption of inter-organizational systems (IOS) has been studied extensively in the existing literature, relatively little research attention has been paid to how small firms in supply chains are influenced by their larger partners in making their system sourcing decisions. In this study, we examine how small suppliers may choose their system sourcing approaches to better serve and collaborate with their large customers in supply chains. Our empirical findings suggest that information processing requirements and collaboration needs drive small suppliers to adopt more commercial off-the-shelf software package (i.e., external sourcing) to build their IOSs. Moreover, we find that small suppliers take such external sourcing as a way to achieve system effectiveness and enhance their information processing capabilities. The findings of this study generate important theoretical and managerial implications for IOS adoption and organizational information processing.