Suppliers’ behavior on the post-adoption stage of business-to-business e-reverse auctions: An empirical study

Reverse e-auctions are increasingly being used as an alternative business-to-business e-procurement model to exchange products and services among enterprises. Despite their high interest from the academic community, there has been limited empirical study focusing on their post-adoption stage. Based on extant literature dealing with their e-business model and building on emerging concepts in B2B e-commerce, this paper intends to investigate the impact of various factors on suppliers’ level of use of e-reverse auctions by examining their internal and external environment. A relevant conceptual framework is developed and examined on data collected from 60 supplying firms that currently utilize e-reverse auctions. These are analyzed through factor analysis and multiple discriminant analysis. Findings show that firms get influenced to a greater extent by their top management strategic practices and competitors’ business actions. The results also provide interesting insights and useful hints to both researchers and practitioners.     

A Business-Oriented Management Framework for Mobile Communication Systems

The incremental efforts needed to manage low-level radio access network decisions from a business-perspective have received little attention so far. This paper considers the influence of business-level indicators on network management decisions related to low-level network control mechanisms. It provides a formal understanding of all involved aspects, the representation of the adjustable parameters, and the network control mechanisms that enable the reconfiguration of access network entities from a business perspective (i.e., users?? information, operator??s goals). The effectiveness of our approach is validated through a simulation environment that we developed on OPNET.     

R&D project selection using the analytic network process

The analytic network process (ANP) is presented as a potentially valuable method to support the selection of projects in a research and development (R&D) environment. This paper first discusses the requirements of the R&D project selection problem, which requires the allocation of resources to a set of competing and often disparate project proposals. Among the factors complicating this task is the need to make the decision within the framework of an enterprise's strategic objectives and organizational structure while considering and integrating financial and strategic benefits of each project. The paper discusses the use of the ANP, a general form of Saaty's analytic hierarchy process, as a model to evaluate the value of competing R&D project proposals. A generic ANP model developed by the authors, which includes in its decision levels the actors involved in the decision, the stages of research, categories of metrics, and individual metrics, is presented. The paper concludes with a case study describing the implementation of this model at a small high-tech company, including data based on the actual use of the decision making model     

企业战略驱动的QoS属性相关Web 服务选择与部署方法

将业务与面向服务的体系(SOA)结合受到企业决策者越来越高的重视,这种结合利用信息技术优势提高了企业的业务性能。SOA具有可重用和松耦合的技术特点,可以很好地保证业务的敏捷性。然而,当面对如何选择和部署Web服务这样的技术问题时,企业的战略目标经常被忽略。为了解决该问题,同时考虑到服务QoS属性的相关性可以更准确地反映属性的重要程度,该文提出了一种改进的层次分析法来综合技术和战略方面的决策,帮助企业决策者更好地使用Web 服务实现企业战略目标。     

An Empirical Study of E-Business Implementation Process in China

E-business successes in traditional organizations have prompted much interest among researchers in many disciplines such as strategic management, information systems, and economics. However, the complexity of e-business implementation process has been overlooked, and it remains unclear. This paper investigates causal relationships among strategic initiative, information technology (IT)-related resources, and e-business capabilities; and their roles in the implementation process. From the resource-based view (RBV) of a firm and e-business strategic standpoint, we propose a model of e-business implementation process. We divide the process into four stages, and 11 hypotheses are developed in seeking relationships among six proposed constructs. Drawing from a sample of 56 enterprises within Hubei Province in China, we provide theoretical support for a critical causal link from e-business strategic initiatives to utilization of IT-related resources, and consequently, creating distinctive e-business capabilities. We find that information sharing capabilities are intermediate and transferable forces that help translating IT-related organizational resources into the collaborative process capabilities. The causal relationships expand our understanding of the dynamics of organizational transformation enabled by the Internet. The practical implications offer managers guidelines to the roles played by strategy, resource, and capabilities for e-business success. It helps in recognizing the value of their potential contributions to the organization as a whole.     

Analyzing the Success Drivers of e-Business Companies

Although there is a growing amount of theoretical literature, only limited attention has been allocated to empirically determine the relative influence of a broad set of strategic success factors of e-business companies across several industries. We concentrate on the impact of marketing strategies and chosen business models and differentiate between direct and indirect drivers on revenue and profitability in order to estimate the total effect of a certain strategy or business model. Based on a survey of 147 e-businesses from different industries we empirically test, with the help of seemingly unrelated regression models, the relative importance of the various strategy elements. Our estimation results show that business models where the firm profits from transactions (e.g., via fixed access or usage fees) and is able to sell pricy products and services are well suited to reach profitability. The by far most important element of the marketing strategy is the achieved customer satisfaction, which has a significant and strong effect on revenue, but only a moderate direct effect on profitability. Due to our modeling approach we find that the total elasticity of this element of the marketing strategy is driven by the indirect effect from revenue on profitability     

Management of Address Information to Improve Quality of Customer Contact

Customer relationship management systems are gaining importance in today's business environment since customer satisfaction is crucial to the success of an enterprise, and especially so in e-business environment where customers can find substitute suppliers quite easily. In CRM, the quality of customer information is very important, and the address information even more so. It is because the address information plays a major role for customer contact channel and for timely and effective marketing service. Furthermore, it gives the basic source of geographic information for the offline delivery, the terminal activity of the e-commerce. In this study, we analyze various standards and proposals for the address information, and propose data models for the management of the information focusing on address components, and proto-type systems for management and service.     

Functional perspectives on innovation: The correlates of innovationin the marketing and manufacturing functions

Existing knowledge about the correlates of innovation and the context of strategic decisions is used to develop propositions about the differences in the correlates of innovation in marketing and manufacturing functions. The theoretical model proposed is eclectic: it draws upon theory development in the fields of economics, engineering management, and corporate strategy. It is proposed that manufacturing managers link their innovation decisions to their assessment of the product's uniqueness in comparison with competitor's products. In contrast, marketing managers link their innovation decisions to the clarity of innovation objectives based on the customers' needs. The analysis of data from key informants in 172 firms is used to test the propositions. Whereas product uniqueness and clarity are significant correlates of innovation in the total sample, support is found for the proposition that the manufacturing subgroup focuses more on clarity     

Product Innovation in High-tech SMEs: A Case Study of Weili Electronics Co., Ltd

Product innovation is an important strategy for high-tech firms, especially for small and medium enterprises. This paper proposes that the technological strategies for SMEs are dynamic and during different phase, there is different innovation strategy which leads to various market performances. In particular, through the case study of Weili Electronics Co., Ltd, we find that organizational learning abilities play a fundamental role in strategic decision. In addition, the frameworks for the determinants of technological strategies in three stages are established to illustrate the evolutionary processes of product innovation in Weili Electronics Co., Ltd.     

Product Innovation in High-tech SMEs： A Case Study of Weili Electronics Co., Ltd

Scholars argue that product innovation is a critical strategy for the high-tech small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Despite of its potential attractive, the empirical findings on the impact of product innovation strategy on SMEs performance appear inconclusive. In fact, Capon et al. found that empirical results of prior researches have been mixed, with over two-thirds of the studies finding a positive relationship between product innovation strategy and firm performance, and the rest findin…     

Identifying E-Business Models: A Value Chain-Based Analysis

E-business will change the ways that all companies do business, and most traditional businesses will evolve from their current business model to a combination of place and space via e-business model. To choose the proper e-business model becomes the important strategic concern for company to succeed. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the analysis framework for identifying e-business model. Based on the e-business process, from the value chain to the value net perspective. This paper provides a theoretical framework for identifying e-business models, and results in 11 e-business models. The strategic intend of every e-business model is discussed in the end of this paper. An enterprise e-business model design and implementation can be specified by the combination of one or more among 11 e-business models.     

Identifying E-Business Model: A Value Chain-Based Analysis

E-business will change the ways that all companies do business, and most traditional businesses will evolve from their current business model to a combination of place and space via e-business model. To choose the proper e-business model becomes the important strategic concern for company to succeed. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the analysis framework for identifying e-business model. Based on the e-business process, from the value chain to the value net perspective. This paper provides a theoretical framework for identifying e-business models, and results in 11 e-business models. The strategic intend of every e-business model is discussed in the end of this paper. An enterprise e-business model design and implementation can be specified by the combination of one or more among 11 e-business models.     

How Do Knowledge Management Announcements Affect Firm Value? A Study of Firms Pursuing Different Business Strategies

The importance of knowledge management (KM) efforts is well recognized in the popular and academic press. However, KM efforts do not always lead to improved firm performance. This paper argues that different kinds of KM efforts may be appropriate for firms pursuing different business strategies, and the impact of a KM effort on firm performance would depend on whether the effort is aligned with the firm's business strategy. Prior literature on organizational learning, KM, and business strategy is used to develop these arguments, and also to identify the nature of KM efforts that would be most appropriate for firms pursuing Defender, Analyzer, and Prospector business strategies. An event study is used to evaluate the stock market reaction to a firm's public announcement of the KM effort. The empirical results, based on 103 KM announcements from 1995 to 2002, are consistent with the theory-based expectations, showing alignment between the KM effort and business strategy to be positively associated with impact on firm value. Some of the implications of these results for practice and future research are examined.     

Manufacturing Strategy and Business Strategy in Medium-Sized Enterprises: Performance Effects of Strategic Alignment

It is generally recognized that a firm's manufacturing strategy is effective to the extent that it is ldquoalignedrdquo with the business strategy and provides the firm with a competitive advantage. Given a conceptualization of business strategy through Miles and Snow's typology (prospectors, analyzers, and defenders), the aim of this research is threefold. First, one seeks to identify the performance outcomes of strategic alignment in terms of the productivity and profitability of medium-sized enterprises (ME). Second, this research aims to verify if these outcomes are valid for all strategic types or only for some. Third, to find out what manufacturing strategy is the most appropriate for each business strategy type. A research model and hypothesis are tested with survey data obtained from 150 Canadian MEs. Significant performance outcomes of alignment are found, thus validating the research model and confirming the main research proposition. Differences between strategic types are also found in terms of performance outcomes. Results indicate that each type of business strategy deploys advanced manufacturing systems (AMS) differently by assimilating and integrating various types of manufacturing technologies. Results suggest that ME owner-managers must assess their firm's level of AMS assimilation in light of their strategic objectives.     

Innovation strategy and the R&D-marketing interface in Japanesefirms: a contingency perspective

This study proposes a contingency model suggesting that a firm's strategic position will affect cross-functional involvement and information sharing between R&D and marketing departments in five major new product development stages, as well as the quality of R&D-marketing relations and organizational structure. To test the model, the authors surveyed 274 R&D managers and 264 marketing managers in 315 Japanese high-technology firms. The results indicate that, contrary to anecdotal suppositions of Japanese firm homogeneity, Japanese firms differ among themselves and among the strategic types in several important ways. The results also suggest that the level of R&D-marketing integration should be contingent on new product development strategy, making uniform promotion of cross-functional team integration questionable. Despite the differences in innovation strategy pursued by aggressive new product developers versus nonaggressive new product developers, all three strategic types rank the stages of innovation in a similar manner     

The strategic capacity-expansion model for a newsprint firm

It is pointed out that capacity expansion decisions in a capital-intensive industry determine to a large extent the fate of a firm, especially in an oligopolistic industry facing cyclical commodity markets where all firms endure the consequences of mistaken decisions, not only their own but also those of others. A model for helping firms with their capacity and production decisions in the newsprint industry in North America is presented. The model explicitly considers strategic interactions between firms in the industry, both in making short-term production decisions and in deciding on the expansion of capacity. The Nash equilibrium-solution concept is used to identify actions to be taken by the competing firms. Results validating the model are presented and an example of its use for strategic experiments is provided     

Developing a sourcing strategy for IS: a behavioral decisionprocess and framework

A framework and process are developed for considering outsourcing, insourcing, internal markets and strategic alliance alternative sourcing strategies for information systems (IS) activities. The framework is behavioral in nature in that it mimics the way in which people actually make decisions. An activity whose sourcing is to be evaluated is initially assessed in terms of two criteria: critical success factor and core competency, which, respectively, reflect the traditional industrial economics paradigm and the more-recent resource-based theory of the firm. The two criteria, each at three possible levels, suggest a preliminary strategy that is used to begin a decision-making process for which the framework suggests consequences, both direct and unintended, that may be used to comprehensively evaluate the “working” strategy. The framework suggests consequences and issues for consideration that are derived from “lessons learned” from many real sourcing situations as well as research results. These issues are also intended to be suggestive of other issues that may apply to the particular decision situation. The framework and process should permit the comprehensive evaluation of a sourcing strategy for an IS activity in a fashion that uses rigorous theory-based criteria to support a judgmental decision process     

Personal Data Use and Morality in the E-Business Environment

This paper deals with personal data use by firms in the e-business environment from the viewpoint of business administration and information ethics. Whereas the tremendous development of information and communication technology (ICT) has made it easier for firms to acquire, store, share,and utilise personal data on their customers, firms that use personal data are exposed to risks related to privacy issues. Since individuals fear the invasion of their privacy, the failure of a firm to appear or remain trustworthy would make it difficult for it to maintain accurate, up-to-date databases and to construct desirable business processes, which would affect the bottom line. Therefore, modem firms should do what they can to ensure that their customers trust them. For them, one promising way to remain trustworthy is to behave as a moral agent. Although it is difficult for any firm to meet the conditions necessary to be a moral agent, competence in behaving as a moral agent is a hard-to-imitate capability of firms for which personal data use is vital for enjoying the benefits of business relationships in the e-business environment.