Determinants of website development: a study of electronic commerce in Singapore

The website is the portal through which most of the electronic transactions are conducted today. The site’s development provides a glimpse of the firm’s electronic commerce (E-commerce) strategic objectives. Yet, few studies on E-commerce have related the firm’s website to its strategy. This paper examined the relationships between the strategic variables of competitive intensity, existing competencies of the firm, firm size, and strategic commitment on the one hand, and the development of the firm’s website, on the other. We developed a model based on existing literature in E-commerce and strategy. The study was conducted with 135 firms from the travel, financial and information technology (IT) sectors in Singapore. Results show that competitive intensity, firm size and existing competencies positively influence the firm’s strategic commitment to E-commerce. The commitment in turn affects the website development. We also show that websites can be classified according to their developmental level.     

Information technology, operational, and management competencies for supply chain agility: Findings from case studies

Given the growing emphasis on the need for supply chain agility to sustain competitive advantage, this study explores the impact of the relationship between supply chain competence and supply chain agility on firm performance. Although the influence of supply chain agility on firm performance has been acknowledged, this study further articulates the relationship from the perspective of inter-organizational collaboration. We develop a conceptual model based on the resource-based view and employ a multi-case study method in this exploratory research. Our findings highlight the importance of distinguishing the difference between supply chain agility and supply chain competence and their impact on firm performance. This study contributes to the growing body of conceptual and empirical literature on supply chain agility and adds to the understanding of the complexity of supply chain competence.     

The linkage between IOS use and competitive action: a competitive dynamics perspective

The use of interorganizational systems (IOS) for competitive advantage has been the topic of much writing and research. As a successful example, American Airlines’ aggressive use of its computer-based reservation system, SABRE, has often been cited for improving operational efficiency, increasing organizational flexibility, and altering interorganizational relationships. Yet, little attention has been given to a series of competitive actions that were generated through the use of SABRE along this system’s evolutionary trajectory. These competitive actions enabled American to disrupt competitive forces and remain as a market leader in the airline industry for decades. Stimulated by American’s case and today’s widespread use of IOS, this study asks two interesting questions: “Is there a systematic link between IOS use and competitive action?” “If so, how do they relate to each other?” In addressing these questions, we adopt research from the field of competitive dynamics to examine roles of IOS in influencing firm behavior and resultant firm performance. Competitive dynamics research has shown robust relationships between measures of competitive action and firm competitiveness, but technological antecedents of competitive action have been little studied. Collecting and analyzing 12 months of data for the year 2003 from multiple secondary data sources, this study empirically investigates links between IOS uses and competitive actions for nine major sports car makers. Our findings suggest a strong link between IOS uses and competitive actions. Also, there are larger implications for information technology (IT) researchers. The novel adoption of competitive dynamics suggests the development of a new kind of IT value measure, going beyond limitations of traditional measures by recognizing competitive actions as specific moves that are first observed after undertaking initiatives aimed at enhancing competitiveness. Additional implications for IT research, methodology, and practice are discussed.     

Big data analytics capabilities: a systematic literature review and research agenda

With big data growing rapidly in importance over the past few years, academics and practitioners have been considering the means through which they can incorporate the shifts these technologies bring into their competitive strategies. To date, emphasis has been on the technical aspects of big data, with limited attention paid to the organizational changes they entail and how they should be leveraged strategically. As with any novel technology, it is important to understand the mechanisms and processes through which big data can add business value to companies, and to have a clear picture of the different elements and their interdependencies. To this end, the present paper aims to provide a systematic literature review that can help to explain the mechanisms through which big data analytics (BDA) lead to competitive performance gains. The research framework is grounded on past empirical work on IT business value research, and builds on the resource-based view and dynamic capabilities view of the firm. By identifying the main areas of focus for BDA and explaining the mechanisms through which they should be leveraged, this paper attempts to add to literature on how big data should be examined as a source of competitive advantage. To this end, we identify gaps in the extant literature and propose six future research themes.     

Exploring the relationship between big data analytics capability and competitive performance: The mediating roles of dynamic and operational capabilities

A central question for information systems (IS) researchers and practitioners is if, and how, big data can help attain a competitive advantage. To address this question, this study draws on the resource-based view, dynamic capabilities view, and on recent literature on big data analytics, and examines the indirect relationship between a firm’s big data analytics capability (BDAC) and competitive performance. The study extends existing research by proposing that BDACs enable firms to generate insight that can help strengthen their dynamic capabilities, which, in turn, positively impact marketing and technological capabilities. To test our proposed research model, we used survey data from 202 chief information officers and IT managers working in Norwegian firms. By means of partial least squares structural equation modeling, results show that a strong BDAC can help firms build a competitive advantage. This effect is not direct but fully mediated by dynamic capabilities, which exerts a positive and significant effect on two types of operational capabilities: marketing and technological capabilities. The findings suggest that IS researchers should look beyond direct effects of big data investments and shift their attention on how a BDAC can be leveraged to enable and support organizational capabilities.     

Resource-based view and competitive strategy: An integrated model of the contribution of information technology to firm performance

The contribution of IT to business performance has been studied from two main perspectives: a ‘strategy as positioning perspective,’ which underlines a market power imperative, and a resource-based view perspective, which conceptualizes the enterprise as a ‘bundle of unique resources.’ The objective of the present study is to improve our understanding of the contribution of IT to firm performance in building upon the complementarity between the two perspectives. To do so, a model proposed by [Spanos, Y.E., Lioukas, S. 2001. An examination into the causal logic of rent generation: contrasting Porter's competitive strategy framework and the resource-based perspective. Strategic Management Journal 22(10), 907–934], which comprises both a competitive strategy framework and the resource-based perspective was adapted to reflect the role played by IT. More precisely, the model encapsulates the effects of both IT support for business strategy and IT support for firm assets on firm performance. To test the model, a survey of 96 small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) was conducted.     

Sustainable supplier selection: A ranking model based on fuzzy inference system

In these days, considering the growth of knowledge about sustainability in enterprise, the sustainable supplier selection would be the central component in the management of a sustainable supply chain. In this paper the sustainable supplier selection criteria and sub-criteria are determined and based on those criteria and sub-criteria a methodology is proposed onto evaluation and ranking of a given set of suppliers. In the evaluation process, decision makers’ opinions on the importance of deciding the criteria and sub-criteria, in addition to their preference of the suppliers’ performance with respect to sub-criteria are considered in linguistic terms. To handle the subjectivity of decision makers’ assessments, fuzzy logic has been applied and a new ranking method on the basis of fuzzy inference system (FIS) is proposed for supplier selection problem. Finally, an illustrative example is utilized to show the feasibility of the proposed method.     

The synergistic effects of IT-enabled resources on organizational capabilities and firm performance

Computing the value of IT investments and clarifying how the portfolio of IT/IS resources affect a firm's performance and sustainable competitive advantage are critical issues today. We attempted to develop an effective measurement technique and use organizational theory to discover the strategic role of IT-enabled resources in the firm's competitive agenda. Based on a resource-based view of the firm, we proposed a way to evaluate the synergistic effect of such resources on the firm's capabilities, as they, influence the firms’ strategic objectives and improve its financial performance. The technological, human, and organizational resources work together to generate sub-additive cost and super-additive value synergies. Operations, R&D, and marketing capabilities allow firms to implement a business strategy that reflects its customer needs. A survey was conducted to check our framework. Our findings should provide valuable decision guides for practitioners when choosing a portfolio of IT/IS resources for implementing business strategies.     

The role of a “make” or internal human resource management system in Spanish manufacturing companies: Empirical evidence

The combined study of the literature about human resource management and the resource‐based view of the firm and organizational learning provides an analysis framework useful for understanding how strategic human resource management systems contribute to the creation and development of a sustained competitive advantage for the firm. This article has two major aims. First, it provides a conceptual framework linking simultaneously three theoretical blocks: (a) human resource management, (b) organizational learning and knowledge management, and (c) sustained competitive advantage. Second, the article builds a causal model and tests it with a sample of Spanish firms from the manufacturing industry using structural equation modeling (SEM). After the performance of a cluster analysis, a group of 72 learning firms is identified and used to test the model. Finally, major conclusions and implications for management are drawn and further avenues for research are suggested. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Understanding the Factors Affecting the Organizational Adoption of Big Data

Big data is rapidly becoming a major driver for firms seeking to gain a competitive advantage. Grounded in the Diffusion of Innovation theory (DOI), the institutional theory, and the Tech-nology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework, this study applies the results of a content analysis to develop a framework to identify the main factors affecting the organizational adoption of big data. The content analysis is based on the retrieval and review of relevant papers in the business intelligence & analytics (BI&A) literature published during the period 2009–2015. The 26 factors identified by this review are then integrated into a TOE framework. The findings of this research enrich the current big data literature and enhance practitioners’ understanding of the decision-making processes involved in a firm’s adoption of big data.     

Managing Sustainable Innovation with a User Community Toolkit: The Case of the Video Game Trackmania

Today, innovating with a user community seems an effective strategy for developing a firm's innovation capacity. However, short‐term benefits from this collaboration are no longer sufficient, and firms are now looking to develop a sustainable relationship with users, to maintain sustainable innovation. This study furthers our understanding of the way in which a user toolkit connected to a community serves to manage innovation of an existing product or service. The literature provides a limited understanding of the role of a user toolkit in the management of a sustainable innovation approach in firms. The research is based on a longitudinal case study of the video game Trackmania, which has an integrated toolkit connected to a large and active user community. Results confirm the crucial role of the toolkit in the construction, control and maintenance of a sustainable innovative approach with a user community. From the innovation perspective, the toolkit can be considered as a means of managing the boundary between the firm and the user community, because it enables the community to structure itself as a multi‐sided platform, where all categories of users participate in value creation. Finally, we identify four modalities for managing sustainable innovation with a user community toolkit.     

循环经济模式下的可持续设计

在全球环境日益恶化、资源日趋匮乏的背景下,可持续发展的思想受到了普遍的重视。可持续发展融入设计领域所形成的可持续设计也得到了普遍的关注。但是,可持续设计的理念和方法并没有快速地运用在设计项目中。可持续设计必须得到经济系统的强力支持才能得到有效的推广。循环经济就是适合可持续设计发展的经济模式。文章将从企业的角度出发,探索企业在循环经济模式下实施可持续设计的有效方式,从而推动企业设计战略的变革。     

The impact of technology capability,human resources,internationalization, market resources,and customer satisfaction on annual sales growth rates of Korean software firms

This study investigates the competitive factors of software firms that participated in the Korea Software Firm Competitiveness Awards, a nationwide project supported by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy that studies the performance of software firms in Korea. The study applies concepts from hierarchical multiple regression analysis to develop a model to assess the relationship between the competitive factors of software firms and firm performance. The developed model was validated through a field survey of 79 software firms in Korea. The survey results show a significant relationship between competitive factors and firm performance, as well as the relative influence of significant variables. The findings provide two important implications: first, from a management perspective, software firms in Korea focus on human resources based on technology development in the domestic market, and second, from a policy perspective, the government supports the establishment of external capabilities (internationalization and partnerships) for software firms. These findings are available to researchers, policy makers, software developers, and other market players, and contribute to the literature on the importance of competitive factors.     

Modern Management's Role in the Demise of Sustainable Society

This paper examines the development of modern strategic management and portrays it as a major problem-causer in modern society, rather than a problem-solver. Frederick Taylor's philosophy and practice of scientific management is alive and well, and stronger than ever, in the final decade of the 20th century. Although scientific management is a vital underpinning to strategic development in a highly competitive, productivity-conscious, organizational world, its intense, single-minded and tunnelvisioned application raises the paradox of it being at one and the same time, “saint and sinner”. Its “saint” role is that of an economic productivity enhancing, competitive capability bestower. Its “sinner” role arises because of the adverse, and potentially dangerous impact it has on rank and file personnels’commitment to, or acceptance of, the way things are in organizations and society. The paper is intended to give an airing to significant problems which are emerging in a practical and theoretical managerial world which seems otherwise to be blindly, and extremely, embracing scientific management as the rightfully dominant paradigm for modern day management strategy. It suggests tha nature of changes which might need to be made to mainstream management paradigms. The challenge is to create a society based, at least in part, on cultural values of opposite dimensions to those which underpin scientific management.     

Entrepreneurship, knowledge integration capability, and firm performance: An empirical study

From the knowledge-based view, an organization is considered an entity that integrates and distributes knowledge to produce products and services. Knowledge is acknowledged as a sustainable basis of competitive advantage that many organizations possess. Entrepreneurial activity also has been viewed as an essential feature for organizations to survive and prosper in today??s turbulent environment. In this study, we explore the effect of entrepreneurship on organizational performance through knowledge integration capability. Our research model depicts the firm as a knowledge integration institution that produces its offerings through specialized knowledge integration capability that consists of learning culture, knowledge management process, and information technology capability. The results show a strong support for the relationship between entrepreneurship and knowledge integration capability. We also found that the effect of entrepreneurial activities on firm performance was mediated by knowledge integration capability.     

Applying the analytic network process to disclose knowledge assets value creation dynamics

The recent literature grounded on the resource and knowledge-based view of the firm, has widely outlined the importance of knowledge assets as well as of the management approaches of their development. However, only few contributions have investigated the mechanisms by which these resources interact to sustain company’s value creation dynamics. In particular, there is a lack of approaches suitable to disentangle those mechanisms and to explain how knowledge assets cluster and interplay in improving organisational performance.A clear understanding of how knowledge assets take part in value creation allows to identify those knowledge assets which, due to their critical role in achieving the company’s performance objectives, need to be managed and appropriately exploited.This paper proposes a model, based on the analytic network process (ANP) methodology, to disclose and assess how knowledge assets mutually interact and take part in company’s value creation dynamics. The application of the ANP allows to reveal and to evaluate the dependencies and inter-dependencies linking knowledge assets to organisational performance objectives and to set priorities among knowledge assets against targeted performance. The application of the model is tested by its application to the identification of the knowledge assets value drivers at the basis of NPD performances improvement within an engineering company located in South of Italy.     

Competitive information systems in Australian retail banking

Competitive information systems may provide sustainable competitive advantage to a firm through the use of information technology and systems. Current research suggests generalizations about their nature, based only on a limited range of apparently successful systems from different industries and periods. However, the approach in this study is to look at one industry, and so at a set of comparable businesses and competitive information systems. The Australian banking industry, an industry in transmission from oligopoly to competition, is used as the basis for a study of competitive information system, using an industry-wide framework. Competitive information systems appear as a more complex phenomenon than is generally proposed and their use in a competitive industry seems to be characterized more by a number of small interactive moves than one sustainable competitive breakthrough.     

Commodity or competitive advantage? Analysis of the ERP value paradox

A true e-business enabled firm needs the support from a well-tuned enterprise resource planning (ERP) system for providing real time data. However, many companies complain that after their huge investments in ERP systems, they found the ERP systems do not bring them new orders, new profits, or competitive advantage as ERP vendors claim. Academic studies also found mixed results regarding ERP’s payoff. In line with resource based view (RBV), the study proposes an integrated model to shed light on the ERP value paradox. We try to answer “With what organizational resources and by building what firm specific capabilities, the investment in ERP systems may bring firms competitive advantage”. Using a sample of 150 ERP and e-business adopters in the US, we found that (1) organizational resources such as managerial skills and organizational change management play a more important role than IT resources (ERP, e-Business technologies) in generating business integration capability. (2) However, neither IT resources nor organizational resources directly provide firms with competitive advantage. Instead, business integration capability built from the two resources plays a mediating role through which business achieves competitive advantage.     

Firm orientation,community of practice,and Internet-enabled interfirm communication: Evidence from Chinese firms

What motivates firms to develop Internet-enabled interfirm communication? We draw upon the work of Alavi et al. (2005–2006) and propose that the use of the Internet in interfirm communication is influenced by a firm’s firm orientation and its internal communities of practice. Based on data collected from 307 international trade firms in the Beijing area, we find that Internet-enabled interfirm communication is directly driven by internal community of practices and customer orientation, and indirectly by competitor orientation and learning orientation. The internal community of practice is affected by learning orientation and competitor orientation, but not by customer orientation. The present study contributes to the literature by providing empirical investigation on firm’s strategic communications from the perspective of firm orientations, delineating how different firm orientations vary in impacting firm’s strategic communications, and exploring the bridging effect of communities of practices on the influences of firm orientations on knowledge management initiatives.     

Exploring the perceived business value of the flexibility enabled by information technology infrastructure

We developed a multidimensional definition of IT infrastructure (ITI) and applied it in exploring the perceived strategic payoffs of ITI-enabled flexibility. We began by developing a typology of theoretical approaches that can be used to organize the literature and then developed a multidimensional model by conceptualizing how flexibility can be enabled through technical, human, and process elements of ITI and how these are interrelated. We used a resource-based view of the firm and a dynamic capabilities perspective to account for competitive impacts of the flexibility. Finally, we hypothesized on the moderating effects of organizational size and reporting level of the top IT executive. Data collected from 293 IT managers showed that the range of managerial ITI capabilities, which were positively affected by all areas of IT personnel knowledge and skills, was responsible for the competitive impacts of the ITI-enabled flexibility. Multigroup analyses showed that large organizational size or reporting to the CEO reduced the positive effects of the range of managerial ITI capabilities on competitive impacts.