Implications for strategic IS research of the resource-based theory of the firm: A reflection

This paper reviews key concepts from the resource-based theory (RBT) of the firm, including evidence of “empirical support” for RBT. However, the paper then turns the conventional logic of empirical testing of RBT on its head, and argues that all that empirical testing does is to show researchers’ success in identifying valuable, rare, inimitable, and non-substitutable (VRIN) resources. Examining the IS literature from this perspective, the paper identifies a number of resources that really do seem to have been sources of competitive advantage. It concludes with recommendations on how RBT should be used in future strategic IS research.     

Inside the adaptive enterprise: an information technology capabilities perspective on business process agility

Recent innovations in utility computing, web services, and service-oriented architectures, combined with a growing array of IT skills, have improved firms’ ability to be more agile in responding to change. Using the resource-based view of the firm, prior research suggests that IT resources, in isolation, are unlikely to yield superior performance and so as firms try to boost their agility, the question becomes how to configure IT resources to prepare for, or react to, change. In this paper, we posit that managerial IT capabilities based on IT-business partnerships, strategic planning, and ex-post IT project analysis lead to the development of technical IT capabilities associated with a flexible IT infrastructure which in turn drives agility or a firm’s ability to react to change in its products and markets. Using data from matched surveys of IT and business executives in 241 firms, we find that managerial and technical capabilities affect agility. In further testing, we reveal that in a stable setting, technical IT capabilities are more important to agility than managerial IT capabilities, while in a dynamic setting, the opposite is true. Thus, for firms operating in volatile markets, effective models of managerial IT governance are essential for delivering superior agility or adaptiveness.

应用信息技术提高小学语文教学效率

随着小学实施新课程标准的速度越来越快,农村小学语文教学理念必须更新,教学方法与教学手段也必须与时俱进。充分使用现在学校的有利数字化条件,提高课堂效率,不断激发学生学习兴趣;努力创设精彩的教学情境,以提高学生学习积极性;同事还应充分挖掘信息教育技术内在优势,来提高学生的创新能力;我们广大教师对信息技术不仅要合理利用,还要创新运用,把信息技术优势与传统教学手段优点有机结合,进行优化组合,在教学实践中,不断探索新的教育教学手段,提高小学语文教学效率。     

Explaining IT governance disclosure through the constructs of IT governance maturity and IT strategic role

This study investigates the relation between the maturity of IT governance processes and the IT governance disclosure of firms. Furthermore, it examines whether the strategic role of IT in an industry induces systematic variation in IT governance disclosure. Based on a content analysis of annual reports and a field survey on the maturity of the implementation of COBIT processes, the results demonstrate a role of IT governance frameworks in stimulating accountability and transparency via enhanced external reporting of relevant IT information to external stakeholders, in particular in settings where the strategic role of IT is high.     

Digital systems and competitive responsiveness: The dynamics of IT business value

The mechanics of competition involve perception and reaction to competitor moves. Both incur delays that can be reduced by digital systems. Using system dynamics and the Red Queen paradigm, we modeled the impact of IT investments on response delays and business value, with the following results: (a) value has significant transient components; (b) value depends on investment level and the relative delays of competitors; and (c) relative delays affect the first-mover advantage. These results show that when assessing the value of IT investments, it is important to consider (a) the temporal pattern of benefits, not just their total magnitude, and (b) the impact of ongoing moves by competitors.     

Assessing the determinants of cloud computing adoption: An analysis of the manufacturing and services sectors

Many factors influence the adoption of cloud computing. Organizations must systematically evaluate these factors before deciding to adopt cloud-based solutions. To assess the determinants that influence the adoption of cloud computing, we develop a research model based on the innovation characteristics from the diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory and the technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework. Data collected from 369 firms in Portugal are used to test the related hypotheses. The study also investigates the determinants of cloud-computing adoption in the manufacturing and services sectors.     

Information technology's strategic impact on the American air travel service industry

The air travel service industry is in a period of rapid change. Within the last year, several new information technology (IT) applications have been introduced that may affect traditional relationships between airlines, travel agencies, and the corporate entities who purchase travel service. Information technology promises to have a strategic impact on the structure of the industry and the ways in which travel agencies compete. This paper describes such emerging IT applications and discusses their strategic implications.     

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.     

Strategic dependence on the IT resource and outsourcing: A test of the strategic control model

Using resource dependency theory (RDT), this research analyzes how organizations control their information technology resources to improve organizational performance. According to RDT, organizations must manage their dependency on external organizations and limit external dependencies when resources are considered critical. The current study proposes and tests a portion of a Strategic Control Model positing that managers seek to control important, strategic resources in order to create value for the firm and to avoid dependency on external entities. Utilizing a research design that captured extensive quantitative data on the control of IT functions and services, the research team gathered 5 years of data on 54 business units (BUs) in 27 global companies located in seven countries. Study examined the linkages of these 54 BUs to firm performance. Locating the Extent of Control within the firm in cases where the firm depends on IT as a strategic resource proves to be a good explanation for effective decisions leading to higher performance. Viewing IT as a strategic resource alone does not lead to positive business unit outcomes, but the moderating influence of Extent of Control is found to establish the complex statistical relationship with business unit performance. For these reasons, it is critical that a theoretically grounded firm-wide process for decisions on locating IT control is in place to capture business value.

Analyzing the impact of a firm's capability on outsourcing success: A process perspective

We investigated the effect of a firm's resource capabilities and interaction processes on the success of IT outsourcing. Grounded in available literature on outsourcing relationship and process theory as well as a resource-based view of the IT resource capability, a conceptual model was composed to examine the causal structure of capability, process, and relationship in IT outsourcing. We identified the firm's resource capability factors and, based on the premise that relationship intensity should be affected by the IT outsourcing process, we developed a first-order factor analysis of resource capabilities in the interactions between the outsourcer and provider. Results of empirical testing using responses from 267 IT outsourcing project teams in Korea supported most of our hypotheses. The integration of corporate IT resource and capability theories with social exchange theory distinguishes our research from that of others, who have generally treated these theories separately.     

Assessing the importance of industry in the adoption and assimilation of IT: Evidence from Italian enterprises

We analysed the role of industry in determining the diffusion and business value created by IT. Data was collected for this purpose by surveying 192 large enterprises in Italy. Our research revealed three findings. First, in the material services and non-hi-tech manufacturing industries, firms had a relatively limited adoption of IT, resulting in little business impact. Second, firms’ IT spending behaviour depended on their industry type and not on their IT capabilities. However their capabilities were more important than industry in explaining why firms achieved benefits from IT adoption that depended on the previous accumulation of IT resources and other capabilities. Third, industry type determined the degree to which IT affected profitability and its effectiveness in helping firms to defend their competitive advantage. Specifically, the slower the adoption of IT in an industry, the greater its impact on the firm's profitability.The implications of these findings for managers and policy-makers are discussed.     

The IT Value Hierarchy: Using Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as a Metaphor for Gauging the Maturity Level of Information Technology Use within Competitive Organizations

The purpose of this paper is to present a hierarchy of progressive IT maturity using Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as a metaphor for articulating the increasing value that can be derived by the application of Information Technology within competitive organizations. The authors refer to this maturity model as the IT Value Hierarchy. Each level of the IT Value Hierarchy is described using examples and comparisons to Maslow's Hierarchy. The model can be used by IT executives as a framework for better explaining and discussing the value of increasingly sophisticated Information Technology use within the enterprise.     

信息技术在企业人事档案管理中的应用

信息技术的广泛应用使档案信息管理进入现代化管理的先进行列,并为档案信息管理提供了可靠的保证,传统的企业人事档案管理方式面临着越来越严峻的挑战。为了充分发挥档案工作在信息社会中的重要作用,企业应该积极地将信息技术与人事档案管理技术和方法结合起来,促进档案的信息化管理。     

Understanding the impact of business cases on IT investment decisions: An analysis of municipal e-government projects

This study synthesizes the extant literature to derive an integrative developmental framework for IT business cases that can be applied to diagnose the feasibility of technological investments. We then construct a theoretical model that postulates the impact of IT business case elements on the initial cost estimates of technological investments. Subsequently, our theoretical model is subjected to empirical validation through content analysis of IT business cases developed for municipal e-government projects. Findings indicate that the richness of the richness of business cases translates to more initial costs being identified in technological investments, thereby conserving resources for the organization through informed investment decisions.     

Assessing Intellectual Capital efficiency and productivity: An application to the Italian yacht manufacturing sector

In this paper we evaluate the efficiency and productivity of Intellectual Capital (IC) through the assessment of Bests Practices, that have successfully implemented strategies of Intellectual Capital management. The techniques selected for appraising the productivity of intangibles are the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and the Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI). This approach allows a direct comparison between firms of the same industry in the perspective of improvement through benchmarking. It overcomes one of the main limitations of the current intangibles metrics comparing enterprises on the basis their Intellectual Capital management.The paper gives both academic and practical insights that could be used for the operational and strategic Intellectual Capital management. Actually, the outcome of the application gives to inefficient companies some directions for progress, that should constitute the basis for the formulation of future Intellectual Capital management strategies. Finally, we apply the analysis to the Italian yacht manufacturing sector in order to offer yachting companies guidelines for Intellectual Capital management.     

The role of information technology in achieving the organisation's strategic development goals: A case study

The role of IT in achieving the organisation's strategic development goals has been an area of constant debate. This paper describes the experiences of John Nicholls Builders Ltd, a Cornish building firm, in their attempt to achieve their strategic development goals through the adoption of IT. The implementation stage of the project involved setting a flexible programme and timescale from the start. The company adopted a bottom up approach whereby potential users were consulted and involved in the process. Also the support of top management staff was crucial for the successful transition to the new system. Although there was no single ready-made solution that could fit the organisations requirements, they were able to identify appropriate construction industry software packages and integrate them through development of an intranet and database system. Now, there is greater management control, all departments have greater access to information, enabling them to function more effectively and efficiently, and since projections are more accurate or now available, management can make long-term strategic plans. These improvements and developments to the business system have improved operational efficiency, turnover and profitability of the organisation.     

Beyond free software: An exploration of the business value of strategic open source

The phenomenon of open source software (OSS) has been well studied from the software development perspective, but it has received much less attention from the perspective of business value. Nevertheless, OSS, when viewed as a value creation process rather than ‘free’ software, provides businesses with value through access to knowledge and innovation capacity resident in online communities. This conceptualisation, which we label ‘strategic open source’ requires firms to rethink their strategy and processes as there is a shift in focus from ownership to openness and collaboration with external parties. Nonetheless, the emergence of OSS poses a puzzle for conceptions of organisational theory. Therefore, a theorising process is needed in order to develop a deeper understanding of how value is created and captured with OSS. Using a field study of eleven European firms, this paper explores the creation and capture of business value from strategic open source. The findings reveal that while decision makers look to open innovation initiatives like OSS for value creation and capture, there is still a desire to remain self reliant, resulting in collaborative design (of external innovations) rather than collaborative decision making with value network partners in relation to how such innovations would help create and capture value within firms.     

Exploring the path to success: A review of the strategic IT benchmarking literature

Information technology (IT) organizations use strategic IT benchmarking (SITBM) to revise IT strategies or perform internal marketing. Despite benchmarking's long tradition, many SITBM initiatives do not reveal the desired outcomes. The vast body of knowledge on benchmarking and IT management does not help overcome the challenges of successful SITBM. We therefore synthesize the existing research on IT management and benchmarking into a concept relationship map and derive future research avenues. We find that there is much literature on how to obtain SITBM results. However, research does not explain how these results are transformed into outcomes – essentially the problem many practitioners struggle with.     

How to Use Information Technology for Cooperative Work: Development of Shared Technological Frames

Technological frames, participants’ assumptions about information technology (IT), and in particular about the usage of the technology for everyday cooperative work, are a relevant factor for IT related behavior. Incongruent technological frames are associated with problems during the application and use of a new IT in an organization. This paper presents a field study which applies a pre–post-design in a freight forwarding company. During face-to-face discussion the participating employees of the company negotiated agreements regarding the future usage of a new mobile technology system for every day cooperative work between dispatcher agents and truck drivers. To support the development of shared technological frames the moderation technique STWT (socio-technical walkthrough) was applied. The results describe the structural changes in technological frames, and show to what extent these were shared by the participants. Based on the results possibilities to improve support for the development of shared technological frames are discussed.