The need for a processual view of inter-organizational systems adoption

In order to sustain competitiveness, companies need to adopt electronic commerce (EC) enabled inter-organizational systems (IOS) to improve the efficiencies of entire supply chains. Adoption of IOS by companies, however, has proved difficult since such systems span organizational boundaries. Understanding IOS adoption is hampered by a lack of theory that can capture the complexity involved in IOS adoption since previous studies mostly employ the factor approach. In this paper, using Efficient Consumer Response as an example of an EC-enabled IOS, we demonstrate that the acknowledgement of the inter-organizational context of these systems naturally introduces the need for the processual approach and different notions of causality. We also show how the factor and the processual approaches to theorizing IOS adoption can be used in a complementary way.     

Exploratory analysis on the halo effect of strategic goals on IOS effectiveness evaluation

How do managers evaluate the effectiveness of IT use? Past literature showed that the assessment of IT effectiveness is not straightforward, especially when viewed in terms of “business outcomes,” such as sales increase, firm profitability, and firm success. For inter-organizational systems (IOS), IT effectiveness evaluation is even more challenging, because these IOS are an integral part of a retail channel distribution system where several factors can influence business outcomes. Under such circumstances, IOS effectiveness evaluation is prone to a halo effect. A survey of retailers and suppliers showed that firms favorably judge IOS as long as their strategic goals are met, even when they do not recognize any IOS contribution towards accomplishing them. Conversely, IOS use was not appreciated when strategic goals were not met—even if IOS use benefits the firm at the operational or tactical level. In effect, IOS evaluation was overshadowed by the halo effects of strategic goal accomplishment.     

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.     

A Theory of Constraints approach to interorganizational systems implementation

Interorganizational systems (IOS) may provide substantial benefits, however many organizations are reluctant to implement them. This empirical research takes a novel approach and develops a model of IOS feasibility, which is based on the Theory of Constraints (TOC). It introduces the notion of maximal infeasibility, which is the highest among the values of five factors: economic infeasibility, organizational infeasibility, technological infeasibility, risks, and lack of financial resources. The highest value was selected because implementation is hindered even if only one of the feasibility requirements is not fulfilled. Data collected from 139 medium and large Israeli business organizations validated the model, and indicated that strategic motivation is the main driving force for an organization to initiate or to join an IOS, while the main barriers are organizational infeasibility issues such as lack of management support or uninterested potential partners. Adopting a TOC approach to IOS implementation may assist organizations to overcome these obstacles and increase the chance of a successful implementation. An earlier shorter version of this paper was presented at WEB 2006, a pre-ICIS workshop on e-business, in Milwaukee, WI.     

A legitimacy challenge of a cross-cultural interorganizational information system

This paper studies the adoption and diffusion of a cross-cultural Interorganizational Information System (IOS), which is used to streamline the processing of financial transactions between European investment fund companies and Taiwanese banks. Drawing from institutional and organizational legitimacy theory, we argue that the adoption and implementation of technological innovation is contingent upon its alignment with three institutional pillars in different countries and the deployment of legitimation strategies by stakeholders. Departing from classical innovation diffusion theory, our empirical investigation reveals that the implementation of a cross-cultural IOS is a dynamic process involving the recognition, understanding, and management of the regulative, normative, and cognitive challenges arising in two different institutional settings. This paper contributes to the growing body of research that highlights the significance of social and institutional influences on the adoption of IOS in a global environment.     

A Quality Software Process for Rapid Application Development

Software organizations can significantly improve the quality of their output if they have a defined and documented software process, together with the appropriate techniques and tools to measure its effectiveness. Without a defined process it is impossible to measure success or focus on how development capability can be enhanced. To date, a number of software process improvement frameworks have been developed and implemented. However, most of these models have been targeted at large-scale producers. Furthermore, they have applied to companies who use traditional development techniques. Smaller companies and those operating in development areas where speed of delivery is paramount have not, as yet, had process improvement paradigms available for adoption.This study examined the software process in a small company and emerged with the recommendation of the use of the Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM) and the Personal Software Process (PSP) for achieving software process improvement.     

管理控制论在协作绩效分析中应用研究

研究在环境不确定条件下,企业间协作以及组织间信息系统匹配度对企业间协作绩效影响的问题.以管理控制论为理论基础,以制造行业企业间协作问题为研究对象,应用必要的变数定律及活性系统模型,对汽车制造企业进行了实证分析.研究结果表明,环境不确定性、企业间协作以及信息系统交互影响对企业间协作绩效影响显著;在环境不确定性强的条件下,采用紧密协作及频繁使用组织间信息系统支持的方式协作绩效好;初步证实了管理控制论可作为组织管理研究领域中应用的理论基础.对企业所面临的组织环境不确定性条件下企业间协作问题,以及信息系统应用也具有一定的指导意义.     

基于度量能力成熟度模型的组织级度量过程改进研究

文章讨论了软件企业在采用同一度量方法度量软件过程和产品得到的质量差别却很大的现状。通过分析度量能力成熟度模型及通用过程改进模型,研究得出组织要改进度量效果,必须把精力集中于提高度量能力。该文提出了基于度量能力成熟度模型度量过程改进方法及流程,通过案例实施明显地提高了公司的项目管理的成熟度水平,使公司产品研发和项目管理的能力得到很大程度的提升。     

Comparison of end-user computing characteristics in the U.S., Israel and Taiwan

This study examines the effect of national environments on end-user computing characteristics. Data were collected from American, Israeli, and Taiwanese companies. The participants were 156 U.S., 138 Israeli, and 86 end-users from Taiwan, all holding managerial positions in the financial industry. The results clearly demonstrate the existence of cultural differences among the three samples in terms of adaption and usage characteristics. Conclusions are drawn to guide management action; they emphasize the need for cross-cultural studies in the information systems field in general and in end-user computing in particular.     

基于度量能力成熟度模型的组织级度量过程改进研究

文章讨论了软件企业在采用同一度量方法度量软件过程和产品得到的质量差别却很大的现状。通过分析度量能力成熟度模型及通用过程改进模型,研究得出组织要改进度量效果,必须把精力集中于提高度量能力。该文提出了基于度量能力成熟度模型度量过程改进方法及流程,通过案例实施明显地提高了公司的项目管理的成熟度水平,使公司产品研发和项目管理的能力得到很大程度的提升。     

Alignments between the depth and breadth of inter-organizational systems deployment and their impact on firm performance

This paper explores the performance impact of alternative deployment alignment strategies for inter-organizational systems (IOS) in supply chains. Based on the asset orchestration perspective, we consider two deployment alignment strategies, namely, balanced alignment and reinforcing alignment, which represent strategic choices made by firms in relation to the emphases placed on depth and breadth of IT deployment in supply chain operations. The results of our empirical study show that the depth and breadth of IOS deployment enhance a firm's competitive performance through operational improvement, and the balanced alignment between IOS depth and breadth enhances the firm's competitive performance.     

Using Boosting for Financial Analysis and Performance Prediction: Application to S&;P 500 Companies,Latin American ADRs and Banks

This paper demonstrates how the boosting approach can support the financial analysis functions in two ways: (1) As a predictive tool to forecast corporate performance, and rank accounting and corporate variables according to their impact on performance, and (2) As an interpretative tool to generate alternating decision trees that capture the non-linear relationship among accounting and corporate governance variables that determine performance. We compare our results using Adaboost with logistic regression, bagging, and random forests. We conduct 10-fold cross-validation experiments on one sample each of S&P 500 companies, American Depository Receipts (ADRs) of Latin American companies and Latin American banks. Adaboost results indicate that large companies perform better than small companies, especially when these companies have a limited long-term assets to sales ratio. Performance improves for large LAADR companies when the country of residence is characterized by a weak rule of law. In the case of S&P 500 companies, performance increases when the compensation for top officers is mostly variable.     

FOCUS ON EFFECTIVENESS

Efficiency is one-half of the formula for productivity that American IS managers are most familiar with. The other half of the productivity issue is effectiveness. Japanese companies emphasize effectiveness to achieve impressive results. This column explores the difference in productivity between East and West.     

Trust, power and interorganizational information systems: the case of the electronic trading community TransLease

This paper focuses on Cap Gemini’s electronic commerce system, TransLease. TransLease is an interorganizational information system (IOS), which facilitates electronic commerce between motor vehicle leasing and repair companies. During our investigation, the system was used by approximately 1000 repair agents working for seven of the UK’s leading vehicle leasing and contract hire companies. This system was originally developed by AT&T and acquired by Cap Gemini in July 1998. At the time of acquisition, the system was seen as being of high strategic value, although it was also seen as underperforming. This paper reports the results of an action research project, which formed one element of the process by which Cap Gemini investigated the former problem. In the paper, TransLease is described as a complex electronic community, dependent upon the existence of symbiotic relationships. As such, the problems that the system users and developers experienced can be attributed to factors that impeded the mutual benefit accruing from participation in the system. The efficacy of the terms of exchange and the degree to which participants mutually benefit through electronic interaction is determined by the complex interplay of a number of relational and organizational factors. The research therefore illustrates the importance of the ‘soft’ organizational issues in IOS management and development, and suggests a conceptual model of the factors relevant in this case. At the time of this study, TransLease was still in the early stages of its life cycle, having only been available in the marketplace for approximately 18 months. During this time, through recognizing the complex problems and issues detailed in this paper, Cap Gemini accordingly redressed the way in which the system was managed and maintained. TransLease is now seen as having matured into a highly successful example of an IOS – a view reflected by its position as market leader in the industry. As this paper will show, the key to improving the existing service has been the emphasis Cap Gemini now places on managing the ‘soft’ aspects of the electronic community.     

Overall Wafer Effectiveness (OWE): A novel industry standard for semiconductor ecosystem as a whole

As semiconductor industry reached nanotechnology generation and consumer electronics era, the competition is no longer among individual semiconductor companies. Indeed, the collaborations among horizontally specialized value providers are critical for the success of the companies as well as the whole ecosystem. This paper aims to propose a novel index, i.e., Overall Wafer Effectiveness (OWE), to measure wafer productivity and drive various improvement directions for semiconductor ecosystem as a whole. Furthermore, the proposed OWE can be easily extended to incorporate additional attributes such as mask-field-utilization, throughput, and yield for effective management. We conducted a number of case studies in real settings. The results have shown that OWE can be employed as a semiconductor industry standard to drive collaborative efforts among IC designers, equipment vendors, and manufacturers in the ecosystem to enhance total wafer effectiveness. This paper concludes with discussions on value propositions of proposed OWE indices and future research directions.     

Total quality management: An approach & a case study

For the last decade, American companies have been playing catch-up in the area of quality and productivity. Japanese companies and other foreign competitors have moved into markets that were once dominated by American companies, by producing higher quality products. The problem to date in the U.S. has obviously not been the lack of resources or documentation on quality and improvement programs, but the misdirection of these programs and the lack of total management commitment. Total Quality Management (TQM) is seen as an effective method that will accomplish the task of higher quality levels, and increased productivity.

The purpose of Total Quality Management is to implement a process that is long term and continuous, in which all of management participates in establishing continuous improvement initiatives throughout the organization, beginning with their own function in the organization. TQM integrates the fundamental techniques and principles of Quality Function Deployment, Taguchi Methods, Statistical Process Control, Just-In-Time, and existing management tools into a structured approach. The primary objective of this approach is to incorporate quality and integrity into all functions at all levels of the organization.

This paper examines the TQM process, philosophy, concepts, attributes and how it can be used to develop a “quality-based” culture. The paper also examines the introduction and implementation of the TQM process at an electronic's manufacturer.     

An empirical investigation of the antecedents of telecommunication-based interorganizational systems

Interorganizational information systems (IOS) utilising telecommunications technology are commonly used to gain a strategic advantage or to compete with IOS developed by the firm's competitors. The use of telecommunication-based links with customers and suppliers provides such potential benefits as improved internal operations, greater interorganizational efficiency and increased bargaining power. Although this importance of telecommunication links with customers and suppliers is widely recognised, there has been little empirical research on the factors that may affect the use of telecommunication-based IOS. In this paper we investigate the effects of four key factors – environmental uncertainty, product information intensity, value chain information intensity and information system (IS) maturity – on the use of telecommunication links with customers and suppliers, and the impact such links have on organizational performance. Nine hypotheses relating these antecedent variables to the use and impact of interorganizational telecommunication links are proposed. Data were collected through a survey of eighty-four medium-sized companies. In addition, the measures of the impact of telecommunication links on organizational performance and environmental uncertainty were validated using a second respondent and secondary data respectively. Results suggest that environmental uncertainty permits the use of telecommunication links with suppliers. Product information intensity and value chain information intensity were positively associated with the use of telecommunication links with customers and suppliers respectively. IS maturity did not seem to enhance the use of interorganizational telecommunication links, but it did facilitate the impact these links had on organizational performance. Some implications of this study for future research and practice are examined.     

SOA adoption in business networks: do service-oriented architectures really advance inter-organizational integration?

The emergence of the Internet as a global communication infrastructure has dramatically reduced interaction costs within and across organizations, with significant impact on inter-organizational relationships, vertical industry structures, and markets. More recently, service-oriented architectures (SOA) and Web services have introduced the next paradigm shift and foster the idea of dynamic business networks with quick connect and disconnect relationships. However, little research has systematically analyzed how companies leverage SOA to improve their inter-organizational relationships and reshape their business networks. In addition, the mature research stream on inter-organizational information systems (IOS) has not yet sufficiently considered SOA. In order to close this gap, our research seeks to improve the fundamental understanding of how SOA is applied in business networks and how it differs from prior forms of IOS. Using an exploratory research approach, we investigate 33 SOA cases to identify focus areas and patterns of SOA adoption in business networks. Our case analysis builds on a multi-dimensional classification scheme which we derived from prior literature. While our empirical findings do not confirm all promising propositions related to SOA, they underline the specific contribution of SOA compared to prior forms of IOS. We conclude by suggesting five clusters of SOA adoption in the inter-organizational domain, each of those introducing new aspects in the coordination of distributed business networks.     

测量不确定度的研究与实践

不确定度是表征测量结果的可靠程度,它反映了测量的精确度。通过对不确定大小及其成因的分析,找到了影响测量精确度的原因并加以校正。介绍了如何使用不确定度评定测量结果的误差,并以平均点坐标法处理数据的不确定度作为示例,说明在对相关系数较低的线性相关量的实验数据处理时,使用平均点坐标法,不仅方便而且是十分理想的。用平均点坐标法处理数据时,其不确定度的评估往往比较复杂,对该处理过程,给出了一个粗略的范例。     

路由器IOS剖析

互联网操作系统(IOS)是路由器中核心软件数据包,它是一种特殊的软件。可用它配置路由器硬件,实现路由器硬件将信息从一个网络路由或桥接至另一个网络,从而使得路由器具有英特网智能作用。它提供路由器这种网络设备的所有主要的互联网协议和路由选择的支持。正是由于IOS的存在才使路由器具有强大的生命力,因此如何正确配置路由器的IOS就显得尤为重要。