Streams of digital data and competitive advantage: The mediation effects of process efficiency and product effectiveness

Firms can achieve a competitive advantage by leveraging real-time Digital Data Streams (DDSs). The ability to profit from DDSs is emerging as a critical competency for firms and a novel area for Information Technology (IT) investments. We examine the relationship between DDS readiness and competitive advantage by studying the mediation effect of product effectiveness and process efficiency. The research model is tested with data obtained from 302 companies, and the results confirm the existence of the mediation effects. Interestingly, we confirm that competitive advantage is more significantly impacted by IT investments affecting product effectiveness than those affecting process efficiency.     

It's not only what I think but what they think! The moderating effect of social norms

The current research extends our knowledge of the main effects of attitude, subjective norm, and perceived control over the individual's technology adoption. We propose a critical buffering role of social influence on the collectivistic culture in the relationship between attitude, perceived behavioral control, and Information Technology (IT) adoption. Adoption behavior was studied among 132 college students being introduced to a new virtual learning system. While past research mainly treated these three variables as being in parallel relationships, we found a moderating role for subjective norm on technology attitude and perceived control on adoption intent. Implications and limitations for understating the role of social influence in the collectivistic society are discussed.     

Sustaining strategic IT advantage in the information age: how strategy paradigms differ by speed

At the dawn of the Information Age, the competitive dynamics in numerous industries are more intense than ever before. We look at the implications of competitive dynamics to IT strategies. We summarize the basic logic of various well-known (IT) strategy methods, particularly regarding sustainability of an advantage and conclude that (IT) strategy theory incorporates precious little about competitive dynamics. We then explore a recent strategy framework, Sustainability Analysis [Calif. Mgmt Rev. 34 (1992) 29; Strategy and the Search for Rents: The Evolution of Diversity among Firms, 1994; Renewable Advantage, 1998]. Sustainability Analysis distinguishes three ‘ecologies’ that entail important differences in strategies and timelines for sustaining (IT) advantage. We review these ecologies and draw insights for IT strategy.     

An exploratory examination of the relationship between flexible IT infrastructure and competitive advantage

Information technology (IT) professionals have discussed the potential value of an organization’s IT infrastructure. Unique characteristics of this infrastructure determine its value to the organization. One characteristic, flexibility, has captured the attention of managers in organizations. A flexible IT infrastructure has even been touted by some as the next competitive weapon. Despite this suggestion, empirical evidence has been sparse. The purpose of this paper is to offer an exploratory analysis into the relationship between flexible IT infrastructure and competitive advantage. A canonical correlation analysis is used to explore this relationship. The findings support the view that there is a positive relationship between flexible IT infrastructure and competitive advantage.     

Can ITIL contribute to IT/business alignment? An initial investigation

Strategic alignment has been viewed as one of the main concerns of management and IT executives. Organizations have realized that in order to achieve competitive advantage, IT needs to be strategically aligned with business objectives. Strategic alignment enables organizations to choose IT applications that meet their needs and as a result, to enhance their profitability and reduce costs. Despite the importance of this matter and a large body of literature written on this subject, it has not yet been identified how it can be successfully achieved and maintained. This paper attempts to provide insight on this matter by investigating an initiative called Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), which ensures the effective and efficient delivery of IT services. The intention of this research was to identify how effective ITIL was in improving alignment between IT and business objectives. The Strategic Alignment Model (SAM) developed by Henderson and Venkatraman was used for this research. This consists of four parts: IT strategy; business strategy; organizational infrastructure and processes; and IS infrastructure and processes. By placing ITIL in the internal domain of the model as a substitute for the IS infrastructure and processes it has been identified that it has the ability to impact the other three main areas of the model and as result enables alignment between all the four parts of model to be achieved. In addition to the above an empirical study has been conducted in order to further investigate the ability of ITIL in achieving alignment between IT and business objectives. Four participants have been interviewed from three organizations ranging from education and banking to the IT sector. The results of the research indicate that ITIL has potential as an effective approach in achieving alignment.     

The acceptance of ‘intelligent trade shows’: Visitors’ evaluations of IS innovation

Trade Shows (TSs) provide “high-quality information,” as thousands of specialists and experts are gathered in one place at one time. Thus, information technology systems become essential for TSs. This study explores the characteristics of TSs’ onsite Information Technology (IT). This study aim to explore the relationships among onsite IT usage, visitors’ effectiveness and perception through the innovation characteristics (i.e., relative advantage, compatibility, and complexity). The study was conducted at a representative TS in Korea and used a survey approach to empirically understand the perception of onsite IT usage. The findings suggest that the four characteristics of product intelligence are influential factors of TSs’ onsite IT. Among them, relative advantage and compatibility had positive impacts on TS effectiveness, while complexity did not. In addition, discussions of the results, theoretical and practical implications for practitioners, limitations, and suggestions for future studies are presented.     

企业并购后信息整合策略之个案研究

企业并购是企业强化竞争优势的工具，信息整合则是并购后整合成功的关键因素。诸多学者认为并购后的信息整合策略应校准于并购策略，本研究则认为信息整合策略应考虑：（1）信息部门的协同合作；（2）各部门在整合策略上的相互配合，将以实务观点探讨企业并购后的信息整合策略。 本研究基于企业工程（Enterprise Engineering）以及校准观点发展一信息整合策略分析架构，藉由个案研究探讨并购后：（1）并购双方规划信息整合策略时的关键因素；（2）信息整合策略规划与执行的成功因素；（3）信息系统与营运流程整合的标准化。研究结果显示，信息整合策略的规划应参考其它部门的整合策略，而各部门关键人员参与，以及信息流程与商业流程标准化皆有助信息整合策略的执行。     

Theory of Reasoned Action application for Green Information Technology acceptance

The increase in the use of Information Technology (IT) in recent decades has contributed to additional power consumption as well as a potential overuse of scarce resources. Also, IT is quickly surpassing air transportation in terms of its carbon footprint. For these reasons, increased environmental awareness has increased interest in Green Information Technology (GIT) among IT practitioners. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to investigate behavior for the adoption of GIT applying the conceptual model, referred to as the ‘Theory of Reasoned Action’ (TRA). For this purpose, a survey was conducted among IT professionals from major public and private sector establishments. Findings indicated that behavioral intention influences actual behavior positively. IT professionals with positive intentions towards GIT issues are actually practicing GIT in their work. Results also indicated that external factors such as person related beliefs, sector of respondents’ establishment, and level of awareness have significant impact on attitude towards adoption of GIT.     

Effects of information technology on corporate social responsibility: Empirical evidence from an emerging economy

The recent history shows that computers have a significant effect in society. The benefits from Information Technology (IT) reach both enterprises and people. When small firms use IT resources to create unique capabilities, even indirectly they improve their conditions to meet Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR). Considering this scenario, the aim of this paper is to analyze the effect of IT use on the CSR of small firms. We tested the relationships between the constructs using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, with a database comprised of 173 Brazilian small firms. Our results showed a positive and significant relationship between IT use and the four categories of CSR. In this way, we observed that IT contributes to companies, and also affects people that work in these enterprises. Corporate social obligations of firms and IT investments should be combined to generate unique capabilities, improving competitive advantage through the interaction of technology and people. The results of the paper extend the discussion about IT benefits to companies and to society.     

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.     

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

Abstract

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.     

Evaluation models of information technology in Spanish companies: a cluster analysis

The aim of this article is to study how Information Technology (IT) evaluation is carried out among a group of Spanish companies, establish a typology or grouping of them which uses similar evaluation criteria, determine the relationship between the level of IT maturity and the way in which it is evaluated and, finally, if there are any similarities in the forms of evaluation carried out by Spanish and foreign companies. The analysis will be based on a detailed study of 20 Spanish firms, taking into account the different stages of development of IT within each firm.     

The impact of IT-business strategic alignment on firm performance in a developing country setting: exploring moderating roles of environmental uncertainty and strategic orientation

Aligning information technology (IT) strategy with business strategy has been one of the top concerns of practitioners and scholars for decades. Although numerous studies have documented positive effects of IT-business alignment on organizational performance, our knowledge about this relationship is still limited due to the complexity of contingent factors. The extant literature is largely based on research in the context of developed countries and few studies have explicitly considered the effects of contextual factors such as market environment and competitive strategy on this relationship. In this study, we attempt to fill these gaps by testing the alignment–performance relationship in a developing country setting and investigating the moderating roles of environmental uncertainty and strategic orientation on the performance effects of strategic alignment using survey data collected in Turkey. Our analyses show that this positive effect is statistically significant in highly uncertain environments and varies across performance measures. Our results also show that the strategic alignment between IT and business has a significant impact on performance across all choices of strategic orientation – defender, prospector, or analyzer. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed and future research directions are explored.     

Information technologies and downsizing: Examining their impact on economic performance

Recent literature analyses the economic effects of employee downsizing on organizations under a contingent framework. Information technology (IT) can be considered a relevant factor for organizations that downsize. IT could enhance knowledge management, innovation management and organizational learning. Given the damage produced by downsizing on these organizational capabilities, the aim of this research is to study the moderating role of the implementation level of IT in the relationship between downsizing and organizational economic performance. Analyzing Spanish chemical industry, our results show that this negative effect can be mitigated by IT implementation.     

A methodology of constructing a decision path for IT investment

Information Technology (IT) may be used for organizational efficiency, but should also be flexible to adapt to the rapidly changing competitive business environment. In competitive business circumstances, management continually asks: (1) How flexible must the firm be in investing in IT in order to meet unknown business needs in the future? At the same time, how efficient must the firm be in order to meet current business needs?; (2) How well must the firm align its business strategy with IT investment in order for it to support its strategic goals?; (3) how to construct a decision path for IT investments with respect to flexibility, efficiency and alignment between business strategy and IT investments?Although many researchers have struggled to answer these questions, they generally provide no means for incorporating these factors into the IT investment decision process.This paper suggests a method that identifies the degree of flexibility required (α-value), and accounts for and incorporates the α-value in making IT investments. The proposed method is based on a product development method called Quality Function Deployment (QFD). It will be applied to a real case of the “H-company” in Korea to validate and evaluate the proposed methodology.     

Knowledge transfer,translation and transformation in the work of information technology architects

ContextInformation Technology (IT) architects are the professionals responsible for designing the information systems for an organization. In order to do that, they take into account many aspects and stakeholders, including customers, software developers, the organization’s business, and its current IT infrastructure. Therefore, different aspects influence their work.ObjectiveThis paper presents results of research into how IT architects perform their work in practice and how different aspects are taken into account when an information system is developed. An understanding of IT architects’ activities allows us to better support their work. This paper extends our own previous work (Figueiredo et al., 2012) [30] by discussing aspects of knowledge management and tool support.MethodA qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews for data collection and grounded theory methods (Strauss and Corbin, 1998) [5] for data analysis. Twenty-seven interviews were conducted with twenty-two interviewees from nine different companies through four cycles of data collection and analysis.ResultsCompanies divide IT architecture activities among different roles. Although these roles receive different names in different organizations, all organizations follow a similar pattern based on 3 roles: enterprise, solutions and software architects. These architects perform both the technical activities related to the IT architecture and the social activities regarding the communication and coordination with other stakeholders and among themselves. Furthermore, current tools used by IT architects lack adequate support for all these aspects.ConclusionThe activities of the different IT architects are highly interconnected and have a huge influence in the way the requirements are handled in every phase of the development of an information system. The activities of IT architects are also important for knowledge transfer, translation and transformation, since they receive from and spread information to different groups of stakeholders. We also conclude that they lack appropriate tool support, especially regarding support for their collaborative work.     

Scoping the global market: size is just part of the story

The IT market is changing so quickly that it's hard to keep pace. This concern is what motivated a recent study conducted by the International Data Corp. (IDC) and published by the World Information and Technology and Services Alliance. WITSA-a consortium of 35 IT trade associations worldwide-wanted more than market estimates. Its members wanted hard data on size and impact of the IT industry-details like the number of computers being used, the total IT investment companies made both inside and outside their walls, and the effect of that investment on individual countries worldwide. The resulting publication, Digital Planet-The Global Information Economy, provides measurements from 1992 to 1997 for the global IT industry with details for the 50 largest countries. Collectively, they represent 98 percent of the world's spending on IT and 97 percent of the world's gross domestic product (GDP). The Digital Planet study is unique in several respects. It is the first to look at IT's influence from a global perspective, to measure internal spending on IT, and to examine IT's social and economic effects. It is also the first to use hard data and consistent definitions on such a large scale     

Evaluating Adoption of Emerging IT for Corporate IT Strategy: Developing a Model Using a Qualitative Method

The acquisition and evaluation of new technologies is critical to the development of a timely IT strategy. We report the findings of a four round Delphi study designed to elicit a cohesive set of issues that affect an IT executive's decision to adopt an emerging IT into corporate IT strategy. Based on the results, we present the Emerging Information Technology Evaluation Model, which IT executives and academicians can use to support a strategic adoption decision.     

Forecasting social CRM adoption in SMEs: A combined SEM-neural network method

The growth of social media usage questions the old-style idea of customer relationship management (CRM). Social CRM strategy is a novel version of CRM empowered by social media technology that offers a new way of managing relationships with customers effectively. This study aims to forecast the predictors of social CRM strategy adoption by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The proposed model used in this study derived its theoretical support from IT/IS, marketing, and CRM literature. In the proposed Technology-Organization-Environment-Process (TOEP) adoption model, several hypotheses are developed which examine the role of Technological factors, such as Cost of Adoption, Relative Advantages, Complexity, and Compatibility; Organizational factors, such as IT/IS knowledge of employee, and Top management support; Environmental factors such as Competitive Pressure, and Customer Pressure; and Process factors such as Information Capture, Information Use, and Information Sharing; all having a positive relationship with social CRM adoption. This research applied a following two staged SEM-neural network method combining both structural equation modelling (SEM) and neural network analyses. The proposed hypothetical model is examined by using SEM on the collected data of SMEs in Kuala Lumpur, the central city of Malaysia. The SEM approach with a neural network method can be used to investigate the complicated relations involved in the adoption of social CRM. The study finds that compatibility, information capture, IT/IS knowledge of employee, top management support, information sharing, competitive pressure, cost, relative advantage, and customer pressure are the most important factors influencing social CRM adoption. Remarkably, the results of neural network analysis show that compatibility and information capture of social CRM are the most significant factors which affect SMEs' adoption of this form of customer relationship management. The outcomes of this research benefit executives' decision-making by identifying and ranking factors that enable them to discover how they can advance the usage of social CRM in their firms. Furthermore, the findings of this study can help the managers/owners of SMEs assign their resources, according to the ranking of social CRM adoption factors, when they are making plans to adopt social CRM. This study differs from previous studies as it proposes an innovative new approach to determine what influences the adoption of social CRM. By proposing the TOEP adoption model, additional information process factors advance the traditional TOE adoption model.     

From IT deployment capabilities to competitive advantage: An exploratory study in China

As more and more companies are deploying, or plan to deploy, information systems, the organizational capabilities to effectively deploy information technologies to support and shape businesses become increasingly important. While many studies have focused on how to acquire state-of-the-art information technologies and on how to effectively utilize implemented information technologies, more studies are still needed to investigate how a company can successfully deploy acquired information technologies to support and shape businesses strategies and value chain activities. IT deployment capabilities are defined as the organizational capabilities to configure and reconfigure a company’s information system by adding new IT components or by adapting the existing information systems in order to make the whole information system available to support and shape businesses. This study identifies and investigates the three building blocks of IT deployment capabilities: strategic IT flexibility, business–IT partnership, and business–IT alignment. Using the resource-based view, we propose a framework to explain the relationship between IT deployment capabilities and competitive advantage. The research model is tested on data collected in China. Results show that strategic IT flexibility and business–IT partnership have direct impacts on competitive advantage, while business–IT alignment has an indirect impact on competitive advantage. The effect of business–IT alignment on competitive advantage is fully mediated by strategic IT flexibility and business–IT partnership. The results provide support for the relationship between IT deployment capabilities and competitive advantage. The study presents implications for how to develop IT deployment capabilities and how to generate business value from IT investment.