The Role of Interorganizational and Organizational Factors on the Decision Mode for Adoption of Interorganizational Systems*

The dramatic growth of interorganizational systems (IOS) has changed the way organizations conduct their business, and has resulted in significant tangible and intangible benefits being realized by participating firms. However, the implementation of these IOS requires the cooperation and commitment of all the participating members. These members may have complex economic and business relationships among themselves that can result in a number of social, political, and economic factors influencing the adoption and implementation of IOS. This study examines the role of interorganizational and organizational factors on the decision mode for adoption of IOS, in the specific context of electronic data interchange (EDI). Four interorganizational factors, based on the socio-political framework derived from research in marketing, and five organizational factors based on research in IS were used in the study. The data for the study were collected through a large scale field survey. Two respondents, the sales/purchase manager and the IS manager, from 201 firms responded to the survey. The results of discriminant analysis of the data reveal that two interorganizational variables, competitive pressure and exercised power, and two organizational variables, internal need and top management support, are important variables to differentiate firms with proactive decision mode from firms with reactive decision mode. The study also evaluates the differences between proactive and reactive firms on three implementation outcomes. Proactive firms are found to have greater extent of adaptation, more external connectivity with trading partners, and better integration of EDI information in their internal IS applications.     

基于业务流程重组的信息系统开发

业务流程重组是从企业整体运作的层次上对管理及流程进行变革 ,来分析和优化原有业务环节 ;信息系统在合理的业务流程基础上实现对企业资源的有效利用与管理 ,从而辅助企业成功实施战略 ,保持竞争优势。本文系统地分析了开发基于企业再造的信息系统的意义与思路 ,详细阐述了信息系统开发各阶段的特点 ,并提出了今后的努力方向     

Comment: The Future of Administrative Records in the Economic Programs of the Census Bureau

Using recently developed statistical tools for analyzing cointegrated 1(2) data, this article models money, income, prices, and interest rates in Denmark. The final model describes the dynamic adjustment to short-run changes of the process, to deviations from long-run steady states, and to several political interventions. It provides new insights about the effects of the liberalization of trade and capital in a small open European economy.     

An Exploratory Analysis of the Value of the Skills of IT Personnel: Their Relationship to IS Infrastructure and Competitive Advantage

Determining and assessing the requisite skills of information technology (IT) personnel have become critical as the value of IT has risen in modern organizations. In addition to technical skills traditionally expected of IT personnel, softer skills like managerial, business, and interpersonal skills have been increasingly cited in previous studies as mandatory for these employees. This paper uses a typology of IT personnel skills—technology management skills, business functional skills, interpersonal skills, and technical skills—and investigates their relationships to two information systems (IS) success variables, IS infrastructure flexibility and the competitive advantage provided by IS. The study investigates these relationships using the perceptions of chief information officers (CIOs) from mostly Fortune 2000 companies. The contributions of this study are: IT personnel skills do affect IS success, technical skills are viewed as the most important skill set in affecting IS infrastructure flexibility and competitive advantage, and modularity is viewed as more valuable to competitive advantage than integration. Several explanations are offered for the lack of positive relationships between the softer IT personnel skills and the dimensions of IS success used in this study.     

“时—空隐喻”评析

从理论建设、语言事实描写和非语言证据等方面评析国内外＂时—空隐喻＂研究现状,认为存在三个问题：一是就某一种语言进行系统研究的不多,二是较全面地就此专题进行研究的不多,三是与国内少数民族语进行深入对比研究的不多。文章最后强调指出,中国少数民族语言宝库亟需得到国际学界的关注。     

企业信息技术能力及其对信息化成功影响的实证研究——基于RBV理论视角

本文研究目的是探讨企业信息技术能力的构成维度、概念测量以及其实现信息化成功的影响机制.基于我国信息化的实践,作者以企业资源理论(RBV)与以往文献为基础,研究并建立了信息技术能力及其对信息化成功影响的理论模型,认为IT基础设施、IT管理技能以及业务/IT之间关系能力三者共同交互并影响了信息技术在企业中的扩散与吸收.作者通过问卷调查法收集数据,运用结构方程模型进行实证分析,分步骤验证了信息技术能力的概念测量模型以及对信息化成功影响的结构关系模型.本研究将有助于指导企业识别和培育核心信息技术能力.从而实现信息化成功及其推动的持续竞争优势.     

Development of measures to assess dimensions of IS operation transactions

Information Systems (IS) researchers often rely on Organization Economics models to describe and explain various IS management issues. While those models are found to be useful, measures are yet to be proposed to assess the dimensions of IS transactions. In this paper we present the results of a study that was a first effort toward this end. The focus of the study was on one type of transaction, IS operations, in a particular management context, that of outsourcing. Measures were developed for four critical dimensions of IS operation transactions: asset specificity, measurement problem, origin of the most important investment, and governance mechanism. Data from 250 large Canadian firms were used to assess the measures, using the partial least squares technique.     

Development and Measurement Validity of a Task-Technology Fit Instrument for User Evaluations of Information System

Although many researchers have raised concerns about the lack of theoretical underpinnings for the user evaluation construct and the lack of measurement validity for specific instruments measuring it, the construct is still widely used in IS research. This paper reports on the development and measurement validity of a diagnostic tool used in recently published research to evaluate an organization's overall information systems and services. A distinctive feature of this instrument is that it is conceptually based on the task-technology fit theory in which the correspondence between information systems functionality and task requirements leads to positive user evaluations, and positive performance impacts. Specifically, the instrument development was guided by a task model of managerial decision making using recorded organizational information. This model suggested the different information systems functionalities required by users for that task, which then serve as the basis for a “task-technology fit” (TTF) instrument. The instrument thus measures the degree to which an organization's information systems and services meet the information needs of its managers. An extensive test of the measurement validity of the instrument is conducted using a sample of 357 users in 10 companies. It is found to have excellent reliability and discriminant validity for 12 dimensions of TTF, and also exhibits strong predictive validity. Finally, the instrument is compared to two other well-known user evaluation instruments. Though no single instrument can meet all needs, the instrument presented here should be considered an attractive option for researchers and practitioners seeking to measure the effectiveness of organizational information systems.     

Information Systems Adaptation and the Successful Implementation of Advanced Manufacturing Technologies*

Few plants have initial success with advanced manufacturing technologies (AMTs), and adaptations are commonly required after installing new technologies. We especially know little about the outcomes of adaptations that manufacturers regularly employ in the context of AMTs. Sociotechnical theory and the technology literature suggest that AMTs commonly require four types of adaptations including those to process technologies, human resources, operational structures, and information systems. This study investigates which of these four adaptations and their interactions lead to improved operational performance. Data were collected on 104 plants that implemented a single type of manufacturing AMT. Findings indicate that information systems (IS) adaptation during the course of AMT implementation was the most important action. Surprisingly, human resource and process technology adaptations were linked to lower performance, and no interactions had any clear effects. The results also show that practitioners underestimated the relevance of IS adaptations during contemporary or “second-generation” AMT implementation projects and overemphasized the need for shop floor changes.