Mixed methods research is an approach that combines quantitative and qualitative research methods in the same research inquiry. Such work can help develop rich insights into various phenomena of interest that cannot be fully understood using only a quantitative or a qualitative method. Notwithstanding the benefits and repeated calls for such work, there is a dearth of mixed methods research in information systems. Building on the literature on recent methodological advances in mixed methods research, we develop a set of guidelines for conducting mixed methods research in IS. We particularly elaborate on three important aspects of conducting mixed methods research: (1) appropriateness of a mixed methods approach; (2) development of meta-inferences (i.e., substantive theory) from mixed methods research; and (3) assessment of the quality of meta-inferences (i.e., validation of mixed methods research). The applicability of these guidelines is illustrated using two published IS papers that used mixed methods.

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Bridging the qualitative-quantitative divide: guidelines for conducting mixed methods research in information systems

Is innovation always beneficial? A meta-analysis of the relationship between innovation and performance in SMEs

The critical success factors for ERP implementation: an organizational fit perspective

Enterprise resource planning: A taxonomy of critical factors

In this article, the authors examine the acquisition and utilization of information in new product alliances. Drawing from research in social network theory with a focus on the strength-of-ties literature, the authors suggest that horizontal alliances have lower levels of relational embeddedness and higher levels of knowledge redundancy than vertical alliances. The authors then suggest that though embeddedness enhances both the acquisition and utilization of information in alliances, redundancy diminishes information acquisition but enhances information utilization. The authors test these ideas using a sample of 106 U.S. firms that recently have participated in new product alliances. Although the results are broadly supportive of the predictions, they are also surprising because they question key underlying assumptions of the strength-of-ties literature. For example, closely tied individual actors are typically assumed to share both high levels of embeddedness and high levels of redundancy, but t...

/pdf/the-acquisition-and-utilization-of-information-in-new-96wlnprk2m.pdf

The acquisition and utilization of information in new product alliances: A strength-of-ties perspective

Studies on the adoption of innovations by companies generally include micro-level and meso-level variables This study adds to the literature by investigating the role of national culture (ie a macro-level variable) to explain differences in adoption rates across countries In particular, we investigate the effects of the five Hofstede culture dimensions and the culture dimensions proposed by Hall on country adoption rates Hypothesized effects were tested using a large-scale empirical study concerning the adoption of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software by mid-size companies covering ten European countries Results indicate that variables describing national culture have a significant influence on the country adoption rates

The Effect of National Culture on the Adoption of Innovations

ERP Adoption by European Midsize Companies.

The current highly dynamic business environment requires businesses to be agile. Business agility is the ability to swiftly and easily change businesses and business processes beyond the normal level of flexibility to effectively manage unpredictable external and internal changes. This study reports on a cross-industry analysis of change factors requiring agility and assesses agility gaps that companies are facing in four industry sectors in the Netherlands. A framework was constructed to measure the perceived gaps between the current level of business agility and the required level of business agility. The questionnaire and in-depth interviews held reveal that today's businesses perceive to lack the agility required to quickly respond to changes, whose speed and requirements are difficult to predict. The paper presents rankings of generic and sector-specific agility gaps. These show that although some generic change factors requiring agility exist, the change factors requiring agility that cause agility gaps differ across industry sectors. Among the factors that enable or hinder business agility, the existence of inflexible legacy systems is perceived to be a very important disabler in achieving more business agility. A number of basic principles and directions are discussed to transform Information Technology from barrier into key enabler for increased agility in organizations and business networks.

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1057%2Fpalgrave.ejis.3000601.pdf

Change factors requiring agility and implications for IT

JE A N -F R A N C O IS P O D EV IN U ntil recently, the major ERP vendors (SAP, Oracle, Peoplesoft, JD Edwards, and Baan) were mainly targeting the high end of the market (companies with more than 1,000 employees), but this market comes close to saturation. Many large companies have already adopted ERP systems and are planning the next step of how to use the installed ERP infrastructures as foundations for e-business [1, 2]. Most of the smalland medium-sized companies still have to make the decision to deploy ERP. The midsize market is an interesting market, for example, the number of midsize companies (50–1,000 employees) in Europe is estimated to exceed 100,000. Data from our research shows that with average annual IT budgets of more than $500,000, the total European midsize market for IT products and services surpasses a staggering $50 billion per year. This market as a whole is very attractive for the major ERP vendors. However, since the wave of adoption by midsize companies is in its early stages, little is known about developments and drivers that form the basis of ERP adoption decisions. The purpose of this article is to understand developments in ERP adoption within the European mid-market. Our empirical information is based on a large-scale European multicountry/multi-industry survey conducted in mid-1998. Based on the survey data, we will address various issues, such as: How did ERP penetration in the mid-market develop until 1998 Yvonne van Everdingen, Jos van Hillegersberg, and Eric Waarts

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Eric Waarts

Papers

The Effect of National Culture on the Adoption of Innovations

ERP Adoption by European Midsize Companies.

Change factors requiring agility and implications for IT

Enterprise resource planning: ERP adoption by European midsize companies

The dynamics of factors affecting the adoption of innovations