Showing papers by "IE University published in 2007"
TL;DR: The results support the argument that habit acts as a moderating variable of the relationship between intentions and IS continuance behavior, which may put a boundary condition on the explanatory power of intentions in the context of continued IS usage.
Abstract: Past research in the area of information systems acceptance has primarily focused on initial adoption under the implicit assumption that IS usage is mainly determined by intention. While plausible in the case of initial IS adoption, this assumption may not be as readily applicable to continued IS usage behavior since it ignores that frequently performed behaviors tend to become habitual and thus automatic over time.
This paper is a step forward in defining and incorporating the "habit" construct into IS research. Specifically, the purpose of this study is to explore the role of habit and its antecedents in the context of continued IS usage.
Building on previous work in other disciplines, we define habit in the context of IS usage as the extent to which people tend to perform behaviors (use IS) automatically because of learning. Using recent work on the continued usage of IS (IS continuance), we have developed a model suggesting that continued IS usage is not only a consequence of intention, but also of habit. In particular, in our research model, we propose IS habit to moderate the influence of intention such that its importance in determining behavior decreases as the behavior in question takes on a more habitual nature. Integrating past research on habit and IS continuance further, we suggest how antecedents of behavior/behavioral intention as identified by IS continuance research relate to drivers of habitualization.
We empirically tested the model in the context of voluntary continued WWW usage. Our results support the argument that habit acts as a moderating variable of the relationship between intentions and IS continuance behavior, which may put a boundary condition on the explanatory power of intentions in the context of continued IS usage. The data also support that satisfaction, frequency of past behavior, and comprehensiveness of usage are key to habit formation and thus relevant in the context of IS continuance behavior. Implications of these findings are discussed and managerial guidelines presented.
1,774 citations
TL;DR: The paper constitutively defines product modularity in terms of component separability and component combinability, and an indirect operational definition is then proposed by operationalizing component separable and component Combinability.
Abstract: Product modularity has been discussed in engineering and management literature for over forty years. During this time span, definitions and views on the meaning of product modularity proliferated to the extent that it is difficult to understand the essential traits of the concept. While definitional ambiguity is often a byproduct of academic debate, it hinders the advancement of scientific knowledge as well. This paper aims to move a step forward toward a more precise definition of product modularity, by articulating a product system modularity construct in the domain of tangible, assembled artifacts. More precisely, the paper constitutively defines product modularity in terms of component separability and component combinability. An indirect operational definition for product modularity is then proposed by operationalizing component separability and component combinability. The proposed definition is finally related to other definitional perspectives synthesized by a literature review: component commonality, function binding, interface standardization, and loose coupling. In this way, the nomological network of the product modularity construct is laid out. Construct validation activities are left to further research
301 citations
275 citations
TL;DR: This study provides an updated annotated bibliography of ERP publications published in the main IS conferences and journals during the period 2001-2005, categorizing them through an ERP lifecycle-based framework that is structured in phases.
Abstract: This study provides an updated annotated bibliography of ERP publications published in the main IS conferences and journals during the period 2001-2005, categorizing them through an ERP lifecycle-based framework that is structured in phases. The first version of this bibliography was published in 2001 (Esteves and Pastor, 2001c). However, so far, we have extended the bibliography with a significant number of new publications in all the categories used in this paper. We also reviewed the categories and some incongruities were eliminated.
208 citations
TL;DR: Based on survey responses from 159 owner-managers in small high-technology firms, this paper examined the association among specific individual characteristics, firm characteristics, and individual out-of-distribution.
Abstract: Based on survey responses from 159 owner–managers in small high–technology firms, we examined the association among specific individual characteristics, firm characteristics, and the individual out...
190 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors apply an evolutionary economics framework to analyse the factors leading to lockout of renewable energy technologies (RETs) and suggest several policy measures which may help to overcome the lockout.
Abstract: This paper applies an evolutionary economics framework to analyse the factors leading to lock-out of renewable energy technologies (RETs) The cases of wind and solar photovoltaics (PV) in Spain are empirically analysed The paper shows that a wide array of interrrelated factors (technoeconomic characteristics of technology components, system-level infrastructure and institutional factors) can create both barriers to the wide diffusion of RETs and can also be drivers that foster an escape from a lock-in situation Based on this analysis, the paper suggests several policy measures which may help to overcome the lock-out of promising renewable energy technologies
160 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the relationship of the multinational firm's market environment, stakeholders, resources, and values to the development of strategic social planning and strategic social positioning and found that the market conditions of munificence and dynamism, and the resource for continuous innovation are related to strategic social position.
Abstract: In this article, we examine the relationship of the multinational firm’s market environment, stakeholders, resources, and values to the development of strategic social planning and strategic social positioning. Using a sample of multinational enterprises in Mexico, we examine the relationship of these different ways of conducting social strategy to the creation of value by the firm. The market conditions of munificence and dynamism, and the resource for continuous innovation are found to be related to strategic social positioning. The social responsibility orientation of the firm is related to strategic social planning. Positioning is related to value creation for the multinational firm, but planning is not. We discuss the implications of these findings for research and practice.
141 citations
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TL;DR: Findings provide strong indirect evidence that corporate information security activities are receiving more focus since the passage of SOX than before SOX was enacted.
Abstract: This paper empirically examines the impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002 on the voluntary disclosure of information security activities by corporations. The empirical evidence provided clearly indicates that SOX is having a positive impact on such disclosure. These findings provide strong indirect evidence that corporate information security activities are receiving more focus since the passage of SOX than before SOX was enacted.
125 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the relationship between firm complexity and board of director composition and classified board members either as insiders, business experts, support specialists, or community influentials, and examined board composition in relation to firm internal and external complexity.
Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between firm complexity and board of director composition. Utilising the board typology of Baysinger and Zardkoohi (1986), we classify board members either as insiders, business experts, support specialists, or community influentials, and examine board composition in relation to firm internal and external complexity. Internal complexity refers to the sophistication of internal work processes (proxied by firm RD Coles et al., 2005; Gillan et al., 2003; Linck et al., 2005), by providing a unique lens in examining board characteristics that goes beyond the traditional insider/independent classification.
109 citations
TL;DR: An in‐depth case study involving a manufacturing plant and its supply chain suggests that a number of approaches typically used to increase volume flexibility, actually negatively affect mix flexibility and vice versa.
Abstract: Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the factors enabling or hindering the simultaneous pursuit of volume flexibility and mix flexibility within a supply chain through the lens of a manufacturing plant seeking to implement a build‐to‐order (BTO) strategy.Design/methodology/approach – To accomplish this empirical investigation, an in‐depth case study involving a manufacturing plant and its supply chain was designed. Prior to primary and secondary data collection, this research setting had already decided to implement a BTO strategy and had, moreover, carefully assessed several practices for BTO strategy implementation, as well as their interactions.Findings – The studied case suggests that a number of approaches typically used to increase volume flexibility, actually negatively affect mix flexibility and vice versa. The existence of such trade‐offs may ultimately inhibit the implementation of a BTO strategy and this was the case in the studied company. Nevertheless, empirical evidence also suggests tha...
87 citations
TL;DR: The authors used a large-scale database to test the link between corporate governance regimes (specifically, the varieties of capitalism literature), investment in training and economic performance, and found that the evidence presented here does not match with common assumptions that countries can be classified into Anglo-Saxon and other forms of capitalism.
Abstract: This paper uses a large-scale database to test the link between corporate governance regimes (specifically, the varieties of capitalism literature), investment in training and economic performance. The evidence presented here does not match with common assumptions that countries can be classified into Anglo-Saxon and other forms of capitalism, supporting a considerable body of the more empirically orientated literature on employment security and human resource development. We propose a new categorization of countries that links types of broad corporate governance regimes and associated sets of regulations with the relative propensity of firms to engage in specific types of investment towards a core stakeholder: employees.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyze and critique the growing literature on record-keeping practices in Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt with a particular focus on processes of ancient accountability, and provide a research agenda for future work.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze and critique the growing literature on record-keeping practices in Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt with a particular focus on processes of ancient accountability, and provide a research agenda for future work.
Design/methodology/approach – Analyzes the contributions of accounting historians in this area as well as the research conducted by Assyriologists and Egyptologists. Our analysis emphasizes the embeddeness of ancient processes of accounting and accountability in their wider contexts.
Findings – A framework is proposed comprising levels and spheres of accountability. The levels of accountability consist of: hierarchical; horizontal; and self, all entailing both accounting and non-accounting elements. Furthermore, accountability is analyzed at three spheres: the individual-state, the state-individual, and the individual-individual.
Originality/value – Further research in this area might examine issues such as the temporal dimension of accountability and whether more precise time measures than those reported in the extant literature were enforced in ancient economies; how the ancients dealt with differences between actual and expected measures; examination on the extent to which accountability exerted an impact on, and the role of accounting in, ordering the lives of individuals and communities; and examination of the trajectories of accounting and accountability across different historical episodes.
TL;DR: A new, centralized ordering policy is presented that orders for all retailers simultaneously and is equivalent to the introduction of a warehouse with no inventory that is in charge of the ordering, allocation, and distribution of inventory to the retailers.
Abstract: In this paper, we study the impact of coordinated replenishment and shipment in inventory/distribution systems. We analyze a system with multiple retailers and one outside supplier. Random demand occurs at each retailer, and the supplier replenishes all the retailers. In traditional inventory models, each retailer orders directly from the supplier whenever the need arises. We present a new, centralized ordering policy that orders for all retailers simultaneously. The new policy is equivalent to the introduction of a warehouse with no inventory that is in charge of the ordering, allocation, and distribution of inventory to the retailers. Under such a policy, orders for some retailers may be postponed or expedited so that they can be batched with other retailers' orders, which results in savings in ordering and shipping costs. In addition to the policy we propose for supplying inventory to the retailers, we also consider three other policies that are based on these well-known policies in the literature: (a) can-order policy, (b) echelon inventory policy, and (c) fixed-replenishment interval policy. Furthermore, we create a framework for simultaneously making inventory and transportation decisions by incorporating the transportation costs (or limited truck capacities). We numerically compare the performance of our proposed policy with these policies to identify the settings in which each policy would perform well.
TL;DR: Martinez and Carbonell as discussed by the authors refute common misconceptions about doing business with low-income consumers and provide a model for doing well while doing good, which is similar to our approach.
Abstract: Juan Luis Martinez and Maria Carbonell refute common misconceptions about doing business with low-income consumers and provide a model for doing well while doing good.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that recent changes in the wider contexts of universities and business schools signal a shift in their business model instead of a mere turn in the business cycle, and identify some structural factors that business schools might wish to address in order to cope with changes occurring in their wider environments.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to argue that recent changes in the wider contexts of universities and business schools signal a shift in their business model instead of a mere turn in their business cycle.Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews the position of those that hold a traditionalist view of the business model of business schools and comments on the extent to which such a model applies to the ever‐changing conditions that are a feature of the environment of institutions of higher learning.Findings – The paper argues that the process of globalization augments the effects of five sector‐specific forces on the business model of business schools. Additionally, the paper identifies some structural factors that business schools might wish to address in order to cope with changes occurring in their wider environments.Originality/value – In addition to structural measures, the paper proposes a number of specific actions that business schools may implement to maintain and/or gain competiti...
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors introduce a general class of non-cooperative spatial bargaining games of coalition formation among three countries in order to examine the endogenous strategic considerations in the creation and enlargement of international unions.
Abstract: This paper introduces a new theoretical framework of international unions qua coalitions of countries adopting a common policy and common supranational institutions. We introduce a general class of non-cooperative spatial bargaining games of coalition formation among three countries in order to examine the endogenous strategic considerations in the creation and enlargement of international unions. Why would we observe a gradualist approach in the formation of the grand coalition even if the latter is assumed to be weakly efficient? We propose uncertainty about the benefits of integration as a mechanism that can generate gradual union formation in equilibrium. As it turns out, it may well be in the 'core' countries' interest to delay the accession of a third, peripheral country in order to i) stack the institutional make-up of the initial union in their favor and ii) signal their high resolve to wait out the expansion of their bilateral subunion. A related case from the European Union provides an interesting illustration.
TL;DR: The data reported do not allow the hypothesis of robustness of the GA to design implementation, when applying to technical trading systems tuning, to be refuted.
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TL;DR: The era of convergence is upon us as discussed by the authors, and we need to take advantage of the convergence of nonprofits and business, in the value they create, the stakeholders they manage, the organizations they form, and the financial instruments they use.
Abstract: La version espanola de este articulo se puede encontrar en: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1510249Nonprofits and business are converging - in the value they create, the stakeholders they manage, the organizations they form, and the financial instruments they use. The era of convergence is upon us. Do you know how to take advantage of it?
TL;DR: The overall results from both studies provide support for the response-facilitation hypothesis, and the authors tested the hypothesis that arousal effects are limited to ratings of charisma.
Abstract: The authors conducted an experimental laboratory study and a longitudinal field study to investigate the impact of followers' arousal on ratings of charisma. Both studies examined 2 contrasting hypotheses: (a) the misattribution hypothesis, which posits a direct effect of arousal, and (b) the response-facilitation hypothesis, which posits an interactive effect of arousal and leaders' charismatic appeal on ratings of charisma. The overall results from both studies provide support for the response-facilitation hypothesis. In addition, the authors tested the hypothesis that arousal effects are limited to ratings of charisma. As expected, ratings of transactional leadership, in contrast with ratings of charisma, were not influenced by followers' arousal states. The authors discuss the implications of these results and offer suggestions for future research.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors formalise the underlying principles through which a firm's product assortment can be efficiently and effectively presented to the customer, and identify what principles could be followed to effectively design such sales configurators and ultimately, part of the customer-company sales interaction process.
Abstract: When customers are offered multiple product or service options, they confront an opportunity as well as a challenge. More options, in fact, mean higher changes to find exactly what customers need, but at the same time, imply that more effort has to be put into the product selection process. Such effort can become such a burden that customers ultimately end up preferring more standardised items. Sales configurators offer an opportunity to help the customer reduce the complexity of the product selection process. Yet, to turn this opportunity into a reality, it is fundamental to identify what principles could be followed to effectively design such sales configurators and, ultimately, part of the customer-company sales interaction process. The present paper formalises the underlying principles through which a firm's product assortment can be efficiently and effectively presented to the customer.
TL;DR: In this paper, the benefits and shortcomings of alternative systems of corporate governance have been investigated and the evidence from the few existing studies is inconclusive as to whether there is an optimal system of governance and whether such a system already exists in a particular country.
Abstract: Over the last few years, national and international regulators have taken conscious steps to make capital markets - especially those based in Europe - more shareholder-oriented. On one side, these are welcome initiatives as the recent spectacular corporate failures and anecdotal evidence suggest that managers' attitudes definitely need to change and more weight needs to be given to shareholders' concerns. On the other side, there is as yet very little research on the benefits and shortcomings of alternative systems of corporate governance. Evidence from the few existing studies is inconclusive as to whether there is an optimal system of corporate governance and whether such a system already exists in a particular country. The move in one particular direction may therefore be far too premature. Further, some of my own research suggests that very similar changes in regulation - such as changes in takeover regulation - may have very different outcomes depending on the initial corporate ownership and control that prevails in a given country.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide an analysis of the implementation and subsequent removal of mandatory audit firm rotation in Spain in the 1990s, using congressional hearings, financial newspapers and documents produced by the professional associations of auditors in Spain.
Abstract: Purpose – In recent international debates on auditing regulation, Spain has assumed a real prominence as a claimed practical example of where a policy of mandatory audit firm rotation did not work and was duly abolished. This study aims to provide an analysis of the implementation and subsequent removal of mandatory audit firm rotation in Spain in the 1990s.Design/methodology/approach – This takes the form of historical analysis; the evidence in the paper derives from congressional hearings, financial newspapers and documents produced by the professional associations of auditors in Spain.Findings – This paper demonstrates that at no stage was mandatory rotation of audit firms ever enforced on Spanish auditors. Further, the revision and subsequent removal of the Spanish law on mandatory audit firm rotation emerge as a rather politicized process, with no evident reference being made in the process of legislative reform to Spanish auditing experiences. The analysis also reveals that at the very time that Spa...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyzed the earnings and organization of U.S. lawyers and used the equilibrium model of knowledge hierarchies in Garicano and Rossi-Hansberg (2006) to assess how much lawyers' productivity and the distribution of earnings across lawyers reflect lawyers' ability to organize problem-solving hierarchically.
Abstract: Hierarchies allow individuals to leverage their knowledge through others' time. This mechanism increases productivity and amplifies the impact of skill heterogeneity on earnings inequality. To quantify this effect, we analyze the earnings and organization of U.S. lawyers and use the equilibrium model of knowledge hierarchies in Garicano and Rossi-Hansberg (2006) to assess how much lawyers' productivity and the distribution of earnings across lawyers reflects lawyers' ability to organize problem-solving hierarchically. We analyze earnings, organizational, and assignment patterns and show that they are generally consistent with the main predictions of the model. We then use these data to estimate the model. Our estimates imply that hierarchical production leads to at least a 30% increase in production in this industry, relative to a situation where lawyers within the same office do not "vertically specialize." We further find that it amplifies earnings inequality, increasing the ratio between the 95th and 50th percentiles from 3.7 to 4.8. We conclude that the impact of hierarchy on productivity and earnings distributions in this industry is substantial but not dramatic, reflecting the fact that the problems lawyers face are diverse and that the solutions tend to be customized.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors introduce a typology of IT configurations based on two main dimensions: the divergent and the convergent dimensions, and empirically explore how IT influences on knowledge-based capabilities of product development, specifically knowledge exploitation and exploration.
Abstract: Product development is a knowledge intensive process. It is widely recognized as a mechanism that produces firms to learn, to enter new technological areas, and to deal more effectively with market uncertainty. Since technology management has become ingrained within the field of knowledge management, product development has been viewed and studied from a knowledge management perspective. In this context, this study focuses on a specific knowledge management initiative, information technology (IT). It empirically explores how IT influences on knowledge based capabilities of product development - specifically knowledge exploitation and exploration. With this aim, we introduce a typology of IT configurations based on two main dimensions: the divergent and the convergent dimensions. The results show that the product development can be categorized in three IT configurations. Specially, our results provide statistically differences in terms of knowledge exploitation and show the advantages of a combination of the two dimensions of IT.
TL;DR: It is found strong evidence that ambidexterity mediates the relationship between the IT that encourage these activities and subsequent performance in product development.
Abstract: We investigated ambidexterity, defined as the capacity to simultaneously achieve exploration and exploitation activities at a product development level. Building on the knowledge management literature, we argue that information technology - defined by a combination of the convergent and divergent dimension - facilitate ambidexterity. Further, ambidexterity mediates the relationship between IT and performance. We found strong evidence that ambidexterity mediates the relationship between the IT that encourage these activities and subsequent performance in product development. Data collected from 80 product developments supported our hypotheses.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore the application of prospective voluntary agreements (PVA) as a policy tool/process that can help facilitate a move towards a hydrogen-based economy through foresight and negotiation.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: Agarwal et al. as mentioned in this paper show that there exist, ademas, importantes inhibidores internos that dificultan el avance de la mujer and solo un cambio de cultura and perspectiva podra resolverlo.
Abstract: Los ultimos anos han supuesto un gran cambio en el entorno empresarial en relacion a la mujer directiva y sus posibilidades de plena integracion en la empresa espanola. Sin embargo, las cifras siguen demostrando una gran diferencia cuantitativa, tanto en los consejos de direccion como en los primeros organos de gobierno de las empresas. Desde la administracion publica asi como desde el sector privado han surgido una serie de iniciativas encaminadas a eliminar estas desigualdades. Tras los estudios que se han venido desarrollando en los ultimos anos, se sabe que estas iniciativas inciden principalmente en las barreras externas que impiden el ascenso de la mujer. Existen, ademas, importantes inhibidores internos que dificultan el avance de la mujer y solo un cambio de cultura y perspectiva podra resolverlo. La formacion enfocada a la percepcion individual de la mujer en su carrera directiva es un reto fundamental para su plena integracion en el mercado de trabajo
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present and discuss the major findings of a case study focusing on new practices in SCM implemented in Brazilian and Spanish automotive plants that use new supply chain configurations.
Abstract: In the last decade, new practices in Supply Chain Management (SCM) have been implemented in leading industrial sectors such as the Automotive Industry (AI), usually at a greater speed than has been studied or reported by academia. In the case of Brazil, pursuant to a series of investments in new plants, the AI has become a reference in several aspects of SCM. Spain, in turn, after seeing its automotive sector grow and prosper for almost two decades, is now experiencing a phase of relative stagnation and of concern, particularly due to the growing membership in the European Union (EU) and the resulting establishment of new plants and investments in Eastern Europe. In this context, the main purpose of this paper is to present and discuss the major findings of a case study focusing on new practices in SCM implemented in Brazilian and Spanish automotive plants that use new supply chain configurations.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors studied the asset pricing and portfolio choice implications of keeping up with the Joneses preferences and provided sufficient conditions on the utility function under which no portfolio bias can arise across agents in equilibrium.
Abstract: This paper studies the asset pricing and portfolio choice implications of keeping up with the Joneses preferences. In terms of portfolio choice, we provide sufficient conditions on the utility function under which no portfolio bias can arise across agents in equilibrium. Regarding asset prices, we find that under Joneses behavior asset prices are a function of the economy's aggregate consumption, the agents preference parameters, the wealth endowment distribution and the weighting across agents in the Joneses definition. We present necessary and sufficient conditions such that equilibrium prices are only a function of aggregate wealth. Non-financial, non-diversifiable income is introduced in the model. In the presence of Joneses behavior, an under-diversified equilibrium emerges where investors will bias their portfolios towards the financial assets that better hedge their exposure to the non-financial income risk.
TL;DR: In this article, a theoretical framework is proposed to explain product development performance through the link between knowledge management and knowledge integration, where the authors focus on the social enablers usually associated to knowledge management, and combine them with knowledge integration as to determine product development performances.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to explain product development performance through the link between knowledge management and knowledge integration. When product development teams integrate knowledge about two external entities -customers and suppliers, they acquire a better understanding of the market and of each other’s needs and capabilities, which enables them to operate and innovate better than their competitors. In this context, our theoretical framework focuses on the social enablers usually associated to knowledge management, and combine them with knowledge integration as to determine product development performance. This performance is measured through two distinct components, or types of outcomes: (1) process outcomes, which analyze the effectiveness of the product development process and it is measured in terms of teamwork- and (2) product outcomes, which concerns the characteristics associated with the value of the product to customer. A survey conducted with product development managers was used in order to develop and test our hypothesis that knowledge integration in combination with knowledge management has a positive impact on product development performance.