Showing papers in "Journal of Strategic Information Systems in 2007"

Exploring consumer adoption of mobile payments - A qualitative study

Abstract: This paper presents a qualitative study on consumer adoption of mobile payments. The findings suggest that the relative advantage of mobile payments is different from that specified in adoption theories and include independence of time and place, availability, possibilities for remote payments, and queue avoidance. Furthermore, the adoption of mobile payments was found to be dynamic, depending on certain situational factors such as a lack of other payment methods or urgency. Several other barriers to adoption were also identified, including premium pricing, complexity, a lack of critical mass, and perceived risks. The findings provide foundation for an enhanced theory on mobile payment adoption and for the practical development of mobile payment services.

Why build a customer relationship management capability

Abstract: The market enthusiasm generated around investment in CRM technology is in stark contrast to the naysaying by many academic and business commentators. This raises an important research question concerning the extent to which companies should continue to invest in building a CRM capability. Drawing on field interviews and a survey of senior executives, the results reveal that a superior CRM capability can create positional advantage and subsequent improved performance. Further, it is shown that to be most successful, CRM programs should focus on latent or unarticulated customer needs that underpin a proactive market orientation.

Understanding the influence of information systems competencies on process innovation: A resource-based view

Abstract: The resource based view of firms is used to explore how information system (IS) competencies affect process innovation in an organization. Data was collected through a case study of two process innovations at a healthcare firm in the United States. The findings illustrate how six IS competencies - Knowledge Management, Collaboration, Project Management, Ambidexterity, IT/Innovation Governance, Business-IS Linkages - can differentially affect the conception, development and implementation of process innovations. Implications for researchers and practitioners are drawn from these conclusions and suggestions for further research are proposed.

The role of external and internal influences on information systems security - a neo-institutional perspective

Abstract: This research is an attempt to better understand how external and internal organizational influences shape organizational actions for improving information systems security. A case study of a multi-national company is presented and then analyzed from the perspective of neo-institutional theory. The analysis indicates that coercive, normative, and mimetic isomorphic processes were evident, although it was difficult to distinguish normative from mimetic influences. Two internal forces related to work practices were identified representing resistance to initiatives to improve security: the institutionalization of work mobility and the institutionalization of efficiency outcomes expected with the adoption of company initiatives, especially those involving information technology. The interweaving of top-down and bottom-up influences resulted in an effort to reinforce, and perhaps reinstitutionalize the systems component of information security. The success of this effort appeared to hinge on top management championing information system security initiatives and propagating an awareness of the importance of information security among employees at all levels of the company. The case shows that while regulatory forces, such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, are powerful drivers for change, other institutional influences play significant roles in shaping the synthesis of organizational change.

The open source software phenomenon: Characteristics that promote research

Abstract: Since the turn of the century, open source software has triggered a vast volume of research. In this essay, based on a brief review of selected work, we show that research in many different fields and disciplines of the social sciences have shed light on the phenomenon. We argue that five characteristics make the phenomenon particularly attractive to examination from various fields and disciplines using a plethora of research methods: (1) impact: open source software has an extensive impact on the economy and society; (2) theoretical tension: the phenomenon deviates sharply from the predictions and explanations of existing theory in different fields; (3) transparency: open source software has offered researchers an unprecedented access to data; (4) communal reflexivity: the community of open source software developers frequently engage in a dialog on its functioning (it also has its own research community); (5) proximity: the innovation process in open source software resembles knowledge production in science (in many instances, open source software is an output of research processes). These five characteristics also promote a transdisciplinary research dialog. Based on the experience of open source software research, we propose that phenomena-driven transdisciplinary research provides an excellent context to promote greater dialog between disciplines and fields. Moreover, we propose that the recent diffusion of the open source software model of innovation to other areas than software calls for new research and that the field of information systems has an important role to play in this future research agenda.

ERP systems as an enabler of sustained business process innovation: A knowledge-based view

Abstract: This research examines the relationship between ERP systems and innovation from a knowledge-based perspective. Building upon the multi-dimensional conceptualization of absorptive capacity by Zahra and George [Zahra, S.A., George, G., 2002. Absorptive capacity: a review, reconceptualization, and extension. Academy of Management Journal 27 (2), 185-203], a theoretical framework is developed to specify the relationships between ERP-related knowledge impacts and potential/realized absorptive capacity for business process innovation. The implication of the knowledge-based analysis in this paper is that ERP systems present dialectical contradictions, both enabling and constraining business process innovation. The model highlights areas where active management has potential to enhance the capabilities of a firm for sustained innovation of its business processes. Future research directions are also outlined.

Global software development: Exploring socialization and face-to-face meetings in distributed strategic projects

Abstract: Socialization is one means through which globally distributed teams (GDTs) can improve collaboration. However, harnessing socializing processes to support globally distributed collaboration is not easy. In particular, infrequent and limited face-to-face (F2F) contact between remote counterparts might result in difficulties in sharing norms, attitudes and behaviours. In this paper we seek to understand how dispersed teams create socialization in globally distributed settings. Based on data collected at SAP, LeCroy and Baan we conclude that, while F2F meetings are important in socializing remote counterparts, other activities and processes employed before and after F2F meetings are no less important. In particular, the paper highlights the importance of re-socializing remote counterparts throughout a project lifecycle. Re-socializing means supporting the re-acquisition of behaviours, norms and attitudes that are necessary for participation in an organization. We offer a framework in which three phases of creating, maintaining and renewing socialization in GDTs are discussed. The paper concludes by offering managers some guidelines concerning socialization in GDTs.

Strategic information systems planning: A case study from the financial services industry

Abstract: Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP) is an important topic for managers and researchers alike. However, there is evidence of a gap between SISP research and practice. Taking this situation as a motivation, we conducted an in depth case study on SISP to investigate this gap. The study was carried out in a German financial services company (FSC) over a period of five months in summer 2003. During this time, the enterprise situation and the information system (IS) practices situation of FSC were studied with respect to the SISP approach in place. Our findings confirm the hypothesis that practitioners largely ignore academic literature and do not use it in support of their SISP endeavours. This is all the more striking since FSC extensively used guidance from IS research in other fields such as systems analysis and software development. Our case study examines in detail two possible explanations for the gap: firstly a lacking transfer of academic knowledge to practice, and secondly deficiencies in the academic knowledge base itself. In fact, our observations highlight a disconnect between academic discussion and practical conduct. However, we found that the ignorance of academic literature on SISP is not primarily caused by a constrained knowledge transfer. In order to exclude communication barriers, we filtered the academic discussion according to the specific situation and the needs of FSC and translated it into practical recommendations. Nevertheless, the academic arguments we put forward hardly had any impact, either on IT managers' thinking or on SISP practice at FSC. Though academic literature was partly perceived as inspiring, it was not regarded as a touchstone for SISP practice. Academia, in the eyes of FSC's practitioners, ignores the ''real problems'' and thus is not accredited as a relevant source of advice. Moreover, in a final discussion with FSC's senior IT executives we got the impression that the professional identity of FSC's IT management - and more specifically the CIO's role - was different from interpretations prevalent in academia. The academic discussion assumes the CIO to be an initiator of organisational innovations and driver of business strategy on the board. In contrast, we found that FSC's CIO basically perceives her role as that of a service provider to business. While the different perceptions might be due to idiosyncrasies of FSC, related research provided additional empirical support for the conjecture of misleading academic assumptions about the role of IT management in practice.

RFID, privacy and the perception of risk: A strategic framework

Abstract: Against the background of the first RFID-Rollouts by large retailers in North America and Europe, this paper concerns itself with the perception of RFID technology as a risk to privacy. The objective of our contribution is to identify, at a relatively early phase of the risk development, strategic options with which RFID suppliers and users can positively influence the public acceptance of the technology. We propose a strategic framework based on research findings on risk perception and technology acceptance as well as a set of options for coping with the public perception of RFID-related privacy risks.

Danger is in the eye of the beholders: Social representations of Information Systems security in healthcare

Abstract: This paper investigates the social representations of Information Systems (IS) security of different communities working in a healthcare organization. It considers questions of IS security as socially constructed and dependent on how people make sense of their context of work. The social representations perspective presented in this paper is especially useful to make sense of IS security from the point of view of various communities. The paper illustrates the relevance of this perspective by analyzing the differences and similarities in the way members of seven occupational communities (e.g., physicians, nurses, IS professionals) working in the same healthcare organization represent IS security. The paper finally draws the strategic implications for research and practice of considering the social representations of IS security. In particular, security and awareness programs should be customized to acknowledge that members of various communities ''know'' different things about security and that they react differently to various security initiatives.

The adoption of consortium B2B e-marketplaces: An exploratory study

Abstract: Despite the considerable number of electronic B2B marketplaces formed and the benefits cited as arising from their use, many have gone out of business. This exploratory study seeks to provide a qualitative exposition of the specific factors influencing the adoption of consortium-owned B2B e-marketplaces. The study is based upon case studies of twelve companies trading through three different consortium B2B e-marketplaces. Twenty-six specific factors are identified and their impact on adoption is discussed. The identification of a significant number of factors specific to this domain provides real meaning and depth to those interested in the future of e-marketplaces. In particular, the factors identified provide those that operate such e-marketplaces with a detailed and actionable understanding of the issues they should address in order to survive, and provide users or potential users of consortium marketplaces with a practical framework with which to assess individual marketplaces. The factors can also form the basis of future studies of other types of marketplaces and of quantitative studies of adoption.

Does IT pay to focus? An analysis of IT business value under single and multi-focused business strategies

Abstract: Previous research finds that firm performance is highest when firms maintain a singular strategic focus as opposed to a multi-focused strategy. Yet, from an IT perspective, there is still some debate as to whether IT business value or the contribution of IT to firm performance is also maximized when firms maintain a single-focused strategy. Using the notion of value disciplines to model strategic foci, we find in a matched survey of executives in 241 firms that IT business value is highest in firms with a multi-focused business strategy and lowest in those with a single focus. We also find a relationship between strategic foci and the primary locus of IT value within the value chain for all focus-types except those emphasizing operational excellence. If all firms are using IT to reduce operating expenses, operationally excellent firms may find it increasingly difficult to sustain a low-cost advantage over time through IT.

An examination of the trade-off between internal and external IT capabilities

Abstract: The business case for hiring external IT consultants is compelling. Consultants can represent a rich source of valuable, short-term capabilities. From a resource-based perspective, however, the fungible nature of these capabilities argues against their long-term strategic value. Furthermore, IT consultants may be at odds with existing internal capabilities. Institutional theory suggests that external consultants may not share the same norms and beliefs held by the internal staff and consequently their efforts in achieving organizational goals may be diluted or compromised. This paper explores the tension between internal and external IT capabilities on the realization of enhanced IT productivity. Drawing on telephone survey data on the adoption of Internet business solutions, the results of the study show that firms see tangible benefits from using external IT consultants, but these benefits are moderated by the level of existing internal IT capabilities.

A study of subsidiaries' views of information systems strategic planning in multinational organisations

Abstract: This research examines information systems strategic planning (ISSP) in multinationals from the perspective of the subsidiaries. The research was carried out through interviews with the IT and business managers in subsidiaries of nine large American, European, and Japanese multinationals. The evidence from this study reveals that, in the majority of these organisations, IS planning is either centralised or moving towards centralisation. The main focus of IS planning, in many of these organisations, is to control cost and achieve scale economies. As centralisation increases IT tends to control the planning process and, as a result, IS planning becomes more tactical than strategic and is dominated by IT infrastructure planning. Project implementation was the main criterion used to measure IS planning success. However, due to the dominant role of IT, the subsidiary business managers are often less satisfied with the IS planning approach compared with the subsidiary IT managers. The level of involvement of business managers and their satisfaction with ISSP was related to the degree of decentralisation of responsibility for IS planning.

Conflicts between privacy and property: The discourse in personal and organizational knowledge

Abstract: The paper critically examines knowledge ownership when personal or organizational knowledge is transferred between individuals or between individuals and organizations. Employing a form of discourse analysis, we analyse the data from three complementary perspectives (international treaties and conventions on privacy and intellectual property, employment and merchant account contracts, and verdicts from knowledge-related legal cases) to unveil the conflicts between privacy and property rights. The results show a dialectical view where ownership shifts between the individual and the organization/community and therefore, the individual may or may not necessarily own what he knows. Privacy and property have been central issues in computational ethics for more than two decades. The use of information systems for strategic purposes offers new challenges for these established ethical concepts. Knowledge is not only a form of property governed by intellectual property law; it is also an individual attribute and, as part of the personality, it may be governed by privacy law. As a result, the dialectical view also shows that the ownership shift between the individual and the organization/community means that the organization may or may not necessarily own what it knows.

Understanding user behavior with new mobile applications

Abstract: This paper presents the results of an exploratory study designed to evaluate Microediciones^(R), a new mobile content-based application that delivers daily summaries of newspapers into cell phones. The research question underlying this study sought to understand how users, accustomed to using their handsets as talking devices, download applications and navigate through data. This question is explored from the theoretical perspective of automaticity with data collected via protocol analysis of a sample of subjects. An analysis of the problems experienced by the users provided the basis to suggest specific operational improvements to the application, bearing in mind the strategic objectives of the mobile company to obtain revenue from user subscriptions and advertising. Beyond the strategic implications for the company launching this particular service, the results of this study have significant theoretical and practical implications for researchers and developers of new mobile applications.

Mobilizing software expertise in personal knowledge exchanges

Abstract: Personal knowledge exchanges (PKEs) are Web-based markets that match seekers and providers of knowledge and facilitate the pricing and transfer of knowledge assets. They show significant potential to function as infrastructure for the ''elance-economy.'' This study examines transactions for software expertimse in a personal knowledge exchange. It evaluates the mobilization of knowledge in terms of the speed and the number of knowledge providers that are matched to a knowledge request. Hypotheses are proposed based on transaction costs imposed by the characteristics of knowledge. We also study the impact of safeguarding and coordination mechanisms that may help overcome challenges to PKE use. We find that knowledge mobilization in the PKE is adversely impacted by knowledge transfer costs due to the tacitness, situatedness, and complexity of knowledge that is sought. To a lesser extent, knowledge mobilization is adversely affected by the likelihood of opportunistic behavior as indicated by the reputation ratings of the individual requesting the knowledge. The study enables a better understanding of the factors impacting the effectiveness of personal knowledge exchanges and provides important managerial implications for shaping their development.

Preventing application software piracy: An empirical investigation of technical copy protections

Abstract: To counteract application software piracy, software publishers have been implementing preventive technical copy protections into their software products. However, scientific research has not yet empirically investigated to what extent technical copy protections avoid illegal copying. Investigating this question, the paper studies the influence of technical copy protections on application software piracy. We apply descriptive statistics and a binary logistic regression to data collected from a survey of international software users. We show that technical protections fail in protecting application software from being illegally copied; none of the measures studied significantly avoids piracy. From this, we firstly derive implications for software publishers and researchers and secondly suggest directions for future research.

Editorial: Editorial: JSIS Security and Privacy Special Issue

Abstract: Information privacy vulnerabilities resulting from security lapses at various companies confirm the axiom that ‘a company can have information security without privacy but not privacy without information security’. Yet little is understood about the nature of the relationship between privacy and security. For example, will the commercial implementation of RFID, GPS, Ambient Intelligence, and other emerging context-aware applications have an impact on personal privacy rights or societal values or culture, and if so, what will such impacts be and how may they be assessed? Can information privacy be protected while still drawing advantage from the potential benefits of these technologies? How dynamic or stable is the relationship between privacy and information security in different technological and organizational settings? Are information privacy and security positively correlated in some situations and negatively correlated in others? Can companies effectively leverage privacy protection as a selling point? What is the measurable impact on information privacy from mergers between information vendors and marketing firms? Are there best practices for marrying existing organizational privacy practices with new legal and regulatory mandates? There are no simple answers for these questions. While protection strategies may be a function of the nature of the firm and industry, are there any generic principles that could be followed? This special issue seeks to address these concerns. There is no doubt that technical means of assuring security and privacy is critical, yet the related bureaucratic control structures cannot be ignored. This means that while granting access to certain parts of information technology systems may be important, there is also a need to institute corresponding structures of responsibility and authority. Success of such structures in turn is a function of the right attitudes and normative controls and the regulatory environment. The special issue considers a range of security and privacy issues and presents five very interesting papers that help in furthering the body of knowledge. In many ways the papers form the basis for further theoretical work, which we feel would serve the community well. The first paper, ‘‘Danger is in the eye of the beholders: Social representations of Information Systems security in healthcare’’, by Emmanuelle Vaast of Long Island University, USA, investigates the social representations of information systems security of different communities working in a healthcare organization. It considers questions of IS security as socially constructed and dependent on how people make sense of their context of work.

Editorial: JSIS editorial December 2007 issue

Abstract: This issue of Journal of Strategic Information Systems (JSIS) is comprised of four articles: two regular research articles and two special issue articles from Global Mobility Roundtables. The first two articles cover fundamental topics in the strategic information systems domain, and hail from scholars located in Malaysia, United Kingdom, and United States. The special issue research articles focus on mobile applications that are emerging yet strategic particularly for the companies launching the applications. The special issue articles are authored by scholars in the United States, Spain, and Finland. Mohdzaher Mohdzain of University Kebangsaan, Malaysia, and John Ward of Cranfield University, United Kingdom, have examined the subsidiaries’ views of information systems (IS) strategic planning in multinational organizations. The authors find that in the majority of the nine multinationals, the responsibility for IS planning is centralized or moving toward centralization. There is little IS planning at the subsidiary level and planning is dominated by the corporate IT organization with the focus on achieving scale economies. These changes are associated with tactical rather than strategic IS planning; the information technology is viewed mainly as a utility. The subsidiary business managers reported that the local business requirement were not being adequately addressed in IS planning. What is also troubling of the authors’ findings is that there was little emphasis given to enabling global transfer of knowledge, even in a company where the focus of IS planning was global co-coordination. These findings suggest that the multinationals have much to learn about how to actively engage business managers in the subsidiaries, how to increase the acceptance of information technology at the subsidiaries, and to manage global transfer of IS knowledge across subsidiaries. The paper’s findings should encourage much future work in this area. The second paper is authored by Monideepa Tarafdar of the University of Toledo and Steven Gordon of Babson College, both located in the United States. They examined the fundamental issue of how firms can acquire business value from their information technology (IT) investments. The authors specifically focus on the influence of information systems competencies on process innovation. Grounding their ideas in the resource-based view of the firm (RBV), the authors examine how the combined and integrated influence of technology and managerial mechanisms and resources can influence the success of process innovations. The paper reports on a longitudinal and exploratory case study on two process innovations at a heath care organization in the United States. The findings high-