RFID in the supply chain: lessons from European early adopters

Purpose Radio frequency identification (RFID) is increasingly being presented as a technology with the potential to improve supply chain performance, but empirical evidence from early adopters is sparse. This paper aims to rectify this scarcity and contribute to a more informed discussion in and between academic and practitioner communities. Design/Methodology/Approach The paper is based on a conceptual model of factors influencing the success of adoption efforts. It then reports the results of a survey of 612 European supply chain managers, focusing on the 128 respondents who have begun RFID trials. Findings A significant influence on operational deployment is the presence of mandates from key customers requiring the technology’s use. Customer mandates also impact the anticipated benefits of a faster sales cycle and of enhanced systems integration, though the relationships are complex. By contrast, greater cost reduction benefits are anticipated in two industries where mandates are less common – industrial goods and logistics. Perceived organizational innovativeness positively impacts anticipated ROI from RFID. Companies adopting a ‘slap and ship’ approach are less likely to anticipate pricing benefits than those integrating RFID into enterprise systems Research Limitations/Implications The limitations of the paper include the limited sample size of early adopters. In addition, qualitative research is needed into RFID supply chain applications and into different approaches to IS integration of RFID, to inform future survey work. Practical Implications This paper informs supply chain managers and senior decision makers who are examining the potential of RFID technology. It offers guidance on what issues to look for when adopting this technology, approaches to take and the benefits that might be accrued. Originality/Valuer This paper offers a major contribution to understanding the current status of the adoption of RFID in European supply chains. This understanding is put in the context of the wider literatures on supply chain management and the adoption of information systems and te

Assessing the Impact of Internet Adoption Levels on Competitive Advantage

This paper introduces a model for Internet adoption, namely: level 0 – e-mail adoption; level 1 – Web presence; level 2 – prospecting; level 3 – business integration; and level 4 – business transformation. Two broad Web site categories can be identified: informational Web site and transactional Web site. The competitive advantages in terms of differentiation, cost reduction, innovation, growth, and alliance that are affected by Internet adoption are examined. A questionnaire survey of 553 firms was conducted, of which 159 usable responses were received, resulting in an effective response rate of 28.8%. The results show that proactive business strategy, firm size and competitive advantage are found to be positively related to Web adoption level. Implications of the results for researchers and practitioners are discussed, and directions for future research are proposed

An Empirical Investigation on the Acceptance and Adoption of E-Commerce Among Internet Users in Malaysia

This study examines the effect of three factors on the acceptance and adoption of electronic commerce among internet user in Malaysia. A review of the literature shows that owner characteristics such as lack of knowledge and perceived lack of trust are significant inhibitors while environment characteristics such as government support are significant motivators of electronic commerce in Malaysia. A questionnaire survey was conducted in 150 respondents of internet user in Kuala Lumpur. A total of 108 valid responses were obtained. Stratified random sampling was adopted over other techniques to enhance representativeness. Data analysis shows that significant relationship exists between each of the three variables and electronic commerce adoption among internet user in Kuala Lumpur. Security issues emerged as the most important factor influence the acceptance and adoption of e-commerce. This factor is followed by government support and knowledge in information technology

Business-to-Consumer Electronic Commerce Success Factors in Thailand: The Website Merchant Perspectives

Electronic Commerce (E-Commerce) is considered a new channel of distribution that consumers can reach websites at anytime and from anywhere. In reality, however, consumers are not yet confident in on-line transactions. Several Thai website owners who operate business to consumer (B2C) e-commerce stated nine major success factors: government support, security and privacy, customer service, administrative support, online promotion, product uniqueness, logistics, product variety, and image creation. It is necessary that website merchants study various success factors, having impact on achieving business value of e-commerce investment and building customer trust which would then bring long-term profits to the organization

Factors influencing implementation of CRM technology among small and medium sized enterprises

This study aims to identify the factors that influence the implementation of customer relationship management (CRM) technology among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). From the existing literature six factors: relative advantage, cost effectiveness, top management support, information technology (IT) knowledge, government support and competitive pressure were identified to influence CRM technology implementation in organizations in general. The effect and relative importance of these factors on CRM implementation was examined in the context of SMEs in Singapore. Top management support emerged as the most important factor followed closely by relative advantage. The influence of competitive pressure, government support, costeff ectiveness and IT knowledge were found to be not significant

The Impact of Firm and Business Environment Contexts on E-Business Value

The structure and institutions of economies and the increasingly interconnected global business landscape influence firms’ information system (IS) choices and performance. Our knowledge of IS business value has resulted from mainly a firm- centric perspective based on internal business processes, which is consistent with computing paradigms that dominated the pre-W3 eras. Although emerging works are now examining pieces of the Internet-era e-business value conundrum, our knowledge remains underdeveloped, and cross-country research on e-business capabilities are few. As a response, this research empirically examines the impact of environmental and firm contexts on e-business capability for improving performance. The TOE perspective underpins the conceptual development of this research. Results from the survey of 218 financial firms in Singapore and Nigeria reveal significant impact of environmental factors on the firm’s ability to derive value from e-business. The data also reveals significant differences between Singapore and Nigerian contextual factors, indicating location dynamics in advancing e-business capabilities for business performance

The impact of internal organization factors on the adoption of e-commerce and its effect on organizational performance among Palestinian small and medium enterprise

Electronic Commerce (EC) can without a doubt help firms reduce cost, enhance efficiency, and expand their market reach.However, small and medium sized enterprises in Palestine are slow in adopting EC.As a result, it became important to analyse the situation and determine the factors affecting the implementation process.Numerous firms encounter hurdles during the EC dispersion process, thus, failing to gain any benefits from EC adoption.The paper aims to determine the technological, organizational, and information culture factors that have an impact on EC adoption process, and how EC adoption in turn affects the organization’s performance.A quantitative research technique using the survey method will be used in this research.The technology-organization-environment-framework known as TOE framework is the base upon which the paper proposed an integrated model to study the effects of factors from the technological, organizational, and informational culture points of view during the EC process adoption. Information culture factors have gained more focus; as they have hardly been examined by previous literature regarding their influence on EC adoption.For the specific objective of this study, Palestine has been chosen to examine how information culture factors influence EC adoption during the diffusion process, not only providing practical guidelines for enterprises engaging in EC adoption, but also providing academics an insight on the EC adoption process perspective, particularly during diffusion of EC

Towards the formulation of a comprehensive framework for the evaluation of investments in sell-side e-commerce

In recent years, whilst considerable attention has been focussed on the Internet, and in particular its potential as a sales medium, little research has been conducted into how such investments can be objectively evaluated. Based upon a review of the literature and a series of exploratory interviews, a provisional framework for evaluating e-commerce investments is presented. It is shown that in addition to considering generic issues such as flexibility and implementabilty, an e-commerce evaluation framework should address specifics, such as customer management, marketing and logistics

Determinants of ICT Adoption: Evidence from Firm-Level Data

We analyse factors driving ICT adoption at firm level using data from Irish manufacturing firms over the period 2001-2004. Our results indicate that the adoption of ICT has been uneven across firms, industries and space. On average, other things equal, firms with more skilled workers, firms operating in ICT-producing and ICT-using industries, and firms located in the capital city region have been relatively more successful in adopting and using ICT. We find positive technology spillovers from firms that have adopted ICT located in the same region and industry. To a certain extent, patterns of ICT adoption are different for domestic and foreign-owned firms, in particular with respect to the effects of international competitive pressure and firm size.Human capital/ICT adoption/Industrial structure/Technology spillovers