Aligning Customer Relationship and Product Strategy at Internet Speed

The Internet has changed the way many software developing companies have to work – They have to reconsider their IT strategy. Theory on IT strategy suggests a close intimate relationship between supplier and customer. Theory also suggests a job shop or a batch job organization of the software production. In 2002 we set out to study a number of Danish Internet software companies. Through careful interviewing and analysis we found that the theory actually fitted well with our empirical findings. But we also found an emphasis on building trust in customer-supplier relationships that were not well-developed in the theory we studied. In the paper we give an account of our findings and we characterise the element of trust building in internet customer-supplier relationships

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

ALIGNMENT OF BUSINESS AND IS/IT STRATEGY AT TELENOR SWEDEN

Neculau, Andrei. Habib, Stephanie. Henriksson, Aron. Magarian Kenaraki, Miganoush Katrin. Liu, Yuanchang. 2009. Alignment of Business and IS/IT Strategy at Telenor Sweden.strategic alignment, IS/IT strategy, business strategy, organizational strategy, case study, Telenor

Digital maturity variables and their impact on the enterprise architecture layers

This study examines the variables of digital maturity of companies. The framework for enterprise architectures Archimate 3.0 is used to compare the variables. The variables are assigned to the six layers of architecture: Strategy, Business Environment, Applications, Technology, Physical and Implementation and Migration. On the basis of a literature overview, 15 “digital maturity models” with a total of 147 variables are analyzed. The databases Scopus, EBSCO – Business Source Premier and ProQuest are used for this purpose

The Unseen Face of E-Business Project Development

The purpose of this paper is intent on identify and analyze the unseen factors of successful or failure of e-business project development. The IT managers must take into account both all costs involved in e-business development and all phases (analysis, design, testing, implementation, maintenance and operation) according to principle of project management for software/systems life cycle development. There are many solutions to exceed these factors of failure among could be counted outsourcing, a good project management, involvement of senior management, a real cost estimation etc.Zadanie pt. „Digitalizacja i udostępnienie w Cyfrowym Repozytorium Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego kolekcji czasopism naukowych wydawanych przez Uniwersytet Łódzki” nr 885/P-DUN/2014 zostało dofinansowane ze środków MNiSW w ramach działalności upowszechniającej nauk

Benchmarking performance management systems

The Balanced Scorecard and associated performance management approaches, has become a widely practiced and popular management reporting method in recent times. Moreover, enabling technology, which assists in the delivery and personalisation of corporate performance information, is having a deeper and more rapid impact than ever before. This paper presents a brief comparative benchmarking study of leading enterprise performance management systems. Also, the author discusses the merits of bespoke internet technology development and out-of-the-box portal functionalities. An analysis of key business drivers and implementation risks of such approaches is highlighted via a case study example, and concludes the paper

Reach and rich : the new economics of information and the provision of on-line legal services in the UK

The paper considers a number of issues including the use of the Web as an opportunity for smaller firms to break free from the traditional indicators of reputation and expertise such as the size and opulence of offices. It also reflects on the use of client-specific Extranets in addition to publicly available Internet sites. The paper concludes that although the Web provides reach, offering richness and the sense of community required for creating and sustaining relationships with potential clients can be difficult. Some suggestions are made for enhancing 'Richness' in Web sites

SOA and BPM, a Partnership for Successful Organizations

In order to stay effective and competitive, companies have to be able to adapt themselves to permanent market requirements, to improve constantly their business process, to act as flexible and proactive economic agents. To achieve these goals, the IT systems within the organization have to be standardized and integrated, in order to provide fast and reliable data access to users both inside and outside the company. A proper system architecture for integrating company’s IT assets is a service oriented one. A service-oriented architecture (SOA) is an IT architectural style that allows integration of the company’s business as linked, repeatable tasks called services. A subject closely related to SOA is Business Process Management (BPM), an approach that aims to improve business processes. The paper also presents some aspects of this topic, as well as the relationship between SOA and BPM. They complement each other and help companies improve their business performance.Information Systems, SOA, Web Services, BPM

Leveraging the fully integrated supply chain

Thesis (M. Eng. in Logistics)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2004."June 2004."Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-69).(cont.) in the success of Lucent's turnaround and, from the patterns that emerge, a basis for a new holistic framework for designing and leveraging an integrated supply chain is offered. This framework suggests that attaining competitive advantage from supply chain capabilities lies in a firm's ability to incorporate corporate culture, leadership style, organization structure and both inter and intra tier governance methods into it's supply chain design in order to enable an integrated and extended organization where the channel expert can be identified and engaged in decision making in a natural, real-time and organic process.Over the past three years, in response to dramatic changes in the telecommunications industry, Lucent Technologies has realigned its corporate strategy from being a provider of manufacturing excellence to one of supply chain excellence. Supported by this realignment, Lucent has recently returned to profitability after eleven consecutive losing quarters, and has posted dramatic improvements in financial, operational and customer satisfaction metrics. Lucent's new strategy is focused on leveraging its supply chain capabilities to create a new extended enterprise that is both customer and supplier intimate, and operates as a broad reaching cross-functional Supply Chain Networks (SCN) organization. Pivotal to the success of this realignment was extending the scope of Lucent's supply chain activities, both internally and externally to the company. Internally, Lucent integrated such non-traditional SCM activities as sales, product design, and margin management into its newly created SCN organization. Externally, by outsourcing virtually all of its manufacturing, and much of the associated supplier management, to Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) partners, Lucent became responsible for the orchestration of an extended multi-tier supply chain that integrated abilities and expertise of functional teams within Lucent and within its EMS partners, raw component suppliers and customers. In this thesis, the Supply Chain Networks transformation at Lucent is examined in the broader context of the changes that took place in Lucent's: organizational model; leadership team; corporate culture; customer and supplier relationships; operations; and market space. The change that was effected in each of these areas is reviewed for its roleby Duncan M.L. Scholtz.M.Eng.in Logistic