Managing Information System Integration Technologies--A Study of Text Mined Industry White Papers

Industry white papers are increasingly being used to explain the philosophy and operation of a product in marketplace or technology context. This explanation is used by senior managers for strategic planning in an organization. This research explores the effectiveness of white papers and strategies for managers to learn about technologies using white papers. The research is conducted by collecting industry white papers in the area of Information System Integration and gleaned relevant information through text-mining tool, Vantage Point. The text mined information is analyzed to provide solutions for practical problems in systems integration market. The indirect findings of the research are New System Integration Business Models, Methods for Calculating ROI of System Integration Project, and Managing Implementation Failures

Global dynamic E-marketplaces, and their role in the internet-based economy

Collaboration capabilities are what will most probably create the gap between winners and losers in business-to-business (B2B) commerce. In this context, the electronic marketplace (EM) comes as a medium for trade and collaboration, and a common entry point where partners can share business processes and adopt a decentralized business model fuelled by market evolution. The thesis illustrates the advantages of collaborative business and presents the information technologies that support it. The purpose of this thesis is to educate both the author and the reader on the technology and infrastructure that supports collaborative business and to posit that among the three major information technology infrastructures that enable B2B commerce, the EM model provides significant advantages for individual companies and industries compared to Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and Peer-to-Peer (P2P). The thesis identifies key tools and value-added services EM\u27s should provide their participants to meet the requirements of modern companies and the Internet-based economy. Finally, the thesis suggests potential impacts of EM\u27s on the modern business ecosystem

Adopting emerging integration technologies in organisations

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.A review of the innovation and diffusion literature indicates a considerable amount of research, where attention is given to a range of features which may support integration technologies adoption. However, some literature suggests that the findings derived from the study of large enterprises cannot be generalised and applied in SMEs due to the distinct characteristics of SMEs. Although the adoption of integration technologies is recognised as being different between large and small companies, the literature on its adoption by SMEs remains limited. Nevertheless, in existing work, there is a lack of studies emphasising the reasons why SMEs and large companies take the decision to adopt integration technologies, focusing specifically on the different factors. This thesis therefore identifies the significant differences in the way that SMEs and large companies approach integration technologies, based on the existing literature, theoretical diffusion theories, and resource-based theory. In doing so, the parameters that can be used to explain the adoption of integration technologies in SMEs and large firms are identified, as nature of organisations, company size, integration needs, adoption factors for SMEs and large organisations, and time. Additionally, adoption factors are found and classified into three categories: adoption factors explicit to SMEs, adoption factors explicit to large organisations, and common factors. Based on this, a conceptual model is introduced to explain the different factors that influence adoption between SMEs and large organisations. The empirical contexts of the research are one project on integration technologies adoption, and four case studies on a large firm and three SMEs, which are analysed using an interpretive and qualitative research approach. The evidence suggests that the empirical data complement the identified dimensions nature of organisations, integration needs, company size and time. The empirical data also confirm that the current integration technologies adoption factors reported in the literature can be classified into common factors, factors explicit to SMEs, and factors explicit to large firms, to support a more comprehensive view of this area. An additional factor perceived future prospect has been considered as an influence on adoption in large organisations. The findings of this research can be useful to guide analysts and researchers in determining critical aspects of the complex issues involved for integration technologies adoption, and lead to suggestions for further valid research

Operators' value creation models in electronic invoicing - User company perspective

Electronic Invoicing (E-invoicing) has been going through fast development during recent years. It is believed to bring great savings for companies. There has been a lot of research and studies on E-invoicing. This study is going to study on how E-invoicing operators could create value but from users' perspective. The study is going to build its own value creation framework based on Amit and Zott's value creation model in E-business, which defines four value creation dimensions, i.e., efficiency, complementarity, lock-in and novelty. First, extensive literature reviews on value creation theories, including value chain, transaction cost economy, resource-based view of firms and network economy, were conducted. Besides, enterprise application integration and expert opinion were also taken into consideration. As a result, the new value creation framework came out with four modified value drivers, namely efficiency, complementary services, integration and network effects. The changes were made because it is more suitable in the context of E-invoicing. Furthermore, for each of the value drivers, a set of measurement items were identified to evaluate how an E-invoicing operator performed in providing the service. In the empirical part, two case studies are completed. Interviews were prepared and done with E-invoicing managers inside the company. It turns out that all the four value creation sources, efficiency, complementary services, integration and network effects, are observed in the company. As users of E-invoicing, the companies thought E-invoicing improves efficiency by reducing the invoice cycle time, saving costs, and eliminating human touch in the process. Supplier activation is seen as an important area where operators could improve their services. Integration of systems especially automatic accounting is regarded as the future development of E-invoicing but not yet under development in practice. Standardization is needed to enable E-invoice usage between different operators and networks. This study is important in providing a new perspective on E-invoicing research and development. It not only contributes to the E-invoicing literature but also could act as guidance for E-invoicing operators on how to improve their services. It has limitations such as on the resources of information and future research areas are identified. For example, quantified research methods could be used to measure how important each value drive is

TRACKING AND TRACING PORTAL FOR PROJECT LOGISTICS. A Review on the Interconnectivity of EDI, ERP and Cloud-based Systems

Tracking and tracing is becoming an essential factor for the success of project logistics. The safety and on-time arrival of shipments has become the primary concerns for manufacturing companies. The paper has introduced an overall approach to track and trace their deliveries from the starting point to the end-customer. Detail implementation of the whole solution will not be presented, yet each component in the system will be analyzed and discussed. Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) has been around for the last 30 years and is known for providing logistics companies a fast, reliable way to exchange information electronically. EDI, together with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), are considered as one of the remarkable emerging technologies which play an important role in supply chain management tracking network. Although the implementation of EDI and ERP systems is not straight forward and not easy to established, many logistics companies are still seeing this as a vital factor which can help companies to establish a sustainable development, increase productivity and reduce costs. In this paper, the interconnectivity of EDI, ERP, and cloud-based systems in tracking and tracing portal will be analyzed in business perspective in order to define what benefits it could achieve for logistics and supply chain management tracking network. A case study of Logistics Tracking Network (LogTrack) project is presented and examined with the view to implement, evaluate and manage the interconnectivity of EDI, ERP, and cloud-based systems in a practical point of view. Information collected from this research project will be analyzed to provide a list of mapping attributes between these systems and used as a basic for the further development of tracking and tracing portal. The impacts and implications of such system for managing the business logistics are discussed and presented in conclusion.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format

IT Plays Important Roles in Dell’S Supply Chain Management

Information technology (IT) is an important aspect of the electronic supply chain management (SCM). Advances in information technology, particularly in the Internet, enables companies to share information within and inter-organizations. The Internet and its three important types of networks: Intranet, Extranet, and Web allow organization to transfer digital data instantly and with high fidelity at nearly zero marginal cost. Information sharing is a vital aspect of coordination amongst parties in a supply chain. Information sharing can increase supply chain efficiency by reducing inventories and smoothing production. In Addition, e-commerce can enhance selling online and help better understand customers. E-SCM efficiency is highly important as today’s competition is no longer between companies, but between supply chains. This paper examined how IT - the Internet, Intranet, Extranet, Web technology affects, transforms and streamlines Dell’s SCM. Research results showed IT played important roles in enhancing, transforming, and streamlining Dell’s SCM for success. Keywords: IT, Internet technology, Web technology, e-Commerce, SC

TRACKING AND TRACING PORTAL FOR PROJECT LOGISTICS. A Review on the Interconnectivity of EDI, ERP and Cloud-based Systems

Tracking and tracing is becoming an essential factor for the success of project logistics. The safety and on-time arrival of shipments has become the primary concerns for manufacturing companies. The paper has introduced an overall approach to track and trace their deliveries from the starting point to the end-customer. Detail implementation of the whole solution will not be presented, yet each component in the system will be analyzed and discussed. Electronic Data Exchange (EDI) has been around for the last 30 years and is known for providing logistics companies a fast, reliable way to exchange information electronically. EDI, together with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), are considered as one of the remarkable emerging technologies which play an important role in supply chain management tracking network. Although the implementation of EDI and ERP systems is not straight forward and not easy to established, many logistics companies are still seeing this as a vital factor which can help companies to establish a sustainable development, increase productivity and reduce costs. In this paper, the interconnectivity of EDI, ERP, and cloud-based systems in tracking and tracing portal will be analyzed in business perspective in order to define what benefits it could achieve for logistics and supply chain management tracking network. A case study of Logistics Tracking Network (LogTrack) project is presented and examined with the view to implement, evaluate and manage the interconnectivity of EDI, ERP, and cloud-based systems in a practical point of view. Information collected from this research project will be analyzed to provide a list of mapping attributes between these systems and used as a basic for the further development of tracking and tracing portal. The impacts and implications of such system for managing the business logistics are discussed and presented in conclusion.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format