Technological Innovations and the Allocation of Decision-Making Authorities in Swiss Firms

Since several decades, information and communication technologies (ICT)� as well as new organizational designs change the working life in firms.� Using nationally representative Swiss firm-level panel data, the present paper analyzes the relationship between these developments and examines, whether ICT is associated with centralization or decentralization tendencies. The results suggest a positive� impact of ICT� on the degree of delegation. Furthermore, the diffusion of ICT use within� the workforce� and the intensity� of ICT investments are essential for the decentralization� effect of ICT. Thus, reduced agency costs owing to ICT use result in decentralized decision-making authorities in Swiss firms. The results are robust to potential endogeneity� biases like reversed causality and unobserved firm characteristics.

Empirical Evaluation of Information Security Planning and Integration

Organizations can choose how to integrate information security through planning and structuring of the information security function. This study aims to examine how the planning and structuring choices of the organization impacts the effective utilization of information security strategies. This study examines information security planning integration through a stages of growth perspective and finds that more mature information security planning integration is positively correlated with more effective utilization of information security deterrence, detection, and recovery strategies. This study also finds that a decentralized structure of information security management activities has a positive effect on the maturity of information security planning integration. This study suggest the maturity of information security planning integration that has a direct effect on the utilization of information security strategies and mediates the relationship between structure of information security management activities and utilization of information security strategies

Cowboys or Commanders: Does Information Technology Lead to Decentralization?

The model distinguishes between two kinds of decentralization: connected and unconnected. Our model predicts that unconnected (i.e., independent) decentralized decision makers should be common when communication costs are high. Then, as communication costs fall, centralized decision makers should become more desirable. Finally, as communication costs fall still further, connected decentralized decision makers should become desirable in many situations