The Potential of Critical E-Applications for Engaging SMEs in E Business: A Provider Perspective

YesAgainst a background of the low engagement of SMEs in e-business this paper investigates the emergence of, and potential for, critical e-applications defined as `an e-business application, promoted by a trusted third party, which engages a significant number of SMEs by addressing an important shared business concern within an aggregation.¿ By a review of secondary data and empirical investigation with service providers and other intermediaries the research shows that such applications can facilitate the e-business engagement of SMEs. There are three key findings, namely: the emergence of aggregation specific e-business applications; the emergence of collaboratively based `one to many¿ business models; and the importance of trusted third parties in the adoption of higher complexity e-business applications by SMEs. Significantly this work takes a deliberately provider perspective and complements the already considerable literature on SME IT adoption from a user and network perspective. In terms of future research the importance of a better conceptual understanding of the impact of complexity on the adoption of IT by SMEs is highlighted

Interorganizational Systems (IOS) Adoption over Time: Empirical Evaluation in the Australian Grocery Industry

Organizations adopt IOS (interorganizational systems) to achieve both transactional and strategic benefits. The IOS involves two parties using the system and therefore its success depends on the existing relationship between trading partners. While there are some studies that investigate relationship factors and how they affect adoption, the literature does not specifically highlight that these systems may be implemented in progressive stages over time. This is because these studies typically adopt a cross sectional approach by only taking a snapshot of IOS adoption at single point in time. They do not present an over all picture of adoption decisions and do not explain why and how organizations adopt these systems in a phased approach. In this paper, we investigate IOS adoption by a pair of major organizations in the Australian Grocery Industry over a period of time. We illustrate, using a case study, that a particular level of relationship between the two organizations is required for IOS use and that the initial use of the IOS also affects the relationship which in turn results in more sophisticated IOS adoption. The findings of this study have important implications for both research and practice

INNOVATION THROUGH (INTERNATIONAL) FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN DEVELOPMENT: A RESEARCH AGENDA

This paper presents a research agenda on innovation through (international) food supply chains and networks in developing countries. It derives major topics from a multi-perspective view on international food chains (economic, technology, social/legal and environment) and from different theoretical streams dealing with chains and networks (Supply Chain Management, Industrial Organization theory and Network Theory). Three agri-supply chain projects in developing countries (Thailand, South-Africa, Ghana) are analyzed to identify focus areas in supply chain development projects and important gaps. These projects were collaborative actions between companies and research institutes to initiate international supply chain development.Industrial Organization,

ENROLLING ACTORS IN THE CO-EVOLUTON OF INTER-ORGANISATIONAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS

This paper describes interpretive case-study research into the development on some e-commerce inter-organisational information systems (EIOS) implemented in Australia. The research was undertaken in two phases, firstly a thematic analysis in ten organisations, and secondly an in-depth case study of one of these organisations using co-evolutionary theory. A framework of EIOS evolution is developed and offered as a tool for practitioners working as initiators of EIOS

THEMES OF POWE:R AND TRUST IN EDI RELATIONSHIPS

The findings reported in this research focus on the role of power and trust in adopting and using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). EDI refers to the use of computer networks to exchange standardized business transactions (e. g., purchase orders) between customers and suppliers. As of December, 1992, there were 161 transaiction sets approved for publication by the American National Standards Institute X. 12 Committee, which is responsible for developing EDI standards in the U.S. The effective use of EDI requires expenditures in the computing and networking infrastructures of participating firms, as well as investments in managerial resources required to facilitate the redesign of information processing procedures and roles. Moreover, current and potential coordination benefits associated with EDI may be related to access methods and data exchange regarded as sensitive. For these reasons, some firms may resist using EDI. Resistance by some market partners has negative economic implications for firms that use EDI: until all partners are EDI partners, redundant information processing systems must be supported. Our investigation sought to provide evidence of the role of power in influencing partners to adopt EDI and the role of trust in information exchange. Data were collected from both telephone interviews and written questionnaires among suppliers of a major chemical company and a large office supply firm. Measures of dependence, power, and level of trust were adopted from items in a previous study (Saunders and Clark 1991). Preliminary analysis shows that among firms adopting EDI, dependence is highly correlated with exercised power (r=.60, p \u3c .01), which is consistent with the findings reported by Prekumar, Ramamurthy, and Nilakanta (1992). More interestingly, perceptions of a continuing relationship are positively related to trust (r=.63, p \u3c .05), and trust is positively related to information sharing (r=.60, p \u3c .05). These findings provide preliminary support for the recommendation that effective EDI implementation, which requires the opportunity for greater information sharing, must be based on trust. The corollary is that when trust is not developed, effective use of EDI, and thus the opportunity for greater coordination benefits, are less likely. More long term relationships with specific market partners are more likely to provide the context for greater information sharing. These preliminary findings suggest that EDI used by customer and supplier firms may more likely support electronic hierarchies (i.e., inter-organizational relationships with specific markets partners), rather than electronic markets (i.e., relationships based on short term opportunities)

BeeZee Bodies Embedded Ethnography Evaluation Project

The Centre for Research in Public Health and Community Care, University of Hertfordshire (UH) were commissioned by BeeZee Bodies (BZB) to bring academic insights and support BZB’s development of future services. This work aimed to explore: - How can BZB best engage diverse communities? - How can evidence and insights be considered from a range of professional perspectives and utilised to shape and influence service development? - If and how can BZB co-produce their services? The project used an ‘embedded ethnography’ approach, a qualitative methodology which enables collaboration and interaction between researchers and those responsible for planning and delivering services, as a way of developing more effective service delivery. This involved four main elements: participation in strategic oversight group (SOG) meetings, qualitative research training for BZB staff, observation of BZB meetings, and primary data collection (focus groups and interviews)