Main differentiating issues in aligning information systems with business performance

The information systems and technologies (IS/IT) are a decisive platform in the response capacity of organizations to the new management imperatives through new solutions that permit to improve their competitive position. As information management is a highly differentiating area, the present study compares several enterprises of different sectors, located (headoffice or branch) in the Algarve region, with the aim of systematising the main differentiating issues related with adoption, restructuring and implementation of information systems and supportive technologies. Every organization should define an accurate and in time plan which, in case of adopting and implementing information systems, has to analyse results within the same plan and on a yearly basis of the system's activity always aligned with the business strategy. Given the potential of ERP and CRM as powerful tools to guide customer-oriented understanding, greater attention is required on their economic viability for sustainable business dynamics

Do we really care about artificial intelligence? A review on social transformations and ethical challenges of AI for the 21st century

Although Artificial Intelligence (AI) is based on research from the 20th century, computation and new algorithms have only recently allowed AI to gain momentum and practical applications in society. Examples of such uses include self-driving cars and autonomous robots that are changing society and how we interact. Despite these advances, the discussion about the social transformations and ethical implications of this new reality remains scarce. This chapter reviews the current stance of ethical and social transformation discussions on AI and presents a framework for future developments. The main contributions of the chapter allow researchers to understand the major gaps in research that may be explored further in this topic and allow practitioners to gain a better picture of how AI may change society in the near future and how society should prepare for those changes.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

The effects of investments in information technology on firm performance

Analyzing the bene cial effects of investments in information technology (IT) is an area of research that interests investors and academics. A number of studies have examined whether investments in IT have a positive effect on some measure of earnings or other form of nancial return. Results from these studies have been mixed. This paper extends the literature by adopting an investor’s perspective on rm performance when IT invest- ments are made, using the preservation of capital as a performance measure. The authors examine companies that made public announcements of their investments in technology to see if they were able to mitigate losses to investors by reducing their downside risk to investors. This study further discusses whether different types of IT investments have different impacts on rm risk from an investor’s viewpoint. Findings suggest that IT investments impact a rm’s downside risk, and the authors offer an alternative perspective on the bene ts of IT investments, particularly where no positive incremental nancial results are evident