International Examples of Large-Scale Systems - Theory and Practice II:A Case Study of Managing IT Outsourcing Partnerships in Asia

This case study describes an Asian Information Technology (IT) outsourcing partnership in the discrete manufacturing industry. Interviews with business and IT executives of both the Outsourcing Company and the IT Services Supplier provided the necessary insights. Nowadays many organizations in discrete manufacturing move their plants to Asian countries or other lower wages countries. Most IT services suppliers in Asia are relatively inexperienced with the management of IT outsourcing relationships. However, not only are the IT services suppliers inexperienced, the outsourcing companies do not have a track record in managing IT outsourcing relationships. Cultural issues also play an important role, especially power distance and collectivism. Contrary to the level of experience, cultural factor do not change over a few years. This article aims to provide a better understanding of managing IT outsourcing partnerships in developing Asian countries on the basis of an IT outsourcing partnership model

Introduction to International Examples of Large Scale Systems: Theory and Practice

This article is an introduction to a series of papers by international authors who presented their work at the 2002 Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. Each of the papers is concerned with an analysis of international, large-scale systems: SAP R/3 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation in China; the development of a major outsourcing contract in an Asian company; a strategic analysis of international electronic marketplaces; and a collection of case studies of electronic commerce in ten large Australian companies

Information Technology Governance Processes Under Environmental Dynamism: Investigating Competing Theories of Decision Making and Knowledge Sharing

This paper describes an empirical study of IT governance processes in complex organizations under conditions of environmental dynamism. Rooted in competing theories of organizational decision making and knowledge sharing, and based on a case study investigation of large, distributed organizations, this study examines the design and effectiveness of IT governance processes from both rational-analytical and social-learning perspectives. The results indicate that, regardless of the level of environmental dynamism, effective IT governance processes are characterized by both methodological comprehensiveness and social capabilities. The implications for theory development, future research, and IT governance practices are discussed

How Electronic Network Organizations Enable Mass Customization in Financial Markets

The financial services industry has used Internet technologies to create many standardised services for consumers. Recent Internet initiatives offer more customised financial products and services. Traditional market players have responded by evolving standard products to become more client specific. These forms of mass customisation of financial services are based on an increasing role and importance of electronic business networks. This paper explores examples of business networks offering financial services and analyses the criteria for process performance and success

Information Technology Governance by Design: Investigating Hybrid Configurations and Integration Mechanisms

This study aims to enrich and expand the conceptualization of IT governance by identifying the diversity of hybrid configurations and integration mechanisms and exploring the IT performance effects. While literature describes the prevailing configurations for formally allocating IT decision-making authority, previous studies have not addressed the complexity of hybrid configurations, the required integration mechanisms, and the associated performance effects. Building forth on organization theory, a conceptual framework is developed for conducting multiple comparative case study research in the financial services industry. The findings indicate that as companies experience increased uncertainty and complexity, and adopt multi-focused strategies, IT governance designs are more hybrid with increased coordination needs. A federal configuration for IT governance by itself is not related to improved IT performance. IT performance effectiveness is associated with both hybrid configuration and complex integration mechanisms. The implications for research and practice are discussed