Business model requirements and challenges in the mobile telecommunication sector

The telecommunications business is undergoing a critical revolution, driven by innovative technologies, globalization, and deregulation. Cellular networks and telecommunications bring radical changes to the way telecom businesses are conducted. Globalization, on the other hand, is tearing down legacy barriers and forcing monopolistic national carriers to compete internationally. Moreover, the noticeable progress of many countries towards deregulation coupled with liberalization is significantly increasing telecom market power and allowing severe competition. The implications of this transition have changed the business rules of the telecom industry. In addition, entrants into the cellular industry have had severe difficulties due to inexistent or weak Business Models (BMs). Designing a BM for a mobile network operator is complex and requires multiple actors to balance different and often conflicting design requirements. Hence, there is a need to enhance operators’ ability in determining what constitutes the most viable business model to meet their strategic objectives within this turbulent environment. In this paper, the authors identify the main mobile BM dimensions along with their interdependencies and further analysis provides mobile network operators with insights to improve their business models in this new ‘boundary-less’ landscape

Responding to the Revised Code on corporate governance: UK audit committees

Purpose: The audit committee is one of the most prominent sub-committees of the board of directors, having a potentially important role to play in ensuring sound corporate governance. The purpose of this paper is to examine and discuss the behaviour of companies following the most recent revisions to the UK’s Revised Code. Research design/methodology/approach: A variety of annual report data from a sample of 50 UK companies, stratified according to size, is collected and analyzed. Findings: General compliance with many provisions of the Code was found. All but one company had an audit committee, comprising solely non-executive directors. However, in about a quarter of cases the chairman was a member, and in some case directors were not ‘independent’ according to the definition of the Code. Many companies exceeded the minimum stipulated requirements, for example the number of non-executive directors on the audit committee or the number of meetings held. Nevertheless, some companies did not follow recommended practice, particularly regarding the disclosure of information, and some explanations for non-compliance seemed weak. Implications: Compliance with disclosure demands regarding audit committees could be improved, as could the quality of explanations when the recommendations of the Code are not followed. Given the resistance of many companies to corporate governance regulation and accusations of ‘box ticking’, future research should probe why many companies do more than is required or recommended. The research should be repeated when further revisions to the Code are made in respect of audit committees, and practice in countries other than the UK should be researched to provide comparative insights

Towards a business model for cellular network and telecommunication operators: a theoretical framework

Cellular networks and telecommunications bring major change to the way businesses are conducted. Mobility has become one of the main priorities for users and this has impacted on cellular networks and telecommunication operators (CNTOs). However, entrants into the cellular industry have been confounded primarily by inexistent or weak Business Models (BMs). Designing a BM for a CNTO is complex and requires multiple actors to balance different and often conflicting design requirements. Nevertheless, most research about CNTOs has been technically oriented and has mainly addressed the technological and engineering issues related to their infrastructure. Less attention has been given to the business model of CNTOs. Hence, there is a need to enhance our ability to determine what constitutes the optimal and most viable business model to meet the various strategic objectives and goals for these CNTOs. In this paper an overview of research into the cellular business model and the main issues to be resolved is provided. In particular, the authors propose guidelines as a basis on which to develop a more comprehensive definition which may lead to a consensus. Moreover, a generic model (V4 Model) is proposed for the BM of these companies based on value proposition, value architecture, value network and value finance

Defining the business model in the new world of digital business

Recent rapid advances in ICTs, specifically in Internet and mobile technologies, have highlighted the rising importance of the Business Model (BM) in Information Systems (IS). Despite agreement on its importance to an organization’s success, the concept is still fuzzy and vague, and there is no consensus regarding its definition. Furthermore, understanding the BM domain by identifying its meaning, fundamental pillars, and its relevance to other business concepts is by no means complete. In this paper we aim to provide further clarification by first presenting a classification of definitions found in the IS literature; second, proposing guidelines on which to develop a more comprehensive definition in order to reach consensus;and third, identifying the four main business model concepts and values and their interaction, and thus place the business model within the world of digital business. Based on this discussion, we propose a new definition for the business model that we argue is more appropriate to this new world

Information Systems in the MBA Curriculum: An International Perspective

There is continual pressure to re-examine the MBA curriculum and, in particular, to reduce the core compulsory part. One of the courses taken out may be information systems. By quoting from the emails of 48 respondents from 11 countries of over 100 respondents in total to an ISWorld listserv request, we look at situations in many institutions and the varied opinions of colleagues. We learn about some success and failure stories, of colleagues who argue that IS should not be in the core curriculum (as well as the more common contrary view), and of attitudes of colleagues in other groups. Finally, we use these responses to develop a case for including IS in the MBA core. This article should be of use by colleagues who need to defend IS at their institutions

The UK Information Systems Perspective: A Personal View

This brief paper provides an overview of the information systems discipline in the UK. It does not pretend to be objective\u27. It is my interpretation of the UK IS scene\u27 which I hope will be of interest to French readers

Reminiscences and Reflections on my Retirement: Ten Takeaways that Worked for Me

In this paper, I reflect on a 45-year career in higher education. I hope that PhD students and assistant professors looking ahead to such a career along with some mid-career academics will find my experiences and the lessons I discuss useful and relevant

The Introduction of ERP systems by Foreign Firms in China: Impact of Cultural Differences

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are central to the Information Systems (IS) strategy of most international companies. With globalization, general managers put pressure on IS departments to implement such applications at a global level, in order to control and manage all the company processes at the different branches. Rolling out a global template in each of the different countries is risky as it does not take the local environment into account. Each country has its own specificities - organizational, cultural, political and economic - and these can have a real and important influence on the success of any new IS. This research aims to identify, through in-depth case studies, the cultural factors that influence the success of global ERP projects in China