An Integrated Model of Business Intelligence & Analytics Capabilities and Organizational Performance

Organizations can leverage business intelligence and analytics (BI&A) to transform themselves through a holistic integration process. Contrary to this proposition, many organizations implement BI&A without aligning or integrating it with organizational strategies. Some implement BI&A in a very ad hoc manner without any plans to leverage it. From a research point of view, we lack an integrated framework that can inform both academics and practitioners about adroit applications with business intelligence and analytics capabilities in organizations. We examine what significant BI&A capabilities organizations need to create value from BI&A. We conceptualize second-order constructs that affect the BI&A value-creation process: innovation infrastructure capability, customer process capability, business-to-business (B2B) process capability, and integration capability. We propose that these higher-order BI&A capabilities influence organizational performance through BI&A effectiveness’s the mediation effect. We developed a questionnaire instrument and collected data from 154 firms in India. Partial least squares analysis provides broad support for our hypotheses. Our contributions include identifying and empirically assessing key BI&A capabilities that directly impact how effectively an organization implements BI&A

Theories Used in Information Systems Research: Insights from Complex Network Analysis

Effective application of theory is critical to the development of new knowledge in Information Systems (IS) research. However, theory foundations of IS research are understudied. Using Complex Network Analysis, we analyze theory usage in IS research published in two premier journals (MIS Quarterly and Information Systems Research) from 1998 to 2006. Four principal findings emerge from our analysis. First, in contrast with prior studies which found a lack of dominant theories at an aggregate level, we find stronger dominance of theory usage within individual streams of IS research. Second, IS research draws from diverse set of disciplines, with Psychology emerging as a consistently dominant source of theories for IS during our study period. Moreover, theories originating in IS were found to be widely used in two streams of research (‘IS development’ and ‘IT and Individuals’ streams) and more sparingly used in other streams. Third, IS research tends to form clusters of theory usage, with little crossover across clusters. Moreover, streams of IS research constitute distinct clusters of theory usage. Finally, theories originating from Economics, Strategy and Organization Science tend to be used together, whereas those originating from Psychology, Sociology and IS tend to be used together. Taken together, our results contribute to scholarly understanding of theory foundations of IS research and illustrate methodological innovations in the study of theory use by employing Complex Network Analysis

A strategic value appropriation path for cloud computing

Cloud-based information management is one of the leading competitive differentiation strategies for firms. With the increasing criticality of information management in value creation and process support, establishing an integrated capability with cloud computing is vital for organizational success in the changing landscape of business competition. These issues have received scant attention, however. We draw on the resource-based view, dynamic capability hierarchy concepts, and the perspective of operand and operant resources to suggest a cloud value appropriation model for firms. We argue that, to appropriate business value from cloud computing, the firm needs to effectively deploy cloud computing and leverage cloud operant resources as firm capabilities in a hierarchical fashion toward the development of cloud computing-based service models in order to reliably achieve the desired business outcomes. We propose a model encompassing the principles of infrastructure and cloud platform deployment, integration and service orientation, and alignment with business processes that explain the linkage from cloud computing to firm performance. We test this approach to value creation with a cloud computing implementation assessment model using a sample of 147 firms that have implemented cloud computing in India. Our analysis uncovers a strategic value appropriation path from cloud technological capability to firm performance via cloud integration capability, cloud service portfolio capability, and business flexibility. This research offers new insights regarding the underlying mechanisms for how cloud computing affects firm performance via cloud-enabled capabilities and the business functions that are supported by cloud capabilities

Information systems for collaborating versus transacting: Impact on manufacturing plant performance in the presence of demand volatility⋆

Research at the nexus of operations management and information systems suggests that manufacturing plants may benefit from the utilization of information systems for collaborating and transacting with suppliers and customers. The objective of this study is to examine the extent to which value generated by information systems for collaborating versus transacting is contingent upon demand volatility. We analyze a unique dataset assembled from non‐public U.S. Census Bureau data of manufacturing plants. Our findings suggest that when faced with volatile demand, plants employing information systems for collaborating with suppliers and customers experience positive and significant benefits to performance, in terms of both labor productivity and inventory turnover. In contrast, results suggest that plants employing information systems for transacting in volatile environments do not experience such benefits. Further exploratory analysis suggests that in the context of demand volatility, these two distinct dimensions of IT‐based integration have differing performance implications at different stages of the production process in terms of raw‐materials inventory and finished‐goods inventory, but not in terms of work‐in‐process inventory. Taken together, our study contributes to theoretical and managerial understanding of the contingent value of information systems in volatile demand conditions in the supply chain context.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147128/1/joom313.pd

Systems Enabling Low-Carbon Operations: The Salience of Accuracy

This article focuses on systems that enable low-carbon operations within organizations. The thesis that system accuracy matters to achieving low-carbon operations is explored using two approaches. First, a generic system model is developed and three alternative technical architectures are described, thereby illustrating that accuracy varies across architectures but can also be attended to outside system boundaries. Second, empirical analysis of 220 global organizations assesses the association between accuracy, managerial incentives, emission targets, and low-carbon impacts. Overall, empirical findings demonstrate that firms attending to accuracy tend to have managerial incentives to reduce emissions and emission reductions targets in place. They also tend to exhibit reduced carbon emissions for the same level of economic output