Changing Inside, Watching Outside: Understanding Business Model Adaptations to Gide Information Technology Decisions

In this paper, we explore the reasons for the survival of some Internet start-ups within the framework of organizational adaptation, and propose that the performance of a firm in a fast-changing environment is related to the adaptability of its business model. Our motivation is the lack of empirical work on firm adaptation in a hyper-competitive environment. We use the event-study methodology to assess the impact of 885 business model changes undertaken by 20 dot-coms. Combining the concept of business models with fine- grained longitudinal data, we argue for the value of external indicators to management when engaging in internal change. We show that the market rewarded certain types of changes more favorably than others, and suggest that firms could use market reactions to guide their evolution and IT investments. This paper presents the first empirical test of business model changes, and validates the notions put forward by earlier authors of the significant future benefits accruing to firms that adapt consistently

Traditional and Modern Methodologies in ERP Systems Implementation Using Microsoft Dynamics-GP

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems implementation is typically viewed as a customization or an integration effort to fit an organization’s business processes or existing systems. However, ERP systems implementation may also be considered as a lifecycle from inception to completion, which is likely to benefit from the use of formal systems development methodologies, including traditional methodologies (e.g. Systems Development Life Cycle, and Object Oriented Analysis and Design) and modern methodologies (e.g. Extreme Programming, and SCRUM). This research examines the use of systems development methodologies in ERP implementations and the extent to which such methodologies aid the successful implementation of ERP systems. The findings are based on reports by multiple project teams adopting different methodologies in implementing Microsoft Dynamics –GP -based ERP systems for real-world organizations

Information Systems Configurations for enabling Supply Chain Visibility

Supply chain visibility continues to be a major concern for organizations. While there is a general perception that supplychain visibility is driven by information sharing and enabling information technologies, there are gaps in our understandingof what constitutes supply chain visibility and the specific information technology configurations that may be implementedfor enabling visibility. This manuscript presents a possible framework for conceptualizing information sharing needs andmechanisms that need to be enabled using information technologies in the pursuit of supply chain visibility. A multiple casestudy approach is proposed for examining the ways in which real-world organizations embedded in supply chain networksmay aim for and achieve supply chain visibility

AMCIS 2007 Panel Summary: The Promise of RFID Technologies

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) has started to revolutionize the way today\u27s organizations do business. Since its highly publicized adoption by Wal-Mart, several companies have started using RFID in their supply chains with varying results. On the academic level, many new research streams have been launched concerning the applications of RFID in business. However, whether or not the academic community is ready to adopt this technology itself remains a question. To consider the future of this technology in research and industry alike, the authors organized two panels on the topic of the promise of RFID technologies at the 2007 Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) held in Keystone, Colorado. They also demonstrated the capability of the technology using a proof-of-concept pilot system as a means for providing added services to conference attendees. This article reports on the two panels, as well as on the results from the pilot experiment

Embedding Robotic Process Automation into Process Management: Case Study of using taskt

XYZ Company routinely faced penalties imposed by the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for non-compliance in depositing federal withholding taxes related to the managed benefits plans for its clients. Since the rules for depositing the federal taxes were complex and differed between the benefits plans, it was common for XYZ Company to accrue penalties imposed by the IRS. Desiring to eliminate penalties by complying 100% with the IRS guidelines, XYZ Company considered various solutions. Finally, XYZ Company implemented a Robotic Process Automation (RPA) solution using the open source tool—taskt—to achieve 100% compliance in depositing federal withholding taxes and eliminate penalties. Discussion of solution improvements, reflection and next steps, technical challenges, lessons learned, and design science retrospective is provided

Implementation of Information Systems Infrastructure for Supply Chain Visibility

Despite the considerable recognition of the importance of and the need for supply chain visibility, organizations experience difficulties in actually achieving such visibility. This may be attributed to two major reasons. First, organizations adopt different types of information technologies such as electronic data interchange or business-to-business for supply chain activities, which cannot communicate with each other without the adoption of many common “standards” for data representation and transmission. Second, organizations may have initially adopted supply chain information systems for different reasons such as mandates and may have engaged in selective “automation” of communication with its partners. Consequently, information systems within supply chain networks are “isolated” and organizations lose supply chain visibility. This study examines the implementation of supply chain management information systems at real-world organizations for achieving supply chain visibility. The findings of this study w l be useful to organizations as they strive to implement solutions for supply chain visibility

Continuous Adaptation in a High-Velocity Environment: A Study of the Dot-Com Experience

In this study, we examine the phenomenon of the decline in valuation of dot-com organizations and propose that dot-com organizations that have continuously altered their business model in response to the environment have been rewarded by superior valuations in the market place. We first present the dominant perspectives in organizational adaptation research, and discuss their relevance to the current study. Using the concept of business models, we investigate the strategic adaptation paths of 22 dot-com organizations in the period from 1998 through 2001 and correlate them against the performance of their share prices over the same period

The Multidimensional Nature of Organizational Commitment Among Information Systems Personnel

Two distinct views of organizational commitment are examined in this study. Affective commitment describes an employee\u27s emotional attachment to, identification with, and involvement in the organization. Continuance commitment is a behavioral view of commitment and describes an attachment to an organization based on side-bets, or extraneous interests, such as pensions and seniority, which create costs in leaving an organization. These two dimensions are empirically examined for the case of 312 information systems (IS) employees. These findings demonstrate the importance of distinguishing between commitment based on a desire to stay in an organization and commitment based on a need to stay because of other factors, as well as the importance of fostering affective commitment in organizations

A Preliminary Examination of Stressors in Information Systems Personnel

The impact of stress on information systems (IS) personnel has been noted in several recent practitioner articles (McGee, 1996). However, no empirical studies have been conducted to identify stressors for information systems personnel. This research reports the results of three studies designed to examine and measure factors which cause stress in IS personnel. In the first study, data collected from 38 IS employees in an insurance company was analyzed for specific stress factors.In the second study, an openended questionnaire was filled out by another 30 employees of the same company. In the third study, a final questionnaire was administered to 187 IS professionals. Data collected from the survey resulted in the identification of 12 distinct stress factors. A secondorder factor analysis identified three factors related to users, time constraints, and the work environmen

Stages in Adoption of RFID Innovations by Organizations: Identifying Facilitaors and Inhibitors

Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) innovations have gained considerable attention in the last several years and attracted the attention of organizations across different industries. RFID technologies have found applications in diverse areas such as package tracking, inventory management, baggage handling, school attendance, and logistics. Prior literature on RFID innovations offers insights into the major benefits and challenges of RFID; the technological, organizational, and environmental factors that influence organizational adoption of RFID; and the experiences of specific companies. However, there is a lack of understanding of the processes by which organizations actually adopt and implement RFID technologies over time. We develop a stage model of RFID adoption, empirically examine it using multiple case studies, and identify the facilitators and inhibitors of RFID adoption over time