A Proposed Framework for Transition to an E-Business Model

E-business offers organizations many new strategic opportunities through virtual alliances and supply chain partnerships. As in the past, IT can provide organizations with unprecedented market advantages. Thus, not engaging in e-business may prove to be costly in missed opportunities and lost leadership. However, transitioning from a bricks and mortar to an e-business model is not a simple task; it presents many major organizational challenges. These include adopting an organizational strategy that incorporates an information technology (IT) enabled business model, developing the IT infrastructure to ensure technology can be delivered to all users, managing change (i.e., overcoming resistance) and developing users of the new IT, redesigning or reengineering management processes and organizational structure to co-align with the focus of the business model. This paper suggests an organizational approach and presents a framework based on the MIT90 framework for successfully transitioning to an e-business model. Reengineering and co-alignment of the framework’s components are vital to the underlying success

An Examination of the Effects of IT Intensity and Organizational Absorptive Capacity on CRM Practices

Electronic business (e-business) brings many new opportunities as well as several challenges to business organizations. Many organizations have turned to customer relationship management (CRM) to leverage their market orientation, customiz e their products and services, and build loyalty programs. However, capitalizing on the opportunities will require organizational investments in information technology (IT) and absorptive capacity. This study examines the effects of investments in IT (IT intensity) and absorptive capacity on CRM practices, particularly market orientation, customization and loyalty programs. The results suggest that a positive relationship exists among them. Thus, organizations should devote resources toward developing their IT investments and absorptive capacity to benefit from their CRM practices

The E-Government Revolution in Tax Agencies: A Case Study of Critical Implementation Issues

Tax agencies in the U.S. are under pressure to maximize their operations with their constrained budgets. While taxpayers welcome the benefits of electronic government (e-government) services, the true motivation may lie in improving the efficiency of providing government services. Tax agencies transitioning from traditional brick-andmortar operations to e-government services and systems need to reengineer their business processes, redefine individual roles within the agency and relationship with taxpayers, and redesign organization structures around the new electronic technologies implemented. This paper presents and discusses six critical issues involved with this transition based on a case study of a state tax agency. They include managing expectations, articulating strategy, reengineering business processes and organization structure, managing the technology infrastructure and resources, training, and recruiting

Current Information Technology Infrastructure for E-Business

The e-business application can be considered as a new generation of computer information systems in the Internet era that needs the support from a solid information technology infrastructure including strategic objectives, physical components, and operational management. A survey was conducted to investigate some current practices and its implications of the information technology infrastructure existed in thirty organizations from ten different industries located in California. These organizations reported that they have implemented two or more e-business applications using the different types of the network operating systems and network security protections. The most used e-business development method is still the traditional in-house development method that offers the best management planning and controlling strategy to align the overall business and information technology objectives together. The system integration, e-mail system management, and customer relation management have gained their importance in the routine operating functions at the information technology department

The Effects of CRM Practices and Multiple Channels on Customer Behavioral and Attitudinal Loyalty in Financial Services

Rising world affluence and an aging global population have led to expansive growth in the financial services market in recent years. When coupled with advances in information technologies (IT) and the Internet, the demand for services opens global opportunities for financial service firms and consequently will heightened competition. To gain a competitive edge, many firms have turned to customer relationship management (CRM) to seek a greater understanding of their customers’ needs and expectations, and better manage their customer care to gain customer loyalty. However, financial services firms entering global electronic marketplaces face a special challenge in building loyalty and trust. In the absence of face-t o-face meetings, firms must devise other means or channels to interact and collaborate with their customers. The results of a survey conducted on financial services consumers in Taiwan suggest that CRM practices in loyalty programs and crossselling, customer satisfaction and customization, and multiple channels have positive effects on behavioral and attitudinal loyalty. However, multiple channels has a moderating effect on the relationship between customer serv ice and customization, and behavioral loyalty, and a partial effect on loyalty programs and crossing-selling with attitudinal loyalty

A Bi-Directional Approach for Developing Data Warehouses in Public Sectors

Data warehouse is proclaimed as the latest decision support technology. As data warehouses require a significant amount of organizational resources to develop, more research have been devoted to identifying the critical success factors and the formulas for assured investment return from data warehouses. This study proposes a bi-directional development approach for data warehouses in public sectors. The primary rationale for the proposed approach is the fundamentally different organizational goals of public sector organizations from private sector organizations. Whereas the ultimate goal of private sector organizations is profit making, public sector organizations have a set of conflicting goals including different social and political objectives. The star schema as a dimensional data model for data warehouse is not totally suitable for data warehouses that demand the analyses of both quantitative and qualitative measures. Using the data warehouse in the College of Business Administration at the California State University, Sacramento as a case study, we illustrate how the QQ (Quantitative and Qualitative) data schema accommodates the need of capturing both quantitative and qualitative information. In addition, we show the bidirectional top-down/bottom-up initiative, the formal/informal information collection, and the enterprise data warehouse/subject data mart architecture for the data warehouse

An Empirical Study of the Impact of IT Intensity and Organizational Absorptive Capacity on Customer Relationship Management Performance

In recent years, e-Business has emerged as a mainstream business practice. Engaged in highlycompetitive Internet -enabled markets, many business organizations have turned to customer relationship management (CRM), a computer -based information system that allows them to gain greater insight into their customers’ needs, to gain a competitive advantage. Consequently, CRM has risen to become a key ebusiness issue. Yet, many critical organizational factors underlie the success and performance of CRM. This study examines the impact of information technology (IT) intensity and organizational absorptive cap acity on CRM practices and performance, and presents a research model. Data collected through a survey of Taiwan financial service institutions suggest that CRM practices mediate the effects of IT intensity and organizational absorptive capacity on CRM performance

A Proposed Model of the Effects of IT Diffusion on Organizational Absorptive Capacity and CRM Innovation Success

Business to customer (B2C) e-business has opened many new opportunities for businesses. In response to studies that underscore the importance of maintaining strong and learning relationship between the organization and customer, many have turned to customer relationship management (CRM) to manage their interactions with their customers and other external entities. Although IT enables CRM, other organizational factors, such as organizational absorptive capacity’s effect on innovativeness, may have greater impact on its ability to continually satisfy the business’ customer needs and expectations. However, IT may be a critical element to both absorptive capacity and innovation. This study examines the relationship between IT diffusion, organizational absorptive capacity and innovation, and proposes a research model. A clearer understanding of these relationships will provide businesses a means to appropriately direct their investments in IT and absorptive capacity