Purpose – This paper seeks to understand effects of ASP utilization on organization performance measured in terms of satisfaction and educational effectiveness on the part of the customer firm.Design/methodology/approach – This study follows the positivist approach. After a research framework was developed and hypotheses defined, based on a thorough ASP literature review, data were collected from small firms which use ASP services. Results were discussed to suggest strategic directions of ASPs.Findings – The results show that when customer firms perceive good service at a reasonable fee, they exhibit a high level of satisfaction with the service provider. Customer satisfaction is found to be significantly related to organizational performance. Also, the education content of training programs significantly influences educational effectiveness, which in turn contributes to organizational performance by impacting customer service.Research limitations/implications – The results of the study would help practit...
This paper develops a new theoretical model with which to examine the interaction between technology and organizations. Early research studies assumed technology to be an objective, external force that would have deterministic impacts on organizational properties such as structure. Later researchers focused on the human aspect of technology, seeing it as the outcome of strategic choice and social action. This paper suggests that either view is incomplete, and proposes a reconceptualization of te...
Purpose – In order to deepen knowledge and further build theory on the use of advanced manufacturing systems (AMS) in SMEs, the present research seeks to explore the following questions: are the AMS used by SMEs aligned with their network, product and market development strategies? And does the alignment of AMS contribute to the successful outcome of these strategies, that is, to the business performance of manufacturing SMEs?Design/methodology/approach – A survey of 248 Canadian manufacturers w...
Purpose – To address multiple problems facing a company's top management with respect to the customer satisfaction survey. Is the customer satisfaction survey still suitable after many years of use? What method should be applied to help ensure better utilization of information from the customer satisfaction survey? Should the three aspects (i.e. quality, delivery, and responsiveness) representing the customer satisfaction continue to be used as part of the survey's main contents. As an ISO 9001:...
Purpose – This research paper aims to identify and rank critical issues in IT outsourcing relationships.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 11 management theories were applied in this research: theory of core competencies, resource‐based theory, neo‐classical economic theory, transaction cost theory, contractual theory, agency theory, partnership and alliance theory, relational exchange theory, stakeholder theory, social exchange theory and theory of firm boundaries. The main method used is...
Outsourcing information technology (IT) operations has been recognized to have important potential benefits, including cost reduction, improved quality of service, and access to technological expertise. Researchers and practitioners also recognize that, in some circumstances, IT outsourcing entails risk, and that it sometimes leads to undesirable consequences that are the opposite of the expected benefits. The main purpose of this study was to validate measures of the risk factors associated wit...
Purpose – To discuss relative advantages and disadvantages of internally operated ERP‐ and ASP‐delivered ERP functionality, and present the possible future of these alternatives.Design/methodology/approach – A thorough review of recent published papers dealing with advantages and disadvantages of ERP and ASP is presented. A good balance of theoretical analysis and real‐world application examples of ERP and ASP is maintained. Some of the disadvantages were discussed from the managerial perspectiv...
Purpose – To provide students and academia with an opportunity to gain an understanding of recent trends and issues regarding the application service providers (ASP) market.Design/methodology/approach – A range of recently published (1999‐2003) works, which provide practical issues, is reviewed to explore the existing pricing models, selecting an ASP and risk/rewards associated with ASPs.Findings – Provides guidance to businesses in selecting an ASP in terms of key questions to be asked and disc...
Purpose – Despite the considerable growth of information systems (IS) outsourcing in recent years, this trend is still the object of strong criticism. This study has as its aim to show the main risks computer outsourcing entails in the case of the largest Spanish firms.Design/methodology/approach – In order to achieve that aim, reviews the previous literature on this topic and later analyses the results of a survey carried out using a questionnaire that was answered by 357 firms.Findings – Accor...
#1Fiona H. Rohde(UQ: University of Queensland)H-Index: 16
Abstract Firms began outsourcing information system functions soon after the inception of electronic computing. Extant research has concentrated on large organizations and large-valued outsourcing contracts from a variety of different industries. Smaller-sized firms are inherently different from their large counterparts. These differences between small and large firms could lead to different information technology/information system (IT/IS) items being outsourced and different outsourcing agreem...
Last. Detmar W. Straub(GSU: Georgia State University)H-Index: 75
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Information technology (IT) outsourcing success requires careful management of customer-supplier relationships. However, there are few published studies on the ongoing relationships, and most of these adopt a customer perspective, de-emphasizing suppliers. In this study, we look at both customer and supplier perspectives, by means of the psychological contract of customer and supplier project managers. We apply the concept of psychological contract to perceived mutual obligations, and to how suc...
#1Huigang Liang(ECU: East Carolina University)H-Index: 31
#2Jian-Jun Wang(DUT: Dalian University of Technology)H-Index: 20
Last. Xiaocong Cui(J. Mack Robinson College of Business)H-Index: 1
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We used main path analysis to review the IT outsourcing literature from 1992 to 2013.We reviewed 280 IT outsourcing papers based on 120,000 main paths among them.We identified the global main path in IT outsourcing citation networks.We identified 12 major research themes based on multiple main paths.Future directions of IT outsourcing research are predicted. Applying main path analysis, this paper investigates the IT outsourcing (ITO) field by identifying a set of papers that have played a centr...
The Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) product model provides clients to outsource software application processing requirements. Customer satisfaction is an important problem facing SaaS firms. Marketing theory suggests that customer satisfaction is affected by perceived value, but this relationship has not been examined in the SaaS context. This study argues for the mediating role of perceived value in the relationship between traits of the SaaS product and customer satisfaction. Our model builds on ...
In 1992, DeLone and McLean suggested that the dependent variable for information systems (IS) research is IS Success. Their research resulted in the widely cited DeLone and McLean (D&M) IS Success Model, in which System Quality, Information Quality, Use, User Satisfaction, Individual Impact, and Organizational Impact are distinct, but related dimensions of IS success. Since the original IS Success Model was published, research has developed a better understanding of IS success. Meanwhile, compre...
#1Tuncay Bayrak(Western New England University)H-Index: 6
Abstract Businesses have been seeking new ways to improve their Information Technology that will better fit the company's needs with limited investment or even cost cutting. In order to achieve this many businesses have been turning toward Application Service Providers (ASPs). There are a number of factors supporting ASPs. ASP's can provide one service that connects multiple applications through one access point. The technology is very simple, straightforward, and easy to use for various busines...
Although ASP (Application Service Provider) has the potential to fundamentally change the manner in which IT services are provided for user firms, current ASPs often fail to provide good results in accumulating and retaining customers. To fill the gap between the expected benefits of application service and its disappointing results in the real world, we present a conceptual model including three quality measures - System Quality, Information Quality, and Service Quality. To extend the horizons ...
As the use of customer service as a tool to create customer value and differentiation continues to increase, the set of customer services that surround the product rather than the product alone will increasingly become a source of competitive advantage and one of the most critical core business processes. However, there is a lack of a strong conceptual foundation for a service economy and a lack of theoretical guidance for optimal customer service systems design. In this chapter, the authors rev...
As the use of customer service as a tool to create customer value and differentiation continues to increase, the set of customer services that surround the product rather than the product alone will increasingly become a source of competitive advantage and one of the most critical core business processes. However, there is a lack of a strong conceptual foundation for a service economy and a lack of theoretical guidance for optimal customer service systems design. In this chapter, the authors rev...
Previous research which consolidates the growing body of academic literature on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and electronic business (eBusiness) has taken the form of meta-analyses which focus on analysing adoption factors, pre-2000 articles and a small number of journals. This paper makes a valuable contribution to the analysis of SME-eBusiness research by addressing the limitations of past literature analyses because it presents an extensive literature review of 120 SME-eBusiness journa...