This study uses Galbraith's information processing theory to examine the fit between information processing needs and information processing capability in an interorganizational supply chain context and to examine its effect on performance. Information processing needs are assessed based on various characteristics of the product and procurement environment and information processing capabilities are assessed by the level of information technology support for various activities in the procurement life cycle. A taxonomy of information processing needs and information processing capabilities is developed. The effect of the fit between information processing needs and capabilities on procurement performance is examined. The study collected data on 142 products through personal interviews and surveys, used cluster analytic techniques to develop taxonomies, and analysis of" variance (ANOVA) to test the fit between needs and capability, modeled as an interaction effect. The results reveal two clusters for information processing needs and three clusters for information processing capability. ANOVA results show that the interactive effect of information needs and capability has a significant effect on performance. supporting our fit theory.
User beliefs and attitudes are key perceptions driving information technology usage. These perceptions, however, may change with time as users gain first-hand experience with IT usage, which, in turn, may change their subsequent IT usage behavior. This paper elaborates how users' beliefs and attitudes change during the course of their IT usage, defines emergent constructs driving such change, and proposes a temporal model of belief and attitude change by drawing on expectation-disconfirmation theory and the extant IT usage literature. Student data from two longitudinal studies in end-user computing (computer-based training system usage) and system development (rapid application development software usage) contexts provided empirical support for the hypothesized model, demonstrated its generalizability across technologies and usage contexts, and allowed us to probe context-specific differences. Content analysis of qualitative data validated some of our quantitative results. We report that emergent factors such as disconfirmation and satisfaction are critical to understanding changes in IT users' beliefs and attitudes and recommend that they be included in future process models of IT usage.
The article presents information on a study, which developed a model that associates the quality and effectiveness of information systems (IS) planning. IS planning has gained considerable interest among researchers and practitioners in recent years because of the large investments that firms have made in IS and the increasingly strategic nature of the impact of information systems on organizational performance. The model is validated using data collected from a field survey of 249 senior IS executives. Canonical correlation analysis is used to test the research hypotheses and validate the model. The results of the study indicate that the two planning dimensions respectively reflecting the "means" and "ends" of IS planning are equally important. The results also indicate that planning resources, the intended strategic impact of IS on future business operations, the quality of facilitation mechanisms, the quality of implementation mechanisms, and the quality of strategic business planning are significantly associated with the quality and effectiveness of IS planning.
Electronic data interchange (EDI) has dramatically changed the manner in which interorganizational transactions are conducted. The electronic exchange of transaction documents has had a significant impact on business practices, particularly in the sales and purchase/merchandising functions of organizations. EDT brings in many benefits to the organization such as reduced costs, faster turnaround, better customer service, and in some firms strategic advantage over their competitors. Despite these benefits, firms still have problems in implementing EDI. This study, drawing upon research in innovation theory and information systems, examines the relationship between various innovation characteristics (complexity, two forms of compatibility, costs, relative advantage, and communicability) and various attributes of diffusion (adaptation, internal diffusion, external diffusion, and implementation success) of EDT in organizations. The data for the study were collected from a large-scale field survey of 201 firms in the United States that have implemented EDI. Two senior executives, one from information systems (IS) and the other from the sales/purchase function, provided matched responses to a questionnaire that measured the various research constructs. The results of the multivariate regression analyses revealed that relative advantage, costs, and technical compatibility were the major predictors of adaptation. While relative advantage and duration were important predictors of internal diffusion, technical compatibility and duration were found to be important predictors of external diffusion. Both forms of compatibility (technical and organizational) and costs were found to be important predictors of implementation success in EDI.
Research in the information systems (IS) field indicates that organizations have different roles for IS in their operations and that various aspects of strategic IS planning will vary depending on the IS role. This study empirically evaluates the differences in planning, organizational support, and performance characteristics of IS planning among organizations with different roles for IS. An operationalization of the "role of IS" is developed on the basis of the notion of a "strategic grid." The study also evaluates the relationship between various performance measures and the "fit" between the IS planning process and the role of IS in the organization.The data for the study were collected from a field survey of 249 firms. The results of the data analyses indicate that there are significant differences in planning, organizational support, and performance characteristics of IS planning among organizations with different roles for IS. The planning and support characteristics generally match the predictions implicit in the strategic grid, thereby partially validating it. Significant relationships exist between two of the performance measures, planning effectiveness and IS's contribution to organizational performance, and the "fit" between the role of IS and the quality of the planning process.