The Performance Impacts of Quick Response and Strategic Alignment in Specialty Retailing.

Author List: Palmer, Jonathan W.; Markus, M. Lynne;
Information Systems Research, 2000, Volume 11, Issue 3, Page 241.
The Quick Response (QR) program is a hierarchical suite of information technologies (IT) and applications designed to improve the performance of retailers. Consultants advise retailers to adopt the program wholesale, implying that more and higher levels of technology are better than less technology and lower levels. Academicians, on the other hand, argue that good technology is "appropriate" technology. That is, firms should adopt only those technologies that suit the specific strategic directions pursued by the firm. Who is right? Which approach to investing in IT yields better performance results? Surprisingly, this cross-sectional survey of 80 specialty retailers found more support for the practitioners' claims than for the academicians'. Adoption of the QR program at a minimal level was associated with higher performance, although there was no performance impact due to higher levels of QR use. Firms did appear to match their IT usage to their business strategies, but there was no linkage between strategic alignment and firm performance, and there was surprisingly little variation in business or IT strategy. In short, the findings of our study suggest that both practitioners and academicians need to refine their theories and advice about what makes IT investments pay off.
Keywords: Performance Impacts of IT; Quick Response; Retailing; Strategic Alignment; Strategic Use of IT
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#93 0.250 performance results study impact research influence effects data higher efficiency effect significantly findings impacts empirical significant suggest outcomes better positive
#229 0.230 alignment strategic business strategy performance technology value organizational orientation relationship information misalignment matched goals perspective fit firms executives argue need
#271 0.156 technology investments investment information firm firms profitability value performance impact data higher evidence diversification industry payoff return findings decisions greater
#227 0.076 commitment need practitioners studies potential role consider difficult models result importance influence researchers established conduct investigated establishing appear clearly determining
#49 0.066 adoption diffusion technology adopters innovation adopt process information potential innovations influence new characteristics early adopting set compatibility time initial current
#174 0.065 use support information effective behaviors work usage examine extent users expertise uses longitudinal focus routine revealed volume constructs contributes operations