Arvin Sahaym

Exploring value cocreation in relationships between an ERP vendor and its partners: a revelatory case study

Contemporary business organizations are increasingly turning their attention to jointly creating value with a variety of stakeholders, such as individual customers and other business organizations. However, a review of the literature reveals that very few studies have systematically examined value cocreation within business-tobusiness (B2B) contexts. Using a revelatory case study of the relationship between an ERP vendor with a global reputation and its partners, and informed by the resource-based view of the firm and related theoretical perspectives, we develop an understanding of value cocreation in B2B alliances associated with selling, extending, and implementing packaged software, specifically ERP systems. Our study reveals that there are different mechanisms underlying value cocreation within B2B alliances, and also points to several categories of contingency factors that influence these mechanisms. In addition to providing insights about the phenomenon of cocreation itself, the study contributes to the stream of packaged software literature, where the implications of value cocreation in alliances between packaged software vendors and their partners for the client organizations have not been sufficiently explored.

The Influence of Information Technology on the Use of Loosely Coupled Organizational Forms: An Industry-Level Analysis

Information technology (IT) enhances coordination both within the firm and between the firm and its external partners. Consequently, IT investment can promote both loosely and tightly coupled organizational forms. Indeed, in some industries, widespread investment in IT is associated with high levels of disaggregation. In other industries, this is not the case. We argue that the specific influence of IT on firm boundaries depends on the broader industrial context. We investigate conditions whereby IT investments enable industries to be more loosely coupled through alliance formation and the use of contingent workers. We use transaction cost and modular systems theory to ground our theoretical development. The extent to which industrywide IT investment is associated with loosely coupled organizational forms depends on (1) limited asset specificity because of industry standards, (2) the level of industry uncertainty resulting from technological change, and (3) the overall complexity of the industry in terms of diverse inputs. Specifically, when industry standards exist, IT investment leads to greater use of both alliances and contingent workers. IT investment has a stronger positive relationship with the use of contingent workers when levels of technological change are low as compared to when levels of technological change are high. When there are high levels of input diversity and industry standards exist, IT investment led to an increased use of contingent workers. Our analyses provides a more refined view of IT influence on firm boundaries.

Board Diversity and Employee Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Progressive Programs

While a number of previous studies have examined how the demographic diversity of corporate board members influences firm performance and diversity policies, we know little about its effects on employee attitudes. Drawing on organizational support and social exchange theories, we propose that firms with demographically diverse boards are more likely to adopt progressive management programs valued by employees and that such corporate-level practices, in turn, promote higher levels of employee satisfaction. We analyze data from 420 companies across many industries to examine the effects of corporate board diversity on employee satisfaction, and find the relationship to be mediated by the implementation of specific corporate practices. Firms with diverse boards are more likely to adopt programs that signal organizational support for employees and benevolence, and these programs foster more positive satisfaction levels.