Dag H. Olsen

An empirical investigation of competency factors affecting e-business success in European SMEs

In the last decade there was growing interest in strategic management literature about factors that influence a companys ability to use IT. There is general consensus that knowledge and competency are necessary in developing an IT capability, but there is very little understanding of what the necessary competencies are, and how they influence IS usage in different contexts. The small and medium-sized enterprise context is particularly interesting for two reasons: it constitutes a major part of the economy and it has been relatively unsuccessful in exploiting e-business. We explored the relationship between e-business competency and its success in European SMEs. A literature review was used to determine factors representing e-business competency, and develop hypotheses, which were tested using data collected from 339 SMEs in Europe. Our results provide evidence on the importance of certain e-business competencies on e-business success, and have implications for both research and practice in the field of SMEs.

ERP system implementation in SMEs: exploring the influences of the SME context

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are increasingly implementing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Compared to large enterprises, SMEs differ in a number of inherent characteristics, which are likely to impact the ERP system implementations. The purpose of this study is to explore these influences of the SME context on the ERP system implementation process. SME characteristics are synthesised from relevant literature and the influences of the contextual factors on various activities across the ERP life cycle are investigated. The study presents findings from a multiple case study of four SMEs. The ownership type of the companies and limited resources were identified as the most influential contextual factors. Among the ERP life-cycle phases, the implementation phase was affected most by the SME context. The case studies also illustrate the need for a more nuanced view on what should be considered general characteristics of SMEs; for example, regarding the level of IS knowledge, business processes, and market characteristics.

Co-opetition and e-Business Success in SMEs: An Empirical Investigation of European SMEs

This article examines the relationship between co-opetition, the simultaneous cooperation and competition, and the success of e-business in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In this context co-opetition is understood and operationalized as a combination of sourcing and alignment capabilities of the SMEs and the cooperative orientation of the business partner. The exploratory findings from interviews followed by a survey of 339 SMEs in three European countries show that cooperation in e-business alliances is positively correlated with e-business value-creation in terms of efficiency, complementarities, lock-in and novelty. The research has implications for business managers in both small and big companies as they make decisions regarding inter-organizational cooperation.

Understanding cloud computing adoption issues

An exploratory ranking-type Delphi study and follow-up interviews were conducted.Important cloud computing adoption issues are identified, categorized and ranked.Three subpanels top-ranked issues from security, strategy and legal categories.A framework of inhibitors and drivers for cloud computing adoption is proposed.Recommendations to assist decision-makers in cloud computing adoption are proposed. This research paper reports on a Delphi study focusing on the most important issues enterprises are confronted with when making cloud computing (CC) adoption decisions. We had 34 experts from different domain backgrounds participated in a Delphi panel. The panelists were IT and CC specialists representing a heterogeneous group of clients, providers and academics, divided into three subpanels. The Delphi procedure comprised three stages: brainstorming, narrowing down and ranking. The panelists identified 55 issues of concerns in the first stage, which were analyzed and grouped into 10 categories: security, strategy, legal and ethical, IT governance, migration, culture, business, awareness, availability and impact. The top 18 issues for each subpanel were ranked, and a moderate intrapanel consensus was obtained. Additionally, 16 follow-up interviews were conducted with the experts to get a deeper understanding of the issues and why certain issues were more significant than others. The findings indicate that security, strategy and legal and ethical issues are the most important. The discussion resulted in highlighting certain inhibitors and drivers for CC adoption into a framework. The paper is concluded with key recommendations with focus on change management, competence and maturity to inform decision-makers in CC adoption decisions.

Understanding the determinants of business process modelling in organisations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to address a theoretical gap in the business process management (BPM) literature on factors that influence the acceptance and use of business process modelling (PM) in organisations. The paper seeks to contribute to theory building and practice in BPM through better understanding of important determinants of PM adoption and use.Design/methodology/approach – A combination of literature review and 34 interviews in context was used to develop a PM acceptance model that was subsequently empirically tested using survey data from 74 companies.Findings – The paper provides empirical insights about how business PM can be influenced by many factors in the organisational context. It suggests that PM is a complex activity mandated by management, but influenced by individual and socio‐political factors.Research limitations/implications – There is a need for future research to focus on the many opposing forces that influence business PM in organisations. Future studies should ana...

Training, Competence, and Business Performance: Evidence from E-business in European Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

This article examines the relationship between training, competence and performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the context of e-business. Literature review combined with a triangulation of qualitative and quantitative methods were used to investigate these relationships. Data about e-business competences and performance in 339 SMEs in three European countries was combined with data about training supply from 116 providers of e-business related training. The empirical findings document a positive relationship between training, competence and performance and show that training explains variances in e-business competences and performance in terms of efficiency, complementarities, lock-in and novelty. The research has both theoretical and practical implications. It contributes to theoretical development by lending support to the idea that methodological issues are an important reason behind the lack of empirical support frequently reported in the literature. The study has practical implications for public policy makers, training suppliers and SME managers.

Exploring Process-Modelling Practice: Towards a Conceptual Model

Despite the importance of process modelling for business process management and related tasks, there are few theories and empirical studies of process-modelling practice available that can serve as the basis for understanding and improving this important practice. To contribute to the development of better theory, this paper proposes a model of process modelling practice, focussing on the relations between process modelling purpose, process modelling process, model artefact, process modelling outcome as well as initial and eventual modelling and process maturity. The proposed model is based on the existing literature and validated in a study of 34 Norwegian process-modelling projects. Results from a combined qualitative and quantitative analysis of the empirical data indicate that the modelling process is clearly related to process-modelling outcome. Surprisingly, we were not able to relate the model artefact to any main category.

Educating reflective Enterprise Systems practitioners: a design research study of the iterative building of a teaching framework

This research paper reports on the iterative design of a teaching framework developed for teaching Enterprise Systems (ES) classes for Information Systems (IS) graduates. These systems embed technical complexity and create organizational challenges when implemented in organizations. Therefore, teaching good ES classes is pedagogically challenging for faculty, and ES curricula are difficult for students. We have gradually designed and rebuilt curricula and teaching frameworks over 8 years. This has also resulted in a set of eight design principles. We report from our design and evaluation process and present our final artefact, the teaching framework. The aim is to educate reflective practitioners with multiple ES skills, enabling them to tackle the complexities of ES implementation contexts. The framework has implications for IS educational research and practice and has some generic values that are transferable to other academic institutions and adaptable to other IS learning environments. Further, the study contributes to IS design research by extending its application area. The ES teaching framework is a specific contribution to IS teaching frameworks as a class of problems.

An Empirical Research on the Impacts of organisational decisions’ locus, tasks structure rules, knowledge, and IT function’s value on ERP system success

This research examined the impacts of organisational decisions’ locus, tasks structure, rules and procedures, organisational actors’ information technology (IT) skills/knowledge and IT department’s or function’s value perceptions on enterprise resource planning (ERP) system success. While such antecedent factors matter in the discourse, research on their impacts on ERP success is rare. To increase understanding in the area, we proposed a research model and developed pertinent hypotheses that included the above-mentioned factors. Using a cross-sectional field survey, we collected data from 165 firms in three European countries. Data analysis was performed using the partial least squares (PLS) technique. Statistical support was found for 11 out of the 17 hypotheses formulated. Organisational design constructs, i.e. tasks structure, rules and procedures, in-house IT personnel skills/knowledge have impacts on ERP success, whereas the perceptions of IT function’s value and business employees’ IT skills/knowledge did not. Contributions and practical implications of the research are discussed.

The value chain component in a decision support system: a case example

This paper discusses the contribution and use of the value chain component within a prototype decision support system (DSS). Here, the authors focus on the inclusion of Porters value chain within the general design of the DSS for a purchasing manager in the Norwegian wood processing industry. They discuss the value chain and cost driver parameters as well as those design principles that they found significant for the creation, inclusion, visualization, and use of the value system. They summarize related research that they conducted concerning the analysis and diagnosis of decision processes for this particular decision maker and his organization and the formulation of a prescriptive model. They then discuss some of the general design and implementation features of their prototype DSS. The goal of this DSS is to present a tool for the decision maker that addresses qualitative decision making and improve the users mental model and modeling capacity.