Georgios I. Doukidis

RFID‐enabled traceability in the food supply chain

Purpose – This paper aims to study the main requirements of traceability and examine how the technology of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology can address these requirements. It further seeks to outline both an information data model and a system architecture that will make traceability feasible and easily deployable across a supply chain.Design/methodology/approach – The design research approach is followed, associating traceability requirements to a proposed system design.Findings – The technological approach used has great implications in relation to the cost associated with a traceability system and the ease of its deployment.Research limitations/implications – Validation of the proposed information data model and system architecture is required through practical deployment in different settings.Practical implications – The paper provides practitioners with insight on how RFID technology can meet traceability requirements and what technological approach is more appropriate.Originality/val...

Internet shopping adoption by Greek consumers

This paper aims at developing profiles of consumers who have already conducted shopping through the Internet and of those who are interested to adopt Internet shopping as an innovation. Based on the theories and processes of consumer adoption decision and diffusion of innovations, the study measures demographic and behavioural characteristics, as well as perceptions and preferences of Greek consumers towards distance shopping in general and Internet retailing in particular. The survey conducted offers insightful preliminary empirical data based on which detailed profiles of Internet shoppers (“innovators”) and interested‐to‐adopt Internet shopping (“early adopters”) are developed. The empirical research findings of this study provide relevant managerial implications while setting the foundation for future research directions in this area.

The critical role of consumer behaviour research in mobile commerce

The changing role of mobile communications is reflected in the increasing use of mobile devices for e-commerce purposes. Supported by the penetration of mobile devices and the evolution of mobile technologies, mobile commerce promises to change the way certain business-to-consumer (B2C) activities are conducted. Focusing on B2C markets, this paper underlines the critical role of consumer behaviour research in mobile commerce and investigates, through an exploratory research approach, the critical success factors towards mobile commerce diffusion. To that end, an online consumer survey ran in three European countries (Finland, Germany and Greece). The results showed that mobile commerce (m-commerce) penetration in Europe is in its infancy. In addition, significant differences regarding consumer attitudes towards mobile commerce were observed among the countries investigated. Lower prices, improved security, improved devices and effective customer support, proved to be the critical success factors towards accelerating m-commerce consumer adoption. It is concluded that the customisation of the marketing mix to the specific characteristics of each target market is a key success factor for mobile operators in Europe.

Dynamic modeling to assess the business value of electronic commerce

Before adopting electronic commerce (E-Comm), organizations need to assess its real business value, and to compare its costs with those of the associated investments. The intangible nature of most E-Comm benefits may make it difficult to develop an actual business case. This paper presents a case study of E-Comm investment evaluation. Computer-based models of the business processes affected by E-Comm were developed and dynamically simulated to assist in obtaining insight on the real benefits and dangers associated with the planned business change. The potential of Dynamic Process Modeling to support assessment of E-Comm business value is discussed in light of the results of the case study.

Introduction to the Special Issue: Mobile Business: Technological Pluralism, Social Assimilation, and Growth

The prevailing definitions of mobile business do not effectively capture the observed phenomena. They are also restrictive in terms of the research questions and implications that can be drawn from them. This paper asks how mobile business should be defined if we are to develop scientific theories that transcend the rapidly changing practice. Next, it describes a research program that would be appropriate given the proposed definition, offering a scenario-planning project as an example. Finally, it introduces the papers in this special issue, illustrating the relevance of the proposed approach.

Information systems planning in small business: a stages of growth analysis

Abstract In this article, the use of Information Systems in the context of small business is discussed, showing current research focus and presenting some parts of research areas which have not yet been tackled. The surrounding environment that facilitates the creation of small entrepreneurial businesses is further examined, together with the IS planning practices in such an environment. We find that these practices do not follow the conventional theories for IS planning. The main argument is that their management style and organizational structure determine to a significant extent the process and nature of IS planning. This relationship is envisaged under a broader perspective where we consider the inter-dependence between organizational structure and culture. We are proposing a shift of focus for IS planning research by suggesting a smodel that combines the above concepts.

Experience with a structure, process and outcome framework for evaluating an information system

There are a number of problems in assessing the quality and performance of any information system, but these are particularly acute when it is intended for use within a developing country environment. This paper presents the case for structured evaluation of such systems, based on experience with a medical decision-aid system for developing countries. The paper provides a framework to approach the evaluation task combining work in the area of information systems and health policy analysis. The model used is built around the three concepts of a systems structure, the process it supports and the outcome of its use. This three-part analysis is then applied at three main levels: that of the systems functioning, human and user perspectives and the overall impact of the system, in this case the impact on the health care system.

The ISSUE methodology for quantifying benefits from information systems

The assessment of information systems (IS) benefits is an important practical problem in IS investment appraisal. After briefly reviewing the nature of IS benefits, we argue that an incremental measurement approach can help an organisation obtain quantitative estimates of expected IS impacts on business performance. Such an approach should start from quantifiable benefits directly attributable to the information system and then gradually consider more intangible and indirect effects. We suggest that Business Process Simulation can be an effective technique in applying this approach and we present a methodology that incorporates incremental, iterative business process modelling and simulation into five practical steps. To illustrate this approach, we present a case of measuring the potential improvements in inventory management introduced by electronic data interchange and discuss issues of feasibility and directions for further research and development.

Decision support system concepts in expert systems: an empirical study

Abstract This paper reports on a survey carried out on 67 ES to investigate whether they employ DSS concepts. The author examines several DSS frameworks and proposes a questionnaire model to conduct the survey. The survey data are analysed and the paper concludes that the three fundamental DSS issues: semi-structured task, support, and effectiveness are explicitly applied in ES. It shows also that although both DSS and ES have similar aims, they accomplish them in completely different ways. The differences are in the boundary of problem space and the way to tackle problems.

OR and the management of electronic services

This review paper is meant to provide some insight to the relation between operations research and the management of electronic services. We use the term electronic services, within the broader e-business context, to refer to any service that is delivered to the customer via electronic means, mainly the Internet as a new channel to communicate with customers, but also through mobile and other digital communications. During the last years we have experienced an explosion in the development of electronic services, which is creating abundant opportunities for operations research (OR) applications, required to empower several types of technology-mediated interactions, exploit the large-scale digital data sources, and automate the recurring operational decisions. In this paper we summarise the various aspects in which operations research may support the management of electronic services, taking into account the different characteristics of alternative electronic media, such as the Internet, mobile communications, interactive television etc.