Jeffrey C. F. Tai

A Virtual Integration Theory of Improved Supply-Chain Performance

Organizing and maintaining a competent and flexible supply chain is a major challenge to manufacturers in todays increasingly competitive and uncertain environments. Virtual integration represents the substitution of ownership with partnership by integrating a set of suppliers through information technology (IT) for tighter supply-chain collaboration. From the systems and control perspectives, this study develops a theory of virtual integration with an empirical model to examine the role that virtual integration plays in facilitating manufacturers to achieve greater manufacturing flexibility and comparative cost advantage. Based on a survey of Taiwanese manufacturing firms, our results show that environmental uncertainty tends to motivate manufacturers to increase their manufacturing flexibility, with both virtual integration and supplier responsiveness playing a vital enabling role. The results demonstrate the importance of supplier responsiveness for manufacturers to gain manufacturing flexibility and comparative cost advantage in supply-chain operations. Environmental uncertainty, thus, might first appear as a threat to a manufacturer, but with the help of IT and more responsive suppliers, such a threat could be transformed into a competitive edge, as reflected in the manufacturers higher levels of manufacturing flexibility and comparative cost advantage.

Factors affecting information systems planning effectiveness: organizational contexts and planning systems dimensions

Information systems (IS) planning is recognized as one of the dominated managerial issues of MIS. Based on prior studies in strategic and IS planning, this study integrates three domains to investigate the effects of organizational contexts and planning system dimensions on the effectiveness of IS planning from a contingency perspective. The model is supported by the empirical data, showing the importance of many contextual factors and planning system dimensions to attaining greater effectiveness of IS planning. In particular, the results demonstrate the pivotal role of an organizations improved planning capability in mediating the effects of organization contexts and planning system dimensions on IS planning effectiveness. The implications and limitations of this study are also discussed.

Examining the relational benefits of improved interfirm information processing capability in buyer-supplier dyads

Information Systems research has studied how buyers and suppliers can benefit from improved information visibility in supply chains characterized by uncertainty. However, the relation-specific information processing solutions that provide visibility can only be exploited if the two firms engage in sufficient coordination efforts. This work takes a nuanced look at how dyadic benefits are derived in the supply chain. Drawing on the information processing view, resource-based view, and transaction cost theory, this study explicates how buyer performance can result from buyers use of relation-specific information processing solutions and suppliers relational responses. Two interfirm information processing solutions are proposed and examined: the use of IT-based systems for planning and control, and the use of relational (normative) contracts. Based on a sample of 144 manufacturing firms, eight of the nine proposed research hypotheses receive empirical support using PLS analysis. The findings suggest that as buyers and suppliers utilize the IT and relational solutions, they induce relation-specific responses represented as suppliers business process investments and modification flexibility, which in turn lead to positive buyer outcomes. The results help us gain a more granular understanding on how relation-specific interfirm information processing solutions can lead to performance through enhanced interfirm governance capabilities.

How Coaligned Stakeholder Support Enhances End User's Perceived ERP Performance? The Pivotal Role of ERP Identity

Completely involving end users in ERP projects is more difficult than that in IS development projects. End users possess less cooperation motivations in ERP post-implementation when diversified stakeholder groups strengthen their perceived boundaries with other ERP team members. This study argues that end users social identity toward the ERP project team (i.e., end users ERP identity) plays a pivotal role in resolving these issues. Based on social identity theory, we posit end users ERP identification affects ERP use-related activities and perceived performance impact of ERP due to in group favoritism. According to self-categorization theory, we contend that consistent support from ERP stakeholder groups facilitates high-quality interactions and formation of shared goals between end users and other team members. This study conducted a mail survey to validate the proposed model based on responses from 175 Taiwanese companies that have implemented ERP. The results showed that all the five hypotheses received empirical support. The conclusion and implications are offered.

Distinct Impact of Information Access Patterns on Supplier’s Non-contractible Investments and Adaptation for Supply Chain Agility

This study explores how distinct information access patterns affect a supplier’s supply chain agility. A supplier’s specific investments for IT-enabled supply chain coordination and relational adaptation in supply chain operations are identified as the technical and behavioral antecedents to its supply chain agility. Because both are non-contractible elements in formal contracts and complementary to buyer’s supply chain coordination information and buyer’s specific investments in monitoring and control, either buyer or supplier may hold up their counterpart based on their own information assets. Therefore, this study draws on the theory of incomplete contracts and suggests that both buyer and supplier need to make their idiosyncratic information assets alienable and accessible to their counterpart so that the rent-seeking problem can be alleviated and the supplier’s investment and adaptation incentives improved. This study contributes to the literature by demonstrating that distinct information access patterns can improve a supplier’s supply chain agility through the mediation of the non-contractible investments and adaptation made by the supplier.

A study of IS assets, IS ambidexterity, and IS alignment: the dynamic managerial capability perspective

Abstract This study aims to explore how IT-business alignment can be better achieved. Drawing on the dynamic capability view, information systems (IS) alignment and IS ambidexterity are theorized as IT departments’ ordinary capability and dynamic managerial capability, respectively. Four IS assets are identified as antecedents of both IS ambidexterity and IS alignment. A research model with 14 hypotheses is tested with a sample of 162 manufacturing firms. The PLS analysis shows that IS ambidexterity can increase IS alignment in terms of operational support and that the four IS assets can affect IS alignment directly or indirectly. Implications for research and practice are provided.

Influences of Place Attachment and Social Media Affordances on Online Brand Community Continuance - (Research-in-Progress).

Online brand communities not only enhance customer loyalty and experience but also help in building a closer relationship among brands, suppliers, and other customers, contributing to a healthy and positive identification. Moreover, the emergence and rapid development of social media have brought customers to become an indispensable part of brand activities through conversation and co-creation with the brand. Factors that affect customers’ intentions for continual participation in online brand communities thus present a research opportunity to be explored as well as a research gap to be filled. Drawing on the place attachment theory and social media affordances perspectives, which serve as contextual and instrumental drivers, respectively, this research investigates the influence of place attachment and social media affordances on online brand community continuance. In addition, the mediating role of experience and brand engagement will be addressed in order to build a more holistic model on the causal relationships. The ultimate goal is to help us build a clearer picture of customers’ participation behavior in online brand communities.

How does Online Engagement Facilitate Social Word-of-Mouth?

Prior studies pointed out the importance of online engagement to word-of-mouth communication in social media (i.e., sWOM). Yet, the underlining mechanisms of this impact rarely has been examined. Drawing on the regulatory engagement theory, this study suggests that online brand engagement can facilitate sWOM communication through two mechanisms: the value intensifying effect and the activity experience effect. A model with three hypotheses are formulated to specify the relationships among online brand engagement, perceived value of WOM communication, and sWOM communication. Future plans for data collection and analysis are also described to conclude this paper.

The Design of the Mobile Service: Fit between Mobility and Customer Variability

In the service economy, as markets change from offering physical products to offering services, organizations across many industries must embrace this transformation to remain competitive. Mobile technology plays an important role in this transformation because of characteristics such as mobility. However, high levels of mobility may not always contribute to service performance. Due to customer variability in service encounters, we argue that different customers may prefer different types of mobility design. In this paper, we identify customer variability that affects the quality of the service encounter and try to determine how these factors moderate the performance impacts of mobility in the design of the mobile service. We propose that a fit must be achieved between mobility design and customer variability, in order to increase mobile service performance. The results of this inquiry can guide service providers in developing more attractive mobile services through mobile technology.

IT-Enabled Virtual Integration as a Mechanism for Mediating the Impact of Environmental Uncertainty on Supply Chain Performance

Based on the systems and control perspectives, this study develops a model to examine whether virtual integration enabled by information technology (IT) can facilitate manufacturers to achieve greater supply chain flexibility and comparative cost advantage in facing environmental uncertainty. Results show that environmental uncertainty tends to motivate manufacturers to increase their manufacturing flexibility, with both virtual integration and supplier responsiveness playing a vital, enabling role. The results also demonstrate the importance of supplier responsiveness for manufacturers to obtain manufacturing flexibility and comparative cost advantage in supply chain operations. The implications of the study are provided.