Pauline Ratnasingam

Trust in inter-organizational exchanges: a case study in business to business electronic commerce

Given the uncertainties of online transactions, e-commerce encourages the creation of institutional structures for online exchange relationships. Building upon the notion of institutional trust, this research examines how institutional structures develop through governance mechanisms leading to technology trust derived from structural assurances for online dyadic relationships. Technology trust is defined as the subjective probability by which organizations believe that the underlying technology infrastructure is capable of facilitating transactions according to their confident expectations. Using a cognitive process framework, we discuss four perspectives of trust, namely technological, economic, behavioral, and organizational perspectives, to show how technology trust evolves into relationship trust. We examine the impact of technology trust within an inter-organizational dyad between Cisco and Compaq. The findings posit that technology trust contributes and evolves into relationship trust. The study provides evidence on how specific structural assurances in Cisco Connection Online help to build initial online technology trust in B2B marketplaces that in turn promotes relationship trust and builds trustworthy e-commerce relationships. The paper discusses theoretical and managerial implications of this study, while proposing suggestions for future research.

A knowledge architecture for IT security

The major benefits of knowledge management, particularly as it pertains to security measures, makes it critical that organizations have a mechanism for defining and identifying knowledge needs.

Trading Partner Trust in B2B E-Commerce: A Case Study

Abstract Trust is key in any relationship and it is especially vital in the one between trading partners. E-commerce technology can be used to foster trust in B2B partnerships, but it cannot guarantee it. As this case study reveals, “soft skills” are just as crucial in cultivating trading partner trust.

E‐Commerce relationships: The impact of trust on relationship continuity

Most research has emphasized the interpersonal components of trust involved in establishing ecommerce relationships while limited attention has been paid on the technology and its interactions on e‐commerce relationships. This paper examines the impact of two forms of trust in e‐commerce relationships namely; technology trust relating to institutional structural assurances and security mechanisms embedded in e‐commerce technologies; and relationship trust referring to trading partners competent, predictably, reliability, and benevolence in the e‐commerce relationship. Based on the findings of a previous study that examined inter‐organizational dyads in business‐to‐business e‐commerce participation, we identify and illustrate how e‐commerce relationships evolve applying four modes in e‐commerce relationships namely; learning, monitoring, collaborating and distancing modes. We develop a number of propositions to facilitate empirical testing and indicate the framework’s key implications for future research a...

The impact of collaborative commerce and trust in Web services

The Internet has accelerated the adoption of collaborative commerce among businesses to form Web services. Web services refer to modular Internet‐based business functions that perform specific business tasks to facilitate business interactions within and beyond the organization. Firms are embedded in networks of collaborative relationships that influence the flow of resources among the stakeholders (requesters, providers, users and employees). Collaboration with Web services creates trust in the technological dimensions of Web services. Technology trust refers to the subjective probability by which organizations believe that the underlying technology infrastructure is capable of facilitating transactions according to their confident expectations. In this paper we examine the role of facilitating conditions in technology trust and its relationship with Web services. We provide a set of guidelines for early adopters and discuss the theoretical and practical implications of Web services and directions for future research.

The Impact of E-Commerce Customer Relationship Management in Business-to-Consumer E-Commerce

The growth of business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce has gained a lot of attention among SMEs. Most B2C firms are turning their attention on how to retain new customers and are left in a situation to compete with larger firms. This paper aims to examine the impact of E-Commerce Customer Relationship Management (ECCRM) in a small business firm that engages in B2C e-commerce. Drawing upon the theories of customer relationship management, e-commerce, trust and loyalty, we develop an integrated framework of ECCRM model to illustrate the impact of the hard and soft factors that reflect the level of transactional and relational components of communication thereby impacting the customers shopping time lifecycle experiences. We develop a number of hypotheses to facilitate testing of the framework via an exploratory case study. We then discuss the findings of the integrated framework leading to theoretical and practical implications of this study and directions for future research.

The Role of Facilitating Conditions in Developing Trust for Successful Electronic Marketplace Participation

ABSTRACT E-marketplaces are an important phenomenon in todays e-business environment. Given the uncertainties of Internet e-business, this paper examines the role of facilitating conditions and IT in e-marketplaces. In doing so, we draw upon the lessons learned from traditional EDI via Value-Added-Networks, namely (a) IT connectivity, (b) standards, (c) security, (d) uniform product descriptions and (e) coercive power. The lessons learned serve as facilitating conditions for creating initial technology trust that later evolves into relationship trust in e-marketplaces. Technology trust is derived from institutional structures, which means that one believes that there are impersonal structures that enable one to act in anticipation of a successful future endeavor. Relationship trust is derived from the interpersonal component reflecting behaviors such as the partners reliability, integrity, and dependability as well as their knowledge and understanding of the e-marketplace systems. We conclude the paper with implications for theory, research, practices and suggest directions for future research.

The Role of Project Management in a Small Business IT Firm: A Case Study

Small businesses have found project management to be a powerful approach since it encourages them to focus on results and also demands effective leadership. It also provides them with a single point of management contact which, among other factors, fosters a synergistic atmosphere encouraging the team to focus on achieving a common goal within a specific time frame and resource constraints. Despite applying the best practices, projects fail primarily for two reasons. First, although most firms do abide by the best practices to some degree, they do not perform them rigorously. Most intelligent software development organizations are still immature. According to the Standish group, fewer than 31% of IT projects succeed, nearly 20% are cancelled before completion, and the remaining 53% are challenged by being seriously late, over budget, or lacking expected features (Marchewka, 2003). Furthermore, on average, 70% of all information technology- (IT) related projects fail to meet their objectives (Lewis, 2003). This case examines the role of the project management life cycle in a small IT firm ABC that implements competitive intelligent systems for their clients in the health care industry. The research question designed for this article is: how does the project management life cycle facilitate the development of IT solutions? We describe the impact of IT in the ABC firm and its role in the project management life cycle. We then discuss the challenges and lessons learned by the firm, thereby contributing to factors that would benefit practitioners and researchers.