Reima Suomi

Utilization of Information Resources for Business Success: The Knowledge Sharing Model

This article works out a method on how information resources in organizations can be turned into a knowledge sharing KS information culture, which can further feed business success. This process is complicated, and the value chain can be broken in many places. In this study this process is viewed in the light of resource-based theory. A KS-model is developed where the hard information resources of time, people and computers are defined. When wisely used, these make communication a core competence for the company. As the soft information resources are added, that is, the intellectual capital, KS and willingness to learn, a knowledge sharing culture is developed, which feeds business success. This model is empirically discussed through a case study of 15 Finnish insurance companies. The overall KS capability of a company corresponds positively to the different dimensions applied in the model. KS is an interactive process where organizations must work on both hard information resources, the basic cornerstones of any knowledge sharing, and make constant investment into soft information resources, learning, intellectual capital and process design in order to manage their information resources effectively.

Building a knowledge sharing company - evidence from the Finnish insurance industry

This paper crystallises out some key findings of knowledge management practices from a Finnish survey on the insurance industry. 15 Finnish insurance companies of different sizes and product portfolios are studied. We propose a model of the functioning of a knowledge sharing organization. Knowledge sharing is effective, when the learning organization metaphor is well implemented into the organization. Knowledge sharing is present in a more formal environment, in the business processes, and in a more open human interaction, the existence of which we call intellectual capital. Intellectual capital is born in the process of communication, which needs to be a core competence of a knowledge sharing organization. Communication as a core competence can exist, when there is enough of personal knowledge, human capital, an ICT infrastructure to support the communication process, and enough of organizational slack. Our analysis shows that effective knowledge sharing is in a positive correlation to business success.

Inter-organizational information systems as company resources

Abstract Here the concept of an inter-organizational system (IOS) is explored. Reasons are given for considering inter-organizational information systems as valuable company resources, and some potential benefits that could be obtained from these resources are listed. A case example of an inter-organizational system is being presented: it also discusses the benefits that could be obtained from this prototype system and its descendants.

On the concept of inter-organizational information systems

Abstract Inter-organizational information systems currently form one of the most immediate topics in information systems science and practice. Possible techniques and applications of such systems are widely discussed, yet the very concept underlying them is not touched upon. This paper attempts to give a coherent picture of inter-organizational information systems by defining why they have become important, what they consist of, and to what purposes they can be used. The paper is based on literature analysis and the practical experience obtained by the author in the course of several company projects defining inter-organizational information systems.

Organizing for a National Infrastructure Project: The Case of the Finnish Electronic Prescription

Electronic prescriptions should be a central part of a working health care and national e-government infrastructure. In Finland the pursuit to establish such a system has been up few times, and the most recent, nation-wide initiative to set up a central electronic prescription system was set up in 2001. Our article here describes the starting points of the Finnish initiative to set up the system for electronic prescriptions, and presents the organizational structure and main tasks that are set up to build the system. Our theoretical discussion focuses on the concept of national IT infrastructures, and analyses the Finnish electronic prescription system against the ramifications given for a national infrastructure. The authors of the article are members of a group assigned to evaluate the national project. It is worth noting that both the system and the evaluation tasks are at the very early stages of work.

Establishing a contact centre for public health care

A growing part of population is used to performing transactions on-line via the Internet, even in relationships to authorities. Not even the health care sector can escape this trend. Patients put pressures on health care providers through contacting them through telephone and the Internet. In this article we discuss the future of contact centres in health care. We scan through the literature on the issue, present published projects and systems on the field, and build a conceptual model of the health care contact centre and its function. As a case example we follow the first steps of a contact centre to be implemented to the primary health care of the city of Turku. For this and clarity reasons, we restrict our discussion to the public health care, where customers can not be selected, and the operation is not run for profit, and to the mastering of acute diseases, where interaction with the customer needs to be fast and based on an individual transaction rather than a lasting patient-doctor relationship.

Dimensions of E-service Quality: An Alternative Model

With rapid growth of the Internet and the globalization of the market, companies accepted and adopted the new information and communication technology in the performance of their activities, not only to support traditional activities, but also to support those arising from new opportunities, mainly from the Internet. This paper addresses the e-service quality issue in the electronic marketplace. The purpose of the paper is to investigate e-service quality dimensions from both e-service providerpsilas and customerpsilas perspectives. The paper explores e-service quality dimensions based on a review of the development of e-service quality dimension. It proposes a 10-dimension scale for measuring e-service quality: Website design, reliability, fulfillment, security, responsiveness, personalization, information and empathy from the e-service providerpsilas perspective, and trust and experience from the customerpsilas perspective. This paper concludes by discussing the limitation of this study and highlighting areas for the future research in the realm of e-service quality.

GSM-based SMS time reservation system for dental care

In this article we focus on the application of a mobile time reservation system for dental care. The specific application allocates cancelled dentist times to new customers and new customers are searched from a waiting list with Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) Short Message System (SMS) messages. This article shows how standard, widely used technology—when used innovatively—can bring many benefits to many stakeholders with reasonable costs and changes in business processes. We present and analyze the function of an SMS message-based dental service appointment reservation system that has been implemented in Lahti, Finland. The analysis contains a description of the system’s function, as well as some assessment of the success from the service provider and customer point of view.

Best practices of ICT workforce management – a comparable research initiative in Finland

This paper describes a project which investigates the human resource management practices that are being used in managing information professionals in ICT companies or ICT departments. The effectiveness of the practices is evaluated from individual and management perspectives. It is assumed that the nature of the contract between the IS professional and the organization influences the effectiveness of different practices. Thus, the notion of “best practice” is seen as context dependent. When writing the paper, the research was still in progress and no results can yet be given. After completing the study, practitioners can use the results to compare their own practices with those that were found to be effective in the nine case organizations. For researchers, the results will provide hypotheses about the relationship between HRM practices and job satisfaction of the IS professionals.

On the nationality balance of authors and references in selected MIS journals

Abstract Citation analysis is an established technique in literature analysis. It can be used to reveal citation patterns and thus results stemming from the analysis, including co-citation patterns and groupings of researchers, even reveal paradigmatic schools within a certain field. In this article, twelve major MIS journals — six European and six American — are studied to find out whether there are any differences in author selection and referencing patterns. It was discovered that the American MIS community is much more self-sustaining than the European one, which relies heavily on work by American authors. This points either to the superiority of the American MIS community, or the under-appreciation of foreign research, or possibly both. On the European side, the result might be interpreted as a sign of low-quality research, lack of self-esteem and pride, or again both. Clear differences between the editorial policy of the journals can be discerned: some journals accept the American hegemony; some try to maintain a balance between contributions from different countries; and some favour European research.