Robert J. Mockler

Making decisions on enterprise‐wide strategic alignment in multinational alliances

The article concerns the decision‐making process involved in determining the strategic need and use of multinational alliances for a specific company. In theory the process is a linear one moving from the situation analysis (company and competitive market) through evaluation of the impact of external and internal situation factors on the alliance entry choice. In practice, however, the process is an emerging one, as is shown in the company experiences described in this paper. In this sense, this study concerns the application of planning decision theory to actual company decision‐making practices.

An information systems view of Chinese state enterprises

This study evaluates information systems (IS) in four large Chinese state enterprises (CSEs) located in Beijing. The IS areas considered are IS planning support, IS planning methodology, data resource management, and the IS managers role. While this study observes that these CSEs, among the largest in all China, have IS support only marginally better than that which existed 4 years earlier, it also finds evidence of slowly emerging change. An approach for evaluating IS in CSEs is proposed that focuses a lens on IS assets as an intermediate variable in benchmarking a CSEs strategic adjustment toward reform.

Prescription for Disaster: Failure to Balance Structured and Unstructured Thinking

Effective strategic leadership and management requires a thorough knowledge of how the industry or market and the value chain leading from raw materials used in the creation of a product or service through to its delivery to the customer work. This can involve a systematic analysis of the industry and competitive market, the situation, as indicated in the right-hand box of Figure 1. Major tasks in such analyses are evaluating the risks and impact of future uncertainties inherent in each situation and spotting emerging or changing trends. It may be an easy task for (or a task already done by) someone who knows the industry well from having worked in it for years.

Using computer software to improve group decision-making

This article provides a review of some of the work done in the area of knowledge-based systems for strategic planning. Since 1985, with the founding of the Center for Knowledge-based Systems for Business Management, the project has focused on developing knowledge-based systems (KBS) based on these models. In addition, the project also involves developing a variety of computer and non-computer methods and techniques for assisting both technical and non-technical managers and individuals to do decision modelling and KBS development. This paper presents a summary of one segment of the project: a description of integrative groupware useful in strategic planning. The work described here is part of an ongoing research project. As part of this project, for example, over 200 non-technical and technical business managers, most of them working full-time during the project, developed over 160 KBS prototype systems in conjunction with MBA course in strategic planning and management decision making. Based on replies to a survey of this test group, 28 per cent of the survey respondents reported their KBS were used at work, 21 per cent reportedly received promotions, pay rises or new jobs based on their KBS development work, and 12 per cent reported their work led to participation in other KBS development projects at work. All but two of the survey respondents reported that their work on the KBS development project led to a substantial increase in their job knowledge or performance.

Computer information systems and strategic corporate planning

Abstract How are computers being used to support strategic corporate planning? And what does the future hold, especially for expert knowledge-based systems?

Multinational strategic alliances: a manager's perspective

• This article, the third in a series published in this journal, provides an analytical framework for understanding multinational strategic alliances, and application frameworks for entering into and managing such strategic alliances more effectively. • In exploring these topics, the article focuses on multinational strategic alliances from multiple viewpoints: what they are, kinds of strategic alliances, and management tasks such as enterprise-wide strategic alignment; negotiating strategic alliances; selecting alliance partners—people and company or government body; determining specific type and structure appropriate for individual situation requirements; making them work—managing and leading. • The article is based on field interviews with strategic alliances and other competing companies in China during five visits there, and during frequent visits to Russia and Europe between 1988 and 1996, as well as on other studies of multinational strategic alliances in China and elsewhere.

Information Technology Diffusion in Developing Countries: A Study of China

AbstractIn addition to the internal organizational factors affecting IT diffusion in individual companies everywhere in the world, four external factors can be identified as having particular relevance to the magnitude and rate of diffusion of information technology (IT) in general in developing countries -- political and economic environment, ownership, level and importance of technology, and competitive environment. The impact of these four external context factors on IT diffusion are discussed. In addition, steps which managers have taken, or can take, to overcome not only identified external problems, but also internal organizational problems in successfully diffusing information technology in companies in developing countries, are also discussed. The focus of the study is on China.

Type and structure of multinational strategic alliances: the airline industry

This article provides a contingency perspective that can enable using strategic alliances in different ways to manage in a rapidly changing multinational competitive environment. It focuses on alliances in the airline industry, where extensive use is made of non-equity and equity franchise and contractual types of alliances. A subsequent article will describe a basic contingency model for thinking about and forming multinational strategic alliances. The article is based on research in contingency theory, as well as on research work in the cognitive, systems and strategic management areas. It is one phase of a continuing project of the Strategic Management Research Group.

Towards a managerial model of creativity in information systems

This paper presents an early attempt at developing a framework for studying organizational creativity in the IS domain. A managerial model of organizational creativity is proposed, tying together organizational inputs, creative processes, creative outputs and organizational outcomes based an research in organizational creativity, organizational innovation and strategic management. The model is discussed in the setting of the IS domain and shows not only how critical factors of the IS organization could affect the creative IS processes, but also how the outputs of the IS creative processes are related to organizational outcomes. We discuss the business value of IS creativity in terms of increased organizational effectiveness and efficiency. The model with supporting literature on creativity and IS is used to develop a framework for studying IS creativity. Several research propositions are suggested to test the model.<<ETX>>

IS Change Agents in Practice in a US-Chinese Joint Venture

This article presents a case study that documents how information systems (IS) principals in China strategically shifted to different change agent roles to accommodate various IS implementation contingencies in the organization. The case concerns a US-Chinese joint venture, located in China. The change agent models hypothesized by Markus and Benjamin (l996) serve as a lens to interpret the case. Based on observations of how these roles emerged in different phases of implementing packaged software, a meta-category called “adaptor†is offered to visualize what the data revealed and to contribute to this emerging research area. Implications for practitioners and researchers are addressed.