Reinventing the rules of engagement: three strategies for winning the information technology race

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 22-32
Author(s):  
Saul Berman ◽  
Anthony Marshall

Purpose – From interviews in 2013 with more than 875 CEOs of companies in a variety of industries from around the world, IBM researchers found that the majority of them rank technology as the top issue they expect will exert the strongest influence on their organizations and strategy. this paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach – This report is the third installment in an ongoing Global C-suite Study, the seventeenth such IBM study to focus on the C-suite. To compile the data for the meta study, between February and June 2013, researchers met with 4,183 top executives, representing a wide range of public and private sector enterprises in more than 20 industries and 70 countries. This report focuses on the responses of more than 875 CEOs from 67 countries who participated in the meta study. Findings – Analysis of the interviews identified three responses proactive firms have adopted to prepare for the future: embrace disruption; build shared value; and dare to be open. Research limitations/implications – Create experimentation spaces. Runaway innovation requires places and spaces where people can think, interact and experiment. The creation of these innovation spaces should be a priority. These should include: physical spaces where co-located people with different backgrounds can cross-pollinate each other’s ideas; virtual spaces where large numbers of people across different locations can focus on specific topics; and the building of business ecosystems. Business environments are beginning to evolve from markets to ecosystems. Organizations that identify new ways to serve customers holistically will define new business ecosystems and benefit the most. Practical implications – Taking action to embrace disruption: move out of bounds. Bringing together people from different industries, backgrounds, regions – and even generations – will be essential to predict and respond to new competitive threats. Expanding partnerships to deepen innovation capabilities will speed the discovery of new technologies and new business models. Originality/value – CEOs in just about every industry have learned that customers, partners and employees that collaborate can go further, faster in an era of runaway innovation. Many are pushing the boundaries on their organizations as a result – opening up to empower collaboration among individuals and moving away from command-and-control hierarchies. In just one year the number of CEOs determined to open up their organizations has increased an astounding 27 percent.

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (12) ◽  
pp. 1283-1299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Régis Delafenestre

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to find and classify the most relevant works in the literature on the latest technologies applied in global supply chains. To help future researchers find the most relevant the authors according to the authors’ research interest quickly and to provide insights into the most promising areas. Design/methodology/approach The authors provide a bibliometric analysis of 292 documents referenced in the Scopus® database clustering by relatedness of works and keywords. Findings The authors present insights and deduce new perspectives in the potential search for new business models. The authors show that in specific fields, some works and authors have a much greater influence than others. Research limitations/implications Some documents published on the web or in paper form may be missing. The analyses largely depend on the choice of keywords. Another selection might have shown different results. Practical implications This paper provides the basis for new research in applications of the latest technologies in supply chains and corresponding new business models. Originality/value This work is a first effort to help researchers make sense of the mass of published scientific results on new technologies and their impact on new supply chain business models.


Author(s):  
Kayvan Miri Lavassani ◽  
Bahar Movahedi

Advancements in organizational information systems and developments in business environments have brought important changes to the contemporary management practices and business models. Organizations have evolved beyond their specific and general environments towards business ecosystems. This study investigates the evolutions of organizational information systems and business environments in the contexts of business ecosystem. Based on an evolutionary study of organizational information systems and business ecosystem an ontological model is proposed for the adoption of new technologies in the real world designs with particular attention to the application of technology. We call for further empirical and conceptual research in understanding and exploring the role of business ecosystems in organizational operations and industrial ecosystems.


2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 570-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederik Plewnia ◽  
Edeltraud Guenther

Purpose In order to guide sustainability research on the sharing economy, the purpose of this paper is to develop a comprehensive framework that captures the wide range of activities and business models that are considered to be part of the sharing economy. Design/methodology/approach Based on a systematic literature review and a content analysis, existing typologies are identified and analyzed for their conceptual intersections. Finally, categorizations from 43 documents are integrated into one framework. Findings Four main dimensions are identified as being used in different contexts to characterize sharing systems and were combined to form one comprehensive typology: shared good or service, market structure, market orientation, and industry sector. Originality/value The proposed typology is able to distinguish sharing activities based on their similarities and differences. Social, economic, and communicational avenues for the term “sharing” are merged into a conceptual foundation of the sharing economy. This enables researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to position their projects in the broad field of sharing. By discussing inherent tensions with regard to sustainability of the sharing economy, the offered categorizations can help to guide future research and policy intervention. Last but not least, professional managers should find valuable ideas for new business models.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 327-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert Saiz

PurposeDigital and information technologies (IT) are becoming silently pervasive in old-fashioned real estate markets. This paper focuses on three important avenues for the diffusion of IT in commercial real estate: online brokerage and sales, the commoditization of space and Fintech in mortgage and equity funding. We describe the main new markets and products created by this IT revolution. The focus is on the pioneering US market, with some attention devoted to the specific firms and institutions taking these innovations into the mainstream. We also carefully analyze the economic underpinnings from which the new technologies can expect to generate cash flows, thus becoming viable—or not. Finally, we discuss their likely impact on established players in the commercial real estate arena.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, the author chooses to focus on three separate arenas where the IT revolution—sometimes referred to as Proptech, as applied to real estate—is having discernible impacts: sales and brokerage, space commoditization and online finance platforms. The author invites the reader to think seriously about the economic fundamentals that may—or may not—sustain new business models in Proptech. Real estate economists and investors alike need to be critical of new business models, especially when they are being aggressively marketed by their promoters. Trying to avoid any hype, the author provides thoughts about the likely impact of the innovations on their markets, guided by economic and finance theory, and previous experience.FindingsThe author evaluates the evolution of commercial real estate brokerage. While innovations will, no doubt, have an impact on the ways in which we buy and lease commercial properties, the lessons from the housing market should make us skeptical about the possibility of the new technologies dramatically facilitating disintermediation in this market. In fact, new oligopolies seem to be emerging with regard to market data provision.Practical implicationsProptech will change some aspects of the real estate industry, but not others!Originality/valueAs change pervades the property industry, only a relatively few research pieces are illustrating or—more importantly—providing insights about the likely economic and financial impacts of IT penetration. Similarly, only a few papers have so far addressed the economic viability of the alternative business models of tech startups targeting real estate markets and transactions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 857-867 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esko Hakanen ◽  
Risto Rajala

Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify and discuss the role of intelligent materials in the emergence of new business models based on the Internet of Things (IoT). The study suggests new areas for further research to better understand the influences of material intelligence on the business models in industry-wide service ecosystems. Design/methodology/approach The study uses data from an earlier study of intelligent materials in the steel industry networks. The insights are based on 34 qualitative interviews among 15 organizations in the industry. The data are reanalyzed for this study. Findings The observations from the steel industry show how material intelligence can be harnessed for value creation in IoT-based business ecosystems. The results suggest that not all “things” connected to the IoT need to be intelligent, if information related to the things are collected, stored and shared for collaborative value creation among the actors involved in the business ecosystem. Research limitations/implications The study discusses how IoT deployments allow businesses to benefit from the velocity and variety of information associated with things and guides future research to study the ways in which value is created through IoT-enabled business models. Practical implications Rather than focusing on improving the efficiency of the supply network, the study presents new paths for competitive advantages in the new IoT ecosystems. Originality/value The study contributes to the mounting research on the IoT by identifying and discussing the critical aspects of how IoT can transform business models and supply networks within end-to-end ecosystems.


2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-38
Author(s):  
Georg Windisch

Purpose Over the past years, traditional manufacturers of capital goods, such as Siemens, ABB and GE, have seen their business environments transform. As a response to these changes, firms began to change their business models from providing singularly developed, integrated one-off solutions to offering modular, mass-customizable systems, including increasingly sophisticated services. This paper aims to support such manufacturers in overcoming uncertainties in designing innovative profit formulas in this new approach. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on an 18-month research project at a multinational, multi-scope manufacturer in the capital goods industry. Findings To innovate profit formulas, this study recommends a three-step approach: first, categorize your customer requirements along new dimensions for each project; second, apply smart and novel combinations of competition- and value-based pricing and cost strategies within projects; and third, calculate your profits at the feature level instead of the aggregated project level. Based on this approach, managers can categorize projects through an introduced matrix tool and identify ways to improve profitability. Research limitations/implications Findings are applicable to the capital goods industry and to comparable sectors where vendors can tailor product features for each customer individually. Originality/value This study will help managers to overcome the challenge of rethinking ways of operating that are long established and, until now, very successful. It sets out a methodology – the profitability matrix – that managers can use to analyze the profitability of a specific customer offering and suggests ways to improve it based on a novel three-step approach for designing new profit formulas.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nirjhar Nigam ◽  
Sondes Mbarek ◽  
Afef Boughanmi

Purpose Financing investments in a knowledge-intensive sector may be more difficult as there is a greater degree of uncertainty and asymmetries of information. This paper aims to examine whether a company’s intellectual capital (human capital, relational capital and structural capital) can serve as a quality signal in the financing of health care startups with new business models. Design/methodology/approach The study constructed a manual database using several paid and unpaid databases. This paper collected random data from 204 startups that obtained funding during the 2014–2017 period and used signaling theory to examine the factors that impact access to external financing for Indian health care technology startups. Findings This paper found that venture capitalists partly base their financing decisions on the relational capital of the startup represented by startups’ age and the average number of website visits, the presence of a syndicate of investors. Human capital variables and structural variables do not show much significant impact. This paper also find some business models show a negative impact on financing implying that investors are reluctant to invest in new technologies that carry more uncertainty and take a longer time to become profitable. Research limitations/implications Before concluding this paper, it is important to acknowledge the limitations of the study and some implications for future research purposes. First, the study is conducted on only 204 startups from India, and as such, it suffers from a small sample size, like many other comparable survey-based studies in entrepreneurship. Second, the results are obtained with respect to data collected from Indian startups and represent the Indian context which limits the generalization on a global level. Practical implications The results suggest that years of experience and prior relevant experience, do not actually impact the financing of a new venture. These results are crucial as India has a unique demographic advantage over other countries in relation to age. If young minds are adequately nurtured, this can result in innovation, entrepreneurship and job creation (which still remains as a foremost challenge for India). Social implications From a policy perspective, a number of implications emerge from the current study. There is a need for ameliorating the capacity of the education system in providing top-quality support including a greater focus on entrepreneurship courses and to replicate the education delivery model from top foreign institutes. The government should take this opportunity to revive the system of education and follow the methodology of elite institutes and to develop entrepreneurship spirit in other colleges and schools. Originality/value Financing the investments of young startups with new business models in knowledge-based sectors may be more difficult. In this paper, this paper demonstrates that startups have to effectively use and manage their intellectual assets to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. The findings of the paper emphasize the role of intellectual capital in securing financing through venture capital.


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kayvan Miri Lavassani ◽  
Bahar Movahedi

Advancements in organizational information systems and developments in business environments have brought important changes to the contemporary management practices and business models. Organizations have evolved beyond their specific and general environments towards business ecosystems. This study investigates the evolutions of organizational information systems and business environments in the contexts of business ecosystem. Based on an evolutionary study of organizational information systems and business ecosystem an ontological model is proposed for adoption of new technologies in the real world designs with particular attention to the application of technology. The authors call for further empirical and conceptual research in understanding and exploring the role of business ecosystems in organizational operations and industrial ecosystems.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 546-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia A. Fehrer ◽  
Herbert Woratschek ◽  
Roderick J. Brodie

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to introduce a new business model logic, highlighting value processes in and properties of platform business models to inform business model thinking from a systemic and dynamic perspective. It challenges the idea of firms managing, influencing and controlling entire activity systems.Design/methodology/approachThe study traces the evolution of different approaches to business models and assesses theories that explain value cocreation and systemic value capture to develop a new business model logic.FindingsBusiness model thinking has evolved away from Porter’s value chain to a new logic based on open networks and platforms. This study develops a framework for understanding platform business models from a systemic perspective. Derived from service-dominant logic, this new business model logic responds to phenomena in contemporary business environments characterized by increasing connectivity and sociality among actors.Research limitations/implicationsThe framework, developed from an extensive body of business model literature, has yet to be subjected to empirical investigation. Future research may involve the exploration of business model design processes and business model innovation from a systemic perspective.Practical implicationsManagers who aim to design their business models based on the logic of platform businesses require an understanding of their organization’s collaboration potential, technological interfaces and potential to leverage network relationships. This research guides start-ups and incumbents to evaluate their platform potential.Originality/valueThis study systematically emancipates the business model logic from a firm-centered, inside-out perspective, focuses on network relationships beyond the customer–firm dyad, explains value processes beyond organizational borders and rethinks value capture from a systemic perspective.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Moumita Acharyya ◽  
Tanuja Agarwala

PurposeThe paper aims to understand the different motivations / reasons for engaging in CSR initiatives by the organizations. In addition, the study also examines the relationship between CSR motivations and corporate social performance (CSP).Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from two power sector organizations: one was a private sector firm and the other was a public sector firm. A comparative analysis of the variables with respect to private and public sector organizations was conducted. A questionnaire survey was administered among 370 employees working in the power sector, with 199 executives from public sector and 171 from private sector.Findings“Philanthropic” motivation emerged as the most dominant CSR motivation among both the public and private sector firms. The private sector firm was found to be significantly higher with respect to “philanthropic”, “enlightened self-interest” and “normative” CSR motivations when compared with the public sector firms. Findings suggest that public and private sector firms differed significantly on four CSR motivations, namely, “philanthropic”, “enlightened self-interest”, “normative” and “coercive”. The CSP score was significantly different among the two power sector firms of public and private sectors. The private sector firm had a higher CSP level than the public sector undertaking.Research limitations/implicationsFurther studies in the domain need to address differences in CSR motivations and CSP across other sectors to understand the role of industry characteristics in influencing social development targets of organizations. Research also needs to focus on demonstrating the relationship between CSP and financial performance of the firms. Further, the HR outcomes of CSR initiatives and measurement of CSP indicators, such as attracting and retaining talent, employee commitment and organizational climate factors, need to be assessed.Originality/valueThe social issues are now directly linked with the business model to ensure consistency and community development. The results reveal a need for “enlightened self-interest” which is the second dominant CSR motivation among the organizations. The study makes a novel contribution by determining that competitive and coercive motivations are not functional as part of organizational CSR strategy. CSR can never be forced as the very idea is to do social good. Eventually, the CSR approach demands a commitment from within. The organizations need to emphasize more voluntary engagement of employees and go beyond statutory requirements for realizing the true CSR benefits.


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