Quantitative Modeling in Introducing and Managing New Information Technology in Global Business Operations

This chapter introduces the concept of using mathematical models to select international markets for global business operations. It uses predictive modeling of the Internet growth of many international countries as examples. The authors hope that it will help multinational enterprises and policy makers of any nation to study the importance of using quantitative planning models in introducing and managing new information technologies to new markets.

Web Services and Their Impact in Creating a Paradigm Shift in the Process of Globalization

This chapter explores the impact of Web services in creating a paradigm shift in the way businesses strive to globalize. This fundamental shift in the paradigm of the globalization process occurs due to the fact that with Web services, it is not one single organization that starts dealing with its clients electronically but, rather, a number of organizations (a cluster) with common needs and complimentary services to offer that start dealing with each other electronically. Web services enable business applications to talk directly with each other without human intervention, resulting in rapid interactions among businesses at a global level. This opens up doors to the interesting phenomena of a group, or “cluster,” of businesses globalising simultaneously, as studied in this chapter.

Using DSS for Global Competitiveness

With a changing global environment driven by the innovative evolutions of information and communication technology, organizations are setting their priorities to cater to a global marketplace. In that respect, they are focusing on adding value propositions to different data and information elements gathered to help know more about customers and various environments where products and services are manufactured and traded. Therefore organizations continuously need to increase their business intelligence by monitoring systems that analyze information and develop indicators coupled with support mechanisms to decision makers to handle semi-structured and un-structured problems characterized by varying alternatives and parameters to understand the problem spectrum and help develop alternative solutions. This chapter discusses concepts and characteristics of decision support methods and demonstrates the gap between the decision maker and the decision support systems techniques demonstrating the experience of the government of Egypt in building its information infrastructure to help develop the decision-making process both at the government level and the local public administration level.

Global E-Business Alliances

With increasing ability to interact globally through the electronic medium, businesses are able to tap into newer business opportunities externally as well as capitalize internally on pools of resources and talents spread across the globe. However one of the major hindrances to the utilisation of these opportunities and talents through global alliances is cross-cultural issues. While technology renders the geographical boundaries redundant, it aggrandizes the chasms in socio-cultural value systems of physically disparate alliance partners. This chapter discusses the gamut of global e-business alliance: the primary reasons for their needs, their socio-cultural perspective, and the various factors that influence such alliances. Finally the corresponding mitigating approaches to those negatively influencing factors are suggested.

Organizational Structure Without Hierarchy in a Dynamic Global Business Environment

The chapter deals with the inefficiency of classical business systems in a dynamic global business environment. The main reasons for inefficiency are complicated processes, which are limited and influenced by inadequate classical business structures. But in new circumstances business structures must be designed according to process needs. Classical business systems should be urgently renewed to survive. Furthermore the author concludes that a single business system re-engineering project is not the definitive answer. In the global business environment, changes are constant. The efficiency of business processes can be maintained and increased in the long term only by constant but effortless adaptation of structures. This is possible by the introduction of the organizational structure without hierarchy and the mechanism for dynamic adaptation of structures to business.

E-Business in the Global Automotive Industry

This chapter reviews the components of e-business from a procurement perspective in order to explore the key value propositions of e-business practices in the global automotive industry. It is easy to simply state that a product or service “adds value” to a firm’s operations. It is critical that the value proposition of e-business be analyzed from a rational perspective by any organization competing in the “post-irrational exuberance” era of the digital economy. Using an exploratory case study of the automotive industry, the key questions for identifying a true value proposition of e-business are identified, including their e-procurement, e-catalog order processing, e-auction and e-capacity systems. We intend this chapter to be helpful to practitioners, researchers, and students who either are contemplating updating their legacy e-business systems and/or trying to gain insight into the value proposition of these systems. It is undisputed that e-business will bring at least some level of benefit to a vast majority of organizations, regardless of size or industry. We intend this chapter to be valuable for evaluating and implementing a successful e-business strategy, structure, and solution.

The Taxonomy of Information Societies

This chapter introduces the taxonomy of 14 information societies from the data society to the self-sustainable society: surviving members. Their essence and role in civilization is characterized and their paradigms and measurements are defined. The information society is considered as the force of change and a question is raised: is it a new tool of thought or a new way of life? The future trends of the information society are reviewed, and in conclusion there is a hope that the information society will make humankind more aware of its being.

Global Information Systems in the Publishing Domain

This chapter discusses how globalization in the publishing domain is achieved through global information and communication systems. Global information systems (GIS) enable not only integration of applications within an organization (leading to what is known as EAI), but also enable extensive connectivity between applications across varied platforms and software domains both within and outside the organization. This timely connectivity has created tremendous opportunities for the publishing industry — increasingly dependent on split-second timings to report news — to integrate its business processes as well as devise new and innovative ways of collecting, assimilating, and disbursing information. This chapter is based on the experience of the lead author in one of Australia’s largest publishing groups, John Fairfax Holdings Ltd.

Comprehensive Impact of Mobile Technology on Business

In this chapter we explore the concept of enterprise, or organisational mobility. We examine how mobility in a business can provide a competitive advantage and enhanced sustainability. Potential industry applications for mobile technology are discussed. We delve further by exploring the growth areas of mobile technologies and outline key success factors for the stakeholders in the mobile technology arena. We assess the many opportunities mobile technology brings to various businesses. Furthermore the impacts of mobile technology on organisations and society are evaluated. We then conclude by outlining various competing mobile technologies available to the market both today and in the future.

A Proposed Framework for Making Decisions Dynamically in a Global Organisation

A proposed framework for making decisions dynamically in a global organisation has been developed. This framework enables data to be retrieved and analysed dynamically with the aid of technology. This chapter starts with the discussion of various types of global organisational and departments within a global organisation. It is followed by the investigation and identification of organisational data and decisions that make up the global organisation; it also examines the different enabling technologies that can be applied for information retrieval. The chapter concludes with a proposed framework for making decisions dynamically in a global organisation.