National Environment and Internet Banking Adoption

The widespread diffusion of the Internet globally has prompted most retail banks to offer Internet banking services. A recent study in Singapore identified attitudinal and perceived behavioral control factors as having an influence on consumer adoption of Internet banking. It is expected that the national environment will also impact this process. The aim of this study, therefore, was to replicate the Singapore study in South Africa, compare the results between the two countries, and explain differences in adoption process in terms of the national environment. The results confirm that attitudinal and perceived behavioral control factors influence adoption in South Africa as in Singapore, but with differences in the number of determinants and the degree of influence of certain determinants. These differences were explained in terms of three environmental dimensions: socio-economic conditions, the state of Internet diffusion, and government information and communication technology (ICT) policies, respectively.

Cultural Adaptation on the Web

In the academic literature and the business press, there seems to be a lack of guidance and lack of cross-cultural models to support companies localization strategies on the Web. To address this deficit in literature and to provide marketers and Web designers with insights into website localization, this paper conducted a comparative analysis of the U.S. based international companies’ domestic websites and their Chinese websites. A framework to measure cultural adaptation on the Web is presented. Forty U.S.-based Fortune 500 companies are surveyed to investigate the cultural adaptation of their Chinese websites. Content analysis of the 80 U.S. domestic and Chinese websites reveals that the web is not a culturally neutral medium, but it is full of cultural markers that give country-specific websites a look and feel unique to the local culture.

Information Technology Professional Career Development

No industry seems to change as much or as quickly as the information technology (IT) marketplace. The skills necessary to be a successful professional in this industry change as the technology changes and as one advances through a career. The results of prior research are used to develop a field study of IT professionals’ skill sets throughout their careers. Our findings suggest that IT professionals need to have different technical skills as their careers progress, and that; in fact, they do have different technical skills at different stages in their careers.

The Role of Power Distance and Explanation Facility in Online Bargaining Utilizing Software Agents

Online transactions have become increasingly popular and deserve greater attention from a research perspective. Whereas there are various aspects of online transactions, this study specifically examined an online bargaining scenario utilizing software agents. User’s performance and attitudes were studied in a 2x2 factorial-design experiment. The independent variables were power distance (a dimension of culture)-for reasons associated with increasing and irresistible globalization, and explanation facility-for its conjecturable benefits in helping users to better understand and work with their software agents. Results showed these factors to have an interaction effect on task performance; as well, explanation facility exhibited main effects on trust and satisfaction. The findings have implications for system designers and builders; they also help managers in tailoring their expectations on what technology can deliver-under which conditions.

An Integrated Model of E-Business Strategy

This chapter proposes a conceptual framework of e-business strategy. It argues that such a framework must be holistic, dynamic, and dialectical. This framework will assist both researchers and practitioners regarding the key issues of e-business strategy. Further, a case study of Haier from China reveals that all firms need to learn how to design effective e-business strategies that should be built on a sound organizational form or business model. The case of Haier also suggests that the local firms from the developing countries need to be creative in formulating e-business strategies in order to operate effectively in the underdeveloped e-business environment. Strategic alliance is especially critical for the local firms with regard to their e-business success.

Development Attributes of Quality for E-Supply Chain System

E-supply chain system is an enabler/system that enriches the information service quality in supply chains. This chapter uses factor analysis to determine four extranet success factors: system quality, information quality, service quality, and work performance quality. A critical analysis of areas using discriminant analyses that require improvement is also conducted.

Adaptive Strategies of Firms in High-Velocity Environments

The adaptation-evolution strategies of firms have been a major area of interest. Internet based businesses operate in highly unstable environments witnessing shakeouts and changes in the industry structure. In this paper, we focus on the adaptive strategies and paths of adaptation of independent B2B marketplaces. The independent B2B marketplaces have undergone tremendous change with regard to their business models and products/services. Since their inception as pure market makers, these marketplaces have morphed into integration service providers with market making being one of the functions. What makes the adaptive strategies of B2B marketplaces interesting is the extremely short time period within which these changes happened. The research uses the case study methodology to identify the adaptive strategies of B2B marketplaces in terms of their product/service class evolution. The results based on the case studies suggest a three-stage adaptation model wherein the marketplaces progress through stages such as aggregation, transactions and integration.

Managing Distributed Projects Across Cultures

A model of cross-cultural distributed project management is proposed. The model is based on recent theoretical developments regarding trust and team processes and suggests that trust relates to cultural differences between distributed members. Trust affects project performance in two key ways: through the traditional view of main effects on performance, and via moderating effects on other determinants of performance in distributed projects. We also use a task characteristics categorization, together with several mini-case studies, to create a set of guidelines for best practices for management of cross-cultural distributed projects.

An Object-Oriented Architecture Model for International Information Systems?

Analysing four case vignettes in a grounded theory approach, this exploratory paper investigates the architecture and design principles of international information systems. A two-dimensional topology for international information systems—suggested in previous research—was confirmed as a useful architecture paradigm. In its terms, international information systems are configured from two elements: ‘Core’ systems (common for the whole enterprise) on the one hand and ‘Local’ systems (different for each site) on the other. The interface between the two is a third component. One case vignette in particular highlights the logical and organisational difficulties in defining these systems elements. Object orientation as the fundamental design principle is investigated as an approach to provide a solution for this problem. Because it enables implementation differentiation and flexibility for future functional changes, it is conjectured that object technology is an optimal—technical—development strategy for international information systems. Directions for further research are outlined.

A Taxonomy of Intranet Implementation Strategies

The mid-1990s marked the widespread adoption of intranets by organizations to facilitate communication between geographically dispersed organizational units. Since then the knowledge barriers to adoption have been lowered by the emergence of advanced development tools and later the availability of ready-made “intranet-in-a-box” packages as well as an elevation of the general awareness and knowledge of Internet/intranet technologies among users. Based on an explorative study of intranet implementations in nine Danish and two South African organizations, this article presents a taxonomy of four archetypes of intranet implementation processes. The dimensions of the framework are sourcing (in-house vs. outsourced implementation) and technology (development tools or packaged intranet products). Using the taxonomy, we classify the strategic choices of the case organizations and make recommendations for organizations using or producing intranet technology products.