CURIE: Towards an Ontology and Enterprise Architecture of a CRM Conceptual Model

2022 | Business & Information Systems Engineering | Citations: 0

Authors: Fernández-Cejas, Miguel; Pérez-González, Carlos J.; Roda-García, José L.; Colebrook, Marcos

Abstract: Companies face the challenge of managing customer relationships (CRM) in a conte ... Expand

Abstract: Companies face the challenge of managing customer relationships (CRM) in a context marked by a drastic digital transformation and unbridled evolution of consumer behavior, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The customer is more demanding, has access to the global market and interacts with companies through multiple digital channels, such as email, social networks, mobile apps or instant messaging. In this situation, the success of a CRM implementation highly depends on information technology and the applications used. To harmonize this new business context with the development of information systems (IS), a suitable CRM ontology and enterprise architecture (EA) is needed. While an ontology-based conceptual model provides a unifying framework, aids sharing and reusing knowledge, and facilitates communication within a domain, an EA-based model unequivocally describes, analyzes, and visualizes how an organization should operate from the perspective of business, application, and technology. The purpose of the paper is the proposal of CURIE-O, a CRM OntoUML UFO-based ontology, together with CURIE-EA, a CRM ArchiMate-based EA to serve business managers and IS specialists an updated unifying framework of reference in the CRM domain as well as a highly efficient tool to support application development and maintenance in this changing and increasingly digital context. Modeling has proven to be an essential element to achieve high-performance information systems. In order to apply the ontology and the EA proposed here, the authors developed a CRM task management application prototype that was implemented as a case study in a consulting company. The methodology followed was design science research (DSR), in order to design and validate the artifacts. Within the DSR framework, other complementary research methods have been used, in particular literature research, interviews and focus groups carried out with several hotel chains in Tenerife (Canary Islands). The main existing CRM models in the scientific literature have also been analyzed together with the leading CRM market solutions. Collapse

Topics: knowledge representation microservice architecture Kubernetes PostgreSQL database system

Methods: ontological modelling design artifact conceptual modelling design science upper ontology

Theory Through Argument: Applying Argument Mapping to Facilitate Theory Building

2022 | European Journal of Information Systems | Citations: 1

Authors: Murungi, David; Hirschheim, Rudy

Abstract: This paper proposes an extension of Fletcher and Huff’s (1990) argument mapping ... Expand

Abstract: This paper proposes an extension of Fletcher and Huff’s (1990) argument mapping technique, which focuses on an examination of individual arguments, to depict the broader argumentative terrain of a theoretical discourse. To illustrate the utility of argument mapping as a literature review technique, we demonstrate an application of this approach to the domain of Technology Frames of Reference (TFR) research. We then compare the insights derived from this approach to those derived from a more traditional literature review of this domain. Findings of this comparison suggest that an argument-centred approach could contribute the following new insights into a theoretical domain: (1) provide a means of weighting contributions to a theoretical discourse by depicting these contributions in terms of levels of argumentation; (2) identify new “types” of argument-centred gaps in the literature; (3) offer a structural and progressive view of theory development in a particular domain that could be used to could be used to link and compare insights derived from competing theoretical lenses; and (4) propose a closer linkage between theory testing and theory building by focusing the testing on “arguable” aspects of a theoretical claim. Collapse

Topics: systems implementation enterprise social media sales information system technology adoption sales management

Methods: theory development literature study theoretical contribution literature sample design artifact

Theories: technology acceptance model

Nonlinear Pricing of Software with Local Demand Inelasticity

2020 | Information Systems Research | Citations: 0

Authors: Xin, Mingdi; Sundararajan, Arun

Abstract: Nonlinear usage-based pricing is applied extensively in software markets. Differ ... Expand

Abstract: Nonlinear usage-based pricing is applied extensively in software markets. Different from other products, customers of software products usually cannot vary their required usage volume, a property we label local demand inelasticity. For instance, a client firm that needs a sales force automation software either buys one user license for every salesperson in its organization or does not buy at all. It is unlikely to buy licenses for some salespersons but not the others. This demand feature violates a critical assumption of the standard nonlinear pricing literature that consumers are flexible with their usage volume, and their valuation changes smoothly with usage volume. Consequently, standard nonlinear pricing solutions are inapplicable to many software products. This paper studies the optimal nonlinear usage-based pricing of software when customers’ demand is locally inelastic. This unique demand feature necessitates a new approach to solve the nonlinear pricing problem. We provide the solution to a complicated nonlinear pricing problem with discontinuous and inelastic individual demand functions, with virtually no restriction on demand distribution, and no single-crossing restriction on valuation functions. We show that under a weak ordering condition of customer types, this complex pricing problem can be decomposed into a set of much simpler subproblems with known solutions. Our pricing solution is easily implementable and applicable to a broad range of demand systems, including those described by the families of exponential and normal distributions. Moreover, local demand inelasticity has a critical impact on key efficiency results. Although in standard nonlinear pricing models, the optimal pricing schedule typically involves distortion (deviation from the first best) at all but one point, this is no longer the case with local demand inelasticity. We characterize the conditions under which the optimal nonlinear pricing strategy involves quantity discounts and compare nonlinear usage-based pricing with flat-fee (for unlimited usage) pricing strategies. Collapse

Topics: price management nonlinear pricing sales information system technology adoption

Methods: computational algorithm optimization model hazard function literature study

The complementarity of autonomy and control in mobile work

2020 | European Journal of Information Systems | Citations: 5

Authors: Porter, Amanda J.; van den Hooff, Bart

Abstract: In this paper, we investigate how the use of mobile technologies contributes to ... Expand

Abstract: In this paper, we investigate how the use of mobile technologies contributes to the emergence of a complementary control system, in which both employee autonomy and management control are enhanced. We apply an affordance lens to understand the affordances (and constraints) for complementary control that emerge in the use of mobile technologies by both employees and managers. Based on a qualitative case study of the implementation and use of a mobile Sales Force Automation tool at a multinational company, we identify three informational affordances for control and analyse how these were actualised to enhance both management control and employee autonomy. Our study contributes to extant literature on the relation between mobile technologies and autonomy and control by showing the central role of mobile technologies' affordances in redistributing informational demands and benefits of control in the interaction between managers, employees, and mobile devices. Collapse

Topics: mobile system affordance user experience organizational control remote work

Methods: qualitative interview case study theory development literature study personal interview

Theories: theory of affordance

Electronic Marketing in Business-to-Business Markets – User Related Benefits of Sales Configurators

2019 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Mahlamäki, Tommi; Stormi, Kati; Saarivuori, Lauri; Ojala, Mika

Abstract: Electronic marketing is becoming an integral part of the sales process in busine ... Expand

Abstract: Electronic marketing is becoming an integral part of the sales process in business-to-business (B2B) markets. In line with that, sales configurators are emerging as novel applications that help companies engage customer and drive sales. This research investigates the feature related benefits of sales configurator. Our goal is to categorize the benefits and to identify the important ones. In order to reach the goal, personal interviews were conducted and data was gathered through an online questionnaire. Responses from 152 business-to-business customers were analyzed and a factorial model of the feature related benefits of sales configurators was developed. The results show a model with five factors: versatility, configurability, user experience, security, and customizability. Of these, user experience and security were found to be the most important. In light of the this, we suggest that companies emphasize the aspects of user experience in addition to core functionalities when developing sales force automation systems. Collapse

Topics: user experience sales information system business-to-business tablet mobile phone

Methods: survey qualitative interview personal interview data transformation descriptive statistic

Theories: big five model

Promoting indigenous theory

2018 | Information Systems Journal | Citations: 15

Authors: Davison, Robert M.; Andrade, Antonio Díaz

Abstract: In the information systems (IS) discipline, we routinely expect contributing au ... Expand

Abstract: In the information systems (IS) discipline, we routinely expect contributing authors to our premier journals to make significant contributions to both theory and practice. Theories are considered to be important for a number of reasons, including their facilitation of the systematic treatment of a topic, their sense-making potential, their explanation and prediction of some aspects of human behaviour, and their ability to abstract our knowledge to the most fundamental and universal ideas, thereby demonstrating underlying patterns and conceptual relationships. Lee and Baskerville (2003, 2012) suggest that theory plays a role in the generalisation of research findings, since findings from one study can be generalised to theory (either by creating a new theory or by modifying an existing theory) and a theory can be validated in a context different to the one where it was originally developed, thereby leading to further generalisation of the ideas. Theory should therefore be practical, helping us to advance knowledge, guiding researchers towards the essential questions, and ultimately enlightening both the academy and practice (Poole & Van de Ven, 1989). However, theory should also be appropriate to the context where it is applied if we are to reach an accurate understanding about the phenomenon investigated. An inappropriately applied theory could be very dangerous since the assumptions that frame the theory may not exist in a context different to the one where it was created.Although the benefits of theory are well recognised, the actual process of theorising is less well understood.Mathiassen's (2017) reinterpretation of Van de Ven's (2007) work on engaged scholarship to propose a model for theorising is a useful example, as is Martinsons, Davison, and Ou's (2015) process theory for theoretical development.Theorising often blends concepts culled from a thorough review of both the literature and the focal phenomenon in a specific context.Theoretical perspectives reflect the circumstances of a particular context. For instance, The Art of War, a military treatise attributed to Sun Tsu, was written in a time characterised by conflict between royal authority and local feudal lords in the years preceding the formation of Imperial China. Aristotelian thought, which laid the foundations of western civilisation, can be traced back to Plato's Academy. Caliph Al-Ma'mun, who had a great interest in astronomy, sponsored Al-Khwārizmī's prolific work on mathematics. Machiavelli's The Prince was inspired by the political intrigues affecting the Florentine Republic. These ideas did not develop in a vacuum; they flourished in a propitious environment. Their intrinsic significance for understanding our world, combined with historical processes, in which political influence, economic pressure, and military power played a role, contributed to their dissemination and adoption as part of accepted "universal" knowledge. However, this accepted "universal" knowledge often overwhelms and confines, if not silences, local expressions of knowledge.Nowadays, much theory development work is published in English as a result of research that has been undertaken in the more developed economies of the West, sometimes referred to as the global North. Despite the recognition of English as a lingua franca in the IS community, its dominance constitutes a menace to other ways of knowing. The reliance on one language may be just a symptom of a fundamental problem, since language "is more than communication … it constitutes a way of seeing the world" (Alves & Pozzebon, 2013, p. 630). Of the 104 theories (the vast majority published in English) listed on the IS Theory Wiki (https://is.theorizeit.org/), it is remarkable that when examining the authorship of the original book or article in which a specific theory appeared, Collapse

Topics: decision making persuasive information system knowledge sharing legal context sales information system

Methods: literature sample theory development

Using structural technology acceptance models to segment intended users of a new technology: Propositions and an empirical illustration

2018 | Information Systems Journal | Citations: 5

Authors: Althuizen, Niek

Abstract: This article aims to offer an alternative method to analyse technology acceptanc ... Expand

Abstract: This article aims to offer an alternative method to analyse technology acceptance models, namely a segment-wise analysis. The empirical illustration of this method involves data that were collected during a company-wide implementation of a Sales Force Automation technology in Europe. The data comprise a variety of commonly used technology-related, context-related, and person-related variables. The segmentation procedure, which involved a finite mixture partial least squares estimation, provides more insight into the different ways in which people come to accept new technologies. Unlike other segmentation studies published in IS journals, the resulting segments are based on similarities and differences in the structure of the underlying theoretical models rather than (a collection of) individual variables. Further research or a re-analysis of existing data should help establish robust “technology acceptance model”-based segments as well as comprehensive profiles of the individuals in each segment. Collapse

Topics: usage intention sales information system technology adoption perceived usefulness social influence

Methods: survey partial least squares regression descriptive statistic

Theories: technology acceptance model unified theory of acceptance and use of technology big five model theory of reasoned action

Inconsistent and Incongruent Frames During ITenabled Change: An Action Research Study into Sales Process Innovation

2016 | Journal of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 38

Authors: Young, Brett W.; Mathiassen, Lars; Davidson, Elizabeth

Abstract: Integrating research on the social construction of technology and social cogniti ... Expand

Abstract: Integrating research on the social construction of technology and social cognitive processes in organizations, technology frame of reference (TFR) theory has helped researchers investigate how stakeholder groups perceive information systems practices and opportunities, how these perceptions shift over time, and, how stakeholders may impact or leverage them to facilitate change. Such insights are particularly important in dynamic environments where individuals, groups, and organizations face a constant challenge to make sense of and respond to how industries undergo change, information technologies (IT) evolve, and new opportunities to transform processes and products emerge. Still, although extant research provides detailed accounts of TFR dynamics between groups, we know little about TFR dynamics in groups and about how intra- and inter-group TFRs interact during IT-enabled change. Accordingly, we report on an action research project in which we relied on TFR theory to assist organizational innovators in a rapidly growing mobile phone company, VoiceTech, during a sales force automation (SFA) project. Consistent with current TFR studies, our analyses reveal how the SFA project implicated frame incongruences between different stakeholder groups. In addition, our analyses reveal important inconsistencies in how individual groups framed the SFA project and consequential interactions between the observed inconsistencies and incongruences over time. Based on these findings, we argue that inconsistencies and incongruences in stakeholders' technological frames play equally important but quite distinct and interacting roles during IT-enabled change. As a result, we extend current TFR theory with a nuanced account of how IT-enabled change efforts implicate these two fundamental characteristics of framing processes. In conclusion, we discuss the empirical and theoretical contributions to TFR theory and highlight implications for future research and for the management of IT-enabled change in dynamic contexts. Collapse

Topics: innovation management business process innovation mobile system sales information system systems implementation

Methods: qualitative interview action research business process modeling case study qualitative coding

Theories: stakeholder theory technological frames of reference

Requirements Fulfillment: A Missing Link between Requirements Determination and User Acceptance

2013 | Information Systems Management | Citations: 0

Authors: Gohmann, Stephan F.; Guan, Jian; Barker, Robert M.; Faulds, David J.

Abstract: Large information systems often span various functional areas of an organization ... Expand

Abstract: Large information systems often span various functional areas of an organization and are used by different groups across several levels of the organization. When fulfillment of requirements in an information system is deficient for a functional area or an organizational unit, lower levels of acceptance among certain user groups may occur. This article explores the relationship between user acceptance of an information system and the degree of information requirements fulfillment for various user groups. Collapse

Topics: user acceptance sales information system IT productivity productivity systems implementation

Methods: survey factor analysis survey design data transformation ANOVA

Theories: lemon market theory

IT Enabled In-Home Direct Selling Presentations

2010 | Americas Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Jr, William F Murphy

Abstract: In 2007 over $30 Billion in US retail sales were driven by over 15 million US di ... Expand

Abstract: In 2007 over $30 Billion in US retail sales were driven by over 15 million US direct sales distributors selling everything from cosmetics, household goods, nutrition, life insurance and mortgages. (Direct Selling Association). Collapse

Topics: marketing management internet technology electronic mail telephone website

Methods: experiment qualitative interview literature study experimental group survey