Follow the Pack or Make an Independent Decision? How Environmental Turbulence Affects ICT Sourcing Decisions

2011 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Pahlke, Immanuel; Beck, Roman; Vykoukal, Jens

Abstract: Since market and environmental conditions are becoming increasingly turbulent, I ... Expand

Abstract: Since market and environmental conditions are becoming increasingly turbulent, ICT sourcing alternatives (such as colocation) have gained considerable attention in the industry since they allow firms to become more agile and responsive to environmental changes and increasing competition. However, little research has been conducted to analyze how different factors affect ICT sourcing decisions in the light of uncertainty arising from environmental turbulence. Since uncertainty and unpredictability of environmental changes might lead to mimicry of successful business strategies, this article focuses on the analysis of how uncertainty resulting from environmental turbulence leads to an imitative ICT adoption behavior of firms. Based on a multimethod research approach, we applied a Delphi study and a quantitative field study. The empirical results support our hypothesis that turbulent environmental conditions lead to mimetic adoption behavior, thus providing a theoretical contribution to the extant literature. Collapse

Topics: top management support IS sourcing innovation management information technology infrastructure electronic business

Methods: partial least squares regression delphi study survey qualitative interview robustness check

Theories: institutional theory organizational behavior theory

Capacity Provision Networks: Foundations of Markets for Sharable Resources in Distributed Computational Economies

2008 | Information Systems Research | Citations: 4

Authors: Du, Anna Ye; Geng, Xianjun; Gopal, Ram; Ramesh, R.; Whinston, Andrew B.

Abstract: With the rapid growth of rich-media content over the Internet, content and servi ... Expand

Abstract: With the rapid growth of rich-media content over the Internet, content and service providers (SP) are increasingly facing the problem of managing their service resources cost-effectively while ensuring a high quality of service (QoS) delivery at the same time. In this research we conceptualize and model an Internet-based storage provisioning network for rich-media content delivery. This is modeled as a capacity provision network (CPN) where participants possess service infrastructures and leverage their topographies to effectively serve specific customer segments. A CPN is a network of SPs coordinated through an allocation hub. We first develop the notion of discounted QoS capabilities of storage resources. We then investigate the stability of the discount factors over time and the network topography using a test-bed on the Internet through a longitudinal empirical study. Finally, we develop a market maker mechanism for optimal multilateral allocation and surplus sharing in a network. The proposed CPN is closely tied to two fundamental properties of Internet service technology: positive network externality among cooperating SPs and the property of effective multiplication of capacity allocation among several distributed service sites. We show that there exist significant incentives for SPs to engage in cooperative allocation and surplus sharing. We further demonstrate that intermediation can enhance the allocation effectiveness and that the opportunity to allocation and surplus sharing can play an important role in infrastructure planning. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the practical business viability of a cooperative CPN market. Collapse

Topics: shapley additive explanation internet technology network effect website network attached storage

Methods: computational algorithm simulation experiment longitudinal research descriptive statistic

Storage Area Networks

2004 | Communications of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Mehta, Manjari; Ives, Blake

Abstract: This paper is a tutorial on Storage Area Networks (SANs). On the face of it stor ... Expand

Abstract: This paper is a tutorial on Storage Area Networks (SANs). On the face of it storage network technology might appear to be just another incremental improvement relative to current technology; i.e., faster and cheaper but otherwise nothing new. On the other hand, as with technologies such as the World Wide Web and XML, SAN can also be viewed as an exciting new window into the future applications of technology. The World Wide Web provided a global, if relatively disorganized, file structure that almost immediately transcended organization and national boundaries. XML provides a still finer level of multi-organization data structure, this time at the level of the logical data element. Storage Network technologies provide an even finer level of resolution for global storage; providing powerful tools for organizing vast repositories of data and information within a building, organization, within municipalities, across distributed organizations, and throughout the world. Collapse

Topics: storage area network price management network attached storage backup information systems standardization