177,042 research outputs found
Re-Evaluating SMEs IT Readiness in the Age of the Cloud
No full textCloud-based services present the smaller firm with the opportunity to reassess the organisational resources devoted to complex software and hardware management. In this paper, the technology, knowledge and relational characteristics associated with software as a service are explored from the point of view of the small firm, as a user of this service. The focus is not on the adoption decision per se but on the pre-conditions influencing the adoption and implementation of IT by firms. Here, IT Readiness is examined as an appropriate conceptual framework to understand these pre-conditions in small firms and consider how they might be affected by a move to software as a service. Consequently, the paper argues for an augmented IT Readiness framework that incorporates features associated with cloud-based services and develops an augmented IT Readiness framework that explicitly includes relational elements missing from earlier conceptions
Balancing growth: A conceptual framework for evaluating ICT readiness in SMEs
No full textThis article analyses the strategic, organisational, and structural conditions for small and medium enterprises
(SMEs) to fully exploit the potential of information and communication technology (ICT). The authors
build a conceptual framework relating “ICT readiness” (a new construct) to two more common dimensions:
“strategic vision of ICT” and “ICT maturity”. Using the framework, the study identifies four distinct groups
of SMEs, associated with differing degrees of readiness, before analysing possible evolutionary and regressive
development paths among these groups. In discussing the implications of the framework, the authors argue
that the framework represents a valid tool of diagnosis and intervention, especially in those circumstances
where SMEs cannot fully exploit the potential of ICT. The framework helps identify the underlying causes
of limited ICT readiness and supports owner-managers and consultants in choosing and implementing appropriate
interventions
The Evaluation and Impact of ICT Readiness in SMEs: Constructing a New Framework
No full textThis paper analyses the strategic, organisational and structural conditions for small and medium enterprises
(SMEs) to fully exploit the potential of information and communication technology (ICT). In other words, we
investigate under which conditions the “marriage” between SMEs and ICT can be “a happy one” rather than a
relationship affected by misunderstandings and lost opportunities
Balancing Growth: A Conceptual Framework for Evaluating ICT Readiness in SMEs
No full textThis article analyses the strategic, organisational, and structural conditions for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to fully exploit the potential of information and communication technology (ICT). The authors build a conceptual framework relating “ICT readiness” (a new construct) to two more common dimensions: “strategic vision of ICT” and “ICT maturity”. Using the framework, the study identifies four distinct groups of SMEs, associated with differing degrees of readiness, before analysing possible evolutionary and regressive development paths among these groups. In discussing the implications of the framework, the authors argue that the framework represents a valid tool of diagnosis and intervention, especially in those circumstances where SMEs cannot fully exploit the potential of ICT. The framework helps identify the underlying causes of limited ICT readiness and supports owner-managers and consultants in choosing and implementing appropriate interventions
Revisiting IT readiness:an approach for small firms
No full textPurpose– Drawing from the literature, the purpose of this paper is to offer an empirically validated framework for examining information technology (IT) readiness in small firms.Design/methodology/approach– A conceptual framework of IT readiness for small firms is developed and validated empirically using a quantitative survey of 117 UK manufacturing small firms to identify distinct clusters of firms according to their states of IT readiness.Findings– The survey responses are grouped according to three distinct profiles that display varying degrees of IT readiness depending upon their strategic motivation, IT processes, project management and technology complexity.Research limitations/implications– Prior studies examining IT readiness in small-and medium-sized enterprises have not offered a differentiated understanding of small firms that is grounded in quantitative data. The varying profiles of small firms discovered indicate potential paths of IT readiness which offers a basis for further research using longitudinal case studies.Practical implications– Managerial motivation is not a sufficient condition for achieving IT readiness; it requires both strategic and operational capabilities that have significant implications for training and skills development in small firms. Understanding the level of IT readiness of their organisation can help managers identify areas needing improvement in their use of IT.Social implications– Findings suggest differentiated policy support is required for various small business clusters identified in the study.Originality/value– The novelty of the conceptual model differs from the prior literature on IT readiness by explicitly recognising the potential effect of IT maturity on the capability of the firm to respond to opportunities in its external environment. The paper also distinguishes between internal IT processes and project management skills
Evaluating IT readiness in Small Firms: A Survey of UK Manufacturing Firms
No full textThis paper first presents a conceptual framework “IT readiness” and then moves on to discuss how the conceptual framework was operationalized for fieldwork. The second half of the paper is devoted to presenting and then evaluating the results from a recent survey of UK small firms that utilises these empirical measures before concluding with a discussion of the framework
IT Readiness in Small Firms
No full textPurpose: To explore conceptually and empirically the application of the concept of IT readiness to small firms.
Design/methodology/approach: Questionnaire administered to small manufacturing business owners in the Liguria region of Italy. Data analysed using factor and cluster analysis.
Findings: IT readiness concept appears valid with the emergence of three constructs: strategic vision; project management capability; and IT application infrastructure. The date analysis yielded four distinctive and varying profiles of small business owners.
Research limitations/implications: Quantitative study exploring a cross section of small firms suggests antecedents to change have been ignored relative to IT adoption decisions.
Practical implications (if applicable) Provision of policy and support services requires a much more nuanced approach to small businesses.
Originality/value: Very few studies of IT Readiness in the literature, making the paper original in its intent. The construction of the IT readiness concept appears robust when subjected to empirical testing and yields a number of specific small business profiles with respect to IT
SMEs and E-commerce: A Comparative Pilot Study of Experiences in the UK and Italy
No full textThis paper explores patterns of adoption and use of information and communications technology (ICT) by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in both North West England and the Italian Genoa region. We focus especially on the factors enabling or inhibiting the impact of ecommerce on the SMEs
ICT Use in SMEs. A Comparison between the North West of England and the Province of Genoa
No full textThis paper explores patterns of adoption and use of information and communications technology (ICT) by
small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in both the North West region of England and the Genoa region
of Italy. Here we present the results of this two region survey drawn from two economically significant
sectors: high technology manufacturing and food processing. Our main objectives were to explore and
compare ICT adoption and use patterns by SMEs in the two regions to identify factors enabling or inhibiting
the successful adoption and use of ICT, and to explore the impact of ecommerce on the SMEs. While our
main result indicates a generally favourable attitude to ICT amongst the SMEs surveyed, it also suggests a
number of differences between the two regions. English SMEs report greater uses of sophisticated ICT
applications but Italian SMEs make more use of basic ICT functionality. English SMEs also report more
focus on operational matters and often ignore strategic considerations, unlike their Italian counterparts.
Having said that, the English SMEs pay less attention to applying ecommerce but appear to make more
effective use of the Internet than the Italian SMEs
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
No full textWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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