Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Business Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 4 of 4

Full-Text Articles in Business

Selecting It Applications In Manufacturing: A Kbs Approach, Ravi Kathuria, Murugan Anandarajan, Magid Igbaria Oct 1999

Selecting It Applications In Manufacturing: A Kbs Approach, Ravi Kathuria, Murugan Anandarajan, Magid Igbaria

Business Faculty Articles and Research

The use of the right type of Information Technology (IT) applications or manufacturing systems is expected to usher in a competitive advantage. Selection of the right type of IT application is, however, a challenging task. When a company, with a given dominant process structure, emphasizes two or more competitive priorities, such as quality, product flexibility, etc., an unaided manager faces a complex decision problem in choosing from alternative IT applications available in the areas of product design through distribution. In this paper, we present a Knowledge Based System (KBS) that would assist managers with the identification of IT applications that …


Quality And Work Force Practices: The Managerial Performance Implication, Ravi Kathuria, Elizabeth B. Davis Aug 1999

Quality And Work Force Practices: The Managerial Performance Implication, Ravi Kathuria, Elizabeth B. Davis

Business Faculty Articles and Research

This paper examines the managerial performance impact of work force management practices appropriate for manufacturing environments when quality is highly emphasized. The hypotheses are tested using data from 483 individuals in 99 manufacturing plants in the United States. The results indicate that when the emphasis is high on quality, certain work force management practices seem to play an important role in managerial performance in manufacturing settings.


Strategic Flexibility In Information Technology Alliances: The Influence Of Transaction Cost Economics And Social Exchange Theory, Candace Ybarra, Margarethe Wiersema Jul 1999

Strategic Flexibility In Information Technology Alliances: The Influence Of Transaction Cost Economics And Social Exchange Theory, Candace Ybarra, Margarethe Wiersema

Business Faculty Articles and Research

Utilizing a model drawn from both transaction cost economics and social exchange theory, we analyze determinants of strategic flexibility in a sample of strategic alliances involved in joint development agreements or joint research pacts. Findings indicate that, in general, determinants suggested by transaction cost economics provided flexibility in modification and inflexibility in exit. From social exchange theory, trust was found to be positively related to both types of flexibility while another component of social exchange theory, dependence, was found to be negatively related to the strategic flexibility of the alliance. Results also found that factors suggested by both transaction cost …


Linking It Applications With Manufacturing Strategy: An Intelligent Decision Support System Approach, Ravi Kathuria, Murugan Anandarajan, Magid Igbaria Jan 1999

Linking It Applications With Manufacturing Strategy: An Intelligent Decision Support System Approach, Ravi Kathuria, Murugan Anandarajan, Magid Igbaria

Business Faculty Articles and Research

Research has indicated the importance of matching Information Technology (IT) applications or manufacturing systems with the competitive strategy of a company. Selection of the right type of IT application is, however, a challenging task. When a company, with a given dominant process structure, emphasizes two or more competitive priorities, such as quality, product flexibility, etc., an unaided manager faces a complex decision problem in choosing from alternative IT applications available in the areas of product design through distribution. In this paper, we developed an Intelligent Decision Support System (IDSS) that would assist managers with: assessment of the relative importance of …