Reengineering Business in the e-business Age: A Field Study

A field study was conducted to determine organizational readiness for implementing Ebusiness solutions by utilizing drivers suggested in the business process reengineering literature. Based on a literature review, we theorized a schematic framework to reflect the anticipated relationships between the independent variables of technology team capabilities, nature and scope of legacy business applications, high-tech resources, value-chain, management expertise, supply chain management and enterprise resource management, and the dependant variable of E-Business readiness. A survey collection method comprised of a 29-item questionnaire was used. The study was carried out with a sample population from employees in various departments of a large, multinational pharmaceutical company. Data analysis of project hypotheses showed that 47.7% of the variance of E-Business readiness was explained by the five independent variables, and that management expertise had the most significant influence. Recommendations directed at the senior management and E-Business Teams include the importance of having an E-Business team to manage new technology, and the need to create synergy between the organizational functions and departments. Though this analytical field study was conducted in a framework of one case study, results can be used to establish a foundation for a comprehensive study across business firms.