Revisiting IT readiness: an approach for small firms

نویسندگان

  • Romano Dyerson
  • Riccardo Spinelli
  • G. Harindranath
چکیده

Purpose – 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.

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

منابع مشابه

An Analysis of the Relationship Between Staff Qualification and Export Readiness of Pharmaceutical Companies: The Case of Iran

Export and the readiness to export constitute the first step of international marketing, which are affected by both internal and external factors of firms. One of the most important internal  factors is the presence of skilled personnel. The purpose of this study was to define the relationship between staff qualification and encouragment with the readiness level of Iranian pharmacuetical firms ...

متن کامل

An Analysis of the Relationship Between Staff Qualification and Export Readiness of Pharmaceutical Companies: The Case of Iran

Export and the readiness to export constitute the first step of international marketing, which are affected by both internal and external factors of firms. One of the most important internal  factors is the presence of skilled personnel. The purpose of this study was to define the relationship between staff qualification and encouragment with the readiness level of Iranian pharmacuetical firms ...

متن کامل

A Model for E-Readiness Assessment of Iranian Small and Medium Enterprises

The current dynamic and turbulent business environment has forced companies that are competing in global markets to change their traditional methods of conducting business. Recent developments in applying Information Technology (IT) offer the most exciting business opportunities in the marketplace. Organizations must re-evaluate every aspect of their strategies and quickly move to a working mod...

متن کامل

طراحی مدل ارزیابی آمادگی الکترونیکی برای شرکت‌های کوچک و متوسط انفورماتیکی ایران

Studying literature on e-readiness assessment reveals that numerous studies have been conducted on assessing countries’ e-readiness -a macro perspective- but few have attempted to evaluate it from a micro perspective. In addition, most studies is done on micro level of e-readiness pertain to e-readiness assessment of small and medium en-terprises (SMEs).The present study is the first attempt to...

متن کامل

Impact of Basel II Capital Accord on Small and Medium Size Enterprises (SME): An Empirical Study on a Group of Export Oriented SMEs

The purpose of this study is to find the relationship between lending to Small and Medium-size Exporter Enterprises (E-SMEs) and the use of Basel II Capital Accord for the first time in the banking system of Iran. Results showed that 96.69 percent of small firms were in the very low risk category of credit portfolio. This proof explains a consistent and balanced relationship between risk- weigh...

متن کامل

ذخیره در منابع من


  با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

عنوان ژورنال:
  • Industrial Management and Data Systems

دوره 116  شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 2016