e-Business technological innovations

Modern distribution is being shifted from paper-based, people-intensive marketing systems toward electronic-based procedures that rely on Internet communications and web-enhanced software tools. This article develops a typology of e-business technological innovations that have come to characterize cutting-edge distribution management. e-Business tools relevant to marketing channels are organized by the channel process flows that yield communication and transaction enhancements to distribution systems. Further, a model of the impact of e-business on channel performance is developed. The mediating role of channel structure on technology's impact on channel outcomes in terms of efficiency and effectiveness is also analyzed. Finally, implications of the e-business revolution for managers and researchers are discussed.

Understanding the impact of strategic alignment on the operational performance of post implemented technological innovations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of three strategies - organisational, business and information system – in post implementation of technological innovations. The findings reported in the paper are that improvements in operational performance can only be achieved by aligning technological innovation effectiveness with operational effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach – A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was used to apply a two-stage methodological approach. Unstructured and semi structured interviews, based on the findings of the literature, were used to identify key factors used in the survey instrument design. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine structural relationships between the set of observed variables and the set of continuous latent variables. Findings – Initial findings suggest that organisations looking for improvements in operational performance through adoption of technological innovations need to align with operational strategies of the firm. Impact of operational effectiveness and technological innovation effectiveness are related directly and significantly to improved operational performance. Perception of increase of operational effectiveness is positively and significantly correlated with improved operational performance. The findings suggest that technological innovation effectiveness is also positively correlated with improved operational performance. However, the study found that there is no direct influence of strategiesorganisational, business and information systems (IS) - on improvement of operational performance. Improved operational performance is the result of interactions between the implementation of strategies and related outcomes of both technological innovation and operational effectiveness. Practical implications – Some organisations are using technological innovations such as enterprise information systems to innovate through improvements in operational performance. However, they often focus strategically only on effectiveness of technological innovation or on operational effectiveness. Such a focus will be detrimental in the long-term of the enterprise. This research demonstrated that it is not possible to achieve maximum returns through technological innovations as dimensions of operational effectiveness need to be aligned with technological innovations to improve their operational performance. Originality/value – No single technological innovation implementation can deliver a sustained competitive advantage; rather, an advantage is obtained through the capacity of an organisation to exploit technological innovations’ functionality on a continuous basis. To achieve sustainable results, technology strategy must be aligned with organisational and operational strategies. This research proposes the key performance objectives and dimensions that organisations should focus to achieve a strategic alignment. Research limitations/implications – The principal limitation of this study is that the findings are based on investigation of small sample size. There is a need to explore the appropriateness of influence of scale prior to generalizing the results of this study.

The process of technological innovations in small enterprises: the Indian way

This paper probes how two small foundries in Belgaum, Karnataka State, India, have achieved technological innovations successfully based on their technological capability and customer needs, enabling them to sail through the competitive environment. This study brought out that technically qualified entrepreneurs of both the foundries have carried out technological innovations, mainly due to their self-motivation and self-efforts. Changing product designs, as desired or directed by the customers, cost reduction, quality improvement and import substitution through reverse engineering are the characteristics of these technological innovations. These incremental innovations have enabled the entrepreneurs of the two foundries to enhance competitiveness, grow in the domestic market and penetrate the international market and grow in size over time.

The process of technological innovations in small enterprises: the Indian way

This paper probes how two small foundries in Belgaum, Karnataka State, India, have achieved technological innovations successfully based on their technological capability and customer needs, enabling them to sail through the competitive environment. This study brought out that technically qualified entrepreneurs of both the foundries have carried out technological innovations, mainly due to their self-motivation and self-efforts. Changing product designs, as desired or directed by the customers, cost reduction, quality improvement and import substitution through reverse engineering are the characteristics of these technological innovations. These incremental innovations have enabled the entrepreneurs of the two foundries to enhance competitiveness, grow in the domestic market and penetrate the international market and grow in size over time.

Patented biologically-inspired technological innovations: A twenty year view

Publication rate of patents can be a useful measure of innovation and productivity in fields of science and technology. To assess the growth in industrially-important research, I conducted an appraisal of patents published between 1985 and 2005 on online databases using keywords chosen to select technologies arising as a result of biological inspiration. Whilst the total number of patents increased over the period examined, those with biomimetic content had increased faster as a proportion of total patent publications. Logistic regression analysis reveals that we may be a little over half way through an initial innovation cycle inspired by biological systems.

Technological innovations and m-commerce applications

Many technological innovations have occurred within the past decade that have revolutionized the banking industry. The most important has been the Internet and the emergence of mobile-commerce (m-commerce). The aim of this paper is to investigate how Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) banking is being implemented with younger adopters. A conceptual model is developed based on the behavioral intentions younger adopters have on WAP banking that is tested through a survey instrument. Social cognitive theory underpins the conceptual model and helps to explain some of the findings from the study. Suggestions for future research are also espoused.

Adoption of technological innovations in the m-commerce industry

The banking industry has globalised as a result of the many technology innovations created by the internet. The electronic commerce (e-commerce) industry is a result of these technological innovations that have revolutionised the way both consumers and businesses conduct business. In the past decade, banks have encouraged the use of e-commerce and most people are now comfortable conducting their banking online. More recently, mobile commerce (m-commerce) has started to gain momentum and an increasing amount of people are conducting their banking on mobile phone devices instead of through the internet. Mobile banking is a technological innovation that people adopt in different ways depending on internal and external environmental influences. In this paper, a social cognitive theoretical framework is adopted to understand an individual’s intention to adopt mobile banking. A conceptual model is proposed, which helps to explain how environmental influences affect an individual’s intention to adopt mobile banking. Implications for mobile banking and m-commerce industry are stated along with suggestions for future research on technological innovations.

Emotional connections to books and technological innovations : an e-book perspective

E-book devices are a technological innovation that has been mass marketed to consumers as a revolution in the way that books will be read and stored. This paper extends previous research on technology adoption behaviour of individuals by focusing on the role of emotional connections people have towards e-books. A number of technology adoption models can explain the adoption of e-book devices such as the technology acceptance model, theory of planned action, theory of reasoned action and social cognitive theory. Due to the increased importance of social learning on a person’s behaviour, social cognitive theory is identified in this paper as being the most appropriate theoretical lens to understand the emotional connections a person has towards e-books. The findings from this paper may help to fill the gaps in academic discussion about what theory best explains a person’s behavioural intention towards technological innovations and the impact of marketing on this behaviour. In addition, the paper has a number of managerial implications including identifying the importance of an emotional connection to a technological innovation that influences the adoption process. The emphasis on emotional connection as mediating the way a person receives information about e-book devices may help to influence future marketing efforts of new technologies.