Industrial Management & Data Systems

– To solve the trade‐offs between marketing and R&D domains and to minimize information loss in new product development (NPD), this study proposes an integrated design process as a new solution to the interface system between the two domains., – House of Quality integrated with multivariate statistical analysis is used for determining important design features. These design features are used as parameters for conjoint analysis and Taguchi method, and then the results of analyses are compared. Sequential application of conjoint analysis and Taguchi method, depending on the differences in utilities and signal to noise ratios, is applied for the integrated design process. An automotive interior design is illustrated for the validation of the integrated design process., – The integrated design process determines a point of compromise between the optimums of conjoint analysis and Taguchi method. Sequential application of two methods ensures full utilization of both methods and no loss of information., – More illustrations on NPD are needed to verify the proposed process., – The design process suggested in this study can be used for process innovation in six sigma approach and be integrated with value chain intelligently. This study proposes the strategic guideline of the integrated design process for enterprises., – The integrated design process suggests the solution for the trade‐offs between marketing domain that pursues the utility of product and R&D domain that emphasizes robustness of product quality. This integrated design process will give enterprises competitive advantages in NPD.

– This paper utilises a case study to discuss the applicability of normalisation process theory (NPT) as an alternative lens in understanding how social processes impact on the information systems development (ISD) process., – The research was undertaken at an educational setting utilising a qualitative case approach., – The research suggests a framework based on NPT. This framework aims to provide better insights of the normalisation process, based on the views of the development team. The research results strongly support the utilisation of NPT in a non‐healthcare setting. NPT serves as a means to explain the factors and actions that promote the work of routine embedding of new technologies in the practice., – The theory has its foundations in the relative paucity of the extant ISD literature. It also provides a holistic approach for explaining the dynamics entailed in IS project endeavours. This is undertaken by considering the multiplicity and heterogeneity of stakeholders. The usefulness of NPT as a theory for exploring the challenges in embedding a new practice in current ISD endeavours is shown., – The paper discusses how NPT can assist in exploring the social production and organisation of new practices.

This study considers a supply‐demand situation where a product has only a handful of supply firms and a large number of purchasing firms and compares the attitudes toward partnering of firms which are already in partnering relationships with those that are not. Noting that only 27 per cent of the buyers are currently in any alliance relationships, and most are not planning to be in one, the study reveals that buyers expressed a lukewarm, and sometimes negative, attitude toward the formation of alliances. There are no attitudinal differences between firms in alliance relationships, compared with those without, in five of seven questions on alliance and in the relative importance given 14 of 15 purchasing criteria. With most suppliers willing to provide the buyers with the same benefits, irrespective of whether they are in alliance relationships, it appears that the limitations imposed by the small supply base tend to exert competitive pressures on the suppliers, discouraging buyers from forming partnership relationships.

Poor planning practice is one of the reasons for the inferior results of some e‐commerce ventures. In this paper, it is suggested that a strategy‐based e‐commerce planning model containing seven specific dimensions, with strategy at its core, should be considered when entering into a new e‐commerce venture. Implications for managerial practice upon the adoption of such a planning model are also discussed.

Identifies the magnitude and importance of the level of software development costs in a modern high‐technology manufacturing environment. Analyses the variety of cost control practices as evidenced in the English‐language journals. Develops a holistic feed‐forward control model using the Japanese management accounting technique of target costing. Examines the relevance of each technique in relation to its most cost‐effective role and predicts that target costing will be widely adopted in the near future.

– The purpose of this paper is to propose and test a model concerning broadband adoption in a rural setting., – A computer‐aided telephone survey was conducted to collect data to validate the proposed model in rural Australia., – It was found that relative advantage, utility outcomes, and facilitating conditions play a crucial role in explaining broadband adoption behavior amongst rural Australian households., – The key challenges to stakeholders involved in promoting broadband adoption in these settings are discussed in light of the findings., – A more realistic approach at household level was adopted to investigate broadband adoption in a rural setting. The theoretical framework offers a comprehensive view of broadband adoption applicable to rural Australia.

– The purpose of this paper is to determine and characterize groups of retail customers, based on their perception of commitment to the retailer and the degree of use of its technological equipment., – A CHAID algorithm is performed and differences between the resulting segments are tested through the analysis of variance., – Four segments are obtained that differ significantly in commitment to the retailer and level of use of the store's information and communication technology (ICT) facilities, as well as in other variables related to the retailer‐consumer relationship. In particular, customer segments differ in their use of retailers' payment facilities., – The study provides a typology of consumers that enable retailers to take efficient decisions regarding their technology investments and to design effective marketing strategies., – Although literature concerning interorganizational relationships has reported that commitment is influenced to a great extent by supplier investment in technology, the relation between these variables in retailing has received little attention. The paper explores the relationship between commitment and use of retailers' ICT solutions for retail customers.

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate knowledge sharing (KS) to characterize its behavior in companies based on the concepts of theory of reasoned action and game theory (GT)., – The paper proposes two models: Model A: KS process is constructed by capturing personal psychological feelings; and Model B: KS process is not only constructed by personal psychological feelings but also takes into consideration other people's decisions. By comparing the two knowledge‐sharing models' predictability performance, the authors are able to characterize the process of KS., – The results show that different companies require different models. On average, Model B with game concept has lower predictive accuracy than the Model A without game concept., – The paper provides practical implications for manager to frame effective KS policies and also suggests future studies to improve measurement., – The values of this paper are: provide a methodology to determine whether individuals analyze decisions of others in making KS decisions; test the predictive ability of GT analysis in a KS modeling, and build a single‐instance two‐person game to characterize individuals' tacit KS behavior.

A computer virus is a program that can infect other programs by modifying them to include a copy of itself. When the infected programs are executed, the virus spreads itself to still other programs. Today’s society has seen a dramatic increase in the use of computers; as a result, businesses must take even more precautions to guard against the introduction of computer viruses into their systems.

Management information systems providers are often still failing to deliver appropriate systems to the perceived user specifications. A major problem is a lack of strategic perspective of information systems and their supporting information technology and a disparate view across organizations of what management information systems are. Investigates some aspects of these problems and suggests a portfolio methodology for improving the incorporation of system building into the overall business objectives.