دانلود رایگان مقاله ارزش فناوری اطلاعات و ارتباطات مطالعه در حال ظهور بنگاه اقتصاد

ABSTRACT

Anchored at the knowledge management perspective, we address how information and communication technology (ICT) improves the productivity of emerging economy enterprises. We present the logic that ICT enhances firm performance because it is an important channel or facilitator of effective knowledge sharing and knowledge integration. We further argue that the conditions characterizing an emerging economy (i.e., a country’s economic development) and emerging economy businesses (i.e., internationalization and quality assurance) would affect the extent to which ICT contributes to knowledge management, and thus to firm performance. Our hierarchical linear modeling analysis of 6236 firms from 27 emerging economies lends support to our arguments and predictions, suggesting that ICT is a critical investment that generates satisfactory returns for emerging economy enterprises, yet this investment–return relationship is further contingent upon the macro- and micro-level conditions facing these enterprises. ICT actually adds more value to productivity when a focal emerging economy is less economically developed, and when a focal firm reaches foreign markets or its quality control and assurance is superior.

Parallel to the above trend, research on ICT has begun to forge ahead in recent years. Prior studies looked at ICT conceptually, often through a resource-based view, contending that firms can and do differentiate on the basis of their ICT resources, which then create firm-specific capabilities and contribute to sustained competitive advantage (Bharadwaj, 2000; Melville, Kraemer,& Gurbaxani, 2004; Mithas,Ramasubbu,&Sambamurthy,2011;Ray,Muhanna,&Barney, 2005). Empirical efforts, though limited, have shown that ICT improves a firm’s Tobin’s q (Bharadwaj, Bharadwaj, & Konsynski, 1999) or profit ratio (Santhanam & Hartono, 2003) and can leverage firm-specific assets in the process of international diversification (Chari, Devaraj, & David, 2007). Most extant empirical studies emphasized U.S. firms and relied heavily on data collected from U.S. sources. For example, awidelyused source is InformationWeek’(IW) 500 annual survey of chief information executives of U.S. firms.

5. Discussion and conclusion

Our study reveals several interesting findings that bear some important implications to research and practice pertaining to information-related knowledge management in general and ICT strategies in emerging economies in particular. We live in an information era today, so do businesses whose routine operations and management increasingly rely upon ICT investment and whose growth and success necessitates a well-functioned ICT system to foster knowledge flow, sharing and integration. Surprisingly, we did not find that research on ICT strategies was parallel to what has been happening in the real business world. In this study we document and validate that ICT is a necessary investment that has generated satisfactory returns for EEEs, and yet this investment–return link is further contingent on countryand firm-level conditions. A firm’s ICT actually adds more value to its performance or productivity when its residing economy is less economically developed or when this firm reaches foreign markets and its quality assurance is superior.