Copyright (c) 2009 All rights reserved. http://works.bepress.com/tcoltman Recent documents in Tim Coltman en-us Sun, 31 May 2009 12:40:10 PDT 3600 http://works.bepress.com/tcoltman/11 http://works.bepress.com/tcoltman/11 Wed, 01 Apr 2009 21:26:06 PDT This paper presents the impact of RFID technology on the picking and shipping processes of one RFID-enabled warehouse in the 3PL industry. The findings from our study confirm initial results from many studies where RFID implementation has been shown to enable business process redesign, improve data quality, real-time data collection and synchronization and enhance system integration. In this study we show that the full potential of RFID technology is dependent upon the involvement of all supply chain members involved in implementation. Moreover, firms considering implementing RFID technology need to take into account their investment in complementary assets such as employee training and knowledge development. The implication of this is that business process modeling and simulation is critical to ensure that stakeholders involved in a RFID project fully understand the impacts of integrating RFID technology on business processes. S. F. Wamba http://works.bepress.com/tcoltman/10 http://works.bepress.com/tcoltman/10 Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:38:13 PST Tim Coltman http://works.bepress.com/tcoltman/9 http://works.bepress.com/tcoltman/9 Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:38:10 PST The market enthusiasm generated around investment in CRM technology is in stark contrast to the naysaying by many academic and business commentators. This raises an important research question concerning the extent to which companies should continue to invest in building a CRM capability. Drawing on field interviews and a survey of senior executives, the results reveal that a superior CRM capability can create positional advantage and subsequent improved performance. Further, it is shown that to be most successful, CRM programs should focus on latent or unarticulated customer needs that underpin a proactive market orientation. T. R. Coltman http://works.bepress.com/tcoltman/8 http://works.bepress.com/tcoltman/8 Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:38:07 PST Among many leading organizations, in all sectors of industry, commerce and government, there is considerable evidence of e-business being deployed to achieve strategic goals. Where this deployment has been most successful, there is a strong case that the organization has taken an integrated approach that both builds on the organization's strengths and pays careful attention to the process of change within the organization. However, in the literature most empirical work has either studied e-business strategy and performance from the perspective of strategy content - which highlights positioning and/or unique bundles of resources - or from the perspective of strategy process - which captures human influence and e-business implementation. In this study, we integrate these two perspectives to develop a more holistic understanding of the underlying drivers of e-business performance. Further, latent class modeling techniques are used to show that the variables in our study are heavily influenced by the unobservable heterogeneity across firms. Four distinct types of firms populate our data, and the relationship between performance and its underlying determinants varies greatly between them. The implication is that a single model cannot explain the relationship between environment, structure, feasibility, managerial beliefs and performance. This is critical to our understanding of e-business as it implies that there is far less homogeneity at the individual firm level than is normally assumed in the literature. T. R. Coltman http://works.bepress.com/tcoltman/7 http://works.bepress.com/tcoltman/7 Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:38:03 PST A common belief today is that sustainable competitive advantages are in some way positively correlated with customer focused behavior and CRM technology. However, the enthusiasm generated around CRM and a select concentration of companies that might be classified as "relationship leaders" is in stark contrast to the nay saying of many business commentators. Building on the resource-based view of the firm this study identifies the human and technological capabilities required to successfully execute a CRM program. Further, the study shows that to be successful, CRM programs must be feasible and this requires a wider understanding of the structural and behavioral limits to performance. T. R. Coltman http://works.bepress.com/tcoltman/6 http://works.bepress.com/tcoltman/6 Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:37:59 PST This paper presents a framework that helps researchers to design and validate both formative and reflective measurement models. The framework draws from the existing literature and includes both theoretical and empirical considerations. Two important examples, one from international business and one from marketing, illustrate the use of the framework. Both examples concern constructs that are fundamental to theory-building in these disciplines, and constructs that most scholars measure reflectively. In contrast, applying the framework suggests that a formative measurement model may be more appropriate. These results reinforce the need for all researchers to justify, both theoretically and empirically, their choice of measurement model. Use of an incorrect measurement model undermines the content validity of constructs, misrepresents the structural relationships between them, and ultimately lowers the usefulness of management theories for business researchers and practitioners. The main contribution of this paper is to question the unthinking assumption of reflective measurement seen in much of the business literature. T. Coltman http://works.bepress.com/tcoltman/5 http://works.bepress.com/tcoltman/5 Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:37:56 PST As the Internet continues to grow in size and capability, many firms are implementing Web-based applications and Internet-derived economic change continues to occur. If this change is revolutionary, now or in the near future, then many managers will be required to rethink their firm strategies and managerial responses in a profound way. On the other hand, if the change is simply evolutionary, it will apply more to some firms than to others, and pre-Internet strategies and managerial responses will still be appropriate in many circumstances. While it is premature to categorize e-business as revolutionary, e-business is not a silver bullet, rather it will be a useful tool for some firms and some tasks. There are a number of key questions firm should ask in order to make sense of e-business. T. Coltman http://works.bepress.com/tcoltman/4 http://works.bepress.com/tcoltman/4 Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:37:53 PST There is a great divide between the degree to which academic research accounts for the role of managerial discretion in firm performance and the weight given by the popular press and financial community to the importance of the management of an organization. The purpose of this paper is to bridge this gap by quantifying the way managerial beliefs influence the quality of firm performance in a turbulent environment based on e-business. An e-business research setting is used that is associated with a situation of environmental turbulence to allow for sufficient variance in managerial beliefs to measure their effect on firm performance. The sample contains 293 firms. Aggregate level results indicate that managerial beliefs have a positive and significant effect on firm performance. Four distinctive segments were also found to exist. These segments vary in terms of the strength of the position that a manager holds regarding the value of e-business and firm performance. The paper shows that the affect of e-business on firm performance is not structural in the sense that firm performance does not depend on the firm or industry but is reflective of the strength of the beliefs held by managers. This implies that the "black box" approach that is characteristic of much management research may be problematic because it fails to measure the variables that may matter most to performance. T. Coltman http://works.bepress.com/tcoltman/3 http://works.bepress.com/tcoltman/3 Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:37:50 PST The aim of this paper is to provide clues to industry and academia on how best to approach the challenge of developing a sustainable supply chain. A case study was undertaken of the Westpac Banking Corporation - one of the world's most socially responsible banks - to examine how they approached the challenge of managing corporate social responsibility (CSR) in their supply chain. This paper highlights some of the challenges and opportunities associated with extending corporate governance beyond the firm boundary. Specific attention is given to a discussion of assessment and governance tools. The use of a single case study limits the generalizability of these findings. Future research can build on these findings by extending the scope to include additional firms, regions and methods. A best practice model is developed from the discussion to provide practical guidance to firms. While the extension of CSR to the supply chain is an emerging area of interest, the literature provides few clues on how best to pursue sustainable supply chain management. This paper provides a valuable and timely contribution to this topic by reviewing the lessons and practices of a recognised CSR leader. B. Keating http://works.bepress.com/tcoltman/2 http://works.bepress.com/tcoltman/2 Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:37:47 PST The market enthusiasm generated around investment in customer relationship management (CRM) technology is in stark contrast to the nay-saying by many academic and business commentators. This raises an important research question concerning the extent to which banks should continue to invest in CRM technology. Drawing on field interviews and a survey of senior bank executives the results reveal that a superior CRM capability can deliver improved performance. The paper then demonstrates that in order to be most successful, CRM programs require a combination of technical, human and business capabilities. T. R. Coltman