IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ijoais/v11y2010i4p314-335.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

On IT and business value in developing countries: A complementarities-based approach

Author

Listed:
  • Prasad, Acklesh
  • Heales, Jon

Abstract

Developing economies accommodate more than three quarters of the world's population. This means understanding their growth and well-being is of critical importance. Information technology (IT) is one resource that has had a profound effect in shaping the global economy. IT is also an important resource for driving growth and development in developing economies. Investments in developing economies, however, have focused on the exploitation of labor and natural resources. Unlike in developed economies, focus on IT investment to improve efficiency and effectiveness of business process in developing economies has been sparse, and mechanisms for deriving better IT-related business value is not well understood. This study develops a complementarities-based business value model for developing economies, and tests the relationship between IT investments, IT-related complementarities, and business process performance. It also considers the relationship between business processes performance and firm-level performance. The results suggest that a coordinated investment in IT and IT-related complementarities related favorably to business process performance. Improvements in process-level performance lead to improvements in firm-level performance. The results also suggest that the IT-related complementarities are not only a source of business value on their own, but also enhance the IT resources' ability to contribute to business process performance. This study demonstrates that a coordinated investment approach is required in developing economies. With this approach, their IT resources and IT-related complementaries would help them significantly in improving their business processes, and eventually their firm-level performances.

Suggested Citation

  • Prasad, Acklesh & Heales, Jon, 2010. "On IT and business value in developing countries: A complementarities-based approach," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 11(4), pages 314-335.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ijoais:v:11:y:2010:i:4:p:314-335
    DOI: 10.1016/j.accinf.2010.09.001
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1467089510000679
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.accinf.2010.09.001?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. James R. Tybout, 2000. "Manufacturing Firms in Developing Countries: How Well Do They Do, and Why?," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 38(1), pages 11-44, March.
    2. Deborah R. Compeau & Christopher A. Higgins, 1995. "Application of Social Cognitive Theory to Training for Computer Skills," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 6(2), pages 118-143, June.
    3. Gautam Ray & Jay B. Barney & Waleed A. Muhanna, 2004. "Capabilities, business processes, and competitive advantage: choosing the dependent variable in empirical tests of the resource‐based view," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(1), pages 23-37, January.
    4. Avgerou, Chrisanthi & McGrath, Kathy, 2007. "Power, rationality, and the art of living through socio-technical change," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 2353, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    5. Gary S. Hansen & Birger Wernerfelt, 1989. "Determinants of firm performance: The relative importance of economic and organizational factors," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 10(5), pages 399-411, September.
    6. Peter Weill, 1992. "The Relationship Between Investment in Information Technology and Firm Performance: A Study of the Valve Manufacturing Sector," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 3(4), pages 307-333, December.
    7. Curtis P. Armstrong & V. Sambamurthy, 1999. "Information Technology Assimilation in Firms: The Influence of Senior Leadership and IT Infrastructures," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 10(4), pages 304-327, December.
    8. Timothy F. Bresnahan & Erik Brynjolfsson & Lorin M. Hitt, 2002. "Information Technology, Workplace Organization, and the Demand for Skilled Labor: Firm-Level Evidence," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 117(1), pages 339-376.
    9. Sanjeev Dewan & Kenneth L. Kraemer, 2000. "Information Technology and Productivity: Evidence from Country-Level Data," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 46(4), pages 548-562, April.
    10. Dale W. Jorgenson, 2001. "Information Technology and the U.S. Economy," Higher School of Economics Economic Journal Экономический журнал Высшей школы экономики, CyberLeninka;Федеральное государственное автономное образовательное учреждение высшего образования «Национальный исследовательский университет «Высшая школа экономики», vol. 5(1), pages 3-34.
    11. Pohjola, Matti (ed.), 2001. "Information Technology, Productivity, and Economic Growth: International Evidence and Implications for Economic Development," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199243983, Decembrie.
    12. Camilla Mastromarco, 2008. "Foreign Capital And Efficiency In Developing Countries," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(4), pages 351-374, October.
    13. Mun Y. Yi & Fred D. Davis, 2003. "Developing and Validating an Observational Learning Model of Computer Software Training and Skill Acquisition," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 14(2), pages 146-169, June.
    14. Paul Attewell, 1992. "Technology Diffusion and Organizational Learning: The Case of Business Computing," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 3(1), pages 1-19, February.
    15. Anitesh Barua & Charles H. Kriebel & Tridas Mukhopadhyay, 1995. "Information Technologies and Business Value: An Analytic and Empirical Investigation," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 6(1), pages 3-23, March.
    16. Eric Shih & Kenneth L. Kraemer & Jason Dedrick, 2007. "Research Note: Determinants of Country-Level Investment in Information Technology," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 53(3), pages 521-528, March.
    17. Kraemer, Kenneth L. & Dedrick, Jason, 1994. "Payoffs from investment in information technology: Lessons from the Asia-Pacific region," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 22(12), pages 1921-1931, December.
    18. M. Lynne Markus & Daniel Robey, 1988. "Information Technology and Organizational Change: Causal Structure in Theory and Research," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 34(5), pages 583-598, May.
    19. C.-H. Sophie Lee & Anttesh Barua & Andrew Whinston, 2000. "The Complementarity Of Mass Customization And Electronic Commerce," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(2), pages 81-110.
    20. Sundar Bharadwaj & Anandhi Bharadwaj & Elliot Bendoly, 2007. "The Performance Effects of Complementarities Between Information Systems, Marketing, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain Processes," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 18(4), pages 437-453, December.
    21. Milgrom, Paul & Roberts, John, 1995. "Complementarities and fit strategy, structure, and organizational change in manufacturing," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(2-3), pages 179-208, April.
    22. Radhika Santhanam & Maung K. Sein, 1994. "Improving End-User Proficiency: Effects of Conceptual Training and Nature of Interaction," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 5(4), pages 378-399, December.
    23. Jangwoo Lee & Danny Miller, 1999. "People matter: commitment to employees, strategy and performance in Korean firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(6), pages 579-593, June.
    24. Milgrom, Paul & Roberts, John, 1990. "The Economics of Modern Manufacturing: Technology, Strategy, and Organization," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 80(3), pages 511-528, June.
    25. Donald M. Topkis, 1978. "Minimizing a Submodular Function on a Lattice," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 26(2), pages 305-321, April.
    26. Anitesh Barua & C. H. Sophie Lee & Andrew B. Whinston, 1996. "The Calculus of Reengineering," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 7(4), pages 409-428, December.
    27. Kar Yan Tam, 1998. "The Impact of Information Technology Investments on Firm Performance and Evaluation: Evidence from Newly Industrialized Economies," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 9(1), pages 85-98, March.
    28. Nile W. Hatch & Jeffrey H. Dyer, 2004. "Human capital and learning as a source of sustainable competitive advantage," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(12), pages 1155-1178, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Fábio Albuquerque & Paula Gomes Dos Santos, 2023. "Recent Trends in Accounting and Information System Research: A Literature Review Using Textual Analysis Tools," FinTech, MDPI, vol. 2(2), pages 1-27, April.
    2. Sutton, Steve G., 2010. "A research discipline with no boundaries: Reflections on 20years of defining AIS research," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 11(4), pages 289-296.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zand, Fardad & Van Beers, Cees & Van Leeuwen, George, 2011. "Information technology, organizational change and firm productivity: A panel study of complementarity effects and clustering patterns in Manufacturing and Services," MPRA Paper 46469, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Kevin Zhu & Kenneth L. Kraemer, 2005. "Post-Adoption Variations in Usage and Value of E-Business by Organizations: Cross-Country Evidence from the Retail Industry," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 16(1), pages 61-84, March.
    3. Choi, Byounggu & Poon, Simon K. & Davis, Joseph G., 2008. "Effects of knowledge management strategy on organizational performance: A complementarity theory-based approach," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 235-251, April.
    4. Rajiv Kohli & Sarv Devaraj, 2003. "Measuring Information Technology Payoff: A Meta-Analysis of Structural Variables in Firm-Level Empirical Research," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 14(2), pages 127-145, June.
    5. Stefan Schweikl & Robert Obermaier, 2020. "Lessons from three decades of IT productivity research: towards a better understanding of IT-induced productivity effects," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 70(4), pages 461-507, November.
    6. Eric Shih & Kenneth L. Kraemer & Jason Dedrick, 2007. "Research Note: Determinants of Country-Level Investment in Information Technology," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 53(3), pages 521-528, March.
    7. Prasanna Tambe, 2014. "Big Data Investment, Skills, and Firm Value," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 60(6), pages 1452-1469, June.
    8. Vincent J. Shea & Kevin E. Dow & Alain Yee-Loong Chong & Eric W. T. Ngai, 2019. "An examination of the long-term business value of investments in information technology," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 213-227, February.
    9. Mohamed Z. Elbashir & Steve G. Sutton & Habib Mahama & Vicky Arnold, 2021. "Unravelling the integrated information systems and management control paradox: enhancing dynamic capability through business intelligence," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(S1), pages 1775-1814, April.
    10. Abhay Nath Mishra & Youyou Tao & Mark Keil & Jeong-ha (Cath) Oh, 2022. "Functional IT Complementarity and Hospital Performance in the United States: A Longitudinal Investigation," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 33(1), pages 55-75, March.
    11. Adel Ben Khalifa, 2019. "Direct and Complementary Effects of Investment in Knowledge-Based Economy on Innovation Performance in Tunisian Firms," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 10(2), pages 561-589, June.
    12. Vincent J. Shea & Kevin E. Dow & Alain Yee-Loong Chong & Eric W. T. Ngai, 0. "An examination of the long-term business value of investments in information technology," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-15.
    13. Elbashir, Mohamed Z. & Collier, Philip A. & Davern, Michael J., 2008. "Measuring the effects of business intelligence systems: The relationship between business process and organizational performance," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 9(3), pages 135-153.
    14. Sinan Aral & Peter Weill, 2007. "IT Assets, Organizational Capabilities, and Firm Performance: How Resource Allocations and Organizational Differences Explain Performance Variation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(5), pages 763-780, October.
    15. Taha Havakhor & Rajiv Sabherwal & Zachary R. Steelman & Sanjiv Sabherwal, 2019. "Relationships Between Information Technology and Other Investments: A Contingent Interaction Model," Service Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(1), pages 291-305, March.
    16. Prasanna Tambe & Lorin M. Hitt & Erik Brynjolfsson, 2012. "The Extroverted Firm: How External Information Practices Affect Innovation and Productivity," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 58(5), pages 843-859, May.
    17. Lawrence Jin & Jang C. Jin, 2014. "Internet Education and Economic Growth: Evidence from Cross-Country Regressions," Economies, MDPI, vol. 2(1), pages 1-17, March.
    18. Lynn Wu & Bowen Lou & Lorin Hitt, 2019. "Data Analytics Supports Decentralized Innovation," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 65(10), pages 4863-4877, October.
    19. Carmen Galve Gorriz & Ana Gargallo Castel, 2004. "Impacto de las tecnolog�as de la informaci�n en la productividad de las empresas espa�olas," Documentos de Trabajo dt2004-05, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales, Universidad de Zaragoza.
    20. Liu, Ting-Kun & Chen, Jong-Rong & Huang, Cliff J. & Yang, Chih-Hai, 2014. "Revisiting the productivity paradox: A semiparametric smooth coefficient approach based on evidence from Taiwan," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 300-308.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ijoais:v:11:y:2010:i:4:p:314-335. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/international-journal-of-accounting-information-systems/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.