TY - JOUR
T1 - A quantitative investigation of the role of the information and communication technologies in the implementation of a product-service system
AU - Belvedere, Valeria
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - This paper reports evidence from a survey, aimed at testing whether and how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), which enable the adoption of product-service systems, can contribute to value creation. This analysis builds on previous contributions, according to which companies that are enriching their product offering through value-added services (the so-called servitization strategy) often report lower levels of profitability, due to the poor performance of their operating process. A wide stream of research claims that companies that invest in ICTs can enjoy valuable outcomes, since the adoption of such technologies results in processes that are more efficient and more responsive. Our hypothesis concerns the possibility of leveraging ICTs at operating process level so as to pursue a servitization strategy. The in-field analysis presented in this paper concerns a sample of 109 companies located in Italy; data collected through the survey has been analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling approach (SEM). The evidence presented demonstrates that ICTs can have a relevant impact on value creation because they lead to superior responsiveness of operating processes and to sound improvements in the product offering. In particular, companies that are able to embed such superior responsiveness into their product offering can further boost value creation.
AB - This paper reports evidence from a survey, aimed at testing whether and how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), which enable the adoption of product-service systems, can contribute to value creation. This analysis builds on previous contributions, according to which companies that are enriching their product offering through value-added services (the so-called servitization strategy) often report lower levels of profitability, due to the poor performance of their operating process. A wide stream of research claims that companies that invest in ICTs can enjoy valuable outcomes, since the adoption of such technologies results in processes that are more efficient and more responsive. Our hypothesis concerns the possibility of leveraging ICTs at operating process level so as to pursue a servitization strategy. The in-field analysis presented in this paper concerns a sample of 109 companies located in Italy; data collected through the survey has been analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling approach (SEM). The evidence presented demonstrates that ICTs can have a relevant impact on value creation because they lead to superior responsiveness of operating processes and to sound improvements in the product offering. In particular, companies that are able to embed such superior responsiveness into their product offering can further boost value creation.
KW - business process reengineering
KW - information systems
KW - product-service systems
KW - responsiveness
KW - structural equation modelling
KW - value analysis
KW - business process reengineering
KW - information systems
KW - product-service systems
KW - responsiveness
KW - structural equation modelling
KW - value analysis
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10807/67108
U2 - 10.1080/00207543.2011.648278
DO - 10.1080/00207543.2011.648278
M3 - Article
SN - 0020-7543
VL - 51
SP - 410
EP - 426
JO - International Journal of Production Research
JF - International Journal of Production Research
ER -