Implementation of EDI in Hong Kong: an empirical analysis
| Published date | 01 January 2004 |
| Date | 01 January 2004 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/02635570410514124 |
| Pages | 88-100 |
| Author | E.W.T. Ngai,A. Gunasekaran |
| Subject Matter | Economics,Information & knowledge management,Management science & operations |
Implementation of EDI
in Hong Kong: an
empirical analysis
E.W.T. Ngai and
A. Gunasekaran
Introduction
Globalisation and information technology (IT)
are changing the structure of business
organisations. IT is being implemented and
incorporated in most organisations ± which
have invested in IT infrastructure for the overall
success of their businesses. There is an
increasing interest in the use of electronic
commerce (e-commerce) as a platform for
conducting business transactions. For many
businesses, e-commerce has become a priority
issue (Mukhopadhyay et al., 1995; Massetti and
Zmud, 1996; Angeles et al., 1998; Baba et al.,
1996; Dhillon and Caldeira, 2000).
In the current dynamic environment,
organisations are required to reduce
product-development cycle time, improve
customer service, and enhance products and
service quality. To achieve these things,
companies are attempting to develop closer
supplier-customer relationships through the
application of interorganizational information
systems (Kumar and van Dissel, 1996). Since
the emergence of the Internet, electronic data
exchange (EDI) has received a great deal of
research attention, especially with respect to its
applications in logistics and supply-chain
management such as the online procurement
(Attaran, 2001; Hsieh et al., 2002). There has
been close scrutiny of the common expectation
that more advanced EDI implementation leads
to significantly higher benefits for all
participating firms in a network. Planning for
higher levels of EDI implementation has also
had definite implications for resource
management. An understanding of the levels of
EDI implementation should inform
management decisions regarding the
commitment of precious company resources
and should guide the efforts of change
management in the areas of interorganizational
business processes, operating procedures, and
information and transaction flows (Bhatt,
2001).
Different countries have different perceptions
of the application of EDI, and variations in
The authors
E.W.T. Ngai is Associate Professor in the Department of
Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University,
Kowloon, Hong Kong, PR China.
A. Gunasekaran is Associate Professor in the Department
of Management, University of Massachusetts,
North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, USA.
Keywords
Electronic data interchange, Telecommunication services,
Organizational processes
Abstract
Electronic data interchange (EDI) plays a major part in
improving organizational competitiveness in the twenty-first
century global market. Telecommunication technologies
have improved the effectiveness of communication along the
value chain. Information technology (IT) has been helpful in
integrating various functional areas within and outside
organisations. This paper uses empirical research to study
the application of EDI in Hong Kong. In a survey of Hong
Kong companies, questions are asked about perceived
barriers to implementation of EDI, perceived benefits
achievable through EDI, and critical success factors for the
adoption of EDI. The main objective of this study is to
develop a framework for enhancing the application and
implementation of IT with a view to improved organizational
competitiveness.
Electronic access
The Emerald Research Register for this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is
available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0263-5577.htm
The authors are grateful for the constructive
comments of the referees on earlier versions of this
paper. This research was supported in part by The
Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
88
Industrial Management & Data Systems
Volume 104 .Number 1 .2004 .pp. 88-100
#Emerald Group Publishing Limited .ISSN 0263-5577
DOI 10.1108/02635570410514124
To continue reading
Request your trial