Vijay Gurbaxani - US grants

This research is funded under the Special Initiative on Coordination Theory and Collaboration Technology. This is one of eleven winners under that competition. This study investigates certain aspects of the role of computerized information systems as instruments of coordination in complex organizations. Questions addressed in this research include: What kinds of coordination problems do computerized systems actually resolve, and to what extent? What social and economic impacts result from the use such systems? The research gathers empirical data through cross sectional studies, comparative case studies and a longitudinal survey of manufacturing firms that have relatively structured systems that can be characterized as Computer Integrated Manufacturing. Results expected from the research include empirically grounded accounts of the role of computerized information systems in coordinating activities of complex organizations and increased theoretical understanding of the economic and sociological impacts of these information systems.

Information Technology (IT) capital currently represents 7% oftotal capital stock in the U.S. and accounts for a rapidlygrowing share of capital expenditures, making it one of the mostimportant innovations of recent times. Surprisingly, fewtheoretical or empirical analyses have focussed on the diffusionof IT and in particular, quantified its growth. Given thesignificant role of IT as a capital input in every sector of theeconomy, it is important to analyze these growth trends. This project studies the demand for IT capital for the period1972.1987 at both the industry and the aggregate economy levels. While much of the literature refers to the growth of IT in thecontext of the diffusion of innovation and S.curve behavior, itis argued in this project that the declining costs of computingwill have a significant impact on the pattern of diffusion. Theresearcher develops economic models of the demand for IT thatintegrate these two factors. The models also examine theinfluence of other factors, including the cost of labor andgeneral business conditions on the demand for IT. The quality ofthe models, and their form and parameters are determined throughan econometric analysis of data on the stocks and flows of IT atthe industry and aggregate economy levels. The research examinesthe extent to which the growth of IT stock can be explained bythe effects of the innovation diffusion versus the price effects. The Principal Investigator looks at the relationships between theaggregate and the industry demand functions as well as inter.industry differences.

This project involves the scientific analysis of a unique, longitudinal data base on the role of technology policy in the diffusion of computing in twelve Asia-Pacific countries. The purposes are to: (1) describe evolving trends in the international diffusion of computing technology; (2) develop understanding of the relationship between government technology policy and the diffusion of computing; and (3) assess the effect of environmental factors, especially economic development and computing infrastructure, on the diffusion of computing. The method involves quantitative analysis--by country, across countries, and over time--of relationships between the extent, rate, breadth and pattern of computing diffusion and two sets of independent variables: environmental factors and technology policy. The analyses will use data already collected for the period 1980-1992, which will be supplemented annually for each country. The quantitative analysis will be bolstered by reference to qualitative case histories of each country's political, economic and infrastructure environment, its government technology policy, and its diffusion results. The analyses also will be reviewed by experts in each country who are familiar with government technology policy and computing diffusion. The results of the research will be new understanding about the relative influences of environmental factors and of government technology policy on the diffusion of computing production and use within a country and across countries. The results also will include a general model of the relationship between general economic conditions in a country and computing diffusion; and a unique and valuable database that other scholars can use to pursue related scientific and policy questions.

The objective of this project is to improve scientific knowledge about the key factors contributing to the performance and productivity of information systems (I/S) in U.S. corporations. The research is funded under the Joint NSF/Private Sector Initiative and will be conducted through collaborative work with a Cooperating Organization. The Cooperating Organization will provide scientific and practical input, access to study sites, assistance in data collection, and leadership in dissemination of the results of the research to other corporations. The research involves five activities: 1) development of models of information services as a production process, 2) collection of data to provide empirical estimates for the social, organizational and performance variables in the models, 3) analysis aimed at determining the relationships between these variables in computer operations and systems development as separate processes, 4) application of the models in the operations of at least one organization, and 5) conduct of a workshop aimed at disseminating the results of the project to other corporations. The research will advance knowledge in the information systems field by developing and applying models of the production of information services. The models will identify the key variables in I/S production and their inter-relationships, and thereby provide a means of greater understanding and operational control. The results of the research will be generalizable to the private sector, and are expected to improve performance of the I/S function in U.S. corporations from "common practice" towards "best practice."

Organizations continue to increase their investments in information technology (IT) as a means of achieving higher levels of performance because their executives see these investments as a way to counter the impact of global competition. IT is seen as a means to create business value through: automation - substituting capital for high cost labor thereby improving productivity and reducing cost structures; informatization - reducing cycle times for new product introduction; and transformation - improving business processes in general through redesign using IT capabilities. The continually higher IT costs and the lack of empirical evidence about payoffs have resulted in questions by researchers and senior executives about the final payoffs from IT. Some recent studies have demonstrated a positive return on IT investments, while others have not, and so significant questions remain. There are a large number of organizational variables that mediate the payoff from IT, which are omitted in microeconomic analyses, and that are important to understand for better IT management. Behavioral analyses indicate that organizational performance depends on the choice of a firm's strategy as well as its execution, and that IT contributes primarily to the latter though a set of organization-IT linkages. This research tests an explanatory model of these linkages and assesses the contribution of IT to business value. The research is funded under the Joint NSF/Private Sector Initiative with the cooperating organization, Computer Sciences Corporation Research and Advisory Services.

The project will (1) assess the efficiency and effectiveness of investments in information technology (IT); (2) identify the organizational and IT management practices associated with achieving greater value through IT, and (3) disseminate result in academic, business and policy circles. These issues will be addressed at firm, industry, and country levels, based on several large, detailed, longitudinal databases that will be coupled together for more robust analysis than was heretofore possible. The study will include data on IT in five to 15 industry sectors in 50 countries from 1980-95, and on 200 large US firms for the 1990-95 period. Existing databases will be updated annually, and new databases will be built. The study will shed new light on whether, how, and why IT makes a difference in effectiveness and efficiency across a global spectrum of use, helping to clarify our understanding of the well-known "productivity paradox". It will produce a definitive body of research that uncovers the potential payoffs from IT investment and illuminates the mechanisms by which they can be harnessed.

The rapid growth of e-commerce on the Internet has raised a question of whether the Internet will mainly facilitate market consolidation by large companies, or whether it will be a driver of growth for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well. This is significant because e-commerce could lead to increased competition, greater consumer choice and more innovation, or it could lead to reduced competition, consumer choice and innovation, depending on the impacts of e-commerce on firm and industry organization. The early evidence on the question is mixed and largely anecdotal. Therefore, the objective of this research to provide scientific evidence on the question. It uses theory on firm and industry organization as the conceptual basis for hypothesizing that e-commerce will lead to greater use of market transactions, as opposed to internal hierarchies, to organize economic activities, leading to increased competition and new business opportunities. This project examines the hypothesis through systematic, detailed case studies of the extended value chains of four firms in the PC industry. The computer industry is chosen because it is the leading user of e-commerce and it includes manufacturing, service, and information sectors, thus providing a microcosm of the national economy. The results will not only contribute new knowledge, but also provide a scientific basis for public discussion about the social and economic impacts of e-commerce, and lead to a more extended empirical study.

The Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations is focused on the economic, organizational and societal implications of information technology. With nationally prominent faculty from disciplines such as computer science, economics, and political science, the Center is uniquely positioned to conduct research relevant to the business community, policy makers and consumers. The research agenda will address new or extended thrusts in the following areas: Management of IT, the IT Enabled Enterprise, IT and Society, and User Environments and Technology Enabled Collaboration.

A new center is to be planned named the Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) for Social Technologies and Analytics. The planned I/UCRC intends to conducts research of high-end applications for accessing the Social Media data ecosystem, where Social Media refers to how users generate content, exchange information and share ideas in public and private platforms over the Internet. Research foci of the planned center include Big Data analysis, cyberinfrastructure, mobile applications, technology and people, business intelligence and society and computing.

The social media ecosystem represents a significant and growing global resource that offers a wide and varied set of new applications with potential impact spanning the private and public sector. The planned center has the potential to build a corporate, government and university cooperative to address research challenges in this area and accelerate its growth. The planned center would engage students at all levels and train them in through its research. The effort will draw on existing university programs to engage a diverse set of participants.