Using the perspective of business information technology technicians to explore how information technology affects business competitive advantage

Abstract

Airlines are rapidly developing online-to-offline and business-to-consumer operation models. They continually invest in information technology (IT) to secure their competitive advantage and use it to manage collaboration and improve their communication with travel agencies or business partners. Within the framework of resource dependence theory and institutional theory, this study used the perspective of airline IT technicians to explore how the interaction between IT technicians and technology affects the operational performance of airlines and how airlines used IT to integrate operations and improve their competitive advantage. The empirical results revealed that airline IT infrastructure and the behavioral capability of their IT technicians significantly affect the business process integration and business IT strategic thinking of airlines, thereby improving their IT competitive advantage. The results of this study can serve as a reference for research examining how IT improves business competitive advantage, which can be applied to future management strategies in aviation-related businesses.