Inter-organizational Factors Research Articles

A Comprehensive Examination of Internet-EDI Adoption

By taking advantage of the Internet, a new generation of Interorganizational Information Systems, i.e., Internet electronic data interchange (I-EDI) provides great efficiency for performing business-to-business transactions and is much more affordable than other network alternatives. Few empirical studies have been conducted to examine the adoption of I-EDI and little guidance has been given to the practitioners in the field. To fill this void, this research investigates the adoption of I-EDI by U.S. enterprises based on a comprehensive framework. Results from an online survey of 219 organizational respondents indicate that the proposed framework is able to help explain organizational adoption of I-EDI. This study provides insights and interesting findings toward technology adoption in Internet era. While some new factors are found to play important roles in IOS adoption, several conventional factors, such as technology compatibility and organization size, are no longer significant in explaining the adoption of I-EDI. Different effects of interorganizational factors such as power, trust, and relationship commitment on I-EDI adoption have been revealed. Implications for researchers and practitioners are provided.

Network embeddedness and new -venture internationalization: Analyzing international linkages in the German biotech industry

This paper examines whether inter-organizational factors influence German biotech firms' propensity to internationalize by forming international research alliances. Inter-organizational factors include dimensions of a firm's embeddedness within its local cluster and within its national research network. We test two sets of hypotheses (local and national network-drivers) on a longitudinal event history dataset of the complete German biotech population for the years 1995–2004. Findings show that location in a local cluster already dense with international linkages, the building of research alliances with local research institutes as well as national partners and central position in the national research network increase the probability of forming international research alliances.

The performance effect of innovation in shipping companies

The aim of this study is to investigate how innovation contributes to company performance in Norwegian shipping and to extend our knowledge concerning what organizational and inter-organizational factors influence innovation in shipping firms. The study is based on a survey of 46 Norwegian shipping companies. We find that innovation contributes to firm performance. We also find that a conscious strategy, strategy involvement, external relationships, especially market relationships, and productivity slack have a significant positive effect on the degree of innovation. The results are dependent upon the companies’ degree of differentiation and the type of innovation.

Legitimacy and the capitalist corporation: Cross-cutting perspectives on ownership and control

Abstract The debate over ownership and control of corporations is one of the most enduring in social science. It is a debate that continues to influence, and is informed by accounting and accountability research as well as labor process theory, and it is a debate that is vital for understanding the relation between accounting and the labor process. This paper offers a roadmap for locating alternative perspectives concerning ownership and control. First, ‘mainstream anti-managerialism’ maintains that corporations remain answerable to their owners. Second, ‘mainstream managerialism’ argues that corporations are one form of organization and that organizations in general are shaped by inter-organizational factors. Third, ‘radical managerialism’ views corporations as self-perpetuating bureaucracies. Finally ‘Marxist anti-managerialism’ views corporations as constrained by the interests of an identifiable capitalist class.

Program evaluation in a challenging authorizing environment: Intergovernmental and interorganizational factors

AbstractIn today's environment, social services are provided by complex institutional and political networks comprising multiple program sponsors, implementers, and stakeholders. This environment exacerbates many problems that can occur, even in the simplest of evaluations. The authors outline the major intergovernmental and interorganizational challenges associated with doing program evaluation in today's environment and offer recommendations designed to improve evaluation efforts.

Managing electronic interchange of business documents

Establishing a framework for controlled growth of electronic document interchange, based on a diverse set of technological, organizational, and interorganizational factors.

Interorganizational Determinants of Environmental Purchasing: Initial Evidence from the Consumer Products Industries*

ABSTRACTEnvironmental purchasing consists of the purchasing function's involvement in activities that include reduction, recycling, reuse, and substitution of materials. Despite the potentially important role that the purchasing function can play in a firm's environmental activities, little research has been performed to date that examines the factors that impact environmental purchasing. The authors develop and empirically test a theoretical model that examines how interorganizational factors both drive and constrain purchasing's involvement in environmental activities. The empirical findings suggest that environmental purchasing activities will be facilitated through increased coordination with suppliers as well as downstream members of the supply chain, including retailers. The results also suggest the need for increased coordination within the firm, particularly between the purchasing function on the inbound side and marketing and distribution functions on the outbound side.

Interorganizational factors affecting the delivery of primary care to older Americans.

Interorganizational factors affecting the delivery of primary care to older Americans.

The Role of Interorganizational and Organizational Factors on the Decision Mode for Adoption of Interorganizational Systems*

The dramatic growth of interorganizational systems (IOS) has changed the way organizations conduct their business, and has resulted in significant tangible and intangible benefits being realized by participating firms. However, the implementation of these IOS requires the cooperation and commitment of all the participating members. These members may have complex economic and business relationships among themselves that can result in a number of social, political, and economic factors influencing the adoption and implementation of IOS.This study examines the role of interorganizational and organizational factors on the decision mode for adoption of IOS, in the specific context of electronic data interchange (EDI). Four interorganizational factors, based on the socio‐political framework derived from research in marketing, and five organizational factors based on research in IS were used in the study. The data for the study were collected through a large scale field survey. Two respondents, the sales/purchase manager and the IS manager, from 201 firms responded to the survey. The results of discriminant analysis of the data reveal that two interorganizational variables, competitive pressure and exercised power, and two organizational variables, internal need and top management support, are important variables to differentiate firms with proactive decision mode from firms with reactive decision mode.The study also evaluates the differences between proactive and reactive firms on three implementation outcomes. Proactive firms are found to have greater extent of adaptation, more external connectivity with trading partners, and better integration of EDI information in their internal IS applications.

Making “Suitable Referrals”: Social Workers' Construction and Use of Informal Referral Networks

The extant literature on the referral process in human service delivery has been examined as either a “micro,” intra-organizational activity or a “macro,” interorganizational phenomenon. The negotiated-order perspective is used to bridge this gap by examining how interorganizational and other contextual-level factors shape the routine accomplishment of the referral process. The data come from a case study of the referral-related activities of social workers in a human service agency serving homeless clients. Social workers' ***referral-related activities largely comprised the construction, maintenance, and use of informal referral networks. These activities, which centered around a concern for making “suitable referrals,” comprised constructing referral sets, conducting advocacy work, and negotiating referral agreements. Aspects of how the client population and the interorganizational context facilitated or constrained each of these networking activities are delineated. Results of the analysis are used to offer observations on the micro-foundations of interorganizational referral networks.

Social Work Education and the Professional Commitment Fallacy: A Practical Guide to Field-School Relations

Viewing schools of social work and human service agencies as organizations striving to meet certain needs in an attempt to survive in a frequently turbulent, and sometimes hostile environment, this paper utilizes open systems and exchange theory to develop a framework for analyzing school-agency relationships. The framework is composed of two major areas: (1) a review of the dynamics underlying school-agency relationships, and (2) an evaluation of the intraorganizational, interorganizational, and environmental factors that influence the nature of the relationships between schools of social work and human service agencies. The paper concludes by presenting an overall strategy for guiding the development of school-agency relationships and discusses the organizational principles that influence its application.

Preventive Activity and Interorganizational Factors

Associations are examined between interorganizational relationships in community mental health centers (CMHCs) and preventive activities, operationalized as public education, program consultation, training of other caregivers, and community planning and development. Interorganizatiorzal factors account for much of the variation in the type of preventive activity emphasized. Wide ranging involventent with the environment, balanced by a degree of organizational autonomy, is linked with public education. Program consultation is emphasized in more insular CMHCs. Training of other service providers can be partly understood as a pursuit of urban CMHCs. More community planning and development emerges when interagency ties are extensive but system-focused as opposed to client-focused.

Organizational Antecedents of Role Conflict and Ambiguity in Top-Level Administrators

December 1976, volume 21 This study explores factors associated with role conflict and ambiguity in top-level administrators in public agencies. Research is reviewed, on possible organizational and interorganizational antecedents. Despite the fact that toplevel administrators devote a considerable proportion of their time to relations with other units, interorganizational factors have not been included in models of role conflict. Data were obtained in structured personal interviews with 102 top-level county administrators. As demonstrated by regression analysis, interorganizational variables tended to account for the largest amount of variance in role conflict, and intraorganizational variables accounted for the largest amount of variance in role ambiguity. Interorganizational variables were stronger independent determinants of role conflict than intraorganizational variables were of role ambiguity.