An empirical analysis of e‐service implementation: antecedents and the resulting value creation
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the antecedents and perceived value associated with e‐business implementation in service firms. E‐business has enabled the development of e‐services and thus introduced a new vehicle for customer and supplier transactions.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from top managers in 231 Belgian business‐to‐business service firms crossing a broad spectrum of industries. The statistical techniques employed included a confirmatory factor analysis, and hierarchical regression analyses.
Findings
The findings of the study suggest that technical infrastructure and external drivers influence e‐business implementation. Additionally, e‐business was found to create value for firms through efficiency, novelty, lock‐in, and complementarities.
Research limitations/implications
The results imply that a firm's behavior, while driven in part by external factors (e.g. shareholders, competitors, customers, etc.), is largely contingent upon a firm's internal infrastructure and environment. It should be noted that only the firm side of the dyadic relationships was surveyed and examined.
Practical implications
Managers should assess a firm's technological infrastructure before launching an e‐business venture. Also, since firms believe that implementing e‐business has positive outcomes that extend beyond firm performance, it can be logically posited that these value drivers will positively influence a firm's overall performance.
Originality/value
The first empirical examination of the work of Javalgi et al. and Amit and Zott is integrated and provided to present a robust conceptual framework that incorporates the antecedents and value creation associated with e‐business implementation.
Keywords
Citation
Rapp, A., Rapp, T. and Schillewaert, N. (2008), "An empirical analysis of e‐service implementation: antecedents and the resulting value creation", Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 22 No. 1, pp. 24-36. https://doi.org/10.1108/08876040810851932
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2008, Emerald Group Publishing Limited