Title: Electronic procurement of services and process innovation

Authors: Ute Reuter

Addresses: Research, Development and Innovation Management, Institute of Business Administration, Stuttgart University, Keplerstrasse 17,70174 Stuttgart, Germany

Abstract: The service procurement process can be improved significantly by the implementation of innovative technological instruments such as online auctions, catalogue management and electronic marketplaces. Depending on the intensity of their use, incremental or even radical process innovation can be triggered. However, there is a significant lack of theoretical and empirical research in this field. Based on resource- and competence-based logic and case study data, this research project identifies specialisation, formalisation and centralisation of service procurement as the most important organisational conditions for the implementation of electronic procurement instruments within service companies. Furthermore, process innovation resulting from their implementation is identified to be mostly incremental in practice.

Keywords: catalogue management; electronic marketplace; electronic procurement; e-procurement; electronic purchasing; industry studies; incremental innovation; online auction; procurement of services; process innovation; purchasing of services; service sector; technological innovation; technology adoption.

DOI: 10.1504/IJISD.2011.043069

International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development, 2011 Vol.5 No.2/3, pp.199 - 220

Received: 19 Oct 2010
Accepted: 05 Aug 2011
Published online: 13 Oct 2011 *

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