Article Abstract

	Title:	The value of proprietary and shared information technology
	Author:	Asa Horzella, Birger Rapp, Maria Kollberg
	Address:	Department of Computer and Information Science, Linkoping Institute of Technology, SE-581 83, Linkoping, Sweden. ' Department of Computer and Information Science, Linkoping Institute of Technology, SE-581 83, Linkoping, Sweden. ' Department of Production and Quality Engineering, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, S.P. Andersens v. 5, NTNU Valgrinda, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway
	Journal:	International Journal of Business Information Systems 2006 - Vol. 1, No.4  pp. 463 - 474
	Abstract:	There is an ongoing debate about the effects of IT investments, and this paper will follow on this debate by discussing the effects of IT investments on productivity as well as the strategic potential of IT. Based on empirical studies on two Swedish value chains, the grocery distribution and the logging industry, this paper discusses the following questions: Are investments in shared solutions, rather than proprietary solutions, providing the primary contribution to productivity gains? Are shared solutions contributing to competitive advantage? Is competitive advantage achieved through the information generated in shared solutions? The results are supported by other empirical studies within the IToP (Impact of IT on Productivity) research programme of Linkoping University, Sweden.
	Keywords:	information technology; productivity; competitive advantage; grocery distribution; logging industry; proprietary systems; shared systems; IT investment; value chain; Sweden; information systems.
	DOI:	10.1504/IJBIS.2006.008960
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