Title: Managerial opinion towards IT-intensive firms of Jammu and Ludhiana regions of north India

Authors: Hardeep Chahal, Ruchi Kohli

Addresses: Department of Commerce, University of Jammu, Jammu 180006, Jammu & Kashmir, India. ' A & M Institute of Management and Technology, Pathankot 145001, Punjab, India

Abstract: The Information Technology (IT) revolution and the global business opportunities created by entrepreneurs using the capabilities of new technology have an important role to play. In this context, the paper aims to demonstrate the extent of IT usage and its influence on the performance of Jammu and Ludhiana small firms. The authors hypothesised that there exists significant difference in the IT usage status of Ludhiana Small-Scale Industries (LSSIs) and Jammu SSIs (JSSIs) vis-a-vis opinions of LSSIs and JSSIs managers towards IT influence on SSIs performance. The samples are drawn from two selected regions, i.e. Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab states of India. The primary data is collected from managers of selected SSIs operating in Jammu and Ludhiana regions. The total sample consisted of 246 SSIs, selected from |high-density| industrial clusters of Jammu (144) and Ludhiana (102) regions. The study concluded that LSSIs enjoy somewhat high IT usage status in comparison to Jammu SSIs, and as such their managers are more oriented towards technology and have better positive perceptions about IT influence on overall operational performance of the firms. The study concluded with managerial implication and research limitations.

Keywords: information technology; operational performance; small business; managerial opinions; India; small-scale industries; small firms; technology management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJICBM.2009.021598

International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management, 2009 Vol.2 No.1, pp.71 - 94

Published online: 30 Nov 2008 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article