Abstract

This study examines how the value, rarity and inimitability of three IT resources, Infrastructure, Technical Skills and IT-Business Relationships, influence process and firm performance. The analysis suggests that though value and rarity of a resource have no direct impact on process performance; the complementarity of value, rarity and inimitability of the resource is associated with process performance advantage. The analysis further suggests that inimitability is the key attribute of a resource. Finally, the analysis indicates that though IT resources affect IT operational as well as IT innovation outcomes, only IT innovation performance is associated with sustained competitive advantage.

Biography

Gautam Ray
Gautam Ray is an Associate Professor at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. His research interests are in the area of impact of IT on firm scope and structure, and how does IT create value. His research has appeared in Communications of the ACM, Information Systems Research, Management Science, Marketing Science, MIS Quarterly, Journal of Management Information Systems and the Strategic Management Journal. He received his Ph.D. from the Ohio State University in year 2000.

Eric C. Larson
Eric is a Ph.D. candidate at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. He has 14 years of industry experience in the energy industry, mostly as a software consultant. His research interests include the organizational structure of the information technology function and its impact on IT and firm performance.

Carl R. Adams
Carl is a Professor and Director of the Management Information Systems Research Center at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.He is also the Director of the CIO Research Consortium at the Carlson School. His current research interests are in the areas of the strategy and structure of the Information Systems/Informationtion Technolgy (IT) function. He has published in various management journals including the MIS Quarterly, Decision Sciences, Business Horizons, The Journal of Product Innovation Management, Information & Management, and The Journal of Consumer Marketing.