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Information and communication technologies (ICTs) increasingly are being linked to organisational value. However, current research tends to examine these resources in an uncoupled way despite numerous calls for work which examines ICTs in a more integrated way. This research addresses this gap by investigating how ICTs are successfully combined with other resources in the context of an exemplar organisation. The resource based view (RBV) is used as a framework to guide this research. The RBV is an appropriate lens due to its focus on resources and capabilities as sources of advantage. This research employs an interpretive case study design based in an organisation with a long history of innovation and success with regard to ICTs. An integrated model of advantage is presented based on two distinct groupings of capabilities. In essence, this research demonstrates how the total ownership of ICTs, within the case studied, presents a potential advantage. The advantage is realised through the combination of capabilities and the inclusive approach to ICT development employed in the case organisation. This research has important implications for theory and practice. While many individual sources of advantage have been empirically examined, this research provides one of the first in-depth case studies that identify integrated capabilities. Understanding such sources of advantage will help practitioners better understand and protect key organisational capabilities to sustain or extend competitive advantages.Karyn Rastrick holds a PhD from The University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand. She currently serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Management Systems at The University of Waikato Management School. Her research interests include understanding information communication technologies in organisations, innovation management, and the management of critical incidents. James Corner obtained his PhD in operations research from ArizonaState University in 1991 after completing an engineering degree at the University of Virginia and an MBA from Wyoming. He also has 10 years of managerial work experience with Texas Instruments and US Steel. His research interests historically have centered around both descriptive and prescriptive decision processes, and more specifically decision analysis. He recently has expanded his interests to include knowledge management and the new field of systems intelligence.

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WiPo (Web in your pocket) is a prototypical mobile information provisioning concept that can offer potential benefits to a range of situations where data sources are vast, dynamic and unvalidated and where continuous Internet connectivity cannot be assured. One such case is that of search and rescue (SAR), a unique case of emergency management characterized by the need for high-quality, accurate and time-sensitive information. This paper reports on empirical research undertaken to explore the potential for a real-world application of a mobile service such as WiPo which is based on the delivery of highly curated, multi-source data made available offline. Adopting an interpretive interview-based approach, the authors evaluate the potential usefulness of WiPo for search and rescue incidents in New Zealand. Upon learning of the core functionality of WiPo and the alignment of that with the typical search and rescue situation, study participants were unanimously positive about its potential for improving search and rescue management and outcomes.

Whilst access to the internet is becoming increasingly ubiquitous in highly populated, urban areas, for much of the planet web connectively is still largely absent. This is mainly due to geographic remoteness, but bad connectivity or governmental controls might also prevent web users from accessing desired resources. The authors have previously outlined a general approach to cope with such situations, which they termed “Web in your Pocket” (WiPo). WiPo assumes that the user has a smart device to which appropriate data, ideally in curated form, can be pre-loaded so that it remains accessible offline. In this chapter, the authors present the potential usability of WiPo by considering three important use-cases (tourism, health, and search and rescue) demonstrating the vast potential of WiPo. The chapter concludes by considering the practical issues that need to be overcome before it might be implemented in real-world situations.