The Interactions between Information and Communication Technologies and Innovation in Services

Abstract

Recent literature reveals the increasingly important role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) within innovation in services. This paper aims at outlining how scholars have conceptualized and defined the relationship between ICT and innovation in services so far, by analysing the fragmented body of knowledge available on the topic, to strengthen the research area as field of study and support its progress. The results of the literature review were derived through a concept-centric analysis of the existing research on ICT and innovation in services. The outcome of the literature review is a conceptual typology that organizes and summarizes the body of knowledge on ICT and innovation in services, and reveals the critical knowledge gaps along with an agenda for future research. The main contribution of this work resides in having organized existing literature on the relationship between ICT and innovation in services into a conceptual typology. The conceptual typology outlines the three main aspects of the link between ICT and innovation in services: the integration of organizational and innovation processes; the cooperation among internal and external agents; and the self-reinforcing innovation mechanism that characterizes ICT as a product.

Understanding an Effect of Technology Between the Relationships of the Five-Factor Model and Sales Performance Technology as a Moderating Tool

“…Firms insistently endeavor to achieve higher market attention owing to the current competitive environment using distinct ways. Nowadays, technological advancement has brought radical transformation in diverse business practices because of widespread and rapid penetration of informationsystems(IS)andinformationcommunicationtechnologies(ICTs) (Venkatesh&Davis, 2000;Melville,Shahsavarani,2014;Alemu,2015;Melville,Kraemer,&Gurbaxani,2004;Nardelli, 2015;Gwadabe,2017).Managingrelationshipswiththecustomerissummitpriorityformarketing managementwheretechnologysupportsmanagingsuchrelationshipsinmarketingandsalesrelated activities (Panni,&Hoque,2017;Gwadabe,2017;Waheed&Jianhua,2018).Wearelivingintheera wherecustomerslookforconvenienceandinsuchscenariostheuseofISmaybetterassistsatisfying theirdemandsasdynamicways (Stephens&McGowan,2015;Waheed&Jianhua,2018).Although manyacademicexpertshavebeenclaimedthatcorecompetencyisaprimefactorofanindividual toobtainworkefficiencyinarapidtransformationandcompetitiveenvironment (Shalley,Zhou,& Oldham,2004;Sung&Choi,2009).Creativityamongemployeesmayenhancetaskperformance togetherwithorganizationaleffectivenessandinnovativeness (Fairbank&Williams,2001).However, thesalesperformancecriticallyenrichesorganizationalprofitanddependedonsalesperson'swork efficiency (Farr&Tippins,2010).Furthermore,researchershaveobservedthepositiverelationships decades ago between sales performance and salesperson's personality within unlike perspectives anddimensions(e.g., Warr,Bartram,&Martin,2005;Furnham&Fudge,2008;Verbeke,Dietz, &Verwaal,2011;Yang,Kim,&McFarland,2011;Sitser,vanderLinden,&Born,2013;Waheed, Yang,&Webber,2017).…”

Innovation performance in service companies and KIBS vis-à-vis manufacturing: the relevance of absorptive capacity and openness

“…T h e a r r i v a l o f In f o r m a t i o n a n d Communication Technologies seems to be the turning point of this backdrop (Nardelli, 2015), in which services were no longer seen merely as "laggards" or "passive recipients" of technology arising mainly from the manufacturing industry, but as nuclear, i.e., as the engine of the new knowledge-based economy (Gallouj & Savona, 2009). Recent studies confirm that not only are services more innovative than we imagined (Castro et al, 2011) but, in some fields, they are more innovative than the manufacturing industry average (Cáceres & Guzmán, 2014;Gallego, Gutiérrez, & Taborda, 2015; Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2005a), having a crucial and multivariate role in the current economy as providers, users, precursors and intermediaries in the innovation process (Battisti et al, 2015;Czarnitzski & Spielkamp, 2003).…”

Changes in CRM Approach

“…Grönroos (1994) named this phenomenon relationship marketing, where the focal point is the customer, especially in services. Nardelli (2015) tried to present the relationship between ICT (information and communication technology) and innovation in services. In this line of reasoning, the implementation of relationship marketing principles has already been implemented in some extent with the help of technology-based CRM (Customer relationship management) applications (Chen and Popovich, 2003).…”