Search

Information Systems (IS) interoperability in Public Administration (PA) is a main goal and a major challenge for PA professionals. Achieving interoperability among IS that are technologically disparate and that exist in different organizational contexts is a complex task, being affected by multiple aspects, not yet satisfactorily known and characterized. The aim of this paper is to unveil the forces that influence IS interoperability initiatives in PA. The inquiry was inspired by Lewin's Field Theory. The data generation process was based on a Delphi study involving 55 experts from PA, IS/IT industry, and academy. A set of 31 forces were identified and ranked based on the level of importance they assume in IS interoperability initiatives. Thirty eight propositions describing restraining and driving influences were also formulated, as well as 24 propositions about forces' configuration in the current context of Portuguese PA that represent the specific constellation of forces acting in IS interoperability initiatives in that country. The results of this study provide an understanding of the complex of forces acting in IS interoperability, contributing to improve the study, management, and implementation of these initiatives and, consequently, to the establishment of a PA with more adequate, sustained, and sustainable levels of interoperability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, radio frequency identification (RFID) is being explored as a technology to be used in supply chain management. The use of RFID in the supply chain is an emerging technology that has attracted a lot of attention in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Major retailers in various continents have given mandates to their suppliers to adopt the technology in order to continue business with them. As a result, there appears to be a shift in power dependency in the supply chain. This has had an impact on how the suppliers adopt RFID to embrace the mandates. The impact is likely to have a long term effect on current business models. Our study into the existing literature reveals three tiers of the effects of mandates. The effects are best examined by separating out the suppliers into two groups: suppliers adopting the technology under the mandates and suppliers not affected by the mandates and adopted a wait-and-see tactic. Moore's Technology Adoption Life Cycle is used to highlight the chasm between these groups and the early adopters. The objectives of this paper are: (1) to show managers the effects RFID/SC may have on their business models, and (2) to identify possible research areas within the RFID field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]