As Information Technologies (IT) play a growingly strategic role in several industries, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) adopt IT solutions to trigger Digital Innovation supporting their processes and improving their products and services. SMEs' scarce resources and inadequate IT competencies forces them to demand support from IT suppliers in the IT adoption and Digital Innovation journey, however, little attention was paid to the business models and strategies of IT suppliers in the academic and professional literature, and SMEs find it difficult to assess and select IT suppliers that best responds to their needs and aims. This study's goal is to provide a detailed picture of the IT Sales Channel and its players in the European market. A classification framework is proposed and eleven different business models are identified. The study leverages multiple case studies relying on semi-standardized interviews with Chief Executive Officers and Marketing Managers of leading European IT suppliers.

Disclosing the role of IT Suppliers as Digital Innovation enablers for SMEs: a strategy analysis of the European IT Sales Channel

GHEZZI, ANTONIO;BALOCCO, RAFFAELLO
2016-01-01

Abstract

As Information Technologies (IT) play a growingly strategic role in several industries, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) adopt IT solutions to trigger Digital Innovation supporting their processes and improving their products and services. SMEs' scarce resources and inadequate IT competencies forces them to demand support from IT suppliers in the IT adoption and Digital Innovation journey, however, little attention was paid to the business models and strategies of IT suppliers in the academic and professional literature, and SMEs find it difficult to assess and select IT suppliers that best responds to their needs and aims. This study's goal is to provide a detailed picture of the IT Sales Channel and its players in the European market. A classification framework is proposed and eleven different business models are identified. The study leverages multiple case studies relying on semi-standardized interviews with Chief Executive Officers and Marketing Managers of leading European IT suppliers.
2016
Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences
978-076955670-3
Business model; Digital innovation enabler; IT channel; SME
File in questo prodotto:
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11311/1006004
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 1
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 0
social impact