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Motivated by both practical importance and lack of academic research, this article examines empirically the relationships among interfirm IT integration, intrafirm IT integration, lean/JIT practices, and lead-time performance using data from Industry Week's Census of Manufacturers (Industry Week, 2006)

The results provide several new insights on the relationship between IT integration and lean/JIT practices. First, the study confirms that implementing lean/JIT practices significantly reduces lead time. Second, lean/JIT practices mediate the influence of IT integration on lead-time performance.

This suggests that process improvements that result from lean/JIT practices are important contributors to the success of IT integration. Even companies that have experienced success in reducing lead time through lean/JIT practices may benefit from IT integration practices such as those embodied in enterprise resource planning systems. The findings provide managers with empirical evidence and a theoretical framework on the balance between lean/JIT and IT for effecting improvement in lead-time performance, thus offering practical guidance on this important question. Future research is needed to extend the lean/JIT practices in this study to supply chain practices and explore the relationship between supply chain practices and IT integration.

Impact of Information Technology on the Financial Performance of Diversified Firms

Diversification may increase economic benefits through more efficient utilization of business resources across multiple markets. However, the benefits of these scope economies are often not realized due to costs of coordinating resources in multiple markets.

Intra-organizational Influences in Procurement Networks Controls: The Impacts of Information Technology

Inter-organizational relations between buyers and suppliers that comprise the procurement network and intra-organizational relations among actors within buyer organizations in particular the fluidity of inter-organizational control mixes, contrasting with prevailing notions of 'fit' between control mechanisms and a given transactional setting.

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* Contributed by: -
Pankaj Kumar,
Batch of 2006-2008,
National Institute of Industrial Engineering, Mumbai.