Hoskin would visit nearly a dozen different Canadian homes, moving about Ontario and Quebec before arriving in the "more cultured, more civilised" Vancouver. He became a Canadian citizen and continued to create books, each one more absurd than the last. Rampa allegedly flew as an air ambulance pilot in World War II, evaded capture and torture, and fled a prison camp near Hiroshima on the day the bomb was dropped. In Vancouver, Hoskin stayed in a West End hotel. According to his secretary's self-published memoir, he liked the waterfront vistas but found Vancouver difficult to navigate. He couldn't recreate The Third Eye's success; it had been difficult to find a home that could accommodate his cats, and health difficulties required the use of a wheelchair in an inhospitable metropolis. Hoskin became more reclusive as his writings expanded to include aliens, prophecies about future conflicts, and previously unreported escapades of Christ. Hoskin moved again, this ti...
Integration and flexibility are crucial elements of an effective IT infrastructure. Both constructs encompass various dimensions, illustrating the complex nature of organizational IT artifacts. Nevertheless, the connection between these two concepts has been a subject of debate in IS research, and the findings have not yielded definitive conclusions. A group of researchers has proposed that IT infrastructure flexibility can be viewed as a multi-dimensional concept, with IT infrastructure integration being one of its dimensions (Byrd and Turner 2000; Byrd and Davidson 2003). Byrd and Turner (2000) found that IT managers believe that a cohesive IT platform enhances the adaptability of the IT infrastructure. Their research indicates that the connectivity and compatibility of IT infrastructure are indicators of the level of infrastructure integration. Connectivity is the ability of technology components to seamlessly attach to one another, both within and outside the organization.
Compatibility, on the other hand, refers to the ability to effortlessly share any type of information across different technology components.
Some other researchers have acknowledged the difference and occasionally the opposite connection between the two concepts. According to Allen and Boyton (1991), in their early research on centralized and decentralized IT environments, they propose that an integrated environment is optimal for efficiency, while a decentralized architecture is best for fostering flexibility. Duncan (1995) documents the worries expressed by certain IS executives regarding the adverse effects of IT infrastructure integration on the IT department. The function's ability to adapt to business needs. As Duncan highlights, certain organizations are able to achieve system integration by utilizing custom-designed and implemented system components. In a highly interconnected environment, numerous system and business processes can be incorporated into a centralized system, resulting in potential ripple effects across all processes when any changes are made. Crowe (1992) also recognizes the potential conflicts that can arise from the combination of integration and flexibility. He cautions companies against prioritizing the integration of manufacturing systems at the expense of their ability to adapt to product changes. Crowe (1992) discusses the challenge manufacturing units may encounter when attempting to achieve integration through the use of inflexible information interfaces, which he refers to as "hard integration." Within organizations, the integration of application systems can lead to significant maintenance expenses and a lack of adaptability when faced with changes (Markus 2000).
The differences between the two constructs are more noticeable in interorganizational systems.
Research and personal experiences have demonstrated that when two companies are connected through EDI, which involves a specialized technological platform and rigid business processes, they may struggle to adjust to evolving business landscapes. Pre-defined transaction sets support EDI transactions. The structures, contents, and sequences of the transaction sets are determined through agreements made between the participating businesses. The transaction sets are carefully crafted to cater to the specific business scenarios between the pair of transaction partners. EDI allows for close linkages with trading partners, which can greatly enhance the responsiveness of the supply chain. However, business transformations like the discontinuation of outdated products, the launch of new products, the exploration of new markets, a When there is an increase in demand or a shift in customer preferences, it becomes necessary to quickly adjust or discard specific parameters in EDI transaction sets. However, due to the interdependencies among the sets, implementing changes is not a simple task and requires replacing the entire transaction sets. The previous approach will provide enhanced IT capabilities.More flexibility than the previous option. Therefore, it is important to recognize that integration and flexibility are two separate aspects of SC IT that should not be interchangeable. While the main objective of this study does not involve unraveling the connections between the two concepts, it is crucial for us to grasp various perspectives and the underlying causes of differing opinions. The purpose of the discussion is to provide a clear understanding of the two IT infrastructure properties, allowing the rest of the study to focus on their unique contributions to supply chain performance.
Establishing a cohesive IT infrastructure within a supply chain necessitates the collaboration of various components.
As the use of standards becomes more prevalent, numerous studies have emphasized the need for harmonization between different aspects of IT infrastructure (Dietrich et al. 2007; Langdon 2006; Saraf et al. 2007; White et al. 2005). This group of researchers recognizes the importance of integration and flexibility, but they argue that the relationship between the two should no longer be seen as inverse. As an illustration, Saraf et al. (2007) discovered that the level of IS integration is positively influenced by the flexibility of IS implemented between two firms. After studying the supply chain management practices in IBM's integrated supply chain division, White (2005) concludes that supply chain firms have the ability to integrate their information systems while still maintaining flexibility to adapt to new market conditions. Several cutting-edge information systems and technologies have surfaced in recent years, enabling companies to seamlessly incorporate technological capabilities while maintaining a robust technological foundation.Whether integration and flexibility share the same technological properties and deserve the same conceptualization largely depends on the underlying assumptions of how integration is achieved. My research suggests that integration can be accomplished through the use of modular and standard technology components, or by combining unique components, as seen in the early days of EDI.
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