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The use of information technology (IT) in the logistics area is growing all over the world and so is the number of third party logistics providers. In this article a specific case of interrelation between the uses of IT at the third party logistics service providers (3PLs) in Singapore is highlighted. Information collected through a randomly selected sample of 3PLs indicates that more and more service providers are either planning to incorporate IT in their operations or are benefiting from their use. Towards this end, the providers are acquiring new knowledge, skills and technologies. The survey results showed that respondents are also concerned about their investments in IT as they feel that with rapidly changing technology, their equipment, skill and processes could become obsolete before any tangible benefits could be derived from them. The providers indicate that financial justification is another key barrier to full‐scale IT implementation. These constraints hinder the implementation of strategic IT projects, which require significant investments. Therefore, a package program for skill development and equipment incentive could be initiated for 3PLs in Singapore.

This study aims propose an innovative notion of the advanced technology based on the expectation theory and the emotion theory for a case study of the context-aware service system applied to the exhibition service sector.

To evaluate the feasibility of the notion of the advanced technology and the context awareness, the authors have collected and analyzed the data from three stakeholders through the real field applications of the mExhibition service system.

The evaluation results show that customers fairly enjoyed and were satisfied different exhibition customer experience journeys.

The originality of this paper is: facilitation of exquisite customer experience delivery via the advanced technology as evidenced by the mExhibition service system; exhibition service innovation through mExhibition; embodied value co-creation within the exhibition technology and mExhibition service system; and mExhibition commerce realization.

Decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs) are internet-native self-governing enterprises where individual groups, communities, agencies, consumers and providers work together using blockchain-led smart contracts (SCs). This study aims to examine the role of DAO marketplaces in technology-led autonomous organisation design for enterprise technology sourcing industries, with algorithmic trust and governance.

The authors examined the importance of an enterprise marketplace governance platform for technology sourcing using DAO as a decentralised/democratised business model. A total of 98 DAO products/services are evaluated across 11 industries that envisage DAO as a strategic choice for the governance of decentralised marketplace platforms.

The research findings validate how a DAO-led enterprise marketplace governance platform can create a cohesive collaboration between consumers (enterprises) and providers (solution vendors) in a disintermediated way. The proposed novel layered solution for an autonomous governance-led enterprise marketplace promises algorithmic trust-led, self-governed tactical alternatives to a strategic plan.

The research targets multiple industry outlooks to understand decentralised autonomous marketplace governance and develop the theoretical foundation for research and extensive corporate suitability.

The research underpinnings boost the entrepreneurs’ ability to realise the practical potential of DAO between multiple parties using SCs and tokenise the entire product and service offerings over immutable ledger technologies.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is unique and the first of its kind to study the multi-industry role of algorithmic trust and governance in enterprise technology sourcing marketplaces driven by 98 decentralised and consensus-based DAO products across 11 industries.

This study evaluated the enhancement of information sharing practices with third party logistics service providers (3PLs) in a supply chain solutions company that provides transport and warehousing software in Johannesburg, South Africa.

A mixed methods case study was conducted to investigate the problem. Both strands of quantitative and qualitative data were given equal priority. Three rounds of primary data were sequentially collected, analysed and triangulated. An online questionnaire was distributed to a sampling frame of seventeen companies which were randomly selected from the population. Three company executives were purposively sampled to participate in a focus group interview. Data from an open-ended questionnaire were used to explain and validate the findings from clients and executives who participated in the two preceding rounds of data collection.

It was found that information sharing improves the collaboration of channel members, increases competitive advantage and ultimately leads to better customer service. The improvement of relationships and continuous technological upgrades are recommended for improving visibility of information and effectiveness in the management of supply chains.

This study is limited by the characteristics of the case study methodology. Case study research suffers from restricted generalisability, problems with cross-checking and the risk of bias and subjectivity. This implies that the results of this case study may not be generalised to the overall population. The selection of a mixed methods design was intended to curb the limitations that are inherent to this study.

This study was limited to a few respondents and participants, which raises concerns about both the statistical power and the generalisability of the results. However, the results provide useful insights into some of the information sharing practices in the industry.

The value of the study contributes to the supply chain's dependence on 3PLs for value creation and the reliance on technology to share information amongst channel members. This study highlights a need for organisations to build collaborative relationships with 3PLs and continuously update technological infrastructure in order to meet supply chain network goals.

The purpose of this paper is to review the development of the empirical literature on international outsourcing of information technology services (ITS) over the 1992‐2007 period and to identify future research areas.

A sample of 78 empirical academic publications on international outsourcing of ITS conducted between 1992 and 2007 across 46 scholarly journals constitutes the main data for analytical purposes. The sample is compiled following extensive electronic searches of the main academic databases. After clustering the studies in the sample according to their main research areas, a narrative approach is used to review developments in each cluster and to identify emerging research areas.

Four main areas of research are identified, namely outsourcing decision, outsourcing management (OSM), outsourcing outcome and the role of offshore service providers (OSPs). The review suggests that research efforts to date have been predominantly on outsourcing decision and OSM, mostly from the perspective of clients. Future research opportunities exist in the areas of outsourcing strategy and performance, the behaviour and performance of OSPs particularly within the context of firms from less‐developed countries competing globally, and the nature of competition among OSPs both within and among countries.

This is the first review which focuses on empirical studies of outsourcing for ITS. This paper identifies several gaps in the literature and points to the need for more research on outsourcing from the perspective of OSPs.

The cold supply chain industry is still emerging and digital transformation is in the nascent stage in this industry. This paper argues that there are various barriers to implementing blockchain technology in the cold supply chain and aims to develop and validate a model for overcoming key barriers to implementing blockchain technology in the cold supply chain.

The adoption of blockchain technology was proposed through interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and further it is validated using structural equation modeling (SEM).

In this study, ten key barriers to implementing blockchain technology in the cold supply chain were identified, modelled and analysed. Poor leadership style of top management was found to be the most important barriers to implementing blockchain technology in the cold supply chain. The results of SEM indicate that all the paths are supported. The findings showcase the barriers responsible for the lack of blockchain technology infrastructure that ultimately impacts the cold supply chains.

This study highlights the fact that the fate of blockchain technology infrastructure development depends on the leadership style of top management. Demonstrating good leadership style by top management can help overcome the barriers. A good leader pulls the entire team instead of pushing the team. A good leader can guide the entire team to improve IT governance, financial investment, digital footprint, digital readiness, skills and collaboration with service providers to implement blockchain technology. Not only that, a good leader provides mental strength to the team and helps overcome the fear of implementing blockchain in the cold supply chain. A good leader demonstrates good administrative skills and focus on security and privacy policies.

This is a novel contribution towards analysing the key barriers to implementing blockchain technology in the South African cold supply chain using the integrated ISM–MICMAC and SEM approach.

How do knowledge-intensive technology-based offshore information technology service providers (ITSPs) in developing countries sustain their innovation and remain competitive? The purpose of this paper is to answer this question by drawing from the knowledge-based view of firm innovation to argue that organisational collectivism (COLL) plays a crucial role in influencing the effects of knowledge-based capabilities on innovation of ITSPs.

The study develops a model which shows that learning mediates the effects of knowledge sharing on innovation and that COLL moderates the effects of knowledge sharing on both innovation and learning. A moderated-mediation model is tested using structural equation modelling techniques and data (n=388) from a survey of ITSPs in the Philippines.

The results show that knowledge sharing capability is positively related to innovation and that organisational learning capability fully mediates the effects of knowledge sharing on innovation. Moreover, COLL is found to significantly and positively moderate the effects of knowledge sharing on both organisational learning and innovation. The results indicate that organisational learning serves as the mechanism that transforms knowledge into innovation, but this effect is contingent on COLL of ITSPs.

The findings suggest that ITSPs from developing countries can look beyond costly investments in research and development activities to invigorate their innovative capabilities. ITSPs can focus on the development of their intangible assets such as COLL to enhance the effects of knowledge-based resources on innovation for sustaining their competitiveness.

The moderated-mediation analytical approach to assessing the joint effects of knowledge sharing, organisational learning and collectivism on innovation is novel. The significant effects of the moderator suggest that the mediation mechanisms might differ depending on the levels of development of COLL in the organisation.

Internet of things (IoT) and big data (BD) could change how the societies function. This paper explores the role of IoT and BD and their impact on customer relationship management (CRM) investments in modern customer service. The purpose of this paper is to develop an analytic hierarchy planning framework to establish criteria weights and to develop a general self-assessment model for determining the most important factors influencing the IoT and BD investment in CRM. The authors found that most studies have focused on conceptualizing the impact of IoT without BD and with limited empirical studies and analytical models. This paper sheds further light on the topic by presenting both IoT and BD aspects of future CRM.

The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) methodology is used to weight and prioritize the factors influencing the IoT and BD investment in modern CRM in the service industry. The AHP framework resulted in a ranking of 21 sustainability sub-factors based on evaluations by experienced information technology and customer service professionals.

The paper provides significant insight on the new frontier of CRM, focusing on the use of IoT and BD and the respective solutions to address them were identified. This study primarily contributes in providing the process of effectively managing and implementing IoT and BD in big businesses by identifying the connecting link between firms and customers.

The understanding of new frontier of CRM connective via IoT and BD can solve the dilemmas and challenges linked to the practice of implement IoT and BD in the information systems field. The study provides valuable information and critical analysis of IoT and BD with regard to the integration of CRM. Finally, this study further provides directions for future researchers.

IoT and BD are a growing phenomenon, which business decision-makers and information professionals need to consider seriously to properly ascertain the modern CRM dimensions in the digital economies. They also should embrace the proper CRM innovation, which is powered by IoT and BD, and discover how IoT and BD can bring the next level of maturity to CRM “CRM of everything.”

The purpose of this paper is to summarize the literature of electronic government frameworks and models to identify various constructs and their relationship to measure the performance of e-government projects.

In total, 77 publications were identified from Scopus database after using exclusion and inclusion criteria. A total of 136 constructs were mapped across five categories. Further using network science, communities of usage of these constructs across different studies were identified.

Dominant constructs used across studies were ease of use, usefulness, user satisfaction, infrastructure, website maturity, security, user trust, transparency, empowerment, operational efficiency, service quality and information quality. This review offers directions for future research in terms of potential for constructs, which have been explored lesser in the existing literature.

The study provides direction for the usage of theoretical lenses, constructs and association among usage for the evaluation of e-government projects, which have been used less in existing literature, and thus, has higher needs for greater exploration. Search scope is limited to Scopus database, which is one of the largest citation database.

It gives information to the policymakers about the importance of the dominant constructs such as user satisfaction, usefulness, ease of use, efficiency and quality, which have been used across the spectrum of studies of e-government performance assessment frameworks and models. Practitioners need to accommodate the relevance of these factors while designing processes and key performance indicators.

This study analyzes the e-government assessment frameworks and gives direction to theory building for future studies.

The aim of this paper is to identify promoting and restraining factors of a novel mobile service in the pedestrian safety area.

This paper uses the case study methodology that focus on analyzing a specific case of mobile safety services in depth. A case study is especially suitable for an emerging case, such as pedestrian safety, where the aim is to identify relevant influencing factors of the particular case and not to generalize the findings. To gather data for case study analysis, several expert interviews were performed. Because they provided a large volume of data, the Service, Technology, Organization, and Finance business model framework was used as a way of structuring the analysis.

The main restraining factors are end-user value proposition, battery life, accuracy of GPS positioning and the revenue model. However, the service could improve traffic safety considerably and it should be introduced first locally in places, where many accidents take place. There is a great interest on driver data, which could be the main advantage for this service in the future. Integration to navigation products would complement the service significantly.

Current traffic safety-related literature covers mainly technical issues, and there are only few papers related to business model issues on that particular service. Observations of the various factors affecting the related evolution at an early phase of the life-cycle support further service design process.