Assessing the Value of Emerging Technologies: The Case of Mobile Technologies to Enhance Business-To-Business Applications

In this paper, we propose a two-step framework to advance our knowledge of how to identify and evaluate opportunities presented by emerging information technologies (IT). As a first step, we match the features and limits of the IT innovation with the requirements of the application areas in question, typically on the business process level. As a second step, we sketch out guidelines to evaluate these windows of opportunity in a quantitative way. To further explain the framework and showcase its applicability, we provide a proof-of-concept case study, reporting on the application of wireless technologies to enhance an electronic procurement application at Motorola, Inc. Judith Gebauer, Michael J. Shaw, Kexin Zhao