A number of recent studies have suggested that for small businesses to maximise the benefits and minimise difficulties when adopting electronic commerce, they should be involved in some form of strategic alliance (network) with other small firms. This study compares the benefits gained and the difficulties encountered by SMEs that were part of a strategic alliance and those that were not. The r...

Regulators are sometimes prevented from setting standards on a firm-by-firm basis. Such restrictions seem inefficient, and rationales for their prevalance have been in terms of politics or fairness. While the requirement that regulation be uniform does not allow the agency to commit to future standards, it does mean that what is required from one firm must be required from them all. Regulated f...

We analyze the strategic interactions among end-users and between end-users and a hacker. We show that security efforts by end users are strategic substitutes. This explains the inertia among end-users in taking precautions even in the face of grave potential consequences. Next, we analyze the direct and indirect effects of changes in user fixing cost and the rate of enforcement against hacking...

BACKGROUND Prior literature identified the use of Performance Measurement Systems (PMS) as crucial in addressing improved processes of care. Moreover, a strategic use of PMS has been found to enhance quality, compared to non-strategic use, although a clear understanding of this linkage is still to be achieved. This paper deals with the test of direct and indirect models related to the link betw...