eBRF 2004
How do companies succeed in the knowledge society – in the environment that has been revolutionized by information and communication technology? How have companies changed and how should they change?
The fourth eBRF, held at Tampere Hall during September 20-22, gathered almost 200 participants from 19 countries to discuss these questions and listen to the presentations discussing current business phenomena.
The keynote speakers of this year’s conference offered different views on topical business challenges and success factors. The conference was opened by professor Evert Gummesson (Stockholm University School of Business) who analyzed marketing challenges in the new network economy and highlighted the balance between human interaction and the use of ICT.
Professor Ron Sanchez (Copenhagen Business School) discussed in his address, why some companies struggle with growing internal complexity, while others are able to configure electronically mediated value chains that enable them to access resources and respond to market opportunities around the world in real time. Sanchez suggested that the reason behind this is a superior understanding of the essential architectures (or system structures).
Professor Takeru Ohe (Waseda University, Tokyo) brought up the theme, which every entrepreneur and manager faces daily: the use of assumptions and estimates in management. Ohe reminded that even the best baseball players miss 70 % of the pitches and encouraged the audience to accept the misses and use assumptions in a systematic manner.
Besides the keynote presentations, the conference program consisted of presentations selected by an international board of experts. A record amount of 149 research abstracts were submitted to the conference and 80 were accepted for presentation. The research presentations discussed for example consumer’s attitudes and trust towards electronic services, impulse purchasing on the Internet, revenue generation models in digital television, and knowledge capital investments as a resource for growth. All presentations will be gathered into the conference publication Frontiers of e-Business Research (FeBR).
Director Jerry P. Miller (Competitive Intelligence Center, Simmons College, Boston) and chief executive officer V Srinivasan (ICICI Infotech Ltd, New York) held the final keynotes of the conference. Miller discussed the importance of business knowledge, its acquisition and use to gain competitive advantage. Srinivasan gave an interesting case example of the electronization of public administration in India.
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