A typology of net-enabled organisational capabilities for digital competitive advantage: the case study of travel and hospitality industry in China

  • Authors:

  • Zhen Zhu;Jing Zhao;Xin Jin

  • Affiliations:

  • Center for International Cooperation in E-Business, School of Economics and Management, China University of Geosciences, Lumo Road 388#, Wuhan 430074, China;Center for International Cooperation in E-Business, School of Economics and Management, China University of Geosciences, Lumo Road 388#, Wuhan 430074, China;Wuhan ZXHZ Network Technology Co., Ltd., Wuhan 430070, China

  • Venue:
  • International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations
  • Year:
  • 2013

Quantified Score

Hi-index 0.00

Visualization

Abstract

Electronic business e-business is evolving from its technological tool towards a strategic role, and supporting new business strategies. Prior studies explained e-business value creation from net-enabled organisational capability NEOC perspective, and delivered many insights at firm level with individual-level analysis. In this paper, we posit that digital competitive advantage will be dependent upon the deployment of multiple types of NEOCs and their appropriate portfolio. Further, we use Wade and Hulland's 2004 capabilities taxonomies and multiple case-based data in the Chinese travel and hospitality industry to understand the effect of multiple types of NEOCs on competitive advantage. Research finds a series of key NEOCs in four cases firms for understanding why these travel and hospitality firms can achieve successful e-business operations. Our research suggests that firms need to maintain capability portfolios of outside-in capabilities, spanning capabilities, and inside-out capabilities for gaining a specific business purpose instead of only focusing on certain IT capability.