Complementary Assets and Value Creation Beyond Information Technology Investments

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Complementary Assets and Value Creation Beyond Information Technology

Investments
Article · June 2020

DOI: 10.5121/ijmvsc.2020.11202
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International Journal of Managing Value and Supply Chains (IJMVSC) Vol. 11, No. 2, June 2020
COMPLEMENTARY ASSETS AND VALUE

CREATION BEYOND INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS
Godfred Yaw Koi-Akrofi
Department of IT Studies, University of Professional Studies, Accra
ABSTRACT
This work was aimed at analyzing the relationships between some selected complementary assets
(independent variables) and some specified benefits/value creation (dependent variables), beyond
Information Technology (IT) investments in an organizational setting. The purpose was to determine
significant complementary assets that impact greatly on value creation beyond IT investments.With 175
questionnaires sent to IT project and program managers of companies in the Telecom industry in Ghana,
and analyzed,the following findings were revealed: for value creation beyond IT investments to be
achieved, the staff must be computer literate, there must be the availability of experts and firms around to
help in resolving IT problems quickly and timely that crop up, and the staff must be empowered to be
innovative with IT. Again, the results showed that most of the complementary assets employed in this
work, tend to favor benefits of Improved staff morale and Improved business processes. Also, one of the
strongest positive relationships was found to exist between “supportive organizational culture that
values efficiency and effectiveness” as predictor variable and “service/product quality” as response
variable.
KEYWORDS
Complementary assets, information technology, value creation, investments, intangible and tangible
assets
1. INTRODUCTION
The relationship between information technology (IT) investment and value creation in
organizations has been an important topic in MIS research for years. LinA, Bou-Wen [1] noted
that information technology (IT) has become an unavoidable, essential component of firm
capacity and something from which to gain a sustainable competitive advantage. LinA[1]
continued to determine that the empirical results of the relationship between IT capability and
firm performance are still equivocal, regardless of the above statement.This confusion is due to
research results that are inconsistent or conflicting, and this has contributed to the ambiguity in
justifying IT spending by IT managers.
Studies on the relationships between IT investment and organizational performance and

productivity (or value creation) revealed, in some cases, positive and notable effects of such
investment(Barua, Kriebel, &Mulhopadhyay [2]; Brynjolfsson&Hitt [3]; Kaplan, Krishnanm,
Padman, & Peters [4]; Lehr & Lichtenberg [5]; Mahmood& Mann [6]; Rai, Patnayakuni,
&Patnayakuni [7]), while in other cases, studies have revealed no noteworthy relationship
(Berndt & Morrison [8]; Koski [9]; Strassman [10]; Strassman [11]). Some reasons have been
given to these contradictory results; some researchers attribute it to inadequate data and flawed
methodology (Brynjolfsson [12]; Sircar, Turnbow, &Bordoloi [13]). YiHua and Mykytyn [14]
DOI:10.5121/ijmvsc.2020.11202 17
also giving their view on the same subject mentioned that handling IT investment as a black
box without looking further at what is going on inside the box could be an even bigger cause.
It is based on this that researchers like Koi-Akrofi and Koi-Akrofi [15] tried to expand the
discussion to cover the pre-IT investment activities, the IT investment itself, the conversion
effectiveness, and the gap between the investments and the yields of the investments. It was
revealed that all these factors mentioned contribute immensely to value creation. Conversion
effectiveness has the following components: top management commitment, previous firm
experience with IT, user satisfaction with IT systems and tools, Power and politics of the firm,
and culture of the firm regarding IT [15]. These factors, they maintained that when emphasized
positively can result in IT investments producing fantastic gains. Severalofthe aforementioned
items constitute what we call complementary assets.
Teece [16] defined complementary assets as those assets required to derive value from a
primary investment (as cited in Laudon and Laudon [17]). It is worth noting that some work has
already been done in the area of complementary assets aiding IT investments to create
significant values, however, quite old; Researchers (Brynjolfsson [18]; Brynjolfsson&Hitt [19];
Davern& Kauffman [20]; Laudon [21]) revealed that firms that support their technology
investments with investments in complementary assets, such as new business models, new
business processes, management behavior, organizational culture, or training, receive greater
returns, whereas those firms failing to make these complementary investments receive less or
no returns on their information technology investments. This work takes a different approach
by answering the question “what benefit/value is created from which complementary asset?”
The general objective of the study,therefore, was to contribute to the general body of
knowledge and research work in complementary assets and value creation beyond information
technology investments. To achieve this objective, the research was targeted at analyzing the
relationships between specific complementary assets and selected benefits (Increased Revenue,
enhanced competitive advantage, improved staff morale, improved decision making, improved
business processes, and improved product/service quality) of IT investments.
1.1. The Research Problem
Indisputably, IT has and continues to play a major role in the operations of businesses all over
the world to achieve expected outputs/results or goals. This undisputed fact, though difficult to
ascertain theoretically, is what has been pushing managers of businesses to continue to invest in
IT. Ahmad and Arshad [22] revealed that huge IT investments are made in organizations
worldwide due to the notion or belief that these investments produce productivity and
values/benefits which may be intangible. Theoretically, researchers have tried over the years to
quantify or determine the benefits of IT investments in terms of productivity and profitability.
In achieving this, many frameworks, models, and approaches have been employed by
researchers over the years.
The main approaches are to determine performance from a direct investment in IT or

performance from IT investments through mediating factors (organizational capabilities)
(Liang, T-P., You, J-J., & Liu, C-C. [23]; Dehning, B., & Richardson, V. J. [24]). In the former
approach, results have not been straightforward, evidenced by the productivity paradox
(opposing views or positions of researchers on productivity when it comes to value creation
after IT investments), and opposing profitability outcomes. To ensure benefits realization
(tangible and intangible) beyond IT investments, some researchers [18-21] have suggested
investments in complementary assets, for which they argue that value creation is only achieved
when commensurable investments are made in complementary assets alongside the Information
Technology investments. This is in line with the later approach of performance from IT
investments through mediating factors (organizational capabilities) which has been proven to
yield results [23, 24].
18
This study intends to analyze the relationships between complementary assets as was proposed
by Laudon and Laudon [17], as independent variables and some specified benefits (tangible and
intangible) as was proposed by Ahmad and Arshad [22], as dependent variables, to establish
significant variables within a framework for value creation beyond IT investments.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Complementary Assets
IT investments alone cannot make organizations and managers achieve fantastic results in terms
of profitability and productivity unless they are accompanied by supportive values, structures,
and behavior patterns in the organization and other complementary assets [17]. Laudon and
Laudon [17] continued to say that before business firms can reap the advantages of new
information technologies, they need to change how they do business; some firms fail/refuse to
adopt the right business model that suits the new technology or seek to maintain an old business
model that is driven by new technology.
Complementary assets are those assets required to derive value from a primary investment [25].
In this instance, IT investment is a primary investment. Research on business information
technology investment shows that firms that support their technology investments with
investments in complementary assets, such as new business models, new business processes,
management behavior, organizational culture, or training, obtain receive splendid/superb
returns, while those firms failing to make these complementary investments receive less or no
returns on their information technology investments [18, 20, 21, 26]
In explaining the significance of this concept, this question can be asked: what is the essence or
benefit of investing so much in computers in an organization, without training the staff how to
use a computer? The net effect will be that the intended benefit that motivated the investment in
the first place will never be achieved. This is because the staff will not use it. The investment
will become a “white elephant”. This is the concept behind complementary assets. They are
complementary because we see them as helping the IT investments to achieve what they are
intended to achieve.
According to Laudon and Laudon [17], Complementary assets are grouped into three aspects:
 Organizational investments: This has to do with the following:

o Supportive organizational culture that values efficiency and effectiveness
o Appropriate business model
o Efficient business processes
o Decentralized authority
o Distributed decision-making rights
o Strong IS development team
 Managerial Investments: This has to do with the following:

o Strong senior management support for technology investment and change
o Incentives for management innovation
o Teamwork and collaborative work environments
o Training programs to enhance management decision skills
o Management culture that values flexibility and knowledge-based decision making.
 Social Investments: This has to do with the following:

o The Internet and telecommunications infrastructure
19
o IT-enriched educational programs raising labor force computer literacy
o Standards (both government and private sector)
o Laws and regulations creating fair, stable market environments
o Technology and service firms in adjacent markets to assist implementation
Investing in the above alongside IT will yield good returns as against investing in IT alone.
This is the whole concept of complementary assets and IT investments in creating
organizational value. This whole concept of complementary assets investments alongside IT
investments came because of the productivity paradox which has been a standing issue in
literature. The current research drive is towards maximizing value creation from IT investments
using complementary assets.
Examples of the application of this concept in organizations are as follows:
 Investing heavily in IT infrastructure and training the users as well. The two activities
should be done at the same time so that the systems will not wait for the people to be
ready. Immediately the systems are ready, the users should also be ready to use them
for value realization.
 Investing heavily in local area networks and enterprise systems and not giving internet
access to staff. For the systems to be used effectively, the staff need internet access.
 Investing heavily in IT without business processes in place. This will mean that though
what is needed to ensure that the processes work is in place, the processes themselves
are not in place. This allows or permits the wrong use of the IT systems.
 Investing heavily in IT without IT policy in place. Staff will use the systems anyhow,
posing security concerns, and so on, and that will not bring productivity to the business
Organizations make a big mistake in investing so much in IT and forget all other things that are
closely related to the investment. Universities spend so much money to buy and install MIS
systems for the registry, students, and faculty for academic work, but they find it difficult to
invest money in the training of administrative and faculty staff to enable them to use the system
efficiently. At the end of the day, they do not use it, and in most cases return to the manual way
of doing things. This problem persists in almost all institutions. Complementary assets
investment is key to realizing the full benefits of IT investments.
3. MATERIALS AND METHODS

3.1. Introduction
This portion documents the research design and methods, research format,
Techniques/Tools/Approaches/Instrumentation/Devices, data collection methods, and
Population and Sampling Procedures. This chapter specifically answers the “how?” and “why?”
these methods, procedures, techniques, and formats are employed. It also describes the
proposed solution strategy/approach or method and expected results.
The main issue at stake for this research work can be summarized into one research question:
do complementary assets contribute positively to value creation in organizations beyond IT
investments? This work uses the methods, procedures, techniques, and formats it employs to
analyze the relationships between complementary assets and benefits beyond IT investments.
20
3.2. Research Design and Method
This research adopts both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The quantitative approach is
employed because it involves the systematic empirical investigation of social phenomena via
statistical, mathematical, or computational techniques. The objective of quantitative research is
to develop and employ mathematical models, theories, and/or hypotheses about phenomena,
which forms part of the scope of this work. A qualitative approach is also employed because
this work seeks systematic empirical inquiry into meaning [27]. By systematic he means-
planned, ordered, and public, following rules agreed upon by members of the qualitative
research community. By empirical, means that this type of inquiry is grounded in the world of
experience. Inquiry into meaning says researchers try to understand how others make sense of
their experience. Qualitative research seeks out the “why”, not the “how” of its topic through
the analysis of unstructured information – things like interview transcripts, open-ended survey
responses, emails, notes, feedback forms, photos, and videos. It does not just rely on statistics
or numbers, which are the domain of quantitative researchers. Qualitative research is used to
gain insight into people's attitudes, behaviors, value systems, concerns, motivations, aspirations,
culture, or lifestyles; some of which are employed in this study. It is used to inform business
decisions, policy formation, communication, and research. Focus groups, in-depth interviews,
content analysis, ethnography, evaluation, and semiotics are among the many formal
approaches that are used, but qualitative research also involves the analysis of any unstructured
material, including customer feedback forms, reports, or media clips.
Apart from the questionnaire administration, IT, few strategic/top, tactical, and operational
managers of the organizations concerned wereinterviewedindividually and in groups to give
their candid views concerning the subject matter. The information that was gathered from these
interviews and discussions formed the basis for the qualitative aspect of the study,that is, the
formulation of the conceptual framework and the various parameters/measures which formed
the basis for the theoretical framework and subsequentlythequantitative analysis.
Quantitatively, the data gathered from the questionnaires are coded into a 5 category Likert
scale that is analyzed using statistical models and tests and interpreted. Quantitative studies are
used to test hypotheses to support the generalizations from the qualitative study, estimate
parameter coefficients, and determine the significance of parameters and models. The
theoretical framework derived from the conceptual framework based on inputs from IT
managers, top executives, tactical and operational managers of the Telecom industry in Ghana,
especially in the area of determination of metrics for the complementary assets, is shown in
figure 1 below:
21
COMPLEMENTARY ASSETS (LAUDON & LAUDON, 2012) METRICS OF COMPLEMENTARY ASSETS
ORGANIZATIONAL
METRICS DERIVED FROM FOCUS INTERVIEWS
INVESTMENTS(OI)
Success Rate of SIT(system integration test). Should

Strong IS be > 99%
development
team Success Rate of UAT(user acceptance test). Should
be >90%
Efficient business Speed of delivery

processes and appropriate
model
Customer feedback
Supportive organizational
Minimal internal customer complaints
culture that values
efficiency and effectiveness
Awareness of the processes and products
Decentralized authority and Speed in decision-making

distributed decision-making
rights
BENEFITS OF IT
INVESTMENTS (BITI):
MANAGERIAL
TANGIBLE AND INVESTMENTS(MI)
INTANGIBLE- Funding
· Increased Revenue Strong senior management
support for technology
· Enhanced investment and change Materials and HR provision
Competitive
Rewards
Advantage Incentives for management
innovation
· Improved staff morale Deliver on time, quality, according to specifications
and less changes
· Improved Business Team work and
collaborative environments
Process Frequency and quality of Training
· Improved Decision Training programs to

Staff Innovation
enhance management
Making decision skills
· Improved Product/ Motivated staff
Service quality Management culture that

values flexibility and
knowledge-based decision
making
(Ahmad & Arshad, 2014)
SOCIAL INVESTMENTS
(SI)
Internet and Telecommunications Access to the internet and use of infrastructure

Infrastructure
Frequent training in IT resulting in the ability of staff
IT-Enriched educational programs to resolve first-line maintenance issues
raising labor force computer literacy
Issues with government agencies and private sector
responsible for standardization
Standards(Government and Private
sector)
Surcharge or issues with regulatory bodies
Laws and regulation creating fair,

stable market environments Availability of vendors, manufacturers, and suppliers
Technology and service firms in

adjacent markets to assist
implementation
Figure 1: Theoretical Framework
Source: Author
We use the ordinal regression model as employed in SPSS because the data, especially the fact
that the data of the dependent variable are of the ordinal type, and the independent variables are
also ordinal and categorical, which are considered in SPSS as factors. Continuous independent
variables are also considered in SPSS as covariate variables.
The general model is as follows:
22
Taking the dependent variable BITI as in figure 1, we have
Ln (ϴj/ 1-ϴj) = ß0j -ß1 R1-ß2 R2 -ß3 R3-…- ß14 R14………eqn. i
The function on the left-hand side of the equation is termed the logit function. ßn (where n is
from 1 to 14) is the coefficient of an independent variable. Each logit has its ß0j term but the
same coefficient ß. That means that the effect of the independent variable is the same for
different logit functions.
3.3. Research Format
The research format is predominantly exploratory and causal. Exploratory, because experience
survey as a method under exploratory was employed. For experience surveys, experienced IT
managers, as well as the top, tactical, and operational managers,wereinterviewed individually
on the subject matter. This approach considers every experienced person in the company to
ensure fair evaluation of issues, rather than only executives who may conceal a lot of
information; it is a broad-based approach. An executive survey was employed because the
study was interested in primary data only.
Again, it is a causal study because the study was interested in finding relationships as is
demonstrated by the model above. Here we are looking at the concomitant variation—the
degree to which a presumed cause (e.g. OIDP-Strong Information System development team)
and a presumed effect (BITI) occur together or vary together. This is where the hypothesis
comes in. If the stated hypothesis was that there is a positive relationship between OIDP and
BITI, and it turns out to be false at the end of the day, after hypothesis testing, then the
hypothesis is not supported.
3.4. Techniques/Tools/Approaches/Instrumentation/Devices
The 5 categoryLikert scale was used for the questionnaire administration. This is an ordered
scale with code 1 representing strongly agree, 2 agree, 3 neutral, 4 disagree, and 5 strongly
disagree. This goes for both dependent and independent variables, where applicable. Likert
scale data is an ordinal data type that requires non-parametric tests and non-parametric
regression methods. The median is also used instead of the mean as a measure of central
tendency. There are two schools of thought as to the treatment of Likert scale data. Some
researchers [28, 29, 30] are of the view that Likert scale data is an ordinal data, and that using
the 5 category scale employed in this study as an example, the difference between consecutive
categories, even though is one, and hence satisfying the equidistance condition for an interval
scale data type, is still ordinal. They argue that the difference between “agree” and “strongly
agree” is not the same as between “strongly disagree” and “disagree”, and for that matter, the
equidistance property is of no use. To these researchers, only non-parametric tests (chi-squared,
Spearman’s Rho, or the Mann–Whitney U-test, Kruskal-Wallis test: a non-parametric
alternative to ANOVA) and non-parametric regression analysis (ordinal regression, local-
polynomial regression, kernel estimation, and smoothing splines) are applicable. To other
researchers [31, 32] this is not so. They consider Likert scale data as having both ordinal and
interval characteristics. They also argue that an assumption of equidistance can be made,
especially with the 5 category Likert scale where the middle number 3 represents neutral.
They continue to argue that with a large sample size (over a hundred), and well spread to cover
a majority area of the population, with different categories of respondents, the data assumes a
normal distribution where all the measures of central tendency (mode, median, and mean)
appear to merge at the middle; in other words, skewness assumes that of the Gaussian or
normal distribution, and parametric tests such as the Pearson correlation, and ANOVA analysis
23
can be employed. Again, they argue that in this instance the mean can be used instead of the
median. Another assumption they make is the number of categories of the Likert scale; the
higher the number of categories (more than 3) for the dependent variable/s, the more outcomes
become accurate with the usage of parametric tests and methods.
In this study, the author sides with the view that Likert scale data, especially for dependent
variables, have ordinal characteristics, and hence should be analyzed using non-parametric tests
and methods. The parametric analysis will therefore not be used for this study. The regression
model above has been modeled based on the ordinal regression model which is non-parametric.
SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) is employed to run the statistics (both
descriptive and inferential). A Non-parametric analysis is interested in the following: Spearman
rank correlation coefficient, parameter estimates, Strength of Association-Pseudo R Square:
Cox and Snell R2, Nagelkerke’s R2, McFadden’s R2, overall fitting test, and parameter
significance. Descriptive statistics such as the mean, standard error, median, mode, standard
deviation, sample variance, kurtosis, and skewness are also estimated, even though it is only the
median which is used. Inferential statistics are used to test hypotheses stated, that is, to
generalize observations made with samples to the larger population from which they were
selected. The most significant parameters are then compared for the model to see which one has
the greatest impact on the dependent variable. The result is the formulation of a model using
these significant parameters. The focus of the study, however,was to determine these significant
parameters, and not to find a fitting model per se.
Reliability (the extent to which a questionnaire, test, observation, or any measurement

procedure produces the same results on repeated trials) analysis is done to ensure whether the
questions in the questionnaire can be relied upon for good analysis or not. This is essential as
the outcome of this work was also to find the significant complementary assets that help create
value beyond IT investments.
3.5. Data Collection Methods
This study used or employed primary data for its analysis. No secondary data was used. All the
information was gathered from face to face interviews and questionnaire administration. Using
the 5 category Likert Scale, several questions were asked for the dependent variables (BITI); 6
in all as shown in the theoretical framework (Figure 1).
For the independent variables (14 in all), they are all considered as categorical (factors). There
are no continuous (covariates) variables. The ordinal type of independent variables still follows
the 5 category Likert scale where answers/responses to these questions were coded from 1 to 5,
which is from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree”, analyzed in SPSS, and then interpreted.
3.6. Population and Sampling Procedures
The service sector in Ghana was used as the population for this study. The service sector
includes the following: the telecommunications companies, the banking and non-banking
financial houses, hospitals, utility services, and so on. The telecommunications industry
was,however, the only one considered as a case for this study. This industry was chosen from
the lot in the service sector because it uses or employs IT more in its operations than the others.
IT investments are huge in this industry, and so dealing with it would present an interesting
scenario in terms of the data collection, interviews, results/outcomes, and so on. All the telcos
have their headquarters in Accra, and most of their operations are in Accra, and so Accra was
chosen as the location for the survey. A probability sampling (random sampling) method was
employed.
24
3.6.1. Surveys
Selected IT project managers/ IT managers and IT professionals for the case industry were
employed for the face to face and focus interview sessions. The main aim was to target
experienced and knowledgeable professionals in the IT space to interview on the subject matter.
For the questionnaire administration, one hundred and seventy-five (175) questionnaires were,
however, sent to IT managers, IT project managers, IT program managers, and all stakeholders
in the IT project space of the targeted industry. The Telecommunications industry in Ghana has
5 active companies namely MTN, VODAFONE, TIGO, AIRTEL, and GLOBACOM. Thirty-
five questionnaires were sent to each of them summing up to one hundred and seventy-five.
3.6.2. Sample Size Calculation
An approximate number of sixty-four (64) employees in the IT project space (IT managers, IT
professionals, IT project managers, IT program managers, and so on) for one of the Telcos was
used as a standard sampling unit for the 5 sampling frame. In effect, the approximate target
population was estimated to be (64*5) which is three hundred and twenty (320). For a common
choice of 5% margin error, and a standard choice of 95% confidence level, which gives a Z
score of 1.96, and a sample proportion of 50% typical of a first time survey, a sample size of
one hundred and seventy-five (175) was realized. This was the sample size employed for the
study. The formula used for the calculation of the sample size is as follows:
Z2 *P (1-P)
n=
1+ ((Z2 * P (1-P))/ e2 N)
Where N=POPULATION=320, Z score= 1.96, P=sample proportion=50%=0.5, e=error

margin=5%=0.05
4. RESULTS
4.1. Introduction
The telecommunications industry was used as a case for the study. In Ghana, the major
telecommunications companies are MTN, VODAFONE, TIGO, AIRTEL, and GLO. The
metrics for the complementary assets were developed during an initial survey engaging 8 IT
project and program managers from the 5 Telcos in Ghana. The questionnaire for the thesis
work was then developed. The questionnaire consists of 4 parts: personal information,
Information about the organization related to IT projects of which the answers are of the
dichotomous type (yes or no), IT investment benefits( the dependent variables), and the
complementary assets (independent variables).
Thirty-five (35) questionnaires were sent to each of the above Telcos, and the people targeted
were IT project stakeholders, especially, IT project and program managers. In all 175
questionnaires were administered, but only 125 were retrieved from all the Telcos; 50 were not
retrievable. This was due to the tight schedules of the respondents, among other things. Out of
the 125 respondents, 123 people answered the question of the number of years worked in the
organization, and the output shows that about 77.2% of them have worked in their
organizations from between 0-9 years. 13% have worked between 10-14 years and the minority
9.8%, beyond 14 years. This gives a fairly balanced statistics and helps to balance responses on
issues, rather than the possibility of a skewed response when all of them were to be in a
particular range. For the number of years in a management role, about 94.6% of them fall
between 0-9 years and the remaining, beyond 10 years. This also shows that all the respondents
25
have some managerial experience. This is good as appropriate responses are assured, for,
especially the managerial related questions. The distribution for the number of years in the IT
role is also balanced as about 75.2% of the respondents fall between 0-9 years and the
remaining, beyond 10 years. Again, this helps in the responses, as all the respondents have
requisite IT knowledge to understand the subject matter.
4.2. Descriptive Statistics of the Initial Dichotomous Questions
Looking at the output, about 96% of the respondents responded in the affirmative that their
organizations have recognized IT departments. The measures of central tendency (mean, mode
and median) all converge at 1 or point to one (YES=1, NO=2 in SPSS), and so we can
confidently conclude that all the Telcos under consideration in this research work have
recognized IT departments. This is good news, as IT is seen as an integral part of the operations
of the Telcos and not just a support function. To add to this success story, about 86.1% of the
respondents also said that their organizations have a project management office (PMO) in place
purposely for delivering IT projects. This means that for all the Telcos, there is a centralized
unit for delivering projects of the business as against pockets of project offices scattered in the
organization in the various departments. PMO ensures accountability and properly tracking of
projects as against the common feature of corruption with the other one. IT projects are
different in many respects from other forms of projects, and so it is good to know that for the
Telcos in Ghana, there are dedicated IT project managers and IT program managers purposely
for delivering IT projects. This is evidenced by the fact that about 83% and 84 % of the
respondents responded in the affirmative that IT program managers and IT project managers
respectively are purposely assigned for delivering IT projects. When it came to justifying IT
projects before they are delivered, about 95% of them responded in the affirmative. This means
that for the Telcos in Ghana, IT projects are not just done, but that anticipated benefits are
determined beforehand to establish their economic viability, as well as intangible benefits, and
so on before they are delivered. Again, the results show that the Telcos are doing things right in
terms of methodology. About 89.3% of the respondents said their organizations employ
standard methodology to deploy IT projects. Without further analysis, we can confidently place
the Telcos in Ghana between levels 3 to 5 of the capability maturity model (CMM). On reliance
on external IT expertise to deliver IT projects, about 77% of the respondents said their
companies rely on external IT expertise to deliver IT projects. This is the downside for the
Telcos, as it is obvious or clear that the Telcos lack the requisite expertise when it comes to IT
project delivery. This shows that the IT projects are delivered all right, but much of the salient
work is done by outside expertise. It was also revealed from the results or output that there is a
coordinated way of generating IT projects against ad-hoc means. 80% of the respondents
affirmed that. This means that projects are not done anyhow but follow a rigorous process of
selection before they are done. This ensures that IT projects are aligned with the organization's
objectives and goals to ensure optimal benefits. The respondents also established the fact that
their organizations can measure both tangible benefits (89 % alluded to that fact), and
intangible benefits (81% alluded to that fact). This is a good development, especially the
intangible benefits because it is widely known that intangible benefits are difficult to measure;
and this will help IT, managers, to push for more IT projects when the need arises.
4.3. Analysis of the IT Benefits (BITI) Questions
Table 1 below shows a summary of the output of the respondents of the benefits of IT
investments.
26
Table 1: BITI output summary
QUESTION % (STRONGLY % NEUTRAL % (DISAGREE +

AGREE + AGREE) STRONGLY
DISAGREE)
IT investments/projects 93.4 5 1.6
bring about increased
revenue overtime
IT investments/projects 96.7 1.7 1.7
bring about enhanced
competitive advantage
overtime
IT investments bring 87.6 9.9 2.5
about improved staff
morale overtime
IT investments bring 94.2 5 0.8
about improved business
processes overtime
about improved decision-
making overtime
about improved
product/service quality
overtime
From Table 1 above, it is clear that at least 85% of all the respondents agree that IT investments
result in increased revenue, enhanced competitive advantage, improved staff morale, improved
business processes, improved decision making, and improved product/service quality overtime.
The benefit “staff morale” recorded the least percentage of respondents (87.6%) in the six
benefits employed in this work.
Enhanced competitive advantage and improved product/service quality overtime recorded the
highest (96.7%). This implies that the respondents see IT investments as having more impact on
these two benefits than the others. The results in the table also show that the respondents are so
sure of the positive benefits of IT investments. The percentages of the respondents who
disagreed are so small that they cannot be used to make any case to the effect that IT
investments do not yield benefits for organizations.
4.4. Ordinal Regression
Employing ordinal regression using SPSS PLUM analysis comes with several assumptions that
must be considered. First, the dependent variable should be measured at the ordinal level.
Examples of ordinal variables include Likert items (e.g., a 5-point scale from "strongly agree"
through to "strongly disagree". In our case, this assumption is satisfied, as the dependent
variables, BITI1 to BITI6 are all fashioned in the 5-point Likert-scale. Secondly, the
independent variables must be continuous, ordinal, or categorical (including dichotomous
variables). However, ordinal independent variables must be treated as being either continuous
or categorical. They cannot be treated as ordinal variables when running an ordinal logistic
regression in SPSS Statistics. In SPSS, Ordinal or Categorical independent variables are treated
as factors and continuous independent variables are treated as covariates. In this example, there
are no continuous independent variables; we only have factors that are either ordinal or
categorical. There are 14 independent variables (OIDT, OIBM, OIOC, OIAD, MIMS, MIIM,
MITC, MITP, MIMC, SIIT, SIIE, SISD, SILR, SITS). Other assumptions come to play while
running the PLUM (Polytomous Universal Model) procedure. A typical one has to do with the
27
type of link function to use. To choose a link function, it is helpful to examine the distribution
of values for the outcome or dependent variable. This can be achieved by running a histogram
for say BITI1. The decision as to the type of link function to use will depend on the distribution
of the outcomes of the various categories in the variable. The link function is a transformation
of the cumulative probabilities of the dependent ordered variable that allows for the estimation
of the model.
In SPSS, five-link functions are available, these link functions are as follows:
1. Logit function: Logit function is the default function in SPSS for ordinal regression. This
function is usually used when the dependent ordinal variable has equal category.
Mathematically, logit function equals to f(x) = log (x / (1 – x)).
2. Probit model: This is the inverse standard normal cumulative distribution function. This
function is more suitable when a dependent variable is normally distributed.
3. Negative log-log f(x) = -log (- log(x)): This link function is recommended when the
probability of the lower category is high.
4. Complementary log-log f(x) = log (- log (1 – x)): This function is inverse of the negative
log-log function, it is recommended when the probability of higher category is high.
5. Cauchit. F(x) = tan (p (x – 0.5)): This link function is used when the extreme values are
present in the data.
Logit and Probit are most used in ordinal regression, in most cases, a model is fitted with both
functions, and the function with the better fit is chosen. However, probit assumes a normal
distribution of the probability of the categories of the dependent variable whenlogit assumes the
log distribution. Thus, the difference between logit and probit is typically seen in small
samples.
Another important assumption as far as ordinal regression is concerned is the test for parallel
lines. This assumption says that when you fit an ordinal regression you assume that the
relationships between the independent variables and the logits are the same for all the logits.
That means that the results are a set of parallel lines or planes—one for each category of the
outcome variable. Parallel lines have the same slope, and so in effect, we are saying that all the
logits have the same slope (the effect of the independent variable is the same for different logit
functions).
The dependent variables (Benefits of IT investment) used or under consideration here are
defined as follows: BITI1 (Increased Revenue), BITI2 (Enhanced Competitive Advantage),
BITI3 (Improved Staff Morale), BITI4 (Improved Business Processes), BITI5 (Improved
Decision Making), and BITI6 (Improved product/service quality).
The independent variables which are all defined as factors in SPSS and also represent
complementary assets, are as follows: OIDP (strong information system development team),
OIBM (efficient business processes and appropriate model), OIOC (supportive organizational
culture that values efficiency and effectiveness), OIAD (decentralized authority and distributed
decision making rights), MIMS (strong senior management support for technology investments
and change), MIIM (incentives for management and innovation), MITC (teamwork and
collaborative environments), MITP (training programs to enhance management decision skills),
MIMC (management culture that values flexibility and knowledge-based decision making),
SIIT (internet and telecommunications infrastructure), SIIE (IT-enriched educational programs
raising labor force computer literacy), SISD (standards-government and private sector), SILR
(laws and regulation creating fair, stable market environments), and SITS (technology and
service firms in adjacent markets to assist in implementation). OIDP, OIBM, OIOC, and OIAD
represent complementary assets resulting from organizational investments (OI), MIMS, MIIM,
28
MITC, MITP, and MIMC represent complementary assets resulting from managerial
investments (MI), and SIIE, SISD, SILR, and SITS represent complementary assets resulting
from social investments (SI). The independent variables outlined above are 14 in number, and
so the main aim is to run the PLUM procedure for each dependent variable (6 in all) against the
14 independent variables. The purpose, as has been established already in chapter one, is to
analyze the relationships between the above-mentioned complementary assets and the benefits
of IT investments.
4.5. Reliability Testing
Before questionnaires were sent out and administered, overall reliability testing was conducted
on the independent variables. Cronbach’s alpha method was used for the test. The result of 0.7
and above implied an acceptable level of internal reliability. Nunnally [108] had indicated 0.7
to be an acceptable reliability coefficient. Table 2 below shows the SPSS reliability testing
output.
Table 2: Overall reliability testing output
Cronbach's
Alpha No. of Items
.808 14
Referencing Table 2, it can be said that the overall Cronbach’s alpha for the independent
variables was above the threshold (0.7), indicating acceptable levels of internal reliability.
Thus, question items defined were well related and aggregated to give a common view about
the subject matter.
4.6. PLUM Analysis
To determine the type of link function to use, we analyze the histogram output of BITI1 to
BITI6 from SPSS. The decision as to the type of link function to use will depend on the
distribution of the outcomes of the various categories in the variable. Studying the outputs of
the distributions of BITI1 to BITI6, the Logit function to use for the PLUM procedure shuffles
between the negative log-log function and the Probit function since the response distributions in
one breath looks like one with higher probabilities of a lower category and in other breath looks
like a normal distribution. We, therefore, run PLUM for each dependent variable using these
two link functions and choose the one with a better fit. The 5-pointLikert-scale used in this
research work is from 1 as strongly agree to 5 as strongly disagree. The lower categories are 1
and 2, and the higher categories, 4 and 5.
Appendix A, Table A1 shows the summary of the PLUM output with BITI1 to BITI6 as
dependent variables and the 14 independent variables: OIDT, OIBM, OIOC, OIAD, MIMS,
MIIM, MITC, MITP, MIMC, SIIT, SIIE, SISD, SILR, and SITS. Each of the dependent
variables is run with the 14 independent variables separately, so in all, we have 6 PLUM
outputs.
From Appendix A, Table A1, with BITI1 as the dependent variable, even though there was a
good fit with Pearson statistic (P=0.137) and Deviance statistic (p=1), we realize that the model
fitting information (p=0.277>0.05) makes the whole model not appropriate for predictors
(independent variables) to have any significant impact on the response variable BITI1. No
wonder there were no significant predictors recorded. This means that even though respondents
believe that BITI1 (increased revenue) is a benefit resulting from IT investments, the results
show that none of the complementary assets (independent variables) have a significant impact
29
on it. It is only SITS (technology and service firms in adjacent markets to assist in
implementation) which came close to significance with p=0.066.
For BITI2 (Enhanced Competitive Advantage) as a dependent variable, the model fitting
information has p=0.000, which means predictors have a significant impact on BITI2, and this
is true with three independent variables (OIAD, MIMC, and SITS) showing significance. With
a positive estimate value of 4.109 for MIMC=3, we say that as MIMC increases, so does the
possibility/probability of being in one of the higher categories. OIAD=1, OIAD=2, OIAD=3,
SITS=1, and SITS=3 are all related with BITI2 negatively, and hence as they (OIAD=1,
OIAD=2, OIAD=3, SITS=1, and SITS=3 ) increase, the probability of being in one of the
higher categories decrease or in other words, the probability of being in the lower categories
increase. In summary, OIAD (decentralized authority and distributed decision-making rights),
MIMC (management culture that values flexibility and knowledge-based decision making), and
SITS (technology and service firms in adjacent markets to assist in implementation) have a
significant impact on BITI2 (Enhanced Competitive Advantage).
For BITI3 (Improved Staff Morale) as a dependent variable, the model fitting information has
p=0.000, which means predictors have a significant impact on BITI3, and this is true with five
independent variables (MITP, MIMC, SIIE, SILR, and SITS) showing significance. Except for
SITS=1 with a negative estimate value of -1.841, the rest ( MITP=1, MITP=2, MITP=3,
MIMC=4, SIIE=1, SIIE=2, SIIE=3, SIIE=4, and SILR=1) have positive estimate values, and
this means that as they (MITP=1, MITP=2, MITP=3, MIMC=4, SIIE=1, SIIE=2, SIIE=3,
SIIE=4, and SILR=1) increase, so does the possibility/probability of being in one of the higher
categories. In summary, MITP (training programs to enhance management decision skills),
MIMC (management culture that values flexibility and knowledge-based decision making),
SIIE (IT-enriched educational programs raising labor force computer literacy), SILR (laws and
regulation creating fair, stable market environments), and SITS (technology and service firms
in adjacent markets to assist in implementation) have significant impact on BITI3 (Improved
Staff Morale).
For BITI4 (Improved Business Processes), the goodness-of-fit is not certain as Pearson=0.000
and Deviance=1, but the model fitting information p=0.000 suggests that predictors have a
significant impact on the response variable BITI4. This is evidenced by the output with four
significant independent variables (MIMS, MIIM, MITP, and SITS). Except for MIIM=1 which
is negatively related to BITI4, the rest (MIMS, MITP, and SITS) are all positively related to
BITI4. In summary, MIMS (strong senior management support for technology investments and
change), MIIM (incentives for management and innovation), MITP (training programs to
enhance management decision skills), and SITS (technology and service firms in adjacent
markets to assist in implementation) have significant impact on BITI4 (Improved Business
Processes).
For BITI5 (Improved Decision Making) as a dependent variable, the model fitting information
has p=0.000, which means predictors have a significant impact on BITI5, and this is true with
two independent variables (OIAD and SIIE) showing significance. OIAD has a negative
estimate value of -3.004 and SIIE=1, SIIE=2, and SIIE=3 have positive estimates, and this
means that as they (SIIE=1, SIIE=2, and SIIE=3) increase, so does the possibility/probability of
being in one of the higher categories. In summary, OIAD (decentralized authority and
distributed decision-making rights) and SIIE (IT-enriched educational programs raising labor
force computer literacy) have a significant impact on BITI5 (Improved Decision Making).
For BITI6 (Improved product/service quality) as a dependent variable, the model fitting
information has p=0.011, which means predictors have a significant impact on BITI6, and this
is true with three independent variables (OIOC, OIAD, and SIIE) showing significance.
OIAD=2, SIIE=1, SIIE=2, and SIIE=3 have negative estimate values and the rest (OIOC=1,
30
OIOC=2, OIOC=3, and OIOC=4) have positive estimate values, and this means that as
OIOC=1, OIOC=2, OIOC=3, and OIOC=4 increase, so does the possibility/probability of being
in one of the higher categories. In summary, OIOC (supportive organizational culture that
values efficiency and effectiveness), OIAD (decentralized authority and distributed decision-
making rights) and SIIE (IT-enriched educational programs raising labor force computer
literacy) have a significant impact on BITI6 (Improved product/service quality).
5. CONCLUSION
5.1. Conclusion from Regression Output
From the findings of the study, and in answering the research objective 3, the framework below
was developed. The name of the framework is IT-Complementary Assets Investments Benefits
(ICAIB) framework. The ICAIB framework summarizes the study and points clearly to the
complementary assets required to complement or aid IT investments to produce specific
benefits, particularly in the telecommunications industry. The ICAIB framework is shown in
figure 2 below:
MANAGEMENT
DECENTRALIZED CULTURE THAT
AUTHORITY AND STRONG SENIOR TRAINING
INCENTIVES FOR VALUES
DISTRIBUTED MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS TO
MANAGEMENT AND FLEXIBILITY AND
DECISION MAKING SUPPORT FOR ENHANCE
INNOVATION KNOWLEDGE-
RIGHTS TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT
BASED DECISION
DECISION SKILLS
MAKING
IMPROVED IT-ENRICHED
IMPROVED ENHANCED IMPROVED
PRODUCT/ IMPROVED EDUCATIONAL
DECISION COMPETITIVE BUSINESS
SERVICE STAFF MORALE PROGRAMS RAISING
MAKING ADVANTAGE PROCESS LABOR FORCE
QUALITY
MANAGEMENT
SUPPORTIVE TECHNOLOGY AND LAWS AND
CULTURE THAT
ORGANIZATIONAL IT-ENRICHED SERVICE FIRMS IN REGULATION
VALUES
CULTURE THAT EDUCATIONAL ADJACENT CREATING FAIR,
FLEXIBILITY AND
VALUES PROGRAMS RAISING MARKETS TO STABLE MARKET
KNOWLEDGE-
EFFICIENCY AND LABOR FORCE ASSIST IN ENVIRONMENTS
BASED DECISION
EFFECTIVENESS IMPLEMENTATION
MAKING
Figure 2: IT-Complementary Assets Investments Benefits (ICAIB) framework.
Note: Circle: Benefits of IT investments
Rectangle: Complementary Assets
Source: Author
31
From the conceptual framework (see Figure 1), we realize that IT investments can take the form
of office automation systems (OAS), transactional processing systems (TPS), management
information systems (MIS), decision support systems (DSS), and Executive Support Systems
(ESS). Again, these systems can be for strategic, support, or operational purposes, spanning
from the top executive level to the ordinary person in the organization. The complementary
assets are matched to the benefits based on the findings of the study. From Figure 2 above, we
realize that among the six benefits of IT investments, only “increased revenue” did not appear
(did not have any complementary asset leading or pointing to it). This means that increased
revenue is not dependent on any of the 14 complementary assets employed in this study.
Enhanced competitive advantage as a benefit depends on three complementary assets:

decentralized authority and distributed decision-making rights, Management culture that values
flexibility and knowledge-based decision making, and Technology and service firms in adjacent
markets to assist in implementation. Decentralized authority simply means reposing some level
or form of authority in every staff to enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and reduce bureaucracy.
Distributed decision-making rights foster innovation and again reduces bureaucracy.
Management culture that values flexibility and knowledge-based decision making is a culture
that is not rigid, but at the same time employs knowledge-based systems, where a store or a
repository of expert knowledge with connections and linkages designed to facilitate its retrieval
in response to specific queries, or to transfer expertise from one domain of knowledge to
another, is incorporated. Technology and service firms in adjacent markets to assist in
implementation has to do with the timely availability of firms to help in any form of
implementation of IT investment delivery. The results of the research are saying that, with these
complementary assets in place, IT investments will result in a competitive advantage for the
organization.
The complementary assets “Training programs to enhance management decision skills”,

“Management culture that values flexibility and knowledge-based decision making”, “IT-
enriched educational programs raising labor force computer literacy”, “Laws and regulation
creating fair, stable market environments”, and “Technology and service firms in adjacent
markets to assist in implementation” are necessary for IT investments to result in “improved
staff morale” as a benefit or created value. This shows clearly that training is very essential to
convert IT investments into improved staff morale as a benefit. From the diagram it is also
realized that improved staff morale has the highest number of complementary assets pointing to
it; five in all.
Incentives for management and innovation as a complementary asset is essential for improved
business processes as a benefit of IT investments. This means that when innovation and good
managerial acumen is rewarded, it can help in improving business processes beyond IT
investments. Strong senior management support for technology investments and change as a
complementary asset is also seen to help result in improved business processes beyond IT
investments. Other complementary assets that help to result in improved business processes are
training programs to enhance management decision skills, technology, and service firms in
adjacent markets to assist in implementation.
Improved decision making as a benefit of IT investments depends on the decentralized

authority and distributed decision-making rights and IT-enriched educational programs raising
labor force computer literacy as complementary assets. This shows that IT investments alone
cannot result in improved decision making and that these two complementary assets must be in
place to achieve that.
With improved product/service quality as a benefit of IT investments, it was realized that

supportive organizational culture that values efficiency and effectiveness, decentralized
32
authority and distributed decision-making rights, and IT-enriched educational programs raising
labor force computer literacy, are the complementary assets that point to it. This implies that for
IT investments to produce improved product/service quality, effectiveness and efficiency
organizational culture, computer literacy, and decentralized authority and distributed decision-
making rights are very essential as a base.
Complementary assets that pointed to most benefits (3 each) are “IT-enriched educational
programs raising labor force computer literacy”, “Technology and service firms in adjacent
markets to assist in implementation”, and “ Decentralized authority and distributed decision-
making rights”. This establishes the fact that IT investments may not produce benefits expected
in organizations if the staff are not computer literate or there are no programs in place to make
them computer literate. IT investments are made for staff to make use of them to affect
operations and management decisions and produce expected outcomes. If they do not have the
requisite skills and knowledge to use these systems, the investments become a waste.
Again, IT investments may not produce the results or benefits expected if there are no
technology and service firms or experts in adjacent markets to help in the implementation of the
IT projects. Technology and service firms/experts in adjacent markets offer quick and ready
solutions to help in the implementation of IT projects and problem resolution, to help
organizations to always deliver seamlessly to achieve optimal results in terms of performance
and value creation.
Also, IT investments may not produce the results or benefits expected if there is not in place
decentralized authority and distributed decision-making rights. Decentralized decision-making
is any process where the decision-making authority is distributed throughout a larger group. It
also implies a higher authority given to lower-level functionaries, executives, and workers
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decentralized_decision-making). Professor Thomas W. Malone
[33] explains that decentralization has three general benefits: encourages motivation and
creativity, allows many minds to work simultaneously on the same problem, and accommodates
flexibility and individualization. This means that with this complementary asset in place,
employees are empowered, work burdens on top executives are relieved to allow them to think
more strategically, emergencies are better prepared for, there is more efficient decision-making,
and there is the ease of expansion. This is a key complementary asset that helps to bring about
value beyond IT investments.
5.2. Managerial Implications
The output of this study can be very beneficial to IT managers taking into consideration the
following:
• Training of staff in IT, resulting in computer literacy results in improved business process
overtime beyond IT investments
• Strong senior management support for technology investment and change results in
improved staff morale overtime beyond IT investments
• Training programs to enhance management decision skills results in improved staff morale
overtime beyond IT investments
• Management culture that values flexibility and knowledge-based decision-making results
in improved staff morale overtime beyond IT investments
• Supportive organizational culture that values efficiency and effectiveness results in
improved product/service quality overtime beyond IT investments
• Efficient business processes and appropriate model results in improved product/service
quality overtime beyond IT investments
33
• Efficient business processes and appropriate model result in increased revenue overtime
beyond IT investments
• Incentives for management and innovation result in increased revenue overtime beyond IT
investments
5.3. Contribution to knowledge
The research topic was finalized after reviewing several research articles/outputs in this area. A
research gap of relationships between complementary assets and benefits of IT investments was
identified. What is prevalent in literature has to do with the need for complementary assets to
help realize benefits from IT investments, but the actual relationships of complementary assets
with benefits of IT investments were missing. Theoretically, therefore, this research work fills
that gap by showing relationships of specific complementary assets with specific benefits of IT
investments.
Methodologically, this work contributes to knowledge in that the metrics used for the
measurement of complementary assets in the questionnaire administration were not picked
from literature but were developed after a focus group interview with IT project and program
managers. This is therefore an addition to the literature for which future researchers can rely on
for their research in this particular area.
Practically, the outcome of this work proposes several ways that IT managers can employ to
ensure the benefits of IT investments. With this work, IT managers do not just assume that
complementary assets are necessary for ensuring the benefits of IT investments, but that there is
an objective proof to that effect.
The conceptual, theoretical, and the IT-Complementary Assets Investments Benefits (ICAIB)
frameworks developed in this work are unique and are analytical tools that can be employed by
IT managers and researchers, in general, to help resolve business problems, as well as advance
research in this particular area.
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APPENDIX A
Summary of PLUM outputin Table A1 below:
35
Table A1:Summary of PLUM output
36
APPENDIX B
Questionnaire
SURVEY QUESTIONS
I would be very grateful if you could spare some of your quality time to fill this questionnaire
for me to aid me in my research work, with the topic “COMPLEMENTARY ASSETS AND
VALUE CREATION BEYOND IT INVESTMENTS”.
A. PERSONAL AND COMPANY INFORMATION
i. Name of organization:……………………………………………………………
ii. Position in the organization:……………………………………….......................
iii. Number of years working in the organization: A. 0-4 B. 5-9 C. 10-14 D. ABOVE
14
iv. Number of years in management role: A. 0-4 B. 5-9 C. 10-14 D. ABOVE 14
v. Number of years in IT role: A. 0-4 B. 5-9 C. 10-14 D. ABOVE 14
vi. Does your organization have a recognized IT department? A. YES B. NO
vii. Does your organization have a project management office (PMO) responsible for
delivering IT projects? A. YES B. NO
viii. Does your organization have a program manager purposely for IT projects?
A. YES B. NO
ix. Does your organization have dedicated IT project managers for delivering IT projects?
A. YES B. NO
x. Does your organization justify every IT project before it is delivered? A. YES B. NO
xi. Does your organization have a standard methodology for delivering IT projects?
A. YES B. NO
xii. Does your organization rely on external IT expertise to deliver IT projects?
A. YES B. NO
xiii. Does your organization have a coordinated way of generating IT projects against ad
hoc means? A. YES B. NO
xiv. Does your organization have the capacity to measure tangible benefits (benefits that are
easy to quantify or measure.E.g. accounting/financial measures such as Return on Investment-
ROI, Net Present Value-NPV, etc.)of IT investments? A. YES B. NO
xv. Does your organization have the capacity to measure intangible benefits (benefits that
are difficult to measure or quantify. E.g. enhanced competitive advantage, improved business
process, etc.)of IT investments? A. YES B. NO
B. MAIN QUESTIONS
BENEFITS OF IT INVESTMENTS (BITI)
A. IT investments/projects bring about increased revenue overtime. This is seen or

realized from the increased sales figures resulting from investments in IT
1. Strongly Agree 2. Agree 3. Neutral 4. Disagree 5. Strongly Disagree
B. IT investments/projects bring about enhanced competitive advantage overtime. This

is seen in how the company leverages IT to produce superior products/services that
are different from competitors and at a competitive price.
37
C. IT investments/projects bring about improved staff morale overtime. This is seen in
how IT helps staff in their daily duties/activities to meet their targets on time and
improve their performance.
D. IT investments/projects result in improved business processes overtime. This is seen in

how processes are automated and computerized.
E. IT investments/projects result in improved decision-making overtime. This is seen in

the use of computer technology to help in decision-making processes.
F. IT investments/projects bring about improved product/service quality overtime. This

is seen in how IT helps to improve products/services periodically to the satisfaction of
customers.
ORGANIZATIONAL INVESTMENT(OI)
A. Strong Information System development team

1. Success rates of System Integration Test (SIT) and User Acceptance Test (UAT) are
between 80% and 100 %
2. Success rates of SIT and UAT are between 60% and 80%
B. Efficient business processes and appropriate model

Rate the speed of delivery of products and services, customer feedback and internal customer
complaints
1. High speed of delivery of products and services, excellent customer feedback and
minimal internal customer complaints
2. Normal speed of delivery of products and services, good customer feedback and normal
internal customer complaints
3. Low speed of delivery of products and services, poor customer feedback and excessive
internal customer complaints
C. Supportive organizational culture that values efficiency and effectiveness

Rate the awareness of the staff concerning the processes and products of the company
1. Excellent
2. Very good
3. Good
4. Average
5. Poor
D. Decentralized authority and distributed decision-making rights

1. Decision making is very fast
2. Decision making is fast
3. Decision making is slow
4. Decision making is very slow
38
MANAGERIAL INVESTMENTS(MI)
A. Strong senior management support for technology investments and change

1. High level of Funding plus ample materials and human resources are provided for IT
projects, and so above 80% of all planned IT projects are executed
2. Appreciable level of Funding plus adequate materials and human resources are provided
for IT projects, and so between 50 % to 80% of all planned IT projects are executed
3. Insignificant level of Funding plus inadequate materials and human resources are
provided for IT projects, and so below 50% of all planned IT projects are executed
B. Incentives for management and innovation

1. There is a reward scheme in place to reward innovation and managerial acumen
2. There is no reward scheme in place to reward innovation and managerial acumen
C. Teamwork and collaborative environments

The rate in terms of the success of IT projects: delivered on time, of high quality, according to
specifications, and with fewer changes:
1. Very successful (all four conditions met)
2. Successful (three conditions met)
3. Less successful (two conditions met)
4. Failure (1 or no condition met)
D. Training programs to enhance management decision skills
Management organizes frequent, high-quality training programs that enhance management

decision skills:
1. Strongly agree
2. Agree
3. Neutral
4. Disagree
5. Strongly disagree
E. Management culture that values flexibility and knowledge-based decision making

Rate the level of motivation and innovation of staff:
1. Very High
2. High
3. Normal
4. Low
5. Very Low
SOCIAL INVESTMENTS(SI)
A. Internet and Telecommunications infrastructure
1. Staff have access to the internet and IT infrastructure 24 hours
2. Staff have access to the internet and IT infrastructure less than 24 hours
B. IT-enriched educational programs raising labor force computer literacy

1. More than 80% of staff can resolve first-line maintenance issues
2. Between 60% and 80% of staff can resolve first-line maintenance issues
39
C. Standards (Government and private sector): E.g. Bank of Ghana for banking
products and telecom products (e.g. mobile money), Standard board for all telecom
and IT equipment, products, etc.
1. No issues with government agencies responsible for standards (products, services,
operations, etc.)
2. Few issues with government agencies responsible for standards (products, services,
operations, etc.)
3. More issues with government agencies responsible for standards (products, services,
operations, etc.)
D. Laws and regulation creating fair, stable market environments:
1. No surcharges or issues with the regulatory body
2. Surcharges and few issues with the regulatory body
3. Surcharges and more issues with the regulatory body
E. Technology and service firms in adjacent markets to assist in implementation

1. Vendors, manufacturers, and suppliers are always difficult to get for an engagement
2. Vendors, manufacturers, and suppliers are sometimes difficult to get for an engagement
3. Vendors, manufacturers, and suppliers are always easy to get for an engagement
4. Vendors, manufacturers, and suppliers are sometimes easy to get for an engagement
Thank You.
AUTHOR
Godfred Yaw Koi-Akrofi is a senior lecturer and HOD for the Information
Technology Studies Department of the University of Professional Studies,
Accra in Ghana. He has Ph.D. in Management- Information Systems
Management (ISM) from Universidad Central de Nicaragua (UCN), MBA in
Management Information Systems (MIS) from University of Ghana Business
School (UGBS), University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana, and Bachelor of Science
(B.Sc.) in Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. Have worked with
multinationals such as British Telecom, AT & T, MCI Communications Corp., Sprint Corporation,
Verizon Communications, Deutsche Telekom, KPN, Orange, Telenor ASA, and so on as a Telecom
engineer/Manager and Interconnect (Technical, Sales and Accounting) Manager with Ghana
Telecom/Vodafone Ghana/Huawei Technologies for over 10 years.I haveTwelve years of experience as a
lecturer in Tertiary education. Have 18 peer-reviewed journal articles, three books, and three conference
papers. Areas of Research are in IT/IS Management, Telecommunications, MIS and the organization,
Organizational Behaviour, and Management, Business Organizational Dynamics, Post-
Merger/Acquisition Dynamics in the Telecoms and IT sectors, Quality Management, IS/IT/Business
Strategy, IT/IS Project Management/ IT Design and Systems Thinking, IT investments and
organizational performance, Complementary assets and value creation beyond IT investments.
40
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Complementary Assets and Value Creation Beyond Information Technology

Article · June 2020

IMPLEMENTING SUCCESSFUL IT PROJECTS View project

Dimensions of mergers and acquisitions in the Telecom Industry View project

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COMPLEMENTARY ASSETS AND VALUE

Department of IT Studies, University of Professional Studies, Accra

Studies on the relationships between IT investment and organizational performance and

1.1. The Research Problem

The main approaches are to determine performance from a direct investment in IT or

 Organizational investments: This has to do with the following:

 Managerial Investments: This has to do with the following:

 Social Investments: This has to do with the following:

Examples of the application of this concept in organizations are as follows:

3. MATERIALS AND METHODS

Success Rate of SIT(system integration test). Should

Efficient business Speed of delivery

Decentralized authority and Speed in decision-making

· Improved Decision Training programs to

Service quality Management culture that

Internet and Telecommunications Access to the internet and use of infrastructure

Laws and regulation creating fair,

Technology and service firms in

Figure 1: Theoretical Framework

The general model is as follows:

Ln (ϴj/ 1-ϴj) = ß0j -ß1 R1-ß2 R2 -ß3 R3-…- ß14 R14………eqn. i

3.3. Research Format

Reliability (the extent to which a questionnaire, test, observation, or any measurement

3.5. Data Collection Methods

3.6. Population and Sampling Procedures

3.6.2. Sample Size Calculation

Where N=POPULATION=320, Z score= 1.96, P=sample proportion=50%=0.5, e=error

4.2. Descriptive Statistics of the Initial Dichotomous Questions

4.3. Analysis of the IT Benefits (BITI) Questions

QUESTION % (STRONGLY % NEUTRAL % (DISAGREE +

4.4. Ordinal Regression

4.5. Reliability Testing

Table 2: Overall reliability testing output

4.6. PLUM Analysis

Figure 2: IT-Complementary Assets Investments Benefits (ICAIB) framework.

Note: Circle: Benefits of IT investments

Rectangle: Complementary Assets

Enhanced competitive advantage as a benefit depends on three complementary assets:

The complementary assets “Training programs to enhance management decision skills”,

Improved decision making as a benefit of IT investments depends on the decentralized

With improved product/service quality as a benefit of IT investments, it was realized that

5.2. Managerial Implications

5.3. Contribution to knowledge

Summary of PLUM outputin Table A1 below:

A. PERSONAL AND COMPANY INFORMATION

BENEFITS OF IT INVESTMENTS (BITI)

A. IT investments/projects bring about increased revenue overtime. This is seen or

B. IT investments/projects bring about enhanced competitive advantage overtime. This

D. IT investments/projects result in improved business processes overtime. This is seen in

E. IT investments/projects result in improved decision-making overtime. This is seen in

F. IT investments/projects bring about improved product/service quality overtime. This

A. Strong Information System development team

B. Efficient business processes and appropriate model