The Relationship Between Expenditures for Information Technology and Organizational Performance : Empirical Evidence From Korean and American Firms

정보기술(情報技術) 지출(支出)이 조직의 경영성과(經營成果)에 미치는 영향(影響) : 한.미(韓.美) 기업(企業)을 대상으로 한 실증연구(實證硏究)

This study examines whether expenditures in information technology (IT) are associated with increases in the Tobin's q ratios a measure of organizational performance. It uses two groups of sample, Korean and American firms that disclose IT expenditures. For the all-firms group of each country, the association between IT expenditures and Tobin's q ratios is positive and statistically significant. But the association varies among industries. For Korean firms, IT expenditures appear to increase Tobin's q ratios for the machine and equipment manufacturing industry group (SIC3-2). IT expenditure ratio of this group as a percent of total sales is highest among the industry groups. For all service industry groups(SIC4&5), the estimated coefficient of IT expenditures is positive but statistically insignificant. For American firms IT expenditures in most of the manufacturing industry groups appear to increase only a little, if at all, for the Tobin's q ratios. But IT expenditures appear to have a greater impact on Tobin's q ratios for all service industries (SIC4-7). For three service industries tested (transportation and telecommunication- SIC4, financial- SIC6, consulting and other service industry- SIC7), the estimated coefficient of IT expenditures is positive and statistically significant. The evidence from both Korean and American firms suggests that IT expenditures in service industries provide a greater impact on an organizational performance than ones in manufacturing industry. To test whether service industries use a competitive strategy utilizing IT as a core competence, the samples ore divided into two groups, service and manufacturing industry. For Korean firms, both IT and R&D expenditures in manufacturing industry are associated with increases in Tobin's q ratios. But for service industry, the estimated coefficient of only IT expenditure is positive. For American firms, the estimated coefficients of both IT and advertising and R&D (ARD) expenditures in manufacturing industry are positive but the coefficient of only ARD is statistically significant. For service industry, the estimated coefficient of only IT expenditure is positive and statistically significant. The evidence may suggest that manufacturing industry uses both R&D and IT strategies to increase a competitive advantage but uses R&D strategy as a core competence. However, service industry uses IT strategy as a core competence to increase a competitive advatage.