The implementation of Customer Oriented Inter-Organizational Systems: an investigation from the sponsor's perspective

Computer based systems that link an organization with its customers are becoming common, and are often considered to be competitively important. Success of customer oriented inter-organizational systems relies on adoption of these systems by customers. Hence, implementation presents a crucial stage in the development of these systems. Factors associated with adoption of these systems by customers were identified from the literature on innovation and on inter-organizational systems. The study then investigated adoption factors by collecting data on nine systems and linking adoption factors with varying adoption rates. Marketing of the system and technological awareness of customers were found to have the strongest influence on adoption by customers. Areas for further research and implications for practice are identified.