Small Business, Big Data: An Assessment Tool for (Big) Data Analytics Capabilities in SMEs

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference Abstract/Poster in proceedingAcademic

Abstract

Though firms are investing a lot in big data analytics (BDA), it is not well-understood how this creates business value. Prior research identified important dimensions of BDA capabilities (BDACs) of large organizations, but these capabilities are also relevant for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in order to sustain and improve their competitiveness. However, due to major differences between large and small organizations, BDAC dimensions are not directly transferrable to SMEs. Therefore, this research aims to develop a framework to assess BDACs of SMEs. A preliminary assessment framework is developed from a systematic literature review that in a later stage is validated by semi-structured interviews with BDA experts. The interviews are also used to customize and augment the framework for SMEs. Our findings indicate that whereas many BDACs dimensions are relevant for both large and small organizations, SMEs should devote attention to non-technical aspects of BDACs as well. Specifically, regarding the knowledge and resource constraints of SMEs, they require more outsourcing and external collaborations for developing BDACs. Our framework contributes to the research on digital transformation of SMEs in general, and specifically, to the assessment of their BDACs. The paper’s practical implication lies in its usefulness for SMEs to successfully develop BDACs and to survive today’s competitive environment.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationAcademy of Management Annual Meeting Procedings
PublisherAcademy of Management
Volume2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019
Event79th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management: Understanding the Inclusive Organization - Boston, United States
Duration: 9 Aug 201913 Aug 2019
Conference number: 79
https://aom.org/events/annual-meeting/past-annual-meetings/2019-understanding-the-inclusive-organization

Conference

Conference79th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management
Abbreviated titleAOM 2019
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityBoston
Period9/08/1913/08/19
Internet address

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