The questionnaire developed in this study was aimed at gathering a wide range of data on Russian manufacturing companies, their characteristics and ICT preferences. The questionnaire could be filled by different individuals that were indentified to be members of the IS buying center of a Russian manufacturing enterprise. One target of future work would be to analyze how these various buying center members differ in their perception of information systems. With that knowledge we could identify the needs of these different individuals and to better address these needs.
Another target of future work could be to study the correlation between the characteristics
sample of responses we could better define the relation between the companies’
characteristics and their ICT preferences. In that way we could identify those characteristics that push the company to be in favor of a foreign enterprise system. For instance, it was discovered that those Russian manufacturing companies that have foreign shareholders would select a foreign enterprise system. Table 36 includes more characteristics that were presented in the questionnaire and that could be correlated with ICT preferences of Russian manufacturing companies in future work.
Table 36: Some characteristics of Russian manufacturing companies. = yes, empty cell = no, - = not answered.
Reported value Company characteristics
R1 R2 R3 R4 %
1 We are interested in IPO 50
2 We would like to cooperate with foreign companies 100
3 We would like to attract foreign investors 75
4 We would like to attract domestic investors 100
5 We would like to bring transparency in our business processes 100 6 We would like that the information related to functionality of our
business is always reliable and available in real time 100
7 We are a subsidiary of a domestic holding 0
8 We are a subsidiary of a foreign holding 0
9 We are a purely Russian company working for Russian customers only 50
10 We would like to enter foreign markets - 67
11 We feel strong competition from Russian companies 75
12 We feel strong competition from foreign companies 50
13 We are certified for ISO 25
14 We are not certified for ISO but we would like to get that certificate 50
15 We feel that we do not need ISO certification 0
16 We think that 1C products can fulfill the IT demands of our enterprise 25 17 We think that our current ISs can fulfill our all current IT demands 25 18 We are planning on investing in IT and automation during this year13 25 19 We prefer to invest in organic growth rather than in our IT development - 67
13 In year 2009, during the global financial crisis.
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APPENDIX A: Factors Affecting Foreign Entry Mode Selection
A = indirect and agent or distributor exporting, B = licensing, C = branch or subsidiary exporting, D = equity investment or production, E = service contracts. 1) Commitment to international business. Source: Root (1994)
Affecting factor Favored entry mode
Category Factor Property A B C D E
APPENDIX B: Interview Questions – Russian ICT Vendors and Business Consultants
Theme 1: ICT perception & competence
How do Russian industrial companies perceive ICT systems?
Do they feel them important and useful for their business?
Does the customer understand the role and advantages of ICT in his business?
(1)
Does the customer know what is
CRM systems?
SCM systems?
ERP systems?
Agile manufacturing?
(2)
What kind of systems do your customers use? What do they have before you became their supplier?
(3) Are the systems used by Russian industrial enterprises proved mainly by Russian
vendors of the foreign ones? (4)
Do your customers (Russian industrial enterprises) usually have ICT people working in the company? What kind of organization is that usually? (5) How does the customer react when he is offered an ICT system to facilitate his
business activities?
Is he suspicious?
Is he pacifistic?
(6)
How do you feel, what is the degree of innovation of Russian industrial companies?
Are they ready to invest in ICT and automate and develop their processes?
If not, what are the reasons?
(19)
Theme 2: ICT preferences
What are the preferences of an ICT system of a Russian industrial enterprise? (7) What are the most crucial issues, by the customer’s opinion, related to the acquisition
of an ICT system?
Maintenance and support fees
Compatibility with future systems
Reliable maintenance and support
Short response time
Ease of operation
Reliable after-sales services? What kind?
Product preferences? What kind?
…
(8)
Is customer, in general, ready to pay for ICT? (9) What are the product preferences expected from an ICT system by the customer?
Standard interfaces?
…
(10)
Does your customer indicate how fast he wants the system to pay off? (11)
How fast should it be implemented? (12)
Are your customers ready to adopt a system that requires new skills, new personnel? (13) Do Russian industrial enterprises know about using an ICT system as a service? (14) Would they prefer using an ICT solution as a service? In that case they would only pay a “rent” fee.
(15) What are the requirements from an ICT solution delivered as a service? (16) Are Russian industrial enterprises ready to by ICT consultancy services? By them we
mean services that would lead to the improved performance by using some ICT system. The concept is: “we offer the customer a solution to its problem, but not only an ICT system”.
(17)
Theme 3: Buying behavior of a Russian industrial enterprise
How would you describe industrial buying behavior of Russian industrial companies?
Is it challenging? What are the main challenges? How long does it take to sign the contract?
(18)
What are the (major) steps in the decision making process of your customers? (20) How do the customers find out about the needed system? Do they percept a problem
and try to find a solution? Or do you have to initiate the process by yourself?
How do you initiate the process?
(21)
Does the environment affect the buying decisions of your customers? If yes, how?
Physical,
How does the organization influence the buying decisions of your customers?
Organization’s goals & tasks, o Buying tasks
Identification of need establishment of specifications identification of alternatives evaluation of alternatives selection of suppliers
o Existing technology: e.g. information systems ( integration)
(23)
Organizational actors o Buying center
Who is behind the decision making process? What is the structure of a usual buying center? What kind of roles are there involved in the buying center?
Users, buyers, influencers, deciders, gatekeepers…
What is the best way to approach the deciders?
Is there power distance involved?
What are the challenges, obstacles with approaching the buying center?
(24)
What is the buying behavior of individual participants?
How do they make their decisions? Based on their motives, personality, roles?
What are the usual challenges with them?
What are the usual reasons/driving factors for:
o Avoiding decision making?
o Efficient decision making?
What is important to know when communicating with the deciders? Is the communication usually formal or does it become informal and would also include some informal events? What kind of events?
(25)
Theme 4: Perception of foreign ICT vendor
How do Russian industrial companies perceive foreign ICT products, services, and Vendors?
(26) How do you feel, do Russian industrial companies prefer foreign suppliers? Or are
Russian ones more preferable?
What are the reasons?
o Language,
o Cultural differences?
o Cultural differences?