The impact of information systems on the performance of the core competence and supporting activities of a firm

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine whether the performance of the supporting activities is more influenced by information systems (IS) than the performance of the core competence. Design/methodology/approach – A mail questionnaire survey was sent to alumni of a French business school working in the IS departments of firms. A sample of 100 French firms was collected. Findings – The results of the study show that IS have relatively more influence on the performance of the core competence than on the performance of supporting activities, especially on the exclusivity and value creation components of the core competence. Research limitations/implications – The majority of the firms are in the industry sector. It would be useful to replicate the findings across a sample of firms distributed equally among the service and industrial sectors for comparison purposes. Also, it would be interesting to study the performance of the core competence and supporting activities by using objective measures. Practical implications – The paper reveals that the attitudes of top management and employees towards IS must be taken into account when integrating IS in firms. Originality/value – Several studies were conducted to examine the impact of IS on the performance of firms. The paper examines the impact of IS on the performance of the core competence and supporting activities, a subject not yet explored.