Postponement, which is a stategy in the area of supply chain management, has a long history of practical applications as well as academic literature. However, most existing studies are conceptual and the main method of empiprical study is case study, which leads to the empirical findings are not able to be generalized to other companies or industries. In addition, past empirical researches are almost entirely conducted in the Western countries. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the motivations, current situations, facilitators and and results of postponement in Greater China (including Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan). This study conducted two interviews and a questionnaire survey by e-mail across three industries. The result indicated that postponement application in Greater China was growing and the degree of postponement application was higher than the previous evidences in the West regions. Rather, environmental uncertainty, administrative factors, and IS maturity had positive effects on postponement application. In addition, industry characteristics would also affect the types of postponement strategy used. As to the results of applying postponement, postponement indeed raises company performances, but it is not necessary to facilitate companies outsource operations activities.

This dissertation investigates the dynamics that underlie enterprise performance and takes a significant step toward showing how it might be predicted. In a novel approach, a comprehensive Enterprise System Architecture (ESA) is developed that introduces separate layers for strategic and operational processes, respectfully. We identify four broad dimensions that contribute to and influence enterprise performance: (1) enterprise processes, (2) technology-based support of enterprise processes [denoted information systems], (3) technology structure and deployment [denoted information technology], and (4) Enterprise Architecture (EA). Detailed interviews were conducted with ten executives, mostly from the aerospace and defense industry, along with a web-based survey of aerospace and defense industry executives. We empirically determine a value for each dimension of maturity and individually assess it as a predictor of enterprise performance. ESA maturity is calculated as the weighted summation of each of dimensional maturity, and is also evaluated as a predictor of enterprise performance. Results indicate that ESA maturity, the weighted summation of process maturity, information systems maturity, information technology maturity, and enterprise architecture maturity, is a good predictor of enterprise performance. In order to provide some practical utility to our empirical results, we outline an ESA maturity assessment framework to enable decision-makers to assess the overall maturity of an enterprise system. Two other extensions of our research results, the development of a strategic layer analysis / portrayal tool, and enterprise system simulation, are also briefly described.

Successful quality management systems proceeding and continual development, that determine systems maturity, is not self-contained phenomenon. Persuading for quality management systems maturity, organization must create suitable conditions for that. Organization must determine maturity factors and tend for these factors suitable impact to quality management system. Information factors are ascribable to factors, that determinate quality management systems maturity. But still now, the whole of information factors is not institutionalized sustaining by information since theoretical base. Characteristics of these information factors are defined insufficiently too. Defined uncertainty direct, why organizations can’t create suitable conditions for quality management systems maturity. These problems incite the research purpose – indicate the whole of informational factors, that impact quality management systems maturity, and clarify theirs influence to system development. / Sėkmingas kokybės vadybos sistemos funkcionavimas, nuolatinis sistemos tobulinimas, sąlygojantis sistemos brandą, nėra savaiminis reiškinys. Siekdamos kokybės vadybos sistemos brandos organizacijos privalo sukuti tam tinkamas sąlygas: identifikuoti brandos veiksnius ir rūpintis jų tinkama įtaka. Informaciniai veiksniai yra priskiriami veiksnių, lemiančių kokybės vadybos sistemos brandą, kategorijai. Tačiau iki šiol, informacinių veiksnių visuma, įtakojanti kokybės vadybos sistemų brandą, nėra identifikuota remiantis informacijos mokslų teorine baze. Nepakankamai apibrėžtos ir veiksnių charakteristikos, užtikrinančios tinkamą įtaką kokybės vadybos sistemoms. Per didelė entropija šiais klausimais lemia tai, kad organizacijos nesugeba sudaryti tinkamų sąlygų savo kokybės vadybos sistemų brandai. Įvardintos problemos skatina formuluoti tokį mokslinio tyrimo tikslą – identifikuoti kokybės vadybos sistemos brandos informacinių veiksnių visumą, išaiškinant jų įtaką sistemos brandai.