ABSTRACT
The use of information technology in business is a challenging managerial issue; the technology is commonly employed to increase efficiency and find new ways of exchanging necessary information. However, the situation where this is achieved is not one that is reached instantly or easily maintained. Accomplishing this situation in a company is a cumbersome task but still within the range of control of a single management. The issue of information technology use in the business with customers and suppliers is even more complex and tedious as managers from not only one company, but two, need to have an understanding of the new technology in its actual business setting if they want to use it effectively. Several studies have provided valuable insights into how information technology is adopted by a single company’s organization and what benefits can be achieved when the technology is part of the organization’s activities. However, when information technology becomes part of actual business—i.e. used in the interaction between two companies’ organizations instead of within the single one—the situation is very different and calls for alternative approaches. In this chapter the situation of information technology in the interaction of two companies is approached with a business relationship perspective. This perspective is argued to be more suitable for finding crucial knowledge necessary for managers given the focus on information technology use in the interaction between companies. The managers of companies need this knowledge and other input on the matter of how information technology is integrated in business relationships and, above all, what the implications of information technology are when it is integrated in the business with suppliers and customers in order to reach the desired increased efficiency.
