A cross-national comparison of perceived strategic importanceof RFID for CIOs in Germany and Italy

Purpose: Drawing from literature on innovation, strategy and culture the objective of this study is toexplore the role of perceived potentials and perceived strategic importance on CIOs’ perspective on RFIDtechnology in two different cultural settings.Methodology: Based on survey responses from463 German and 157 Italian IT decision makerswe analyzedthe data with PLS structural equation modeling.Findings: We show that perceived potentials of RFID influence the perceived strategic importance whichpositively influences CIOs’ intention to invest in RFID. The composition of perceived potentials affectingthe strategic importance of RFID differs significantly in both cultures. In Germany, potentials attributed toRFID are improving quality, automating manpower, reducing counterfeits, and improving customer service.Italian CIOs value reducing stock inconsistencies, optimizing stock keeping, and improving customerservice as RFID potentials. Regardless of culture, findings show that company size hardly has impact onperceived strategic importance.[...]