000			02550cam a22003377 4500
001			w7222
003			NBER
005			20211020113704.0
006			m o d
007			cr cnu||||||||
008			210910s1999 mau fo 000 0 eng d
100	1		_aChakraborty, Atreya. _97728
245	1	0	_aProduct Differentiation and the Use of Information Technology: _bNew Evidence from the Trucking Industry / _cAtreya Chakraborty, Mark Kazarosian.
260			_aCambridge, Mass. _bNational Bureau of Economic Research _c1999.
300			_a1 online resource: _billustrations (black and white);
490	1		_aNBER working paper series _vno. w7222
500			_aJuly 1999.
520	3		_aSince the mid-1980s many authors have investigated the influence of information technology (IT) on productivity. Until recently there has been no clear evidence that productivity increases as a result of IT spending. This productivity paradox is partly due to the difficulty in correctly identifying outputs, particularly in the service sector such as the trucking industry. Products are often differentiated by quality attributes of the service provided, rather than merely the physical content of the good delivered by motor carriers. A carrier's primary marketing objective, e.g. on-time-performance vs. lowest rate carrier, are precisely what differentiates a trucking firm's service. This paper uses cross-sectional data to show that the use of increasingly sophisticated IT by trucking firms varies depending upon marketing objectives. Our empirical results imply that in order to measure the impact of IT on productivity it is crucial to account for how the firm differentiates its product. We conclude that the productivity paradox can be alleviated if measures of output incorporate firms' marketing objectives.
530			_aHardcopy version available to institutional subscribers
538			_aSystem requirements: Adobe [Acrobat] Reader required for PDF files.
538			_aMode of access: World Wide Web.
588	0		_aPrint version record
690		7	_aD21 - Firm Behavior: Theory _2Journal of Economic Literature class.
690		7	_aL21 - Business Objectives of the Firm _2Journal of Economic Literature class.
700	1		_aKazarosian, Mark.
710	2		_aNational Bureau of Economic Research.
830		0	_aWorking Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) _vno. w7222.
856	4	0	_uhttps://www.nber.org/papers/w7222
856			_yAcceso en línea al DOI _uhttp://dx.doi.org/10.3386/w7222
942			_2ddc _cW-PAPER
999			_c341044 _d299606