Journal of Management Information Systems / Summer 2011, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 115–145.
© 2011 M.E. Sharpe, Inc.
0742–1222 / 2011 $9.50 + 0.00.
DOI 10.2753/MIS0742-1222280105
Information Technology Spillover and
Productivity: The Role of Information
Technology Intensity and Competition
KUNSOO HAN, YOUNG BONG CHANG, AND JUNGPIL HAHN
KUNSOO HAN is an assistant professor of information systems at the Desautels Faculty
of Management at McGill University. He received his Ph.D. in business administra-
tion from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. His research interests include
business value of IT, IT outsourcing, and interorganizational use of IT. His research
has been published in Journal of Management Information Systems and Information
Technology and Management and is forthcoming in Information Systems Research
and MIS Quarterly.
YOUNG BONG CHANG is an assistant professor of information systems at the School
of Technology Management at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology
in Korea. He received his Ph.D. in management from the University of California at
Irvine. His research interests include economics of information systems, IT outsourc-
ing, competition and IT value creation, and organizational impact of IT. His research
is forthcoming in Information Systems Research and Information Technology &
Management and has been presented at the International Conference on Information
Systems and the Workshop on Information Systems and Economics.
JUNGPIL HAHN is an assistant professor of management at the Krannert School of Man-
agement at Purdue University. He received his Ph.D. in business administration from
the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. His research interests include knowledge
management, open innovation communities, human–computer interaction, and busi-
ness value of IT. His research appears in ACM Transactions on Human–Computer
Interaction, Decision Support Systems, and Information Systems Research.
ABSTRACT: We study interindustry information technology (IT) spillover wherein IT
investments made by supplier industries increase the productivity of downstream
industries. Using data from U.S. manufacturing industries, we find that industries
receive significant IT spillover benefits in terms of total factor productivity growth
through economic transactions with their respective supplier industries. More impor-
tantly, we find that two characteristics of downstream industries, namely, IT intensity
and competitiveness, which have been shown to moderate the effect of internal IT
investments, play an important role in IT spillovers as well. Our results suggest that
IT intensity as well as competitiveness of the downstream industry moderate the
effect of IT spillovers—industries that are more IT intensive and more competitive
benefit more from IT spillovers. Finally, our results suggest that the long-term effects
of spillovers are greater than short-term effects, suggesting that learning periods are
required to reap the benefits from the IT spillovers.