“…Because of the importance of innovation, many researchers have analyzed its antecedents, hoping to determine what a firm must do if it hopes to become more innovative (Amar, 2004; Hadjimanolis, 2000; Hult et al , 2004; Scott and Bruce, 1994; Warren et al , 2000). Although some of this research broadly discusses how IT is developed into the innovative product or process under study and how emerging IT may be used for leading edge innovation in products and processes (see, for example, Bielski, 2004; Kodama, 2005; Shimizu et al , 2004), in other cases IT seems to be ignored entirely as an antecedent to innovation (for example, O'Connor and Ayers, 2005; Hadjimanolis, 2000; Hult et al , 2004). Moreover, the role of IT in the innovation process and its potential contribution therein remains largely unstudied.…”