Information Technology and Firm Performance – 29 February 2012

The Business School is hosting a talk by Professor Benoit Aubert (from HEC Montreal) on Wednesday 29 February on Information Technology and Firm Performance (15:00 – 17:00, AdRB1)

Investing in information and communications technologies (ICT) is considered a risky venture. There is a vast literature on the linkages between IT investments and productivity. While research efforts suggest caution when deploying IT investments, many companies still think that ICT will automatically improve their effectiveness. However, the mechanisms by which these investments generate economic gains are often misunderstood. This investigation into productivity, information and communication technologies looks at the importance of governance when building ICT infrastructure, and assesses the components of infrastructure that lead to increased firm efficiency.

Benoit A. Aubert is Professor at HEC Montreal (Canada) where he holds the Professorship in Governance and Information Technology. He is also Adjunct Professor at Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand).

Benoit Aubert is a Fellow of the CIRANO (Center for Interuniversity Research and Analysis on Organizations) and Associate researcher at the CEFRIO (Centre francophone d’informatisation des organisations).

At HEC Montreal, he is member of the Research group on information systems and of the Center for Productivity and Prosperity. His main research areas are outsourcing, productivity and innovation, risk management, and new forms of organization. Benoit Aubert was President and Chief Executive Officer of the CIRANO, Director of Research at HEC Montréal, and Director of the IS Research Group at HEC Montréal. He co-chaired the Outsourcing mini-Track of the Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences for more than ten years. B. Aubert has a long record of collaborations with both private and public organizations. Several of his research results in risk management have been commercialized by Univalor, the commercial agency of HEC Montreal, and are licensed to private companies.