scholarly journals Analysis of IT infrastructure flexibility impacts on IT-Business strategic alignment

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yugo Isal ◽  
Gayuh Pikarti ◽  
Achmad Hidayanto ◽  
Edson Putra
Keyword(s):  
Least Squares ◽  
Significant Influence ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Strategic Alignment ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
It Infrastructure ◽  
Alignment Maturity ◽  
It Personnel ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose: To explore the impacts of IT infrastructure flexibility components (connectivity, modularity, compatibility, and IT personnel flexibility) on IT-business strategic alignment using Luftman’s strategic alignment maturity model.Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire was developed using 5-points Likert scale. The questionnaire was distributed to companies in Indonesia, where 48 companies filled the questionnaire completely. The data were analyzed using partial least squares (PLS) approach using WarpPLS version 3.0.Findings: This research found that amongst four components of IT infrastructure flexibility, only compatibility that gives a positive and significant impact to IT-business strategic alignment. This finding is remarkably in contrast to what had been found by Chung et al (2003) in which connectivity, modularity and IT personnel flexibility showed a positive impact on strategic alignment while compatibility did not.  Research limitations: This research used small sample size. More respondents are required to obtain more general conclusions. Practical implications: The findings of this study can be input for IT investment initiatives by first focusing on compatibility aspect of IT infrastructure which is considered having the most significant influence on strategic alignment.Originality/value: Previous study investigated IT infrastructure flexibility as a single concept, whereas our research investigated the components of IT infrastructure flexibility and their impact on strategic alignment. 

Value-based selling: a multi-component exploration

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 360-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Kienzler ◽  
Daniel Kindström ◽  
Thomas Brashear-Alejandro
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Sales Performance ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Managerial Support ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate factors that affect the use of value-based selling and the subsequent influences on salespeople’s sales performance.Design/methodology/approachIndustrial salespeople from five steel manufacturers were surveyed. Scales measure three components of value-based selling: comprehension, crafting and confirmation. Partial least squares path analysis tested the conceptual model.FindingsSalespeople’s learning orientation has the greatest impact on the use of value-based selling. Managerial support exerts a positive effect on crafting. Salespeople’s experience has a positive impact on comprehension and confirmation. The implementation of value-based selling has a positive effect on sales performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is cross-sectional, with a small sample size (n= 60). The data were collected from a single source (i.e. salespeople).Practical implicationsThe results suggest that value-based selling is a multi-component sales process that requires balancing managerial actions among individual and organizational factors.Originality/valueThis paper presents a broad evaluation of measures and assessments of value-based selling in business-to-business sales settings. The findings provide new elaborations on the theoretical and practical implications of value-based selling and reveal which individual and organizational factors affect the usage of value-based selling.

scholarly journals Trends and Opportunities of Tertiary Education in Safety Engineering Moving towards Safety 4.0

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 524
Author(s):  
Vendula Laciok ◽  
Katerina Sikorova ◽  
Bruno Fabiano ◽  
Ales Bernatik
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Safety ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Work Organization ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Safety Engineering ◽  
Safety And Health

Industry and related work and workplaces are constantly changing as a result of the implementation of new technologies, substances and work processes, changes in the composition of the workforce and the labor market, and new forms of employment and work organization. The implementation of new technologies represents certain ambivalence. Next to the positive impact on workers’ health, new risks and challenges can arise in the area of process and occupational safety and health of people at work. On these bases, it follows the need for predicting and handling the new risks, in order to ensure safe and healthy workplaces in the future. The aim of most forecasting studies is not only to identify new emerging risks, but also to foresee changes that could affect occupational safety and health. However, a number of questions still require proper investigation, i.e., “What impact do new emerging risks have on tertiary education in the area of Safety engineering? Has tertiary education already reacted to progress in science and research and does it have these innovations in its syllabus? How are tertiary graduates prepared for the real world of new technologies?” This paper represents a first attempt in the literature to provide answers to the raised questions, by a survey approach involving academics, Health Safety and Environment (HSE) industrial experts and university students in the Czech Republic. Even if statistical evaluation is limited to a single Country and to a small sample size, the obtained results allow suggesting practical recommendations that can contribute to ensuring new challenges in the area of education by addressing relevant culture issues needed to support new workplace realities according to the newly defined Safety 4.0.

Exploring digital servitization trajectories within product–service–software space

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliana Hsuan ◽  
Marin Jovanovic ◽  
Diego Honorato Clemente
Keyword(s):  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Software Systems ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Digital Ecosystem ◽  
Product Service ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Mapping Exercise

PurposeThis study shows various pathways manufacturers can take when embarking on digital servitization (DS) journeys. It builds on the DS and modularity literature to map the strategic trajectories of product–service–software (PSSw) configurations.Design/methodology/approachThe study is exploratory and based on the inductive theory building method. The empirical data were gathered through a workshop with focus groups of 15 servitization manufacturers (with 22 respondents), an on-site workshop (in-depth case study), semi-structured interviews, observations and document study of archival data.FindingsThe DS trajectories are idiosyncratic and dependent on design architectures of PSSw modules, balancing choices between standardization and innovation. The adoption of software systems depends on the maturity of the industry-specific digital ecosystem. Decomposition and integration of PSSw modules facilitate DS transition through business model modularity. Seven testable propositions are presented.Research limitations/implicationsWith the small sample size from different industries and one in-depth case study, generalizing the findings was not possible.Practical implicationsThe mapping exercise is powerful when top management from different functional departments can participate together to share their expertise and achieve consensus. It logs the “states” that the manufacturer undergoes over time.Originality/valueThe Digital Servitization Cube serves as a conceptual framework for manufacturers to systematically map and categorize their current and future PSSw strategies. It bridges the cross-disciplinary theoretical discussion in DS.

Understanding the Influence of R&D Collaboration on Organizational Innovation

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 54-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lurdes Simao ◽  
Mário Franco
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Significant Influence ◽  
Organizational Innovation ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Innovation Adoption ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Community Innovation Survey ◽  
External Relations ◽  
Practical Implications

Collaboration in R&D has had a positive influence on the performance of firms, but little is known about its impact on organizational innovation. Therefore, this article analyzes the influence of R&D collaboration on firms' ability to introduce organizational innovation. A quantitative approach was used, based on a sample of 5.079 Portuguese firms from the CIS 2010-Community Innovation Survey 2010. The empirical evidence showed R&D collaboration with clients to be predominant in organizational innovation adoption. Cooperation with competitors, universities and state laboratories has no significant influence. R&D collaboration with other firms within the same group, and with suppliers has a significant positive impact on organizational innovation in the workplace. In addition, collaboration with consultants is significant in business practices and external relations. Several theoretical and practical implications are presented.

Reluctant managers: Methodist ministers and management

2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 680-693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne Guerrier ◽  
Christopher Bond
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Language And Identity ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Size Limits ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a research from a study undertaken with Methodist circuit ministers in the UK and those that work closely with them. It considers in what way and to what extent ministers think of themselves as managers and to what extent and in what way they are expected to perform as managers by those they work with. Design/methodology/approach – The research that informs this paper was gathered through a qualitative study which involved in-depth semi-structured interviews with 22 participants both Methodist ministers and those who worked closely with them. Findings – The study shows that, whilst those who work with ministers typically do not problematize management and expect managers to be able to perform management tasks, the ministers themselves are ambiguous about or rejecting of the discourse of management. Research limitations/implications – The relatively small sample size limits generalizability. Practical implications – The study challenges trainers in this context and in other contexts where the “language” of management is contested or rejected to find a discourse of management which is acceptable. Originality/value – The study contributes to the small body of literature on management and the development of managers within religious organizations. It contributes to the literature on managerial identity and the importance of management language in becoming a manager by presenting an example where this language and identity is contested or rejected.

scholarly journals Competing paradigms of flood management in the Scottish/English borderlands

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 314-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Cook ◽  
John Forrester ◽  
Louise Bracken ◽  
Christopher Spray ◽  
Elizabeth Oughton
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Professional Community ◽  
Flood Management ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Regimes ◽  
The Government ◽  
Innovative Techniques ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how flood management practitioners rationalise the emergence of sustainable flood management. Key to this analysis are differences rooted in assumptions over what flood management is and should do. Design/methodology/approach – The popularity of natural flood management offers a case with which to explore how a dominant framing persists and how individuals at the government-public interface negotiate different visions of future flood management. The authors draw on the perceptions of flood experts, elucidating a deep hold amongst a professional community “grounded” in science and economics, but also their desire to innovate and become more open to innovative practices. Findings – The authors show how the idea of “sustainable” and “natural” flood management are understood by those doing flood management, which is with reference to pre-existing technical practices. Research limitations/implications – This paper explores the views of expert decision making, which suffers from challenges associated with small sample size. As such, the findings must be tempered, but with recognition for the influence of a small group of individuals who determine the nature of flood management in Scotland. Practical implications – The authors conclude that, in the context of this study, a technical framing persists by predetermining the criteria by which innovative techniques are judged. Originality/value – Broadly, these findings contribute to debates over the evolution of flood management regimes. This recognises the importance of events while also emphasising the preparations that shape the context and norms of the flood management community between events.

Foreign direct investments, democracy, and economic growth in Turkey

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 232-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nazif Durmaz
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Cointegration Analysis ◽  
Foreign Direct Investments ◽  
Bounds Testing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Long Run

Purpose In the last decade, foreign direct investment (FDI) flows have increased dramatically in the world, especially in the emerging economies. Some of these countries make changes in their market conditions that will improve the civil rights and liberties to attract better FDI flows. The purpose of this paper is to test the linkage between democracy and FDI flows to Turkey. Design/methodology/approach The present study employs a bounds testing procedure developed (Pesaran et al., 2001) for cointegration analysis on six different long-run models with selected determinants of FDIs with yearly data from 1977 to 2011. Findings The intuition the paper empirically provides how improvements in democracy have a significant positive impact on FDI flows to Turkey. The results may also put forward that, in the long run, FDI inflows will have spillover effects in Turkey’s economy. Research limitations/implications Although one drawback in the study is having a small sample size of 35 observations, estimating six different long-run models is one way to overcome it. Thus presented results may be in short of simplification for some readers. This, however, opens an opportunity for future studies to further the proposal by employing in different models and/or longer data sets if possible. Practical implications A stable government policies, more civil freedom, and sustained institution politics should not be ignored in Turkey given its geopolitical location. Originality/value This paper satisfies the established need to study of democracy and FDI flows link is necessary in an emerging market such as Turkey.

scholarly journals Service Quality of Traditional and Islamic Commercial Banks in Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
pp. 7-16
Author(s):  
Shohel Rana ◽  
Imran Ahmed Shakeer
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Commercial Banks ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose: This study aims to know the service quality of the different private commercial banks operating in Bangladesh with the rapid advancement in information technology and provide some guidelines to improve their service qualities. Methodology: The study used both primary and secondary data to support the objective. Primary data were collected from 240 customers, of whom 120 customers are from traditional private commercial banks and the rest from private Islamic commercial banks operating in Bangladesh using a structured interview schedule, naming SERVQUAL. The study used a convenience sampling method to select respondents. Secondary data were collected from different journals, newspaper articles, books, and various published sources. An independent samples t-test was conducted in the test of the hypothesis. Findings: This study found a significant difference between the traditional and Islamic commercial banks’ service quality and added that the study area’s customers/clients are not fully satisfied with either traditional private commercial banks or Islamic banks. However, Islamic commercial banks are showing a relatively better picture. Research Limitations: The Study is limited to Bangladesh’s small marginal market and a small sample size of only 240 respondents, which cannot sufficiently reflect the large population’s actual scenario. Practical Implications: The Study will help manage the traditional and Islamic commercial banks and policymakers to improve their service quality and improve monitoring efficiency. Originality/value: The Study extensively identified some factors to improve the traditional and Islamic commercial banks’ service quality for both the banks’ and policymakers’ management. In this regard, the critical factors can be the number of employees and the number of counters, increasing ATM services, ensuring faster services, flexible loan disbursement policy, sufficient floor space, suitable sitting arrangements, and improved online services.

scholarly journals Creating and sustaining collaborative multi-institutional industry site visit programs: a toolkit

F1000Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 1317
Author(s):  
Tammy R.L. Collins ◽  
Kiri Hoff ◽  
Molly Starback ◽  
Patrick D. Brandt ◽  
Christopher E. Holmquist ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Program Implementation ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Outcome Data ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Site Visit ◽  
Contract Research Organization ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Graduate Trainees

Background: As more early career scientists enter into diverse career pathways, visiting local companies or organizations can support their exploration of these paths. As an efficient way to facilitate this, we developed a collaborative regional site visit program: the Enhancing Local Industry Transitions through Exploration (ELITE) Consortium.  Consortium members arrange half-day visits to local industry sites, thus providing companies and trainees the opportunity to meet and identify potential professional and career opportunities. Three different training institutions worked cooperatively in the development and maintenance of the program. The ELITE Consortium was developed with eight phased steps; guidelines and operating procedures were created for each of these steps and are provided along with sample materials for institutions interested in building similar programs. Methods: Prior to fully developing the program, trainee interests were evaluated via questionnaire. During program implementation and thereafter, program directors tracked attendance and collected career outcome data from publicly available sources to identify first job positions after training. Regression analyses and chi-squared analyses were used to examine site visit matches and career outcome data. Results: Analyses suggest a positive impact of site visits on postdoctoral and graduate trainees’ career outcomes at companies or institutions that match a similar sector (e.g., for-profit) and type (e.g., biotech, pharmaceutical, contract research organization). Despite a small sample size, evidence suggests an especially positive impact on trainees who organize site visits to companies compared with those who simply participate. Conclusions: The ELITE Consortium was successful in helping trainees explore and identify a multitude of career paths. Trainees attained employment either directly or in related companies and institutions visited by ELITE participants. The joint, three-institution, flexible nature of the ELITE Consortium positively impacts the program’s sustainability and reach. The toolkit provided here will help other institutions to replicate and adapt the program with minimal effort.

scholarly journals What determines forward-looking information disclosure in Bangladesh?

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-239
Author(s):  
Pappu Kumar Dey ◽  
Manas Roy ◽  
Mohsina Akter
Keyword(s):  
Information Disclosure ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Multiple Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Female Representation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Forward Looking

PurposeThe study aims to examine the level and extent of forward-looking information (FLI) disclosure and identify the determinants driving the FLI disclosure (FLID) in the context of an emerging and developing economy.Design/methodology/approachThe sample includes annual reports of the top 30 listed companies in Bangladesh for the years 2013–2017. The content analysis approach is used to examine the practice of FLID and to determine the extent of FLID based on the index. Multiple linear regression analysis is performed to identify the determinants of FLID.FindingsThis research finds that board size, auditor's global affiliation, leverage and profitability have a substantial positive impact on FLID. By contrast, firm size and listing age have a significant negative association with FLID. Moreover, contrary to our expectation, female representation in the boardroom has an inverse effect on FLID. This study, however, does not suggest any significant impact of board independence.Research limitations/implicationsSmall sample size may limit the generalizability of the findings. Besides, the FLID index score may be affected by the subjective judgment while analyzing the content of the annual report.Practical implicationsThe findings of this paper may assist the regulators and policymakers in incorporating this new reporting paradigm in regulations. Alternatively, the current research can serve as a basis to further understand the importance of FLID for the stakeholders.Originality/valueThis empirical study contributes to the current FLI literature in Bangladesh. A handful of studies have been done to examine the nature and level of FLID and find out the determinants of FLID in the developing countries. To the best of the authors' knowledge, no study yet has been explored on FLID and its determinants by classifying them as qualitative and quantitative in Bangladesh.

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