ces Learning and Assessment Practices of Doctoral Studies of Developing and Developed Countries: A Case Study of Doctoral Studies in Bangladesh By Published On :: Full Article
ces Evolving Consumption Patterns of Various Information Media via Handheld Mobile Devices By Published On :: 2015-06-03 This study examines diverse information media in order to identify those formats that are most suitable for consumption via handheld mobile devices, namely, smartphones and tablets. The preferences of the users are measured objectively by analyzing actual data of their relative use of handheld mobile devices and personal computing (PC) desktop devices, including laptops and notebooks, for consumption of information presented in various formats. Our findings are based on Google Analytics pageview data of five course Websites during a period of three semesters, by 11,557 undergraduate students. M-learning contexts were chosen, since in a learning environment the interests of information providers (i.e., the instructors) are in accord with those of the information consumers (i.e., the students), whereas in commercial settings there may be conflicts of interests. Our findings demonstrate that although about 90% of the pageviews were via PC devices, the rate of smartphone use for consuming learning content in diverse information media is gradually increasing as time goes by, whereas the rate of tablet use for these purposes is stagnant. The most promising direction for smartphone development, emanating from the findings, is online video content. Full Article
ces Towards the Realization of the ICT Education Living Lab – The TechTeachers.co.za Success Story By Published On :: 2015-06-03 This paper presents the success story of the intuitive vision of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) high school educator in South Africa. The growth and evolution of a Community of Practice towards a full-fledged living lab is investigated. A grounded theory study analyses the living lab concept and highlights some of the current challenges secondary high school ICT education face within the South African educational landscape. Some of the concepts, ideas, best practices, and lessons learned in the establishment and running of two web based technologies to support secondary school ICT subjects is discussed. The researchers present a motivation for the use of living labs to address some of the issues identified and highlights how the existing platforms fits into bigger design. Full Article
ces Experiences with Using Videos in Distance Education. A Pilot Study: A Course on Human-Computer Interaction By Published On :: 2016-05-23 The number of online resources available for teaching and learning in higher education has been growing enormously during the last decade. A recent development is the emergence of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and of Open Educational Resources (OER). The result is a huge number of videos that are available on line. Can these videos enrich learning? As a pilot study we added sixteen videos to an existing introductory course in Human-Computer Interaction. This course is mandatory in the Bachelor programs Computer Science and Information Science (second year). Watching the videos was optional for the students. The videos originated for the most part from the MOOC Human-Computer Interaction, produced by Stanford University. We offered this course to a pilot group of eight students. The educational context was problem-based learning in distance education. The videos were welcomed by all of the students and were found to be useful in their learning process. The students watched the videos intensively and appreciated them very well. A main reason for the students to be positive about the videos was that they liked to alternate reading texts and watching videos. Full Article
ces Training Librarians for 21st Century Repository Services: Emerging Trends By Published On :: 2016-05-17 The paper reviewed the emerging roles of the 21st century librarians, charged with the responsibility to manage repository services across libraries in present-day information technology environment. Librarians need to be trained and empowered with requisite skills and knowledge needed for successful management of the ICT driven repository initiatives that the 21st century demands. Literature was reviewed on the roles and responsibilities of librarians, training needs and opportunities, career path and recruitment of librarians, and community support necessary for effective and efficient implementation and management of repository initiatives. This entails the ability to comprehend trends and change patterns which are essential for providing research focused and user-friendly models in open repository services that are based on thorough analytical understanding of the challenges of emerging trends. To achieve this requires the training and retraining of librarians to reposition them as information specialists in their career path. The role of the library as an integral part of its social environment is to educate the community about the existence of an open repository by building partnership with community-oriented research centres through seminars, workshops, symposium, training, and awareness programmes. The study recommends that librarians should strategize and collaborate with researchers to make open repository an essential research tool. Full Article
ces Student Preferences and Performance in Online and Face-to-Face Classes Using Myers-Briggs Indicator: A Longitudinal Quasi-Experimental Study By Published On :: 2016-05-15 This longitudinal, quasi-experimental study investigated students’ cognitive personality type using the Myers-Briggs personality Type Indicator (MBTI) in Internet-based Online and Face-to-Face (F2F) modalities. A total of 1154 students enrolled in 28 Online and 32 F2F sections taught concurrently over a period of fourteen years. The study measured whether the sample is similar to the national average percentage frequency of all 16 different personality types; whether specific personality type students preferred a specific modality of instructions and if this preference changed over time; whether learning occurred in both class modalities; and whether specific personality type students learned more from a specific modality. Data was analyzed using regression, t-test, frequency, and Chi-Squared. The study concluded that data used in the study was similar to the national statistics; that no major differences in preference occurred over time; and that learning did occur in all modalities, with more statistically significant learning found in the Online modality versus F2F for Sensing, Thinking, and Perceiving types. Finally, Sensing and Thinking (ST) and Sensing and Perceiving (SP) group types learned significantly more in Online modality versus F2F. Full Article
ces The Use, Impact, and Unintended Consequences of Mobile Web-Enabled Devices in University Classrooms By Published On :: 2016-05-15 The impact that mobile web-enabled devices have had on the lives and behavior of university students has been immense. Yet, many of the models used in the classrooms have remained unchanged. Although a traditional research approach of examining the literature, developing a methodology, and so on is followed, this paper’s main aim is to inform practitioners on observations and examples from courses which insist on and encourage mobiles in the classroom. The paper asked three research questions regarding the use, impact, and unintended consequences of mobile web-enabled devices in the classroom. Data was collected from observing and interacting with post graduate students and staff in two universities across two continents: Africa and Europe. The paper then focuses on observations and examples on the use, impact, and unintended consequences of mobile web-enabled devices in two classrooms. The findings are that all students used mobile web-enabled devices for a variety of reasons. The use of mobile devices did not negatively impact the class, rather students appeared to be more engaged and comfortable knowing they were allowed to openly access their mobile devices. The unintended consequences included the use of mobiles to translate text into home languages. Full Article
ces Innovating and Entrepreneurial Initiatives: Some Cases of Success By Published On :: 2017-05-03 Aim/Purpose: To understand the change of entrepreneurial initiatives by analysing some new initiatives that came up the last years based on IT enabled business models Background: The theme is described from an educational perspective by offering examples of successful entrepreneurship initiatives Methodology: Description of some cases: Waynabox, Lock up, Uber, Pinterest Contribution: This project tries to become a guide for youth in order to understand various aspects: first, the entrepreneurial aspects that have to be considered before starting a business; secondly, the characteristics that successful businesses have in common; and finally how an entrepreneur can be innovative and how they can achieve the success Findings: Only the 10% of the start-ups exist more than three years. Among the causes of failure are the high saturation of the market and the market competition, which are connected to the ignorance of the real necessity of customers. The company has to identify the needs of customers. They have to define and target their customers by observing and analyzing the market and, above all, getting in touch with the customers. The business plan is something that has to be carried out before the beginning of the project, and has to exist on paper. Everything has to be planned and organised, and the objectives have to be clearly stated in order to stay focused Recommendations for Practitioners : To use existent business models as an inspiration for the creation of a new business model. It is really important to avoid copying the business model itself. One thing that a company needs to do is to make the difference offering new characteristics adapted to the current customer’s experiences Recommendation for Researchers: It is really important to have a good relation with the customer, to attend their needs and to help them with all the doubts that they can have about the company. An entrepreneur cannot be guided by his own interests. He has to invest in order to know the needs of the potential customers Impact on Society : Customer experience is key to have success in new business models Full Article
ces Assessing the Affordances of SimReal+ and their Applicability to Support the Learning of Mathematics in Teacher Education By Published On :: 2017-05-03 Aim/Purpose: Assess the affordances and constraints of SimReal+ in teacher education Background There is a huge interest in visualizations in mathematics education, but there is little empirical support for their use in educational settings Methodology: Single case study with 22 participants from one class in teacher education. Quantitative and qualitative methods to collect students’ responses to a survey questionnaire and open-ended questions Contribution: The paper contributes to the understanding of affordances and constraints of visualization tools in mathematics education Findings: The visualization tool SimReal+ has potential for learning mathematics in teacher education, but the user interface should be improved to make it more usable for different users. Teachers need to consider technological and pedagogical affordances of SimReal+ at the student, classroom, and mathematics subject level Recommendations for Practitioners: Address technological and pedagogical affordances of SimReal+ Recommendation for Researchers: Improve the design of SimReal+ to make it technologically and pedagogically more usable Impact on Society: Understand the affordances and constraints of visualization tools in education Future Research: Implement a next cycle of experimentation with SimReal+ in teacher education to ensure more validity and reliability Full Article
ces Technology in the Classroom: Teachers’ Technology Choices in Relation to Content Creation and Distribution By Published On :: 2019-05-01 Aim/Purpose: Teachers are being asked to integrate mobile technologies into their content creation and distribution tasks. This research aims to provide an understanding of teachers taking on this process and whether the use of technology has influenced their content creation and distribution in the classroom. Background: Many claim that the use of technology for content creation and distribution can only enhance and improve the educational experience. However, for teachers it is not simply the integration of technology that is of prime concern. As teachers are ultimately responsible for the success of technology integration, it is essential to understand teachers’ viewpoints and lived technology experiences. Methodology: The Task-Technology Fit (TTF) model was used to guide interpretive case study research. Six teachers were purposively sampled and interviewed from a private school where a digital strategy is already in place. Data was then analysed using directed content analysis in relation to TTF. Contribution: This paper provides an understanding of teachers’ mobile technology choices in relation to content creation and distribution tasks. Findings: Findings indicate that teachers fit technology into their tasks if they perceive the technology has a high level of benefit to the teaching task. In addition, the age of learners and the subject being taught are major influencers. Recommendations for Practitioners: Provides a more nuanced and in-depth understanding of teachers’ technology choices, which is necessary for the technology augmented educational experience of the future. Recommendations for Researchers: Provides an unbiased and theoretically guided view of mobile technology use with content creation and distribution tasks. Impact on Society: Teachers do not appear to use technology as a de facto standard, but specifically select technology which will save them time, reduce costs, and improve the educational experiences of their learners. Future Research: A mixed-method approach, including several diverse schools as well as learners would enrich the findings. Furthermore, consideration of hardware limitations and lack of software features are needed. Full Article
ces Virtually There: The Potential, Process and Problems of Using 360° Video in the Classroom By Published On :: 2019-04-28 Aim/Purpose: This paper presents an exploratory case study into using 360° videos to present small segments of lecture content for IT students in an Australian University. The aim of this study was to understand; what is the impact of incorporating 360° videos into class content for students and teaching staff? In this study the 360° videos are described as “learning atoms”. Learning atoms are short duration videos (1 to 5 minutes) captured in 360°. Background: Within this paper we conducted experiments in the classroom using 360° videos to determine if they have an impact on student's feeling of presence with class content. Additionally, to follow up, how does the inclusion of 360° impact on the teaching experience. Methodology: The methodology used in this study focused on both quantitative and qualita-tive aspects. Data was captured at the same time during the teaching period to address the research questions. In order to gauge the feeling of presence within the classroom a short survey was administered to students in the undergraduate IT class at the start (pre) and end (post) of the semester using the same questions to measure any change. Contribution: The main contributions from this study were that we demonstrated there is a potential for providing an alternative ‘immersive’ content presentation for students. This alternative content took the form of 360° learning atoms, whereas further showed our nuance process for creating and publishing of these atoms. Findings: The results show that for students, learning atoms can help improve the sense of presence, particularly for remote students, however the interactive experience can take student’s attention away from the lecturer. The results present potential for providing an alternative ‘immersive’ content presentation for students, however problems for uptake are present for both students and teachers, such as image capture quality and file size Impact on Society: We foresee this approach as being a new approach to teaching students in higher education within online spaces to increase engagement and move towards having a richer virtual experience no matter the location. Future Research: Future research will be conducted to resolve whether presence and engagement is supported by the inclusion of 360° videos in the classroom. Full Article
ces Business Priorities Driving BYOD Adoption: A Case Study of a South African Financial Services Organization By Published On :: 2019-04-25 Aim/Purpose: Bring your own device (BYOD) provides opportunities for both the organization and employees, but the adoption of BYOD also introduces risks. This case study of an organization’s BYOD program identifies key positive and negative influences on the adoption decision. Background: The consumerization of IT introduced the BYOD phenomenon into the enterprise environment. As mobile and Internet technologies improve employees are opting to use their personal devices to access organizational systems to perform their work tasks. Such devices include smartphones, tablets and laptop computers. Methodology: This research uses a case study approach to investigate how business priorities drive the adoption of BYOD and how resulting benefits and risks are realized and managed by the organization. Primary empirical data was collected using semi-structured interviews with 15 senior employees from a large South African financial services organization. Policy documents from the organization were analyzed as secondary data. Contribution: Thematic analysis of the data revealed six major themes: improving employee mobility; improving client service and experience; creating a competitive industry advantage; improving business processes; information security risks; and management best practices. Findings: The themes were analyzed using the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, showing the key positive and negative influences on the adoption decision. Recommendations for Practitioners: Organizations need to clearly understand the reasons they want to introduce BYOD in their organizations. The conceptual framework can be applied by practitioners in their organizations to achieve their BYOD business objectives. Recommendations for Researchers: BYOD remains an important innovation for organizations with several aspects worthy of further study. The TOE framework presents a suitable lens for analysis, but other models should also be considered. Impact on Society: The findings show that organizations can use BYOD to improve client service, gain competitive advantage, and improve their processes using their digital devices and backend systems. The BYOD trend is thus not likely to go away anytime soon. Future Research: The applicability of findings should be validated across additional contexts. Additional models should also be used. Full Article
ces A Classification Schema for Designing Augmented Reality Experiences By Published On :: 2022-05-09 Aim/Purpose: Designing augmented reality (AR) experiences for education, health or entertainment involves multidisciplinary teams making design decisions across several areas. The goal of this paper is to present a classification schema that describes the design choices when constructing an AR interactive experience. Background: Existing extended reality schema often focuses on single dimensions of an AR experience, with limited attention to design choices. These schemata, combined with an analysis of a diverse range of AR applications, form the basis for the schema synthesized in this paper. Methodology: An extensive literature review and scoring of existing classifications were completed to enable a definition of seven design dimensions. To validate the design dimensions, the literature was mapped to the seven-design choice to represent opportunities when designing AR iterative experiences. Contribution: The classification scheme of seven dimensions can be applied to communicating design considerations and alternative design scenarios where teams of domain specialists need to collaborate to build AR experiences for a defined purpose. Findings: The dimensions of nature of reality, location (setting), feedback, objects, concepts explored, participant presence and interactive agency, and style describe features common to most AR experiences. Classification within each dimension facilitates ideation for novel experiences and proximity to neighbours recommends feasible implementation strategies. Recommendations for Practitioners: To support professionals, this paper presents a comprehensive classification schema and design rationale for AR. When designing an AR experience, the schema serves as a design template and is intended to ensure comprehensive discussion and decision making across the spectrum of design choices. Recommendations for Researchers: The classification schema presents a standardized and complete framework for the review of literature and AR applications that other researchers will benefit from to more readily identify relevant related work. Impact on Society: The potential of AR has not been fully realized. The classification scheme presented in this paper provides opportunities to deliberately design and evaluate novel forms of AR experience. Future Research: The classification schema can be extended to include explicit support for the design of virtual and extended reality applications. Full Article
ces Corpus Processing of Multi-Word Discourse Markers for Advanced Learners By Published On :: 2023-06-13 Aim/Purpose. The most crucial aspects of teaching a foreign language to more advanced learners are building an awareness of discourse modes, how to regulate discourse, and the pragmatic properties of discourse components. However, in different languages, the connections and structure of discourse are ensured by different linguistic means which makes matters complicated for the learner. Background. By uncovering regularities in a foreign language and comparing them with patterns in one’s own tongue, the corpus research method offers the student unique opportunities to acquire linguistic knowledge about discourse markers. This paper reports on an investigation of the functions of multi-word discourse markers. Methodology. In our research, we combine the alignment model of the phrase-based statistical machine translation and manual treatment of the data in order to examine English multi-word discourse markers and their equivalents in Lithuanian and Hebrew translations by researching their changes in translation. After establishing the full list of multi-word discourse markers in our generated parallel corpus, we research how the multi-word discourse markers are treated in translation. Contribution. Creating a parallel research corpus to identify multi-word expressions used as discourse markers, analyzing how they are translated into Lithuanian and Hebrew, and attempting to determine why the translators made the choices add value to corpus-driven research and how to manage discourse. Findings. Our research proves that there is a possible context-based influence guiding the translation to choose a particle or other lexical item integration in Lithuanian or Hebrew translated discourse markers to express the rhetorical domain which could be related to the so-called phenomenon of “over-specification.” Recommendations for Practitioners. The comparative examination of discourse markers provides language instructors and translators with more specific information about the roles of discourse markers. Recommendations for Researchers. Understanding the multifunctionality of discourse markers provides new avenues for discourse marker application in translation research. Impact on Society. The current study may be a useful method to strengthen students’ language awareness and analytic skills and is particularly important for students specializing in English philology or translation. Beyond the empirical research, an extensive parallel data resource has been created to be openly used. Future Research. It should be noted that the observed phenomenon of “over-specification” could be analyzed further in future research. Full Article
ces Gamified Cybersecurity Education Through the Lens of the Information Search Process: An Exploratory Study of Capture-the-Flag Competitions [Research-in-Progress] By Published On :: 2024-06-23 Aim/Purpose. Capture the Flag (CTF) challenges are a popular form of cybersecurity education where students solve hands-on tasks in a game-like setting. These exercises provide learning experiences with various specific technologies and subjects, as well as a broader understanding of cybersecurity topics. Competitions reinforce and teach problem-solving skills that are applicable in various technical and non-technical environments outside of the competitions. Background. The Information Search Process (ISP) is a framework developed to under-stand the process by which an individual goes about studying a topic, identifying emotional ties connected to each step an individual takes. As the individual goes through the problem-solving process, there is a clear flow from uncertainty to clarity; the individual’s feelings, thoughts, and actions are all interconnected. This study aims to investigate the learning of cybersecurity concepts within the framework of the ISP, specifically in the context of CTF competitions. Methodology. A comprehensive research methodology designed to incorporate quantitative and qualitative analyses to draw the parallels between the participants’ emotional experiences and the affective dimensions of learning will be implemented to measure the three primary goals. Contribution. This study contributes significantly to the broader landscape of cybersecurity education and cognitive-emotional experiences in problem-solving. Findings. The study has three primary goals. First, we seek to enhance our under-standing of the emotional and intellectual aspects involved in problem-solving, as demonstrated by the ISP approach. Second, we aim to gain in-sights into how the presentation of CTF challenges influences the learning experience of participants. Lastly, we strive to contribute to the improvement of cybersecurity education by identifying actionable steps for more effective teaching of technical skills and approaches. Recommendations for Practitioners. Competitions reinforce and teach problem-solving skills applicable in various technical and non-technical environments outside of the competitions. Recommendations for Researchers. The Information Search Process (ISP) framework may enhance our understanding of the emotional and intellectual aspects involved in problem-solving as we study the emotional ties connected to each step an individual takes as the individual goes through the problem-solving process. Impact on Society. Our pursuit of advancing our understanding of cybersecurity education will better equip future generations with the skills and knowledge needed to ad-dress the evolving challenges of the digital landscape. This will better pre-pare them for real-world challenges. Future Research. Future studies would include the development of a cybersecurity curriculum on vulnerability exploitation and defense. It would include practice exploiting practical web and binary vulnerabilities, reverse engineering, system hardening, security operations, and understanding how they can be chained together. Full Article
ces Gender Differences among IT Professionals in Dealing with Change and Skill Set Maintenance By Published On :: Full Article
ces Applicability of Process Maps for Simulation Modeling in Business Process Change Projects By Published On :: Full Article
ces A Generic Agent Framework to Support the Various Software Project Management Processes By Published On :: Full Article
ces A Methodology for Increasing Business Process Maturity in Public Sector By Published On :: Full Article
ces Experiences in Building and Using Decision-Support Systems in Postgraduate University Courses By Published On :: Full Article
ces Knowledge Production in Networked Practice-based Innovation Processes – Interrogative Model as a Methodological Approach By Published On :: Full Article
ces Multi-Agent System for Knowledge-Based Access to Distributed Databases By Published On :: Full Article
ces User Acceptance of the E-Government Services in Malaysia: Structural Equation Modelling Approach By Published On :: Full Article
ces Information Quality and Absorptive Capacity in Service and Product Innovation Processes By Published On :: Full Article
ces The Relationship among Organizational Knowledge Sharing Practices, Employees' Learning Commitments, Employees' Adaptability, and Employees' Job Satisfaction: An Empirical Investigation By Published On :: Full Article
ces Collective Creativity and Brokerage Functions in Heavily Cross-Disciplined Innovation Processes By Published On :: Full Article
ces Relationship between Knowledge Management Process and Creativity among Faculty Members in the University By Published On :: Full Article
ces Text-Based Collaborative Work and Innovation: Effects of Communication Media Affordances on Divergent and Convergent Thinking in Group-Based Problem-Solving By Published On :: Full Article
ces Critical Success Factors for Implementing Business Intelligence Systems in Small and Medium Enterprises on the Example of Upper Silesia, Poland By Published On :: Full Article
ces Boosting Creativity with Transformational Leadership in Fuzzy Front-end Innovation Processes By Published On :: Full Article
ces Critical Success Factors for ERP Systems Implementation in Public Administration By Published On :: Full Article
ces How the Use of ICT can Contribute to a Misleading Picture of Conditions – A Five-Step Process By Published On :: 2015-11-07 This paper contributes to the limited research on roles ICT can play in impression-management strategies and is based on case studies done in the Swedish Police. It also gives a theoretical contribution by adopting a holistic approach to explain how ICT can contribute to giving a misleading picture of conditions. Output generated by ICT has nowadays a central role in follow-up activities and decision-making. Even if this type of output, often in colourful, presentable, graphical arrangements, gives the impression of being accurate and reliable there is a risk of defective data quality. The phenomena can be described as a process divided into five steps. The first step is about how the data is generated and/or collected. The second step is linked to how the data is registered. The third step is about the output generated from the ICT-systems. The fourth step is how the output of ICT is selected for presentation. The fifth step concerns how output generated by ICT is interpreted. This paper shows that ICT can easily be used in impression-management strategies. For example, that personnel take shortcuts to affect the statistics rather than applying methods that may give the desired effects. Full Article
ces Employees’ Involuntary Non-Use of ICT Influenced by Power Differences: A Case Study with the Grounded Theory Approach By Published On :: 2015-07-29 Power differences affect implementation of information and communication technology (ICT) in a way that creates differences in ICT use. Involuntary non-use of new ICT at work occurs when employees want to use the new technology, but are unable to due to factors beyond their control. Findings from an in-depth qualitative study show how involuntary non-use of new ICT can be attributed to power differences between occupational groups in the same organization. The findings suggest that experience is a moderating variable and that closeness to formal power holders as well as closeness to the new technology increases the probability for expert control of the ICT-organization processes. These power differences favor ICT experts over ICT novices and result in a high-quality learning environment for the ICT experts characterized by autonomy, inclusion, and adequate work processes and technological solutions. The ICT novices try to navigate in a learning-hostile work environment characterized by marginalization through expert control, isolation, and inadequate work processes and technological solutions. This led to involuntary non-use by the ICT novices, while the experts became more proficient in ICT use. These findings give managers facing a technological organizational change tools to understand important mechanisms for implementing the change in their own organization, and help them take the right actions to integrate new technology and new organization of work. Full Article
ces Factors of Project Manager Success By Published On :: 2015-06-09 This research seeks to analyse the project success factors related to project managers’ traits. The context of the research entails a ‘United Nations’ type of organization. Critical success factors from previous recent studies were adopted for this research. Nineteen factors were adopted and a survey methodology approach was followed. Sixty six participants completed the survey. Exploratory factor analysis results revealed the existence of two constructs: project manager engagement, and project manager certification. The total number of factors representing these two constructs after the factor reduction exercise is nine. Our findings indicate that the capacity for a project manager to communicate and lobby for the project to create and sustain positive perceptions, is the most important factor; whereas project manager credentials are viewed as not important for his/her success. The results may seem counter-intuitive, however, in the context of United Nations Organizations, consideration of their political, cultural and international nature reveals that the results apply. Full Article
ces Challenges of Knowledge and Information Management during New Product Introduction: Experiences from a Finnish Multinational Company By Published On :: 2016-10-31 Efficient knowledge and information management is essential for companies to prosper in the rapidly changing global environment. This article presents challenges of a large Finnish multinational company relating to their current knowledge and information management practices and systems. The focus is on New Product Introduction (NPI) process. The study is based on interviews and facilitated workshops in the Research and Development (R&D) and Production departments. Furthermore, the identified challenges are reflected to the findings presented in knowledge and information management literature. The results gained from the company case study were well in line with the findings in the literature. Three main topics, which can be generalized to cause challenges for knowledge and information management in most companies, were recognized: 1) Issues related to human behavior, individual characteristics and capabilities, different backgrounds, and professional vocabulary; 2) Codifying tacit knowledge into explicit information, which can be saved to company information system; 3) Lack of interoperability between different information systems. The study provides the management of the case company, and other similar organizations, focus points while seeking for better knowledge and information management. From a scientific perspective, the main contribution of this article is to give practical examples of how the theoretical findings presented in literature manifest themselves in real industrial practices. Full Article
ces A Conceptual Model for the Creation of a Process-Oriented Knowledge Map (POK-Map) and Implementation in an Electric Power Distribution Company By Published On :: 2015-12-31 Helping a company organize and capture the knowledge used by its employees and business processes is a daunting task. In this work we examine several proposed methodologies and synthesize them into a new methodology that we demonstrate through a case study of an electric power distribution company. This is a practical research study. First, the research approach for creating the knowledge map is process-oriented and the processes are considered as the main elements of the model. This research was done in four stages: literature review, model editing, model validation and case study. The Delphi method was used for the research model validation. Some of the important outputs of this research were mapping knowledge flows, determining the level of knowledge assets, expert-area knowledge map, preparing knowledge meta-model, and updating the knowledge map according to the company’s processes. Besides identifying, auditing and visualizing tacit and explicit knowledge, this knowledge mapping enables us to analyze the knowledge areas’ situation and subsequently help us to improve the processes and overall performance. So, a process map does knowledge mapping in a clear and accurate frame. Once the knowledge is used in processes, it creates value. Full Article
ces An Empirical Examination of Customers’ Mobile Phone Experience and Awareness of Mobile Banking Services in Mobile Banking in Saudi Arabia By Published On :: 2017-11-29 Aim/Purpose: This work aims to understand why a disparity between the popularity of smart phones and the limited adoption of m-banking exists. Accordingly, this study investigates factors that affect a person’s decision to adopt m-banking services. Such an investigation seeks to determine if and to what extent customers’ mobile phone experience as well as their awareness of m-banking services influence their intention to use such services? Background: This study developed a conceptual model to determine the influence that users’ mobile phone experience as well as users’ awareness of m-banking services had on users’ behavioral intention to use m-banking in Saudi Arabia. Methodology: The quantitative method used to collect data was a survey questionnaire tech-nique. A questionnaire with non-structured (close-ended) questions was formulated. A random sample, targeting banking customers in Saudi Arabia, was selected. This study collected data using a cross-sectional survey. Of those surveyed, 389 provided valid responses eligible for data analysis. SPSS v.22 was used to analyze the data. Contribution: This study produced helpful results and a new m-banking conceptual model. The developed conceptual model focused integrally on users’ awareness and experience as antecedents of m-banking adoption and highlighted the im-portance of differentiating between measuring the users’ characteristics in adopting e-banking in general and m-banking services in particular. In addition, this type of model has the ability to synthesize new control variables as well as to study technology acceptance in developing countries. This study, based on an extended UTAUT model, set out to discover what factors might affect customers’ intentions to use m-banking in Saudi Arabia. Findings: The results show that service awareness has a direct effect on performance and effort expectancy, but not on perceived risk. Moreover, mobile phone experience fails to impact the relationships in the same hypothesized direction. As anticipated, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and perceived risk have direct and significant effects on behavioral intentions to use m-banking. However, customer awareness fails to impact the relationships of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and perceived risk on behavioral intentions to use m-banking. Recommendations for Practitioners: Banks should target customers by distributing useful information and applying measures to increase acceptance. Banks need to introduce something imaginative to convince bank customers to abandon existing service channels and adopt m-banking services. Banks should make m-banking services the easiest service for conducting bank transactions and/or help customers conduct transactions that they cannot do any other way. Recommendation for Researchers: Other factors, such as trust, culture, and/or credibility should be investigated along with user’s awareness and experience factors in m-banking services. There is a need to focus on a specific type of m-banking. Thus, it may be fruitful to study the adoption of different systems of m-banking services. Impact on Society: This study suggests that m-banking services should be designed and built based on a deep understanding of customers’ needs using extensive testing to assure that applications and sites function well in a mobile setting. Future Research: Future researchers should apply the conceptual model developed in this study in different settings, different countries, and to different technologies. Full Article
ces Research Foci, Methodologies, and Theories Used in Addressing E-Government Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities in Developing Countries By Published On :: 2017-09-06 Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the key research foci, methodologies, and theoretical perspectives adopted by researchers when studying E-government accessibility for persons with disabilities (PWDs), particularly in developing countries. The study aims to develop a conceptual framework for designing accessible E-government for PWDs in developing countries. Background: Studies on E-government accessibility for persons with disabilities in developing countries have been minimal. The few studies conducted until now have failed to integrate PWDs, a population already marginalized, into the digital society. Accessibility has been identified by researchers as a major hindrance to PWDs participating in E-government. It is imperative therefore to examine the manner in which researchers investigate and acquire knowledge about this phenomenon. Methodology : The study synthesizes literature from top IS journals following a systematic literature review approach. The data synthesis focuses on identifying key concepts relating to E-government accessibility for PWDs. Contribution: The study contributes to the field of E-government, with a focus on how E-government services can be made accessible to PWDs. The study calls on researchers to reflect on their epistemological and ontological paradigms when examining accessibility of E-government services in developing countries. Findings: The findings show that most researchers focus on the evaluation of E-government websites and predominantly adopt quantitative methods. The study also reveals that the use of technological determinism as a theoretical lens is high among researchers. Recommendations for Practitioners : The study recommends that E-government web developers and policy makers involve PWDs from design to evaluation in the development of E-government applications. Recommendation for Researchers: The study advocates the need to conduct studies on E-government accessibility by employing more qualitative and mixed approaches to gain in-depth and better understanding of the phenomenon. Impact on Society : This study creates greater awareness and points out inadequacies that society needs to address to make E-government more inclusive of and participatory for PWDs. Future Research: Further empirical work is required in order to refine the relevance and applicability of various constructs in EADM so as to arrive at a framework for addressing E-government accessibility for PWDs in developing countries. Full Article
ces ICT-Platform to Transform Car Dealerships to Regional Providers of Sustainable Mobility Services By Published On :: 2017-02-05 Aim/Purpose: The topic of this study is the ICT-enabled transformation of car dealerships to regional providers of sustainable mobility (e.g., car sharing). Background: Car dealerships offer specific conditions that enable a sustainable mobility offer, based on individual motorized transport like car sharing. This is especially useful in small towns or rural areas where people’s mobility is strongly dominated by private cars, and public transport coverage is limited. However, these new mobility services are combined services with the need of a deep integration of information systems, and these services are not yet related to car dealerships and customer acquisition has to be supported. Methodology: An empirical study with an inductive approach was chosen. The study consists of interviews with three focus groups of different stakeholders of car dealerships. Within the frame of the research project, “ReCaB – Regional Car-Balancing” a qualitative research approach was chosen. Within a design science approach the existing SusCRM architecture was adapted based on the elaborated requirements. Contribution: A software architecture is proposed, where Customer Relationship Management (CRM) components to market new sustainable mobility offers are vital parts and existing information systems of car dealerships are integrated. Findings: The basic feasibility of the establishment and customer acceptance has been demonstrated, at least in the area of car sharing within ReCaB. The execution in the car sharing field has already started and a number of car dealerships are already bringing their own offers to market. Major findings for the SusCRM architecture have been elaborated in a design science approach in the national German research project “Showcase for electro mobility”. Recommendations for Practitioners: There is still no fully functional prototype developed for this specific use case and evaluated in the car dealership environment. An implementation only, based on own efforts, is difficult for car dealerships because of the dealership’s lack of know-how as well as tight IT budgets. However, this approach appears particularly successful in rural areas where public transport services are heavily declining. For full implementation, the presented ICT support is imperative. Recommendation for Researchers: The research on the retailer level, especially in combination with a digital trans-formation by the use of ICT systems, is still fragmentary. Research in this area that both addresses sustainability goals on a general level and supports economical goals on the company level of automotive retailers would be useful. Impact on Society: Creation of sustainable offers as a substitute or supplement for mobility based on their own car is a promising way to reduce negative effects of mobility. Enhancement of the mobility of the people in rural areas is leading to a more active lifestyle by reaching the leisure facilities, workplaces and educational institutions in a sustainable manner. Future Research: In terms of the fast changing mobility landscape, especially on a technical level with the development of autonomous vehicles and digitalization of entire businesses new solutions are becoming accessible, that have to be integrated in further research. Full Article
ces Investigation of the Relationship between the Knowledge Management Process and Performance of a Construction Company: An Empirical Study By Published On :: 2018-12-29 Aim/Purpose: This study aims to investigate the relationship between the knowledge management (KM) process and the performance of construction companies. The ultimate goal is to promote better efficiency and competitive advantage in the construction industry by making the best use of knowledge. Background: While attention to KM is currently on the rise, as shown by the number of studies conducted, research on KM in the construction industry of Indonesia is still very rare. However, organizational learning as the implementation of KM provides an opportunity to improve the construction industry, and thus there is an urgency to conduct research on this topic. Methodology: This study lasted for three months and used the survey method, with 100 questionnaires distributed to contractors of grade 6 and 7 on the islands of Java and Borneo in Indonesia. A total of 54 returned questionnaires were deemed complete and eligible for further analysis. Data analysis was performed using the structural equation modeling method with partial least squares (SEM PLS). Contribution: This study helps to measure the relationship value of the KM process and company performance. Findings: The results of this study indicate that the process of KM has a significant and positive influence on company performance, and there is a positive interaction in the process of KM and company performance as well. Recommendations for Practitioners: Construction companies need to perceive that activities undertaken in a construction project should always be assumed to be a KM process in order to make strategic and effective decisions that can result in improvements to customers, finance, internal business, learning, and growth. Recommendation for Researchers: Research on the KM process and information technology needs to be developed more, so that construction companies can apply this knowledge to explore problems and create solutions, resulting in methods to facilitate efficiency and effectiveness. Impact on Society: This paper helps to understand that KM activities provide initial benefits and guidance for companies that want to apply KM. Future Research: Innovative and new ideas to cultivate the KM process in the construction industry need to be explored and developed to improve the implementation. Full Article
ces The Role of Knowledge Management Process and Intellectual Capital as Intermediary Variables between Knowledge Management Infrastructure and Organization Performance By Published On :: 2018-09-24 Aim/Purpose: The objective of this study was to assess the interrelationships among knowledge management infrastructure, knowledge management process, intellectual capital, and organization performance. Background: Although knowledge management capability is extensively used by organizations, reaching their maximum financial and non-financial performances has not been fully researched. Therefore, organizations need to optimize their performance by exploiting knowledge management capability through the accumulation of intellectual capital, where the new competitiveness is shifting from tangible to intangible resources. Methodology: This study adopted a positivist philosophy and deductive approach to accomplish the main goal of this research. Moreover, this research employed a quantitative approach since this study is concerned with causal relationship between variables. A questionnaire-based survey was designed to evaluate the research model using a convenience sample of 134 employees from the food industry sector in Jordan. Surveyed data was examined following the structural equation modeling procedures. Contribution: This study highlighted the potential benefits of applying the knowledge management capabilities, intellectual capital, and organizational performance to the food industrial sector in Jordan. Future research suggestions are also provided. Findings: Results indicated that knowledge management infrastructure had a positive effect on knowledge management process. In addition, knowledge management process impacted positively intellectual capital and organization performance and mediated the relationship between knowledge management infrastructure and intellectual capital. However, knowledge management infrastructure did not positively associate to organization performance. Recommendations for Practitioners: The current model is designed to help managers and decision makers to improve their management capabilities as well as their organization financial and non-financial performance through exploiting the organizational knowledge management infrastructure and intellectual capital approaches. Recommendation for Researchers: Our findings can be used as a base of knowledge to conduct further studies about knowledge management capabilities, intellectual capital, and organization performance following different criteria and research procedures. Impact on Society: The designed model highlights a significant organizational performance approach that can influence Jordanian food industrial sector positively. Future Research: The current designed research model can be applied and assessed further in other sectors including banking and industrial sectors across developed and developing countries. Also, we suggest that in addition to focusing on knowledge management process and intellectual capital as mediating variables, future research could test our findings in a longitudinal study and examine how to affect financial and non-financial performance. Full Article
ces Reinforcing Consumers’ Impulsive Buying Tendencies through M-Devices and Emails in Pakistan By Published On :: 2018-03-04 Aim/Purpose: The current study investigates the relationship between mobile and email marketing and consumer impulse buying tendencies in Pakistan. Background: Technology has become a primary driver for all business operations, which has dramatically transformed the wireless communications marketing paradigm. However, researchers have claimed that further inquiry is still needed to explore the role that distinct and emerging global technologies have on marketing communication strategies. This study explores the linkage of mobile and email marketing on consumers’ impulse buying behavior in Pakistan. Methodology: Primary data were collected through the distribution of 1000 questionnaires among students of different universities within two provinces of Pakistan: Punjab and Khyber Pakhton Khan (KPK). The study was conducted between November 2016 and March 2017. The authors received back 950 surveys, which is a very significant rate of return (95%). Of those submitted, 900 surveys were deemed eligible for analysis after improper documents were eliminated. Structure equation modeling (SEM) was utilized to test the study’s hypotheses. Contribution: This study assists organizations in improving marketing campaigns by focusing more on mobile devices (m-devices) and email medium to better comprehend consumers’ assessment processes at a lower budgetary cost. Such digital considerations could provide innovative possibilities for marketers in approaching their target market by adopting novel methods for information sharing. Findings: The findings revealed a positive association between mobile and email marketing on consumers’ impulse buying tendencies. The comprehensive analysis affirmed; however, there is a higher positive relationship of mobile marketing results compared to email marketing outcomes. There are favorable benefits in considering such emerging methods in marketing communications as promotional strategies are considered by organizations. Recommendations for Practitioners: Marketers are encouraged to evaluate the potential of using both emerging mediums to take advantage of consumer impulse buying habits where m-devices and emails approaches are utilized. Future Research: Future inquiries might examine the global influence of m-devices and email technology toward other buying tendencies of consumers: exploratory, online, variety seeking, habitual, and other emerging complex on-demand buying behavior. Full Article
ces The Effects of the Critical Success Factors for ERP Implementation on the Comprehensive Achievement of the Crucial Roles of Information Systems in the Higher Education Sector By Published On :: 2018-02-10 Aim/Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine empirically the effects of certain key Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for the implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems on the comprehensive achievement of the crucial roles of Computer-Based Information Systems (CBISs) Background: The effects of the CSFSs were examined in the higher education sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) using a case study of the ERP adoption in Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University. Methodology: A theoretical model was proposed based on the literature written on the CSFs and the roles of CBISs in business. The model encompasses six key CSFs and their associations with the realization of the crucial roles of CBISs. To test the proposed model, a questionnaire was developed by considering the most frequently used measurements items in the ERP’s literature. The data were collect-ed from 219 key stakeholders. Contribution: This study acts as one of the few empirical studies in assessing the effects of the important CSFs for ERP implementation upon its successful implementation. Its outcomes provide more insights and clarifications about the effects of six key CSFs on the comprehensive achievement of the crucial CBIS’s roles. Particularly, the uniqueness of this study lies in addressing the effects of these CSFs on the achievement of the vital CBIS’s roles collectively rather than the achievement of each role individually. Moreover, the study examined these effects in the higher education environment, which is characterized by its own special business processes and services. Findings: The results reveal that the six key CSFs have a positive relationship with the comprehensive achievement of the crucial roles of CBISs. These findings are consistent with many previous studies on the effects of the CSFs on the realization of the expected benefits of the enterprise systems. Recommendations for Practitioners: The managers and other key stakeholders should carefully manage the vital aspects of the CSFs in order to realize the promised ERP’s benefits, including the CBIS’s roles. Future Research: Additional empirical examinations are needed to investigate the effects of the rest of the CSFs on realizing the roles of information systems. Full Article
ces Knowledge Sharing Process and Innovation Success: Evidence from Public Organisations in Southern Nigeria By Published On :: 2019-06-07 Aim/Purpose: This study investigates the relationship between knowledge sharing process and innovation success with specific emphasis on tacit knowledge. Based on the literature review, we hypothesised that knowledge donating and collecting have a positive relationship with innovation success. Methodology: The hypotheses were empirically tested using the partial least square path modelling with data collected from twelve state-owned public organisations operating in Southern Nigeria. Contribution: The research made distinct empirical contributions to the burgeoning literature on knowledge sharing and innovation from the public sector and developing country context. Findings: Knowledge donating and collecting contribute to innovation success positively and significantly. Knowledge donating effect on innovation success was found to be more significantly positive than the effect of knowledge collecting on innovation success. Recommendations for Practitioners: Public organisations should promote a supportive culture to spur innovation through the frequent share of experiences, information and skills among the various knowledge actors. Public managers should convey the importance of knowledge sharing and its value to knowledge users in clear terms and attend to creating conditions or contexts that encourage people to share knowledge freely and willingly with others. It is apt to improve organisational commitment and support for knowledge sharing activities such as mentorship programs, workshops, conferences, seminars and other related training and development programs in order to provide opportunities for employees to develop innovation competencies from the transfer of tacit knowledge developed over time from experience. To optimise innovation outcomes from knowledge sharing practices, knowledge sharing should be in tandem with the industry or global best practices. Future Research: Future studies should add interviews to provide depth in terms of insights and substance to the questionnaire, and may extend to public organisation with different ownership structure. Full Article
ces Prosumers’ Engagement in Business Process Innovation – The Case of Poland and the UK By Published On :: 2019-04-26 Aim/Purpose: The main purpose of this paper is to identify prosumers’ engagement in business process innovation through knowledge sharing. Background: In the increasingly competitive knowledge-based economy, companies must seek innovative methods of doing business, quickly react to consumer demand, and provide superior value to consumers. Simultaneously, contemporary consumers, named “prosumers”, want to be active co-creators of value and satisfy their consumption needs through collaboration with companies for co-creation, co-design, co-production, co-promotion, co-pricing, co-distribution, co-consumption, and co-maintenance. Consequently, consumer involvement in development and improvement of products and business process must be widely analyzed in various contexts. Methodology: The research is a questionnaire survey study of 388 prosumers in Poland and 76 in the UK. Contribution The contribution of this research is twofold. First, it identifies how prosumers can be engaged in business processes through knowledge sharing. Second, it investigates the differences between Poland- and UK-based prosumers in engagement in business process. Findings: The study found that prosumers are engaged in knowledge sharing at each stage of the business process innovation framework. However, there are differences in the types of processes that draw on prosumers’ engagement. Prosumers in Poland are found to engage mostly in the business process of developing and managing products, whereas prosumers in the UK engage mostly in the business process of managing customer services. Recommendations for Practitioners: This study provides practitioners with guidelines for engaging prosumers and their knowledge sharing to improve process innovation. Companies gain new insight from these findings about prosumers’ knowledge sharing for process innovation, which may help them make better decisions about which projects and activities they can engage with prosumers for future knowledge sharing and creating prospective innovations. Recommendations for Researchers: Researchers may use this methodology and do similar analysis with different samples in Poland, the UK, and other countries, for many additional comparisons between different groups and countries. Moreover, a different methodology may be used for identifying prosumers’ engagement and knowledge sharing for processes improvement. Future Research: This study examined prosumers’ engagement from the prosumers’ standpoint. Therefore prosumers’ engagement from the company perspective should be explored in future research. Full Article
ces Improving Webpage Access Predictions Based on Sequence Prediction and PageRank Algorithm By Published On :: 2019-01-20 Aim/Purpose: In this article, we provide a better solution to Webpage access prediction. In particularly, our core proposed approach is to increase accuracy and efficiency by reducing the sequence space with integration of PageRank into CPT+. Background: The problem of predicting the next page on a web site has become significant because of the non-stop growth of Internet in terms of the volume of contents and the mass of users. The webpage prediction is complex because we should consider multiple kinds of information such as the webpage name, the contents of the webpage, the user profile, the time between webpage visits, differences among users, and the time spent on a page or on each part of the page. Therefore, webpage access prediction draws substantial effort of the web mining research community in order to obtain valuable information and improve user experience as well. Methodology: CPT+ is a complex prediction algorithm that dramatically offers more accurate predictions than other state-of-the-art models. The integration of the importance of every particular page on a website (i.e., the PageRank) regarding to its associations with other pages into CPT+ model can improve the performance of the existing model. Contribution: In this paper, we propose an approach to reduce prediction space while improving accuracy through combining CPT+ and PageRank algorithms. Experimental results on several real datasets indicate the space reduced by up to between 15% and 30%. As a result, the run-time is quicker. Furthermore, the prediction accuracy is improved. It is convenient that researchers go on using CPT+ to predict Webpage access. Findings: Our experimental results indicate that PageRank algorithm is a good solution to improve CPT+ prediction. An amount of though approximately 15 % to 30% of redundant data is removed from datasets while improving the accuracy. Recommendations for Practitioners: The result of the article could be used in developing relevant applications such as Webpage and product recommendation systems. Recommendation for Researchers: The paper provides a prediction model that integrates CPT+ and PageRank algorithms to tackle the problem of complexity and accuracy. The model has been experimented against several real datasets in order to show its performance. Impact on Society: Given an improving model to predict Webpage access using in several fields such as e-learning, product recommendation, link prediction, and user behavior prediction, the society can enjoy a better experience and more efficient environment while surfing the Web. Future Research: We intend to further improve the accuracy of webpage access prediction by using the combination of CPT+ and other algorithms. Full Article
ces Critical Success Factors for Implementing Business Intelligence Projects (A BI Implementation Methodology Perspective) By Published On :: 2020-08-27 Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for Business Intelligence (BI) implementation projects by studying the existing BI project implementation methodologies and to compare these methodologies based on the identified CSFs. Background: The implementation of BI project has become one of the most important technological and organizational innovations in modern organizations. The BI project implementation methodology provides a framework for demonstrating knowledge, ideas and structural techniques. It is defined as a set of instructions and rules for implementing BI projects. Identifying CSFs of BI implementation project can help the project team to concentrate on solving prior issues and needed resources. Methodology: Firstly, the literature review was conducted to find the existing BI project implementation methodologies. Secondly, the content of the 13 BI project implementation methodologies was analyzed by using thematic analysis method. Thirdly, for examining the validation of the 20 identified CSFs, two questionnaires were distributed among BI experts. The gathered data of the first questionnaire was analyzed by content validity ratio (CVR) and 11 of 20 CSFs were accepted as a result. The gathered data of the second questionnaire was analyzed by fuzzy Delphi method and the results were the same as CVR. Finally, 13 raised BI project implementation methodologies were compared based on the 11 validated CSFs. Contribution: This paper contributes to the current theory and practice by identifying a complete list of CSFs for BI projects implementation; comparison of existing BI project implementation methodologies; determining the completeness degree of existing BI project implementation methodologies and introducing more complete ones; and finding the new CSF “Expert assessment of business readiness for successful implementation of BI project” that was not expressed in previous studies. Findings: The CSFs that should be considered in a BI project implementation include: “Obvious BI strategy and vision”, “Business requirements definition”, “Business readiness assessment”, “BI performance assessment”, “Establishing BI alignment with business goals”, “Management support”, “IT support for BI”, “Creating data resources and source data quality”, “Installation and integration BI programs”, “BI system testing”, and “BI system support and maintenance”. Also, all the 13 BI project implementation methodologies can be divided into four groups based on their completeness degree. Recommendations for Practitioners: The results can be used to plan BI project implementation and help improve the way of BI project implementation in the organizations. It can be used to reduce the failure rate of BI implementation projects. Furthermore, the 11 identified CSFs can give a better understanding of the BI project implementation methodologies. Recommendation for Researchers: The results of this research helped researchers and practitioners in the field of business intelligence to better understand the methodology and approaches available for the implementation and deployment of BI systems and thus use them. Some methodologies are more complete than other studied methodologies. Therefore, organizations that intend to implement BI in their organization can select these methodologies according to their goals. Thus, Findings of the study can lead to reduce the failure rate of implementation projects. Future Research: Future researchers may add other BI project implementation methodologies and repeat this research. Also, they can divide CSFs into three categories including required before BI project implementation, required during BI project implementation and required after BI project implementation. Moreover, researchers can rank the BI project implementation CSFs. As well, Critical Failure Factors (CFFs) need to be explored by studying the failed implementations of BI projects. The identified CSFs probably affect each other. So, studying the relationship between them can be a topic for future research. Full Article
ces China’s Halal Food Industry: The Link Between Knowledge Management Capacity, Supply Chain Practices, and Company Performance By Published On :: 2021-07-20 Aim/Purpose: The study attempts to analyse the influences of knowledge management capacity on company performance and supply chain practices. It also examines whether supply chain practices significantly and positively impact company performance. Background: Knowledge management capacity is an essential tactical resource that enables the integration and coordination among supply chain stakeholders, but research examining the link between knowledge management capacity and supply chain practices and their impacts on company performance remains scarce. Methodology: The study uses correlation analysis and factor analysis to confirm the theoretical framework’s validity and structural equation modelling to test hypotheses. The data are obtained from 115 halal food firms in China (with a response rate of 82.7%). Contribution: This study’s findings contribute to the Social Capital Theory by presenting the impacts of different supply chain practices on company performance. The findings also suggest the impact of intangible resources on enhancing company performance, contributing to the Resource-based View Theory. These results are a crucial contribution to both academicians and corporate managers working in the Halal food industry. Managers can apply these findings to discover and adopt knowledge management capacity with practical anticipation that these concepts will align with their company strategies. Also, the research motivates managers to concentrate their knowledge management on enhancing companies’ supply chain practices to achieve improved company performance. Findings: This study is an initial effort that provides empirical evidence regarding the relationships among supply chain, knowledge management, and company performance from the perspective of China’s halal food industry. The results prove that knowledge management capacity is the supply chains’ primary success determinant and influencer. Besides, knowledge management capacity positively influences company performance, and supply chain practices directly influence company performance. Recommendations for Practitioners: Managers can apply these study findings to determine and increase knowledge management capacity with practical anticipation that these concepts will align with their company strategies. Also, the research motivates managers to concentrate their knowledge management on enhancing companies’ supply chain practices to achieve improved company performance. Recommendation for Researchers: The study presents a new theoretical framework and empirical evidence for surveying halal food businesses in China. Impact on Society: These results are a significant contribution to the research field and industry focusing on halal foods. Future Research: First, this research focuses only on halal food businesses in China; thus, it is essential to re-examine the hypothesized relations between the constructs in other Chinese business segments and regions. Next, the effect of variables and practices on the theorized framework should be taken into account and examined in other industries and nations. Full Article