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1 – 10 of 59Saul J. Berman, Lynn Kesterson‐Townes, Anthony Marshall and Rohini Srivathsa
Although cloud computing is widely recognized as a technology game changer because it offers anytime, anywhere services, its potential for driving business innovation remains…
Abstract
Purpose
Although cloud computing is widely recognized as a technology game changer because it offers anytime, anywhere services, its potential for driving business innovation remains virtually untapped. This article seeks to define that potential for generating new business models and disrupting industries.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors show how cloud technology has the power to fundamentally shift competitive landscapes by providing a new platform for creating and delivering business value.
Findings
IBM research suggests that organizations are just beginning to understand the power of cloud services to help drive business innovation.
Research limitations/implications
To track how organizations use cloud tech today and how they plan to employ its power in the future, IBM surveyed 572 business and technology executives across.
Practical implications
The survey found that companies worldwide are beginning to recognize cloud's capabilities to generate new business models and promote sustainable competitive advantage.
Originality/value
By assisting in developing new operating capabilities, cloud technology can help a company change its role within its industry or enter a different industry.
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Josephine Pichanick Mogelof and Lisa Haueisen Rohrer
The original purpose of this study was not to focus on job satisfaction, but rather to conduct an exploratory investigation of how symphony orchestra players cope with the…
Abstract
Purpose
The original purpose of this study was not to focus on job satisfaction, but rather to conduct an exploratory investigation of how symphony orchestra players cope with the frustrations and disappointments of orchestra life. Symphony orchestra players report surprisingly low levels of job satisfaction given the perception held by many that life and work in symphony orchestras is glamorous and rewarding.
Design/methodology/approach
Job satisfaction data were collected in the form of interviews and surveys from 66 musicians in an élite, major orchestra and a non‐élite, regional orchestra.
Findings
Players in both orchestras were similarly satisfied with co‐worker relationships and experienced similar levels of intrinsic work motivation and job involvement. Despite better financial resources in the major orchestra, satisfaction with opportunities for growth and opportunities to exert influence increased with tenure in the regional orchestra, whereas the opposite was true for major players.
Originality/value
The article discusses context‐driven job satisfaction tradeoffs associated with careers in élite versus non‐élite organizations and the role organizations may play in facilitating or impeding workers’ participation in valued activities. It emphasizes the importance of participation in valued activities as a key driver of job satisfaction.
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Arwen H. DeCostanza, Katherine R. Gamble, Armando X. Estrada and Kara L. Orvis
Unobtrusive measurement methodologies are critical to implementing intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) for teams. Such methodologies allow for continuous measurement of team states…
Abstract
Unobtrusive measurement methodologies are critical to implementing intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) for teams. Such methodologies allow for continuous measurement of team states and processes while avoiding disruption of mission or training performance, and do not rely on post hoc feedback (including for the aggregation of data into measures or to develop insights from these real-time metrics). This chapter summarizes advances in unobtrusive measurement developed within Army research programs to illustrate the variety and potential that unobtrusive measurement approaches can provide for building ITS for teams. Challenges regarding the real-time aggregation of data and applications to current and future ITS for teams are also discussed.
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This paper attempts to reduce the gap between management education and practice. It emphasises day‐to‐day decisions that middle and lower level managers make. The purpose is to…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper attempts to reduce the gap between management education and practice. It emphasises day‐to‐day decisions that middle and lower level managers make. The purpose is to provide an education framework embodying a flexible approach to interpretation and solution creation, suitable for situations of ambiguity and uncertainty.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper examines the current state of tuition in management decision making, then provides a model that, when combined with practical exercises, helps trainees explore the type of problems managers confront on a daily basis.
Findings
The model guided students to think beyond problem definition to identify possible causes, and to think beyond the solution to the consequences of the solution. Use of class members as an education resource enabled a large number of interpretations of what might otherwise be considered “common sense”.
Practical implications
Undergraduate students often lack management experience but this paper argues that the use of real‐world examples with in‐built ambiguity can help prepare management trainees for a wide range of interpretations and create a mental “tool‐box” to better facilitate flexibility.
Originality/value
Non‐routine decision making at lower levels of management is an under‐explored academic activity. In an effort to create future leaders, business schools currently instruct on big issues such as strategy and organisational change. This paper argues that management education needs to prepare trainees for the type of problems they will face on a day to basis. To assist with uncertainty and ambiguity, students do not seek the “right answer”, but explore a broad range of interpretations.
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Mirela Schramm Tonetto, Carlos Torres Formoso, Tarcisio Abreu Saurin, Fabiana Bonesi De Luca, Fernanda Pavan Lora and Elvira Lantelme
The COVID-19 pandemic offered a unique glimpse into the resilience of construction projects, shedding light on several learning opportunities. The purpose of this paper is to…
Abstract
Purpose
The COVID-19 pandemic offered a unique glimpse into the resilience of construction projects, shedding light on several learning opportunities. The purpose of this paper is to develop propositions for the improvement of resilient performance in construction in the post-pandemic era.
Design/methodology/approach
The propositions were developed based on an empirical study in Brazil. Data collection involved the analysis of regulations, interviews with health experts, managers, and workers, in addition to non-participant observations of the use of 37 control practices in 39 construction sites comparing the work-as-imagined and the work-as-done. The practices were classified in a hierarchy of controls.
Findings
Seven propositions for the improvement of resilient performance were developed, addressing collaboration between construction companies, slack resources, new health and safety practices, production planning and control, digital technologies, visual management, and organizational culture. These propositions emphasize organizational support for resilience. This is in contrast to the nature of most observed practices (57%) that relied on administrative controls and personal protective equipment, which are measures dependent on behaviors that resemble resilience at the individual level.
Originality/value
Although much has been studied on COVID-19 implications for construction projects, previous empirical studies have not adopted the organizational resilience perspective as the main theoretical background.
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Raymond R. Burke and Alex Leykin
To cope with the complexity of modern retail stores and personal time constraints, shoppers must be selective in processing information. During a typical shopping trip, they visit…
Abstract
To cope with the complexity of modern retail stores and personal time constraints, shoppers must be selective in processing information. During a typical shopping trip, they visit only a fraction of a store’s departments and categories, examine a small subset of the available products, and often make selections in just a few seconds. New research techniques can help marketers understand how customers allocate their attention and assess the impact of in-store factors on shopper behavior. This chapter summarizes studies using observational research, virtual reality simulations, and eye tracking to identify the drivers of shopper attention, product engagement, and purchase conversion. These include shopper goals; product assortment, package appearance, price, and merchandising; shelf space allocation, organization, and adjacencies; and salesperson interaction. The research reveals that small changes in a product’s appearance and presentation can have a powerful impact on consideration and choice.
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Filipe Santos, Álvaro Dias, Leandro Pereira, Renato Costa and Rui Gonçalves
The wine sector is a growing industry with an important share of the revenue resulting from export markets. Due to its cultural nature, wine exporting requires specific firm and…
Abstract
Purpose
The wine sector is a growing industry with an important share of the revenue resulting from export markets. Due to its cultural nature, wine exporting requires specific firm and managerial capabilities. As such, traditional approaches to the factors influencing export performance must integrate the specificities of wine as a product.
Design/methodology/approach
This study, based on a sample of 93 wine producers, develops and tests, using structural equation modeling, specifically the partial least squares method, a conceptual model of the influence of internal factors, external factors and partner relationship capabilities in export performance.
Findings
Results reveal that internal factors and partner relationships have an impact on the firm’s noneconomic performance which influences economic performance. It is also shown by the results that external factors do not affect the noneconomic performance or economic performance. Moreover, the results show the moderation effect of the noneconomic variable. Internal factors and relationship capabilities have an impact on economic performance considering the mediation effect of the noneconomic performance. Overall, firms’ internal factors and relationship capabilities are crucial to achieve better export performance for Portuguese wine companies.
Originality/value
This study combines the theories of SCP, resource-based view and relational or behavior perspective to present a novel approach to export performance by analyzing the external and internal dimensions of the firm in relation to both financial and nonfinancial performances.
Objetivo
El sector vitivinícola es una industria en crecimiento con una parte importante de los ingresos procedentes de los mercados de exportación. Debido a su naturaleza cultural, la exportación de vino requiere unas capacidades empresariales y de gestión específicas. Por ello, los enfoques tradicionales de los factores que influyen en los resultados de la exportación deben integrar las especificidades del vino como producto.
Diseño/metodología/enfoque
Este estudio, basado en una muestra de 93 productores de vino, desarrolla y pone a prueba, mediante un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales, concretamente el método de mínimos cuadrados parciales, un modelo conceptual de la influencia de los factores internos, los factores externos y las capacidades de relación con los socios en los resultados de exportación.
Resultados
Los resultados revelan que los factores internos y las relaciones con los socios influyen en los resultados no económicos de la empresa, que a su vez influyen en los resultados económicos. Los resultados también muestran que los factores externos no afectan al rendimiento no económico ni al rendimiento económico. Además, los resultados muestran el efecto de moderación de la variable no económica. Los factores internos y las capacidades de relación tienen un impacto en el rendimiento económico que arroja el efecto de mediación del rendimiento no económico. En general, los factores internos y las capacidades de relación de las empresas son cruciales para lograr un mejor rendimiento de las exportaciones de las empresas vitivinícolas portuguesas.
Originalidad/valor
Este estudio combina las teorías de SCP, RBV y la perspectiva relacional o de comportamiento para presentar un enfoque novedoso del rendimiento de las exportaciones, analizando las dimensiones externas e internas de la empresa en relación con el rendimiento financiero y no financiero.
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