Search results
1 – 10 of over 89000The strategic management literature emphasizes the concept of business intelligence (BI) as an essential competitive tool. Yet the sustainability of the firms’ competitive…
Abstract
The strategic management literature emphasizes the concept of business intelligence (BI) as an essential competitive tool. Yet the sustainability of the firms’ competitive advantage provided by BI capability is not well researched. To fill this gap, this study attempts to develop a model for successful BI deployment and empirically examines the association between BI deployment and sustainable competitive advantage. Taking the telecommunications industry in Malaysia as a case example, the research particularly focuses on the influencing perceptions held by telecommunications decision makers and executives on factors that impact successful BI deployment. The research further investigates the relationship between successful BI deployment and sustainable competitive advantage of the telecommunications organizations. Another important aim of this study is to determine the effect of moderating factors such as organization culture, business strategy, and use of BI tools on BI deployment and the sustainability of firm’s competitive advantage.
This research uses combination of resource-based theory and diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory to examine BI success and its relationship with firm’s sustainability. The research adopts the positivist paradigm and a two-phase sequential mixed method consisting of qualitative and quantitative approaches are employed. A tentative research model is developed first based on extensive literature review. The chapter presents a qualitative field study to fine tune the initial research model. Findings from the qualitative method are also used to develop measures and instruments for the next phase of quantitative method. The study includes a survey study with sample of business analysts and decision makers in telecommunications firms and is analyzed by partial least square-based structural equation modeling.
The findings reveal that some internal resources of the organizations such as BI governance and the perceptions of BI’s characteristics influence the successful deployment of BI. Organizations that practice good BI governance with strong moral and financial support from upper management have an opportunity to realize the dream of having successful BI initiatives in place. The scope of BI governance includes providing sufficient support and commitment in BI funding and implementation, laying out proper BI infrastructure and staffing and establishing a corporate-wide policy and procedures regarding BI. The perceptions about the characteristics of BI such as its relative advantage, complexity, compatibility, and observability are also significant in ensuring BI success. The most important results of this study indicated that with BI successfully deployed, executives would use the knowledge provided for their necessary actions in sustaining the organizations’ competitive advantage in terms of economics, social, and environmental issues.
This study contributes significantly to the existing literature that will assist future BI researchers especially in achieving sustainable competitive advantage. In particular, the model will help practitioners to consider the resources that they are likely to consider when deploying BI. Finally, the applications of this study can be extended through further adaptation in other industries and various geographic contexts.
Details
Keywords
Shaomin Li, Seung Ho Park and David Duden Selover
The purpose of this paper is to develop the theoretical linkage between culture and economic growth and empirically test the relationship by measuring culture and how it affects…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop the theoretical linkage between culture and economic growth and empirically test the relationship by measuring culture and how it affects labor productivity.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a cross-section study of developing countries and regresses economic productivity growth on a set of control variables and cultural factors.
Findings
It is found that three cultural factors, economic attitudes, political attitudes, and attitudes towards the family, affect economic productivity growth.
Originality/value
Many economists ignore culture as a factor in economic growth, either because they discount the value of culture or because they have no simple way to quantify culture, resulting in the role of culture being under-researched. The study is the first to extensively examine the role of culture in productivity growth using large-scale data sources. The authors show that culture plays an important role in productivity gains across countries, contributing to the study of the effects of culture on economic development, and that culture can be empirically measured and linked to an activity that directly affects the economic growth – labor productivity.
Details
Keywords
Carroll M. Graham and Fredrick Muyia Nafukho
The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between four independent variables educational level, longevity, type of enterprise, and gender and the dependent…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between four independent variables educational level, longevity, type of enterprise, and gender and the dependent variable culture, as a dimension that explains organizational learning readiness in seven small‐size business enterprises.
Design/methodology/approach
An exploratory correlational research design was employed to survey 498 employees in seven small‐size business enterprises in the Southern and mid‐Western United States. Findings – Three pseudo‐interval variables (education, longevity, and type of enterprise) accounted for 15.3 percent of the variance in the dependent variable culture as a means to explain organizational learning readiness.
Research limitations/implications
Generalizing results beyond the specific context of small‐size business enterprise may not be possible. Thus, the interpretations are limited to the seven small‐size business enterprises studied.
Practical implications
Certain types of enterprises form learning cultures conducive to organizational learning readiness more than do others. Also, seasoned employees may have developed a keen sense for detecting deficiencies within the learning infrastructure.
Originality/value
This study focused on variables not previously studied in small‐size business enterprises that explain organizational learning readiness. Thus, the results of this study will benefit the small‐size business entrepreneur interested in building a learning culture.
Details
Keywords
Lawrence P. Grasso and Thomas Tyson
This study investigates the relationship between lean manufacturing practices, management accounting and performance measurement (MAC & PM) practices, organizational strategy…
Abstract
This study investigates the relationship between lean manufacturing practices, management accounting and performance measurement (MAC & PM) practices, organizational strategy, structure, and culture, and facility performance. We extended past research by examining the relationships between lean manufacturing, MAC & PM practices and performance in a broader organizational context. Our study was performed using survey data provided by managers and executives at 368 facilities that had contacted the Shingo Institute for information or that had entered a Shingo Prize competition. Consistent with past research we found a significant positive association between lean manufacturing practices and lean MAC & PM practices. We found that greater employee empowerment, use of process performance measures, and use of lean accounting practices were driven primarily by lean strategy and secondarily by the extent of lean manufacturing practices. We also found that changes in organization structure to support lean are driven primarily by lean strategy and secondarily by lean manufacturing practices. Change toward lean culture, on the other hand, is driven by the extent of lean manufacturing practices. Further, we found that emphasizing process performance measures does not reduce emphasis on results performance measures and emphasizing results performance measures leads to improved financial performance. Process and results measures are being used in tandem and value stream costing has not replaced traditional accounting. The results of our study provide important insights for managers of companies engaged in lean transformation and for academics who teach or research lean accounting.
Details
Keywords
Nicolas Roos, Remmer Sassen and Edeltraud Guenther
Higher education institutions, as influential social institutions, play an important role in promoting social responsibility and sustainable practices. However, approaches to…
Abstract
Purpose
Higher education institutions, as influential social institutions, play an important role in promoting social responsibility and sustainable practices. However, approaches to implementing sustainable development (SD) in higher education institutions (HEIs) themselves remain fuzzy. One way to achieve holistic embedding can lie in organizational culture. This study aims to examine ways by which internal sustainability governance can promote sustainability culture by using empirical data from German HEIs.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses factor analysis to identify relevant governance indicators. With a regression analysis, this study assesses the indicators’ effects on organizational sustainability culture in HEIs. A moderator analysis tests potential determinants derived from literature and their influence on sustainability governance and sustainability culture.
Findings
Operationalizing formalized sustainability governance for holistic implementation reveals a gap in sustainability management at HEIs. This study proposes a model for operationalizing sustainability governance and shows an effect on sustainability culture at the formal organizational level.
Originality/value
Based on the operationalization of sustainability governance, this empirical study provides evidence for the development of a holistic approach along a sustainability culture in organizations. This paper proposes a model for operationalization, analyzes multiorganizational data and shows the effects of sustainability governance on formalized organizational sustainability culture. This paper provides a transorganizational perspective for implementing SD following a top-down approach.
Details
Keywords
Hamid Zarei, Hassan Yazdifar, Mohsen Dahmarde Ghaleno and Navidreza Namazi
Despite cultural dimensions being included in hundreds of business and management research studies, there have been relatively few studies in public-sector accounting that include…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite cultural dimensions being included in hundreds of business and management research studies, there have been relatively few studies in public-sector accounting that include the use of cultural dimensions. It is posited that national cultural variables impact the institutions, which, in turn, have an influence on public-sector budgeting. The study aims to contribute to the literature by examining these relations in 31 countries.
Design/methodology/approach
These relationships are empirically evaluated by structural equation modeling using measures of national culture from Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) study and Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGIs) measures named institutions from the World Bank. Furthermore, measures of public-sector budgeting are evaluated in which public-sector budgeting is classified according to the legislative power of the purse and budget transparency.
Findings
Generally, findings reveal that institutions mediate the relationship among national cultural variables and budgeting at the national level. By that means, budgeting in a given nation is linked to the nation's supporting institutions which, in turn, are influenced by the national culture of those who maintain them. Particularly, power distance and uncertainty avoidance impact budgeting through the full mediation of institutions.
Research limitations/implications
The World Bank's database used for the institutions contained over 200 countries (Kaufmann et al., 2007); the GLOBE cultural database (House et al., 2004) contained data for 62 societies; the public-sector budgeting (Qi and Mensah, 2011) included power of the purse and budgeting transparency country scores for 49 countries and the datasets comprised 31 nations, mostly from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. While smaller than we would have preferred, the size is consistent with other international studies (for instance: Waldman et al., 2006; Kwok and Tadesse, 2006).
Practical implications
The findings of the paper suggest that any plan to improve a nation's budgeting should consider the links between budgeting, supporting institutions and the culture of those that run them. The formal adoption of new methods and standards by supporting institutions may not be enough without accompanying efforts to transform national culture.
Originality/value
The theoretical contribution of the paper is discussed further in the paper.
Details
Keywords
Dana L. Haggard and K. Stephen Haggard
This study provides insight into the proportion of the variation across countries in the desirable outcomes of freedom and peace that can be accounted for using a set of national…
Abstract
This study provides insight into the proportion of the variation across countries in the desirable outcomes of freedom and peace that can be accounted for using a set of national characteristics which are difficult, if not impossible, to change. The majority of prior studies in this area have utilized bivariate (correlational) analysis. While these studies have made important contributions to the field, they have not been able to disentangle the effects of other important national characteristics from the effect of culture on freedom and peace. Through our multivariate framework, we are able to shed light on the relative importance of these national characteristics in explaining the variation in freedom and peace across countries.
Investigates the relationships between employees’ perceptions of organisational culture and subculture, and job satisfaction and commitment. Questionnaires containing the above…
Abstract
Investigates the relationships between employees’ perceptions of organisational culture and subculture, and job satisfaction and commitment. Questionnaires containing the above measures were distributed to nurses employed in seven large hospitals and a total of 251 responses were obtained. Measures of leadership style and employee demographics were also included in the questionnaire. Regression analysis was used to investigate the extent to which nurses’ job satisfaction and commitment to their wards are predicted by their perceptions of the hospitals’ cultures (or organisational culture), the cultures of their wards (or organisation subculture), the leadership styles of their ward managers, and several demographic characteristics including age, experience, education and job tenure. It was found that ward culture was more predictive of commitment than was hospital culture. Also, statistically controlling for job satisfaction did not substantially reduce the influence on commitment of any of the independent variables included in this study. The results suggest that managers may need to focus more on organizational subcultures in generating greater commitment among employees.
Details
Keywords
Anne S. Davis, Penny A. Leas and John A. Dobelman
Literature on face‐to‐face intercultural business communication (IBC) suggests that language, culture, business culture, and interpersonal context variables lead to…
Abstract
Literature on face‐to‐face intercultural business communication (IBC) suggests that language, culture, business culture, and interpersonal context variables lead to misunderstandings, but these predictors have not been studied with regard to e‐mail communication. This exploratory study identifies variables that cause e‐mail miscommunication, reduce work accomplishment, and harm business relationships. We conducted a survey to capture the effect of common predictors and asked respondents to share the most commonly employed strategies when communication problems arose. We offer a multi‐dimensional model for further research.
Details
Keywords
Lin Ma and Asheq Rahman
This paper aims to examine the influence of culture on the adoption and use of social media platforms for corporate disclosures by firms in a cross-country setting.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the influence of culture on the adoption and use of social media platforms for corporate disclosures by firms in a cross-country setting.
Design/methodology/approach
It is contended that social media corporate disclosure (SMCD) is culturally influenced because the primary purpose of social media is to connect people in social settings, and social settings are distinguished by their cultures. Using a sample of 1,420 firms from 36 countries and Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, this study examines the direct effects of culture on SMCD and its moderating effects on the relationship between SMCD and the agency determinants of corporate disclosure.
Findings
It is found that cultural dimensions directly affect the adoption and use of SMCD. Additionally, the agency determinants of disclosure, size, leverage and growth are positively associated with the adoption, and use of SMCD, and these associations are moderated by the cultural dimensions.
Research limitations/implications
The Hofstede cultural dimensions are broad country-level variables based on the culture of the majority in the population. However, larger countries have many cultures. This study does not cover within-country cultural effects on SMCD. It also does not cover firm-level culture and accounting culture because these factors are derived from national culture. This study adds culture as a country-level determinant of why companies adopt and use social media.
Practical implications
The study provides investors and policymakers with an understanding of the nature of SMCD adoption and use in different cultural settings. It also makes managers aware of which cultural settings are more amenable to SMCD.
Social implications
Social media, by design, have social implications. Examining the role of culture in the use of social media provides societal reasons for the use of SMCD by companies.
Originality/value
Since social media are interactive in form rather than simply one-way disclosure devices, this study goes beyond the realm of corporate disclosure into the less researched area of corporate communication via social media.
Details