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Discusses how most organizations use formal methods which are purely objective and rational to evaluate system projects. Such methods are incapable of capturing the social aspects of system projects and as such are not appropriate. Inappropriate evaluation mechanisms and criteria have caused the detrimental effects of organizational bias to flourish, thereby defeating the purposes of project evaluation. Organizations, either knowingly or unknowingly, are judging instead of evaluating projects with the intention to punish or reward the project teams and so encourage biasing effects. Contends that an effective project evaluation should adopt a socio‐technical approach to reflect the socio‐technical nature of information systems. Describes and illustrates managerial guidelines on socio‐technical approach to project evaluation capable of accounting and controlling for the obvious effects of organizational bias.

In today’s volatile economy, organizations are constantly exploring avenues to remain competitive. Information systems (IS) downsizing is one of the strategies used by many organizations in continued efforts for survival. There are considerable risks and rewards to the various units within the firm including the IS department associated with downsizing strategy. Empirical studies that evaluate the impact of the process on the IS department are needed to help organizations better manage their information technologies and systems. This study investigates the real impacts of IS downsizing on the IS department as perceived by IS managers of those companies whose IS had been downsized. With a pre‐tested survey instrument, the study compares 12 critical characteristics of 98 IS departments before and after the downsizing process. The gains and drawbacks of IS downsizing are also analysed based on key indicators that are emphasized in the literature. The results indicate that IS downsizing has definite benefits and drawbacks. The findings also show that the net gains on some of the key indicators are not as significant as the IS downsizing proponents may claim.

The information system downsizing trend has been on the increase during the last five years because of extreme pressures brought about by the slow economy and intense global competition. The major benefit of downsizing is cost saving or cost avoidance, though reports of downsizing show that not all companies have achieved projected cost savings; while some have gained the savings predicted, others have cut short their efforts to downsize, the project ending in total disenchantment. Reports on a survey which uses companies, ranked as the top 100 information users. These “best users” were selected as the basis for determining: the motivation for downsizing; how cost effective downsizing is; and the degree of satisfaction after downsizing was attempted. Results indicate that cost saving and effective information technology utilization are the principal motives for downsizing. Less than 50 per cent of respondents indicated cost‐reduction due to downsizing, while the rest indicated otherwise or were not sure. Discusses downsizing strategies and identifies research challenges.

Observes that in response to the growing global competition, many manufacturing companies are in the process of adopting advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT) to improve their business operations. Notes that, despite the increasing interest in AMT, few empirical studies have been conducted to determine key success implementation factors. Presents the results of an empirical study which surveyed manufacturing companies in the USA to determine the critical success factors in the implementation of AMT. Uses tangible and intangible benefits as indicators of AMT implementation success measures. Classifies the determinants of AMT implementation success under four broad categories: the triple “C” factors (communication, commitment and co‐ordination), the housekeeping factors (action plan, effective team, vendor support, cost justification, functions integration and effective facilitator), the self‐interest factors (employee moral, satisfaction, belief in AMT and appropriate reward), and the literacy factors (understanding of firm’s business, training clarity of goals/objectives of AMT). Reveals from analysis of the responses that about 70 per cent of the variances in the success measures were explained by those determinants of AMT identified in the study.

Shows how a survey of 216 plant managers is used to develop and test an integrated model of their turnover intentions. The model incorporates role stressors, task characteristics, job involvement, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment as predictors of intention to stay in the organization. The results provide moderate support for the proposed model and show that organizational commitment had a direct and positive effect on plant managers’ intention to stay with their organization. Indirect effects on intention to stay were found for job satisfaction, job involvement, task characteristics and role stressors. Results show that job satisfaction is considered the most important factor directly affecting organizational commitment, while job involvement also had a direct effect on organizational commitment. Role stressors were found to be the most disfunctional variables affecting satisfaction of the plant managers. The results also indicated that task characteristics play an important role in predicting job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and intention to stay. Presents implications for top management to improve job satisfaction, organization commitment and retention of plant managers.

This study seeks to investigate, through the development of an operationalized service quality construct in the context of a service factory, whether the typology to which a service belongs may explain the nature of the service quality (SQ) construct and its relationship to customer satisfaction (SAT) and behavioral intentions (BI).

An exploratory factor analysis used a sample from undergraduate student respondents. Then, a more representative sample of hotel guests was used, in a second‐order confirmatory factor analysis.

The dominant dimensions of SQ construct in the service factory were found to be: Tangibles, Recovery, Responsiveness, and Knowledge. Further results indicate that, although the direct effect of SQ on BI is significant, the indirect effect (with SAT playing a mediating role) is a stronger driver for BI in the context of the service factory.

A notable limitation is that the present study focuses only on the service factory and uses only one industry (lodging) to illustrate the findings. Future research should examine other service categories.

Service managers are recommended to devise operations and marketing strategies that focus on the dominant SQ dimensions in order to enhance SAT and, in turn, foster positive BI.

This study demonstrates that SQ, SAT and BI and their interrelationships may be typology‐specific. If this is true, two or more industries (e.g. airlines and lodging) may exhibit similar relationship characteristics with regard to these constructs if they belong to the same service category. This knowledge is useful for benchmarking best practices among such industries.

The public lack of confidence in online information technology (IT) is not merely about security of value, but also about trust in the information society. Privacy and security concerns are the number one reason Web users are not purchasing over the Web. Proposes to investigate the privacy and security concerns of IT users in order to establish a consensus among them. Uses data from 158 participants to come to a conclusion that the following major concerns (in the descending of importance) exist: privacy, security and threats, impersonation and forged identity, children protection, e‐mail safety, and censorship. The results also show that privacy and security concerns are the main impediment to shopping on the Internet. The implication is that the successful organizations will be those who expend their resources and efforts to ensure that IT users’ concerns are adequately addressed.

This study forecasts the government expenditure components in Nigeria, including recurrent and capital expenditures for 2021 and 2022, based on data from 1981 to 2020.

The study employs statistical/econometric problems using the Feasible Quasi Generalized Least Squares approach. Expenditure forecasts involve three simulation scenarios: (1) do nothing where the economy follows its natural path; (2) an optimistic scenario, where the economy grows by specific percentages and (3) a pessimistic scenario that defines specific economic contractions.

The estimation model is informed by Wagner's law specifying a positive link between economic activities and public spending. Model estimation affirms the expected positive relationship and is relevant for generating forecasts. The out-of-sample results show that a higher proportion of the total government expenditure (7.6% in 2021 and 15.6% in 2022) is required to achieve a predefined growth target (5%).

This study offers empirical evidence that specifically requires Nigeria to invest a ratio of 3 to 1 or more in capital expenditure to recurrent expenditure for the economy to be guided on growth.

Due to the strategic importance of IT, there exists an undeniable need for a systematic analysis before deciding whether or not a particular IT function should be outsourced. A study that provides a systematic analysis for evaluating components of the company’s IT for outsourcing may be useful to practitioners. In this paper, analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is proposed as a suitable technique for analyzing information systems outsourcing decision. An IT outsourcing case is used to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed approach. Expert Choice is used to implement the AHP. In the case example, managing IT by the IT department seems to be the best option followed by managing it through an outsourcer. Managing IT by the end users is the least preferred technique in this particular example.

The increasing use of social media after work hours for work purposes, termed social media connectivity (SMC), is an emerging phenomenon in supply chain management. Although SMC can have debilitating effects on supply chain professionals and their organizations, research on its effects on work-related attitudes, especially turnover intentions, remains largely unexplored. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of SMC on voluntary turnover of supply chain professionals and the resulting implications for them and their organizations.

The study draws from the conservation of resources theory and the concept of information overload to explain how SMC leads to emotional exhaustion and impacts turnover intentions of supply chain professionals, contingent on work–life balance. The model is tested using survey data (n=325) collected at multiple times from a large Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturer and distributor with spatially dispersed workforce and distribution facilities.

The results confirm that emotional exhaustion mediates the association between SMC and turnover intentions and that SMC exacerbates the intentions of supply chain professionals to quit their jobs. However, work–life balance is found to dampen the exhausting effects of SMC on emotional exhaustion thereby reducing its debilitating effects on turnover intentions of supply chain professionals.

The focus on SMC highlights the need for greater understanding of the dark side of social media on supply chain professionals and their organizations and how SMC can be better managed in an age of social media ubiquity.