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The purpose of this paper is to examine the role that information and communication technologies (ICT) maturity plays in the achievement of global competitiveness at the country level. The paper investigates the socio‐economic and technological factors that are most likely to be associated with ICT maturity, and then assesses their role in driving the global competitiveness wheel forward.

Secondary data were used, based on data sets generated by the World Bank, World Economic Forum, and UNESCO for the years 2003‐2007. The countries common to all reports were included, yielding a study sample of 93 cases. Cluster analysis was used to categorize countries in terms of ICT usage, readiness, and environment. Structural equation modeling was used to test the fit of a model employing these factors.

First, it was found that ICT plays an important role in driving a country's global competitiveness forward, with a stronger relationship existing in high readiness countries than in low readiness countries. Second, ICT maturity was found to mediate the relationship between ICT quality and R&D spending on one hand and global competitiveness on the other. Finally, the relationship between R&D spending and global competitiveness was found to be stronger for low readiness countries than for high readiness countries.

The paper's findings provide insights to managers and government policy makers regarding the effects of economic, social and technological factors on ICT maturity, as well as the relationship between ICT maturity and global competitiveness. Such insights can influence the standards, programs, and strategies that governments implement in order to attain and maintain global competitiveness.

The paper presents a holistic model that depicts the ICT maturity factors and their dynamic contributions to global competitiveness. Despite the considerable contributions of existing research in this domain, there is a lack of substantive research that examines the relationship at the country level between ICT maturity and its indicators on one hand and global competitiveness on the other. The paper is an attempt to fill this gap.

Two main types of models are used worldwide in consideration of the impact of Information Communication Technology (ICT) processes in construction: capability maturity models (CMM) and e‐readiness models. The purpose of this paper is to review the structure behind the different models, their applicability to construction and indicate how organisations move between the levels in a CMM.

This study investigates the literature behind eight e‐readiness models and 53 CMMs.

The findings indicate 88 per cent of maturity‐based CMM models linked to five maturity levels, with the remainder using four. CMMs have common features: the process/application is described by maturity levels; Key Process Areas (KPA) provide the features to allow movement; and the levels are arranged and attained systematically, lowest to highest. Publication dates and trends indicate the rate of CMM publication is increasing (most in 2009), conversely, e‐readiness models are not (most published in 2004).

It is expected that the number of CMMs will increase; conversely, e‐readiness models may not. E‐readiness models have not been adopted by other industries and applications. However, CMMs, although initiated in software engineering, have progressed to incorporate construction models which cover processes as diverse as financial management and documentation. This suggests that a CMM is more applicable for applications such as e‐business in construction.

The paper significantly expands that of Man in 2007 who listed 22 CMM models. This paper categorises a further 31 models and indicates construction applicability, combined with a review of e‐readiness models for the first time.

Despite several big data maturity models developed for businesses, assessment of big data maturity in the public sector is an under-explored yet important area. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to identify the big data maturity models developed specifically for the public sector and evaluate two major big data maturity models in that respect: one at the state level and the other at the organizational level.

A literature search is conducted using Web of Science and Google Scholar to determine big data maturity models explicitly addressing big data adoption by governments, and then two major models are identified and compared: Klievink et al.’s Big Data maturity model and Kuraeva’s Big Data maturity model.

While Klievink et al.’s model is designed to evaluate Big Data maturity at the organizational level, Kuraeva’s model is appropriate for assessments at the state level. The first model sheds light on the micro-level factors considering the specific data collection routines and requirements of the public organizations, whereas the second one provides a general framework in terms of the conditions necessary for government’s big data maturity such as legislative framework and national policy dimensions (strategic plans and actions).

This study contributes to the literature by identifying and evaluating the models specifically designed to assess big data maturity in the public sector. Based on the review, it provides insights about the development of integrated models to evaluate big data maturity in the public sector.

The purpose of this paper is to provide guidance to SMEs to sense and seize digitally enabled growth opportunities as well as start a project-based learning process to transform the organization in order to remain competitive in turbulent environments.

The proposed framework is nurtured from a dynamic capabilities approach as well as from digital transformation studies and mitigates shortcomings of existing frameworks on IT-enabled business transformation. A pilot study has also been carried out for testing the proposed framework.

The results of the pilot study show that the framework is well understood by SME owners or managers and contributes to a comprehensive perception of digitalization challenges and potentials. The overall maturity level of the 52 companies analyzed is moderate. Firms are better at “sensing” than “seizing”, that is, at identifying digitally based growth opportunities than in profiting from them. The test of the proposed framework also contributes to its further adjustment and refinement.

The developed framework is useful for owners and managers of SMEs as a self-assessment of digital maturity. It sets a baseline regarding the current position and supports coordinated initiatives for digitally enabled growth.

Few frameworks regarding digital maturity have been developed. Most of them lack a sound theoretical foundation and are less suited to the needs of SMEs. There are few studies on digitalization in SMEs and they are not focussed on capabilities development but mostly on processes (Trung Pham 2010; Blatz et al., 2018; Mittal et al., 2018). Therefore, the originality of this paper is to propose a framework that allows SMEs to assess their digital maturity level and the capabilities associated with each level to enhance digitally enabled growth, contributing to expand the research on the relationship between dynamic capabilities and digitalization (Teece, 2017).

The purpose of this paper is to design a system deployment model that integrates case-based agent technique to develop an eco-responsibility decision support tool for greening educational institutions toward environmental responsibility.

Data were collected through questionnaires distributed among a statistical population that comprised practitioners across educational institutions in Malaysia that implement green practices. The questionnaire measured the feasibility of the developed tool based on factors derived from the literature. Accordingly, descriptive, exploratory and factor analysis approach using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) was used to test the feasibility of the developed tool.

Results from descriptive analysis confirm the tool is feasible based on mean values that range from 4.1619 to 3.6508 on a five-point scale, indicating that the tool is effective in sustaining educational institutions going green. Besides, results from exploratory analysis verify the reliability of the tool based on the acceptable Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient score higher than 0.7 and Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin value being above 0.5. Finally, results from factor analysis reveal that the developed tool is usable, efficient, helpful, flexible and credible and supports educational institutions in going green at 88.44 per cent of the total variance, suggesting that the respondents are satisfied with the tool.

The sample population in this study comprises only practitioners from educational institutions in Malaysia. Theoretically, this research provides feasibility factors and associated items that can be used in evaluating developed information systems.

Practically, this study develops an eco-responsibility decision support tool to facilitate green strategies and provides information on how practitioners in educational institutions can improve green growth.

This study presents how case-oriented agents aid educational institutions in going green for environmental responsibility. Socially, this research provides the strategies for green practice improvement in educational institutions toward environmental responsibility.

The eco-responsibility decision support tool provides a Web-based platform for promoting ecological protection by supporting the measuring of practitioners’ current green practices for environmental responsibility. Thus, research findings from this study are expected to help decision-makers generate useful insights into environment-friendly strategies to be implemented in educational institutions. Lastly, the statistical tests adopted in this paper can be used to gauge the feasibility of information system application in future.

This study aims to fulfill the research gap by suggesting an appropriate and adaptable e-government (e-gov) maturity model for Pakistan not just in the abstract pattern relatively but also in a practical solution assured by the industry experts.

The qualitative research approach using key informants from the public sector domain; furthermore, e-gov performance artifacts were verified by the citizens through the process of focus group interviews.

The major finding of the study is the development of e-gov maturity model with implementations artifacts in proposed stages as follows: availability, interaction, integration, transactions and public participation.

This study contributes a qualitative meta-synthesis in the field of e-gov maturity models and could support researchers who are in a quest of knowledge and references to develop new maturity models for their specific countries by providing them with useful resources for further investigation and study.

This maturity model will strengthen the argument that the e-gov services are necessary for the acceptance behaviour of the citizens and the prosperous public administration by the Government in Pakistan. This research strengthens the science-policy interface that has prevented governments from delivering changes on the ground to the public, and it will also identify diversified opportunities for the e-gov sector that can reverse the lack of investment in this domain.

The study intends to provide directions to policymakers for the development of e-gov services for the citizens. Additionally, the public value of e-gov can be better understood in the form of citizens’ expectations from the government and this model will integrate public participation in the development of e-gov service.

The public value of e-gov can be better understood in the form citizens’ expectations from the government through this maturity model, furthermore, it can be recommended that the government can improve the relationship between the citizens and the state through the use of information and communication technologies which will strengthen the democratic process in Pakistan.

Beyond critique of current maturity models, the research literature has neglected to supply empirical evidence of the value knowledge management (KM) holds for organizations. The majority of studies, in common with other emergent business philosophies, are focused on large organizations of developed economies, where readily available implementation resources are an underlying assumption. This paper aims to address this issue and to assess the correlation between the successful institutionalization of KM and organizational performance (OP) in a developing economy.

From a large urban South African university engaged in numerous collaboration programs with industry, the authors gained insight into KM maturity and organizational performance (OP) of three industry groups, over a five‐year period. The authors apply an inventory developed by Kruger and Snyman to a set of nine organisations distributed over three economic sectors in South Africa.

By evaluating the relationship between KM maturity and OP from within three “time dependent” perspectives, insight was gained to answer the aim of the research undertaken, “Is there a correlation between KM maturity and OP in South Africa?” Diagrammatic presentation of OP scores and KM maturity growth revealed that in five out of the nine organizations there is a clearly identifiable relationship between KM maturity and OP in South Africa in both entities over the period under investigation. In certain instances, the correlations were not easily noticeable and/or were non‐existent. From a mathematical perspective, in comparing the correlation between growth in KM maturity and year‐on‐year growth in OP, it was revealed that six of the eight companies that recorded positive growth in KM maturity also recorded positive (year‐on‐year) growth in OP. In a similar manner, it was established that the company recording negative growth in KM maturity also recorded negative (year‐on‐year) growth in OP.

Because the South African scenario can be considered a benchmark for developing economies characterized by continued change, diversity and even elements of silent intolerance and conflict, this study may be viewed as a “pilot study” to provide a baseline and insight into future research of KM for enabling OP.

This paper is of relevance to strategic managers and KM practitioners interested in gaining insight into the correlation between KM maturity and organisational performance.

Outsourcing of non‐core activities and the subsequent vertical disintegration within manufacturing organisations have necessitated the need for process integration in the supply chain. The purpose of this paper is to develop a maturity scale to assess supply chain integration and hence improvement in supply chain performance.

The research involved carrying out a questionnaire survey of UK manufacturing companies. In total, 29 responses were analysed.

The insight gained from the research is that the “soft” collaborative issues rather than the “hard” technological issues are the main drivers to improved supply chain performance. Most of the companies surveyed are still grappling with internal process integration with very few companies achieving closer integration with their customers.

Empirical evidence is found about an organisation's true stage of supply chain integration which affects its performance. Hard and soft variables or certain combinations of these do have a positive or negative effect on organisational performance.

A maturity scale is developed to capture an organisation's stage of supply chain integration. This scale also draws on relationships with organisational performance. As a maturity scale, it also shows direction or migratory paths to higher stages of supply chain integration.

Currently, in various reports, Chile has been receiving better rankings than other Latin American countries, identifying it as a nation for offshoring many of the business process outsourcing (BPO) and information and communication technology (ICT)‐related services. So, it has become important to analyze the Chilean ICT sector and the maturity of the outsourcing industry internally, to consider Chile as an ICT outsourcing destination. This paper seeks to address this matter.

A survey questionnaire is developed based on the ICT outsourcing literature, prior empirical research and outsourcing case studies. This questionnaire is translated into Spanish and distributed to CIOs of the 200 largest companies in Chile. The responses from the CIOs are used as the proxy measures and are analyzed for evaluation.

This study is conducted to understand and analyze the strategy adopted by Chilean companies to evaluate the need for ICT outsourcing. Also, the outsourcing capabilities and productively leveraging the built‐up local ICT capability are analyzed. The results of the study show that the vendor availability and contractibility are considered very important relative to a clear understanding of internal ICT cost structures in Chilean industry.

Although the responses give a general sense to guide the researcher in the right direction, the low‐response rate to the survey hampered the study in obtaining robust results.

The study shows that Chilean CIOs are clearly familiar with outsourcing evaluation issues but lack environmental support in terms of legal and business tools and mechanics to build a stronger ICT industry.

This paper is one of very few research studies that have been conducted on Chile.

Competitive advantage can be gained in several ways including gaining a knowledge advantage (K‐Adv). This paper sets out to report on the first stage of broad study to assess the effectiveness of implementing an enterprise resource planning system (ERP) from a knowledge management (KM) perspective.

The study used a survey of a small but representative group to gain feedback in their experience of using the ERP system. Results are evaluated using a KM framework, the knowledge advantage (K‐Adv) capability maturity model (CMM) tool that was initially developed for use by construction organisations to assess the impact of leadership and its supporting ICT infrastructure on the ability of people (by effectively creating, sharing, disseminating and using knowledge) operating in a highly dynamic business environment.

The K‐Adv framework analysis for the study indicates that the ERP system was seen as a useful tool for cost management and that its deployment effectiveness is mainly dependent on human‐to‐human knowledge transfer about how to make the ERP system work. Also, how leaders in organisations facilitate and support people is a critical enabler of the ERP system deployment. The K‐Adv CMM tool was useful in making sense of the degree of organisational maturity from a KM perspective.

The findings first highlight the usefulness of focusing on people‐support in using the ERP adoption in this organisation's context and, second, they illustrate how a CMM tool like the K‐Adv can be used to evaluate KM practices.

The likely effectiveness of use of an ERP is well‐known. However, the originality of the paper is twofold. First, it explains effective ERP application drivers and inhibitors from a KM perspective. Second, it tests and adapts a tool that helps evaluate KM effectiveness and assists better understanding of how these practices are enacted from a cost management business unit perspective.