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Reviews a case study of a failed ambitious eCRM project.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments.

After three years and $300m of investment, an e‐business initiative undertaken by a global technology solutions organization was recently branded a failure. The initiative, known here as “eCRM”, was meant to link sales, marketing, fulfilment, manufacturing and distribution systems together with the aims of reducing supply chain stock levels, increasing responsiveness to consumer demands, and increasing profit margins by providing a direct link to customers. But all the project finally achieved was a web‐interface for online sales. Stephen McLaughlin of the School of Business and Management in Glasgow, UK, has analyzed the case study to put forward lessons to learn and an e‐business strategy framework.

Puts forward a strategy for success for future e‐business projects.

Analyzes success and failure factors in e‐business initiatives and offers a framework for success.

This paper aims to present typologies of entrepreneurs using entrepreneurs' engagement and use of social media (SM) for business purposes as a means of categorisation. Based on this categorisation, four types of entrepreneurs are proposed: the hopefuls, the assureds, the opportunists and the passengers. The emergent typology should serve as the basis for further thought and empiricism.

A two-phase quantitative opportunistic sampling approach was employed. First, entrepreneurial experts' (n = 8) structured interviews informed the survey design. Secondly, an online survey, based on theory of planned behaviour (TPB), was completed with entrepreneurs at business incubation centres (BICs) in Ireland. Latent class analysis (LCA) identified a number of entrepreneur typologies using participants' (n = 124) business-related SM activities. Differences in entrepreneurial types were explained using the TPB, trust, security and demographic variables.

Results indicate that there are four distinct types of entrepreneurs based on their business-related SM activities. Once the typology was created, comparisons were conducted between each type based on the psychological drivers of the TPB. Trend differences were identified between the distinct typologies.

The value of this research is that the research proposes a typology of entrepreneurs categorised based on SM engagement and use. The typology can be used to identify and compare the differences between entrepreneurs based on perceptions regarding SM, abilities related to SM and the support entrepreneurs need in relation to this. This research is novel in that the research addresses calls to segment the increasingly diverse and complex entrepreneurial population using the pillars of social and digital technology as a focus. The research also provides a framework for examination and replication in other geographic and entrepreneurial settings.

This paper aims to empirically analyse specific characteristics of an audit committee that could be associated with the likelihood of corporate fraud/scandal/sanctions.

The sample includes all firms that were investigated by the Financial Reporting Council through the audit enforcement procedure from 2014 to 2019, and two matched no-scandal firms. It uses logistic binary regression analysis to examine the hypotheses.

Results based on the logit regression suggest that audit member tenure and audit committee meeting frequency both have positive associations to the likelihood of corporate scandal. Complementing this result, the authors find negative but insignificant relationships amongst audit committee female chair, audit committee female members percentage, audit committee qualified accountants members, audit committee attendance, number of shares held by audit committee members, audit committee remuneration, board tenure and the likelihood of corporate scandal across the sample.

The results should help regulatory policymakers make decisions, which could be crucial to future corporate governance. Additionally, these results should be useful to investors who use corporate governance as criteria for investment decisions.

The authors extend, as well as contribute to the growing literature on the audit committee, and therefore, wider corporate governance literature and provide originality in that it is the first, to the knowledge, to consider two characteristics (i.e. remuneration and gender) in a UK context of corporate scandal. Also, the results imply that the structure and diversity of the audit committee affect corporate fraud/scandal/sanctions.

The purpose of this article is to identify common traits amongst complex, knowledge‐intensive organizations in their approach to managing their core business processes in a way that maximises knowledge transfer along these processes.

The research follows an empirically‐based multiple case study approach across six national/multi‐national knowledge‐based organizations. A core‐complex process was identified within each organization, and key employees along the respective process where interviewed concerning the manner in which the processes were managed and modified.

Those organizations that identified their core business processes as being responsive and flexible could be shown to adopt common traits in their approach to ensuring continued performance related knowledge transfer. However, those that had less‐responsive processes seemed to share similar issues; failure to align their knowledge strategy to their process development and failure to engage end‐users throughout the process life cycle.

The findings are based on a limited sample size of six organizations, and the nature of the findings are presented in an inductive‐theory building way. Therefore, the findings are not presented as a final position, but as a starting point for further research into complex, knowledge transfer intensive business process development and design.

From the findings, six tenets that all of the more successful organizations follow.

Within any dynamic organization core business processes are under pressure to perform within a constantly changing business environment. These processes can be viewed as knowledge‐pathway, therefore, it is important to understand how an organization can continue to re‐shape processes in a way that continues to support performance related knowledge transfer.

The purpose of this research is to examine the manner in which employees access, create and share information and knowledge within a complex supply chain with a view to better understanding how to identify and manage barriers which may inhibit such exchanges.

An extensive literature review combined with an in‐depth case study analysis identified a range of potential transfer barriers. These in turn were examined in terms of their consistency of impact by an end‐to‐end process survey conducted within an IBM facility.

Barrier impact cannot be assumed to be uniform across the core processes of the organization. Process performance will be impacted upon in different ways and subject to varying degrees of influence by the transfer barriers. Barrier identification and management must take place at a process rather than at the organizational level.

The findings are based, in the main, on an extensive single company study. Although significant in terms of influencing both knowledge and information systems design and management the study/findings have still to be fully replicated across a range of public and private organizations.

The deployment of generic information technology and business systems needs to be questioned if they have been designed and implemented to satisfy organizational rather than process needs.

The purpose of this paper is to take a critical look at a recent e‐business initiative (eCRM) undertaken by a global technology solutions organization. After significant time and money invested in the initiative the project was cancelled. This paper will identify factors that the organization should have considered as part of the development and deployment of the initiative.

This paper is explorative in nature, and based on the case study methodology. The data was collected via an on‐line questionnaire of over 300 employees across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) involved with the delivery of eCRM.

The research has highlighted what the author believes are ten imperatives organizations must consider when embarking on major e‐business projects. The imperatives support an e‐business strategy framework that was developed through the research findings.

This research was conducted across one organization only. Although the organization was large (in excess of 300,000 employees) the research findings have not been corroborated through comparative research across other, similar organizations.

However, the findings have allowed the organization to refine the way they define and develop future e‐business projects.

The findings as presented in this paper are a result of looking at theory relating to change, technology, strategy, and knowledge enablement. This holistic view has allowed the author to identify a broader set of impact factors for consideration when driving significant technology integration. It is the belief of the author that these impact factors (imperatives) can be applied to other organizations.

The purpose of this research is to report on research to date concerning the creation of a hybrid model for managing performance and decision making with elements of an IBM supply chain.

As part of a wider research programme this paper utilises survey, focus group and case analysis techniques to examine the supply chain interactions.

A cross‐functional process‐orientated team was assembled to look at the end‐to‐end process logic, skills alignment, effective codified knowledge systems, and the prioritisation of change to overcome inhibitors of change originating from functional/IT‐focused processes/solutions.

The results of this paper have, as yet, not been validated beyond the process performance targets set by IBM. Validation across and within industry boundaries, based on survey and case analysis, is about to commence.

Too often “management” play too active a role in the operational aspects of team‐based solution methodologies – and can potentially reinforce the functional inhibitors of change. This paper suggests that management sets the scene and prioritises process outcomes – allowing non‐managerial professionals the scope to reach optimal outcomes.

This research draws upon a number of inter‐disciplinary fields in an effort to better understand how knowledge is created, managed and exploited within complex solutions.

This purpose of this paper is to take a critical look at a recent e‐business initiative (eCRM) undertaken by a global technology solutions organization. After significant time and money invested in the initiative, the project was cancelled. This paper will identify factors that the organization should have considered as part of the development and deployment of the initiative.

This paper is explorative in nature, and based on the case study methodology. The data was collected via an on‐line questionnaire of over 300 employees across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) involved with the delivery of eCRM.

The research highlighted ten imperatives organizations must consider when embarking on major e‐business projects. The imperatives support an e‐business strategy framework that was developed through the research findings.

This research was conducted across one organization only. Although the organization was large (in excess of 300,000 employees) the research findings have not been corroborated through comparative research across other, similar organizations.

The findings have allowed the organization to refine the way they define and develop future e‐business projects.

The findings as presented in this paper are a result of looking at theory relating to change, technology, strategy, and knowledge enablement. This holistic view has allowed the author to identify a broader set of impact factors for consideration when driving significant technology integration. It is the belief of the author that these impact factors (imperatives) can be applied to other organizations.

Similar to other countries of former Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is still regarded to be a transitional economy, both from the social, political, and economic perspectives. In this regard, it is important to note that political agendas and economic strategies are still not satisfactory for the development of entrepreneurial activities. There are serious deficiency issues in regard to entrepreneurship ecosystem in BiH. This chapter describes 10 elements of the entrepreneurial ecosystem (EES) and their implications on the EES outlook of BiH.