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Article
Publication date: 29 March 2024

Njod Aljabr, Dimitra Petrakaki and Petros Chamakiotis

Existing research on how professionals manage after-hours connectivity to work has been dominated by studies on the strategies/practices individuals develop. In these studies…

Abstract

Purpose

Existing research on how professionals manage after-hours connectivity to work has been dominated by studies on the strategies/practices individuals develop. In these studies, mobile technology is perceived as a tool or an enabler that supports otherwise human-centric connectivity decisions. This view sees technology as separate or external to the organisation, missing out on its nuanced role in shaping connectivity decisions. Our study aims to bring technology back into the sociomaterially imbricated context of connectivity and to unpack its parameters.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on data collected from documents and semi-structured interviews, we adopt the framework of “sociomaterial imbrications” (Leonardi, 2011) to understand the social and material parameters that influence connectivity management practices at two different academic institutions in Saudi Arabia.

Findings

The study identifies a set of social and material parameters (organisational, individual, technological and situational) that imbricate to shape, collectively and not individually, professionals’ connectivity management practices. Connectivity decisions to change practice (such as decisions of where, when or why to connect) or technology (how to connect) are not as distinct as they appear but originate from, and are founded on, imbricated sociomaterial parameters. Our study further suggests that connectivity decisions are shaped by individuals’ perceptions of sociomaterial imbrications, but decisions are not solely idiosyncratic. The context within which connectivity decisions are taken influences the type of decisions made.

Originality/value

Connectivity management emerged from sociomaterial imbrications within a context constitutive of four interacting parameters: organisational, technological, situational and individual. Decisions around the “how” and the “what” of connectivity – i.e. the practice of connectivity and its underpinning technology – originate from how people perceive sociomaterial imbrications as enabling or constraining within a context. Individual perceptions account for changes in practice and in technology, but the context they find themselves in is also important. For instance, we show that professionals may perceive a certain technology as affording, but eventually they may use another technology for communications due to social norms.

Details

Information Technology & People, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-3845

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 June 2023

Afeez Kayode Ibikunle, Mohamad Farizal Rajemi and Fadhilah Mohd Zahari

In this paper, the implementation of lean manufacturing and six sigma practices among Malaysian manufacturing SMEs toward achieving sustainable performance was investigated…

Abstract

Purpose

In this paper, the implementation of lean manufacturing and six sigma practices among Malaysian manufacturing SMEs toward achieving sustainable performance was investigated. Furthermore, intention to implement IR 4.0 technologies among manufacturing SMEs was also examined.

Design/methodology/approach

The primary data were collected from 120 manufacturing SMEs across Malaysia using organization as the unit of analysis. The data were collected using the six-point Likert scale questionnaire.

Findings

Based on research findings, about 86% Malaysian manufacturing SMEs implement 6s. Nevertheless, lean and 6s has an influence on sustainable performance among Malaysian manufacturing SMEs. Only about 32.5% Malaysian manufacturing SMEs have the intention to implement IR 4.0 technologies. This study results imply that IR 4.0 technologies implementation among Malaysian manufacturing SMEs are still at infant stage though lean and 6s concept is known by the manufacturing SMEs.

Research limitations/implications

This study has implications for future researchers to explore application of IR 4.0 technologies among manufacturing SMEs. Therefore, there is need to create awareness about the application of IR 4.0 technologies suitable for manufacturing SMEs in order to remain sustainable for local and foreign competitors. From the perspective of system theory, there is an interconnection network across each department in a whole system. More so, sustainable performance can continuously change and improve the system in any organization.

Practical implications

From the view of SMEs policy makers, this study should be use to encourage SMEs to adopt technologically inclined practices. Accordingly, this research recommends government bodies to help support the implementation of sustainable practices due to their sizes and inadequate resources involved. Therefore, the role of government in providing suitable policies that could be beneficial to manufacturing SMEs toward achieving sustainable practices cannot be overlooked. Through proper government support, Malaysian manufacturing SMEs will be able to survive both locally and internationally and also gain competitive advantage.

Originality/value

The main contribution of this paper includes integrated effect of lean manufacturing practices and six sigma implementation among manufacturing SMEs and prioritizing implementation of IR 4.0 technologies to be executed by manufacturing SMEs.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 41 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 November 2023

Debolina Dutta and Sushanta Kumar Mishra

The importance of mental wellbeing and the need for organizations to address it is increasing in the post-pandemic context. Although Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly…

Abstract

Purpose

The importance of mental wellbeing and the need for organizations to address it is increasing in the post-pandemic context. Although Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly being adopted in HRM functions, its adoption and utility for enabling mental wellbeing is limited. Building on the Open System Theory (OST) and adopting the technology-in-practice lens, the authors examined the roles of human and technology agencies in enabling mental wellbeing.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was conducted in two stages; in Stage 1, the authors adopted a case methodology approach to examine the feasibility of a technology company's offerings to assess mental wellbeing. In Stage 2, the authors followed the grounded theory approach and interviewed 22 key stakeholders and HR leaders of diverse organizations. The authors used Gioia's approach to analyze the data.

Findings

The study demonstrates the interdependence and inseparability of human activity, technological capability and structured context. Specifically, the authors observe that AI adoption is pushing the boundaries of how organizations could support employees' mental health and wellbeing. These technological advancements and adoption are likely to facilitate the evolution of agentic practices, routines and structures.

Research limitations/implications

This study carries two important implications. While the advent of cutting-edge technologies appears to affect employees' mental wellbeing, the study findings indicate the assistive role of technology in supporting mental wellbeing and facilitating changes in organizational practices. Second, the ontology of technology-in-practice shows how human–machine agencies gain newer relevance from the interactions that unite them. Specifically, per OST, technology (from an external context) can potentially change how mental wellbeing practices in organizations are managed. The authors extend the existing literature by suggesting that both human agents and internal contexts effectively limit the potential of technology agents to change existing structures significantly.

Originality/value

The authors address the need for more research on the technology-management interface, and the boundaries of technology-enabled wellbeing at work. While AI-HRM scholarship has primarily relied on micro-level psychological theories to examine impact and outcomes, the authors borrow from the macro-level theories, such as the OST and the technology-in-practice to explain how AI is shifting the boundaries of human and machine agencies for enabling mental wellbeing.

Details

Personnel Review, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0048-3486

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 12 March 2024

Cristina Mele and Tiziana Russo-Spena

In this article, we reflect on how smart technology is transforming service research discourses about service innovation and value co-creation. We adopt the concept of technology…

Abstract

Purpose

In this article, we reflect on how smart technology is transforming service research discourses about service innovation and value co-creation. We adopt the concept of technology smartness’ to refer to the ability of technology to sense, adapt and learn from interactions. Accordingly, we seek to address how smart technologies (i.e. cognitive and distributed technology) can be powerful resources, capable of innovating in relation to actors’ agency, the structure of the service ecosystem and value co-creation practices.

Design/methodology/approach

This conceptual article integrates evidence from the existing theories with illustrative examples to advance research on service innovation and value co-creation.

Findings

Through the performative utterances of new tech words, such as onlife and materiality, this article identifies the emergence of innovative forms of agency and structure. Onlife agency entails automated, relational and performative forms, which provide for new decision-making capabilities and expanded opportunities to co-create value. Phygital materiality pertains to new structural features, comprised of new resources and contexts that have distinctive intelligence, autonomy and performativity. The dialectic between onlife agency and phygital materiality (structure) lies in the agencement of smart tech–enabled value co-creation practices based on the notion of becoming that involves not only resources but also actors and contexts.

Originality/value

This paper proposes a novel conceptual framework that advances a tech-based ecology for service ecosystems, in which value co-creation is enacted by the smartness of technology, which emerges through systemic and performative intra-actions between actors (onlife agency), resources and contexts (phygital materiality and structure).

Details

Journal of Service Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-5818

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 October 2022

Aysegul Gunduz Songur, Gozde Turktarhan and Cihan Cobanoglu

The aim of this research, which is based on a literature review and bibliometric analysis, is to reveal the development of green technologies in hotels, based on the articles…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this research, which is based on a literature review and bibliometric analysis, is to reveal the development of green technologies in hotels, based on the articles published in tourism and hospitality journals between 1999 and 2020.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on five conditions and five databases, 64 journal papers were retrieved and reviewed. Among the surveyed publications pertinent to the eco-friendly/green technology practices at hotels, the majority focus was on the need for eco-friendly/green technology practices at hotels and the schemes implemented to achieve sustainable development.

Findings

The research findings especially from the last decade report that today's guests generally prefer green hotels based on their increased awareness of environmental degradation and an ever-growing need for conservation and sustainability.

Practical implications

The environmental responsibility which is inherent in the hospitality and tourism industry due to the environmental burden generated by the combined effect of both industries on Mother Earth, brings forth a substantial sense of commitment on the part of hotel companies. In that regard, a set of corporate initiatives in the form of green technology practices are implemented by hotels, toward the development of new product and service offerings, management of processes and corporate policy formation.

Originality/value

This research focuses on green technologies aimed at sustainability in the field of accommodation and tourism, consisting of a systematic literature search on the subject. It is important in the way that it provides a general overview to researchers in terms of the theoretical implications of green technologies while also offering a road map with respect to green technology applications to the practitioners of the field.

Details

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, vol. 6 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9792

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 February 2024

Mohammed Muneerali Thottoli

In the fourth industrial revolution, where business accounting integrates with automation through artificial intelligence (AI) and information communication technology (ICT)…

Abstract

Purpose

In the fourth industrial revolution, where business accounting integrates with automation through artificial intelligence (AI) and information communication technology (ICT), auditors must be able to access and analyze vast data and information to identify potential risks and issues. Using data analytics and AI to study significant amounts of data linked to audits, this study aims to investigate auditing practices by leveraging ICT and AI to enhance the audit process.

Design/methodology/approach

Bibliometric and quantitative research techniques have been used in the study’s mixed-method process. The theoretical underpinnings of AI have been investigated using the bibliometric research method, and the challenge of implementing ICT-enabled auditing practices among auditing professionals has been studied using the quantitative research method. Surveys, interviews and bibliometric analysis have all been used as data-gathering techniques.

Findings

Research in AI and auditing has a broad worldwide scope, involving developed and developing nations. ICT perceived benefits have no direct effect on auditing practices. However, ICT training has a mediating effect on the relationship between ICT perceived benefits and auditing practices. ICT adoption has no moderating effect on the relationship between ICT training and auditing practices.

Research limitations/implications

Findings have significance for lead auditors, policymakers and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), who are keenly interested in upgrading the auditing practice of accounting professionals in India by incorporating AI and ICT determinants.

Practical implications

This research makes a significant contribution by offering a thorough framework for improving the knowledge management of practising auditors regarding ICT adoption, training and perceived benefits, a crucial component of auditing practices in the digital age. In addition, it provides insightful information about how AI affects accounting practices, which may point the way for further study in this area.

Originality/value

This research has significant implications for auditing firms in India. It can inform ICAI, policymakers and regulators in their attempts to foster the incorporation of AI and ICTs in auditing practice.

Details

Accounting Research Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1030-9616

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 21 December 2023

Yanina Espegren and Mårten Hugosson

Human resource analytics (HRA) is an HR activity that companies and academics increasingly pay attention to. Existing literature conceptualises HRA mostly from an objectivist…

1080

Abstract

Purpose

Human resource analytics (HRA) is an HR activity that companies and academics increasingly pay attention to. Existing literature conceptualises HRA mostly from an objectivist perspective, which limits understanding of actual HRA activities in the complex organisational environment. This paper therefore draws on the practice-based approach, using a novel framework to conceptualise HRA-as-practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a systematic literature review of 100 academic and practitioner-oriented publications to analyse existing HRA literature in relation to practice theory, using the “HRA-as-practice” frame.

Findings

The authors identify the main practices involved in HRA, by whom and how these practices are enacted, and reveal three topics in nomological network of HRA-as-practice: HRA technology, HRA outcomes and HRA hindrances and facilitators, which the authors suggest might actualize enactment of HRA practices.

Practical implications

The authors offer HR function and HR professionals a basic ground to evaluate HRA as a highly contextual activity that can potentially generate business value and increase HR impact when seen as a complex interaction between HRA practices, HRA practitioners and HRA praxis. The findings also help HR practitioners understand multiple factors that influence the practice of HRA.

Originality/value

This systematic review differs from the previous reviews in two ways. First, it analyses both academic and practitioner-oriented publications. Second, it provides a novel theoretical contribution by conceptualising HRA-as-practice and comprehensively compiling scattered topics and themes related to HRA.

Details

Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2051-6614

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 4 December 2023

Michela Floris

The current era is characterized by hyperturbulence, population growth, attention to food security, the need to identify sustainable strategies to reduce pollution and poverty…

Abstract

The current era is characterized by hyperturbulence, population growth, attention to food security, the need to identify sustainable strategies to reduce pollution and poverty, and the disparity between developed and undeveloped economies. These circumstances force a global paradigm shift based on sustainable practices and processes that put people and the environment at the core of each activity, contributing to sustainable, social, and economic development and promoting well-being in the community.

In this spirit, a strong impulse can derive from the practices of Green Technology, considered here as that set of processes aimed at eco-sustainability that acquire undisputed relevance, especially for emerging economies.

This chapter focuses on the role that Green technology practices exert in generating local well-being in the world's fifth-largest country: Brazil. Dynamic growth and effective social policies lifted millions of people out of poverty in the 2000s, even if socio-economic development varies widely across the country. Brazil is a leading global agricultural, minerals, and oil producer. The natural environment represents the primary source of Brazil's development that deserves to be protected and push firms and citizens to find new sustainable solutions based on green policies. Drawing inspiration from a Brazilian case study, this chapter proposes a set of building blocks that foster sustainable business practices in emerging countries.

The chapter is organized as follows: the first part introduces the concept of green technology practices; the second highlights the opportunities of green technologies; the third focuses on a single case study.

Details

Fostering Sustainable Businesses in Emerging Economies
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80455-640-5

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 20 November 2023

Ana Luísa Rodrigues

Toward the construction of a new paradigm in teacher education in a globalized and digitalized society where it is intended to value knowledge and teacher professional development…

Abstract

Toward the construction of a new paradigm in teacher education in a globalized and digitalized society where it is intended to value knowledge and teacher professional development sustained by collaboration and cooperation, training policies and models based on technology-enhanced active learning will be required. This chapter aims to analyze the dimensions that can affect these training models within a new educational paradigm, at the level of professional development and increase of technological skills, collaborative processes for the creation of communities of practice, and promotion of active learning that contribute to innovative hybrid environments and transformative learning. In the Covid-19 post-pandemic, it is crucial to study and mobilize the experiences developed in the educational field exploring how these can be harnessed to build this new educational paradigm. This work aims to contribute with a reasoned reflection and insights concerning learning models and methodologies in teacher education that contribute to transformative active learning. Focusing on the link between preservice and in-service teacher education, the interrelation among teacher education and evaluation, and the construction of innovative technology-enhanced learning environments, for instance through the active training model.

Article
Publication date: 15 January 2024

Gökhan Akel and Elçin Noyan

This study aimed to explore the adaptations and perspectives of hotel managers regarding green and smart hotel technologies within the context of sustainability.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to explore the adaptations and perspectives of hotel managers regarding green and smart hotel technologies within the context of sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

A comprehensive literature review guided the formulation of this study, followed by face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with hotel managers. A total of 17 prepared questions were finalized after examination by two expert academicians. The responses were analyzed using qualitative research methodology and the results were weighted using the step-wise weight assessment ratio analysis (SWARA) method.

Findings

Interviews with sustainability and operational managers yielded insights into environmentally friendly practices and strategies such as reducing energy and water consumption, waste and chemical reduction, supporting local entrepreneurs and adopting smart technologies. These factors are crucial in eco-friendly hotels. According to the SWARA analysis, 'reducing energy consumption' is the most effective criterion.

Research limitations/implications

This study offers insights into green and smart hotel management by focusing on the perspectives of hotel managers with a small sample. In future studies, research with larger samples on customer perspectives and the effect of hotel selection is recommended.

Practical implications

This study offers insights to hotel managers on energy conservation and customer satisfaction enhancement through green and technological applications. These technological applications can improve hotel service quality and provide personalized experiences, fostering customer loyalty.

Originality/value

This pioneering study focuses on the intersection of green and smart practices in hospitality. By intertwining the often separately discussed concepts of “green” and “smart,” this study presents a novel approach to the sustainability practices in the hospitality industry, holding a key position, especially in Turkey. Implementing these concepts can yield environmental and economic benefits, offering invaluable insights to hotel managers and policymakers into integrating smart technologies with sustainability.

Details

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9792

Keywords

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