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1 – 9 of 9Ioanna Falagara Sigala, William J. Kettinger and Tina Wakolbinger
The purpose of this study is to explore what design principles need to be considered in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems for humanitarian organizations (HOs) to enable…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore what design principles need to be considered in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems for humanitarian organizations (HOs) to enable agile, adaptive and aligned (Triple-A) humanitarian supply chain capabilities and digitize humanitarian operations.
Design/methodology/approach
This study follows an embedded case study approach with a humanitarian medical relief organization, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which engaged in a multiyear ERP design at its humanitarian field missions.
Findings
This research shows that ERP systems for humanitarian organizations should be designed as unique systems addressing humanitarian organizations' challenges and unique missions, their value generation processes, and resource base in an effort to improve organizational performance. This study presents 12 general design principles that are unique for humanitarian organizations. These design principles provide a high-level structure of guidance under which specific requirements can be further defined and engineered to achieve success.
Research limitations/implications
The results of this study are based on a single case study limiting generalizability. However, the case study was analyzed and presented as an embedded case study with five autonomous subunits using different business processes and following different adoption and implementation approaches. Therefore, the findings are derived based on considerable variance reflective of humanitarian organizations beyond MSF.
Practical implications
This study recognizes that HOs have unique routines that standard commercial ERP packages do not address easily at the field level. The primary contribution of this research is a set of design principles that consider these unique routines and guide ERP development in practice. National and international HOs that are planning to implement information systems, private companies that are trading partners of HOs as well as vendors of ERP systems that are looking for new opportunities would all benefit from this research.
Originality/value
This study fills the gap in the humanitarian literature regarding the design of ERP systems for humanitarian organizations that enable Triple–A supply chain capabilities and it advances the knowledge of the challenges of ERP design by HOs in the context of humanitarian operations.
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William E. Kilbourne, Jo Ann Duffy, Michael Duffy and George Giarchi
This study investigates the applicability of a modified SERVQUAL instrument as a means of measuring residents' perceptions of long‐term health‐care service quality in the USA and…
Abstract
This study investigates the applicability of a modified SERVQUAL instrument as a means of measuring residents' perceptions of long‐term health‐care service quality in the USA and UK. The results confirm a stable, four‐factor structure that is similar to previously defined service quality dimensions and is invariant across the countries studied.
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Laura Birou, Richard N. Germain and William J. Christensen
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between internal process improvement investments, applied channel logistics knowledge, and financial performance for…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between internal process improvement investments, applied channel logistics knowledge, and financial performance for make‐to‐order (MTO) and make‐to‐stock (MTS) manufacturers. This study takes the position that knowledge, specifically tacit or applied knowledge, may serve as a key indicator of organizational performance. In this study, the tacit knowledge exhibited in intentional logistics integration activities is captured in the construct applied channel logistics knowledge.
Design/methodology/approach
A structural equation model, controlling for firm size and demand uncertainty, is used to examine these relationships. A sampling frame of 1,264 senior manufacturing “executives” provided 222 usable surveys representing 210 firms.
Findings
The results show that for MTO firms, higher investments in internal process improvement relate to higher applied channel logistics knowledge, whereas for MTS firms, the relationship does not hold, and this difference is significant. In addition, the results indicate a positive relationship between internal process improvement investment and financial performance for MTO firms, whereas again the relationship does not hold for MTS firms. Both MTO and MTS firms show increased financial performance when applied channel logistics knowledge increases, although the increase in financial performance is significantly greater for MTO firms.
Originality/value
Historically, the success of integration strategies has been postulated to be equally effective for MTO and MTS firms, a “one‐size‐fits‐all” approach to improving system effectiveness. However, given the inherent differences in these manufacturing strategies, this speculation deserves further investigation and serves as the focus of this research. The use of the tacit knowledge construct applied channel logistics knowledge is also unique and of value in understanding supply chain relationships.
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Juliano Idogawa, Flávio Santino Bizarrias and Ricardo Câmara
The purpose of this study is to determine the influence of project critical success factors (CSFs) on change management in the context of business process management (BPM)…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to determine the influence of project critical success factors (CSFs) on change management in the context of business process management (BPM). Despite widespread interest in BPM, the existing literature is insufficient in addressing the antecedents that contribute to change management in business process projects.
Design/methodology/approach
Key factors of change management success in BPM projects were initially identified in a systematic literature review (SLR) and were used as antecedents of change management through a structural equation modeling (SEM) with 464 business project stakeholders. Next, a neural network analysis allowed the key factors to be ranked non-linearly. Finally, a latent class analysis (LCA) was performed to determine the sample's heterogeneous groups based on their project management characteristics.
Findings
Project management, top management support and technological competencies were the main CSFs identified as having positive effects on change management. The most important factor is project management, followed by top management support, which plays a crucial mediating role in enabling change management. Although relevant, technological competencies were secondary in the study. Regarding project management CSF, four heterogeneous classes of individuals were determined.
Research limitations/implications
Although this study provides an opportunity to observe CSFs, it does not address the need to analyze the phenomenon in different classifications of projects, regarding maturity, complexity, project management approach and other aspects that differentiate projects in a meaningful way.
Practical implications
The study allows practitioners to understand the critical factors underlying change management and take necessary actions to manage it, recognizing that individuals have heterogeneous profiles regarding project management.
Originality/value
This study pioneeringly discusses the CSFs of change management BPM projects to enable successful change management, ranking the main factors and mapping heterogeneous profiles.
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Olusola Ralph Aluko, Godwin I. Idoro and Saheed O. Ajayi
Clients in Nigeria have continuously questioned the quality of services being rendered by architectural firms in building projects. This study aims to investigate the areas of…
Abstract
Purpose
Clients in Nigeria have continuously questioned the quality of services being rendered by architectural firms in building projects. This study aims to investigate the areas of service responsible for determining client satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses questionnaire for data collection on perceived service quality and indicators of clients’ satisfaction.
Findings
The results of descriptive statistics suggest that efficient analysis and compliance with client brief along with buildability, flexibility and comprehensiveness of the design are the main technical determinants of clients’ satisfaction. Management measures for engendering clients’ satisfaction include team communication and collaboration as well as regular site visits when required. The study established a significant relationship between the perceived service quality and client satisfaction. At technical level, economical design and compliance with budget, buildability, optimal and error-free design and timely delivery have significant correlation with the perception of service quality, which could engender client satisfaction. At management level, collaboration and coordination, integrity and trust, regular site visits and project management knowledge and skills had significant relationships with perceived service quality.
Originality/value
To improve overall client satisfaction, architects are expected to focus on these factors in the process of service delivery. Architects’ expertise and skills can be further harnessed through continuous training and understanding of the project environment.
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Mobile telecommunication service providers endeavor to mitigate the declining voice service revenue through popularization of mobile value‐added services (MVASs). To understand…
Abstract
Purpose
Mobile telecommunication service providers endeavor to mitigate the declining voice service revenue through popularization of mobile value‐added services (MVASs). To understand determinants that influence mobile phone subscribers' intentions to use MVASs, this study aims to investigate the influences of perceived playfulness and information systems (IS) quality on mobile phone subscribers' intentions to use MVASs.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey involving 304 subjects was conducted, followed by a partial least squares (PLS) analysis, which yielded strong evidence in support of our proposed research model.
Findings
The results confirmed that information quality, system quality, and service quality serve as important antecedents of perceived ease of use and usefulness among mobile phone subscribers. Additionally, the authors found that the perceived playfulness of MVASs mediates the influence of perceived ease of use on intentions of mobile phone subscribers to adopt the services. The comparison between experienced and inexperienced users also suggests that inexperienced subscribers are attracted to MVASs that satisfy their need for information or play, whereas experienced subscribers tend to take into account system and service qualities.
Research limitations/implications
Self‐selection within the online data collection process was unavoidable; in addition, this study was unable to perform a comparison across different mobile phone subscriber groups and was limited to those MVASs available at the time of data collection.
Practical implications
The results of this study can assist mobile telecommunication service providers in understanding the critical determinants that influence mobile phone subscribers' decisions to adopt MVASs. Besides IS quality factors, the results suggest that service providers should also value the quality of perceived playfulness, which reflects user engagement and enjoyment of the services, beyond usefulness alone.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the understanding of MVAS adoption by introducing IS quality factors and perceived playfulness to current theoretical models; and, furthermore, provides sound evidence that information quality, system quality, service quality, and perceived playfulness are critical factors that influence consumer decisions to adopt these services.
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Diogo Cotta and Fabrizio Salvador
The purpose of this paper was to explore individual- and firm-level antecedents of the ability of a manufacturing firm's personnel to collaborate and integrate knowledge for…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper was to explore individual- and firm-level antecedents of the ability of a manufacturing firm's personnel to collaborate and integrate knowledge for organizational resilience practices.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors apply hierarchical regression analysis to study a sample of 192 European industrial equipment manufacturers. Data for each firm are collected from surveys of two key informants in each firm, as well as from public sources.
Findings
Firms' personnel’s ability to integrate information and knowledge for organizational resilience practices was positively related with the extent of the head of manufacturing's network of personal contacts inside the firm. This effect was stronger in firms with more formalized job descriptions and clearly defined roles. The head of manufacturing's orientation to teamwork and cooperation impacted this ability only in firms that did not financially incentivize cooperation. The authors also found that cooperation incentives and role formalization directly relate to firms' personnel’s ability to integrate information and knowledge for organizational resilience practices.
Originality/value
The study proposes to study organizational resilience practices through a transactive memory systems lens. The study is also the first to link characteristics of individual managers to firm-level resilience practices by examining the antecedents of firms' ability to integrate information and knowledge to recover from operational disruptions. Furthermore, the study serves to enhance the knowledge of resilience practices by examining the role of firm-level antecedents and their interplay with characteristics of individual managers.
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The growing service sector leads to rapid changes of today’s economy from an industrial society to a so‐called knowledge society. Traditional values of organizations – often named…
Abstract
The growing service sector leads to rapid changes of today’s economy from an industrial society to a so‐called knowledge society. Traditional values of organizations – often named “bricks and mortar” – become less important. Instead of those values of human resources with all their abilities and skills become the most important value drivers in many organizations. This paper illustrates the history of the measurement on human capital, gives a brief overview of the different concepts and methods of human resource accounting, and points out the problems of this research area. With the new possibilities of information technology, there is a new chance to solve some of the problems allied to human resource accounting. The paper demonstrates some main aspects that have become accountable by developing human resource accounting systems for the service sector.
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Thomas R. Gulledge and Rainer A. Sommer
The management of the US Department of Defense (DoD) enterprise must change. Years of under‐funding have led to a wide gap between enterprise support requirements and resources…
Abstract
The management of the US Department of Defense (DoD) enterprise must change. Years of under‐funding have led to a wide gap between enterprise support requirements and resources. Private sector firms have faced similar choices. This paper shows how the public enterprise can be changed. Our hypothesis is that private sector implementations of standard software will lead to increased effectiveness and efficiency in public sector organizations. Sufficient detail is provided on how to transition to a modern integrated public sector enterprise, and the steps for implementing such a project are outlined, following standard private sector implementation practices. To explain the problem and solution, the DoD installation management enterprise is used as an example.
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