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Big data clearly represent an important advance in information systems theory, but to describe it as “revolutionary” is premature. Similar technological breakthroughs, from online databases to ERP, were clearly modulated by advances in the organizational domain, including matters of structure, strategy and culture and arguably big data will be similar. The purpose of this paper is to encourage discussion of the wider implications of big data for the theory and practice of knowledge management.

This is a conceptual study based on critical analysis of the relevant literatures including those of organizational studies and management, big data and knowledge management.

The literature of big data emphasizes the application of algorithms to pattern analysis and prediction, resulting in data-driven decision-making, with data being the creator of value in organizations and societies. This would appear to render obsolete previous depictions of the “data-information-knowledge” relationship and, in effect, spell the end of knowledge management. However, big data literature largely ignores the organizational dimension and, significantly, the importance of frameworks, strategies and cultures for big data. As all of these are present in the literature of knowledge management, it would seem that big data have a long way to go to catch up and qualify even as a sub-discipline. Indeed, on the evidence, big data may well have a future as a contributor to and/or an element of knowledge management. Even for this to happen, however, major advances are required across the spectrum of big data technologies.

This is a position paper written as the precursor for an empirical study.

The paper offers a critical literature-based and knowledge management perspective on big data while pointing out the common thread that runs through decades of advances in information systems technologies.

A key finding in the extant literature on adopting information systems has been the importance of management support and a champion. Further research has indicated that business managers need to have appropriate IT knowledge and skills to lead adoption adequately. In the context of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), this role is usually assumed by the owner/manager. This research aims to synthesise these two tenets by identifying and understanding the type of business intelligence and analytics (BI&A) leadership skills that owners/managers need to develop during the adoption of BI&A.

Five BI&A knowledge areas are identified and connected to different types of BI&A leadership skills through qualitative in-depth case studies of fourteen Australian SMEs.

The case studies reveal that several BI&A leadership skills need to be developed to bring SMEs to higher stages of BI&A adoption.

This study proposes a BI&A leadership skills development framework that allows practitioners to develop progressive BI&A skills concerning managing data, analytical skills, business processes, social and cultural change, and investment decisions to achieve sustainable operational, management and strategic goals.

The paper takes a unique approach that links five knowledge areas to BI&A leadership skills that owners/managers need to ensure for effective adoption and orchestration of BI&A in their organisations. The BI&A leadership framework includes a developmental approach that relates to the iterative and complex nature of BI&A adoption.

This paper aims to provide an introductory overview of internal business intelligence (BI) and the role that technology plays in its management and exploitation. BI represents the tools and systems that play a key role in the strategic planning process of a corporation, allowing the integration of applications, databases, software and hardware essential to users and enabling the analysis of information to optimise decision-making.

In reviewing the existing literature, this paper examines the core components, current trends and operational issues of a typical internal BI system architecture. The implications of these trends and their effects on business processes and culture are also explored.

The successful implementation of an internal BI system should include the core components and address operational issues, whilst also providing meaningful output to the organisation. It is contended, however, that to be truly successful, the internal BI system must be embedded within organisational processes and be adaptable to changing technologies, allowing the exploitation of the organisation’s internal BI.

This general review is the first to provide a high-level overview of internal BI and explores the role of technology in the management and exploitation of internal BI.

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the links between value creation and university business models in a dynamic global higher education marketplace.

This paper combines primary and secondary research to critique the current “export led” business models of universities in a context of growing competition and conflicting perceptions of value among various stakeholders.

In a context of market turbulence, funding crises and concerns over competition, complexity and sustainability, there are concerns over the longer term viability of current university business models, reflected in indications of differentiation among providers.

The paper has emerged from the primary research into business models in book publishing (Australian Research Council) and subsequent book on digital publishing (Ashgate Publishers). Here, the authors have applied the same model building process to what has been learned about university business models from the wider literature. While this means that much of the research is secondary, there is still an original element in the model building and analysis processes.

The paper has practical implications for university planners seeking to review or replace their business models in an increasingly complex and challenging global marketplace.

The paper has implications for a number of stakeholders – university managers and their staff, business partners, students, government and professional bodies. In a wider sense it relates to concerns over complexity, social responsibility and sustainability at both organisational and community levels.

University business models have received relatively little attention in the management literature, and frequently this has involved little more than allusions to business models than detailed treatment of their structure and content. This paper fills a gap by providing a number of alternative business models for universities. Although the broad context is that of Australian universities, the analysis is applicable to the circumstances of other countries.

–The purpose of this paper is to report on an applied research project involving the application of core learning and pedagogical theory to a specific unit in a transnational undergraduate business course.

The project sought to collect data and learning experiences based upon intensive literature reviews and a combined quantitative-qualitative research method. Established research constructs and recent lessons from the literature were applied to the two-year reform cycle of an undergraduate business unit.

The findings validated the research constructs and frameworks employed and reinforced the case for enhancing the nexus between alignment, student motivation, active learning and the international-transnational perspective. Despite initiatives to engender openness and interactivity in the classroom, including dynamic and innovative approaches to communication and content delivery neither the operation of the class nor the eventual performance of the students lived up to expectations.

The research was limited to the experiences of three different cohorts of students on the same unit over a two-year period. Implications are that the same research method and approach are valid for other units either in the same faculty or across faculties.

Serves as an example of what can and cannot be achieved by academics seeking to align their teaching and research activities on a relatively modest basis.

Raises questions as to the social dimension to transnational higher education courses.

While not entirely original, the paper adds value in the form of “lessons learned” from an applied classroom-based research.

The purpose of this paper is to report the findings from a research project aiming to investigate the implications of digitization for the Australian book publishing sector and in particular for current and emerging business models. Recognizing the dynamic nature of the publishing industry in Australia with the rapid development of information and communication technologies, this study aims to address several critical research questions in the publishing industry in Australia as follows: what are the major trends emerging within the publishing industry in Australia? What implications do these trends have for business models? What technologies and applications offer the greatest potential for supporting value creation activities and business model development in the digital era?

A comprehensive review of the literature on business models is conducted, in particular, in relation to the publishing industry. The current status of the technology used in the publishing industry is explored, and the overall profile of the Australian publishing industry is established with the use of a document analysis method based on secondary data available. This leads to the development of an online questionnaire for surveying the book publishers in Australia, and results in the conduct of 14 follow‐up case studies, the latter forming the basis for the current paper.

The findings are that global trends towards consolidation and increasing competition are replicated in Australia, and that business models are responding, for example, with the emergence of hybrid models, embodying traditional elements and those consequent on the advent of digitization. It is also clear that the internet and related network technologies, along with content and digital rights management technologies are emerging as key to change, but those strategic decisions are ultimately based on business drivers rather than on emerging technologies.

The research findings would be of significant benefits to Australian business, especially, the publishers in Australia in their endeavour to effectively deal with the challenges that the rapid advance in information and communication technologies has brought to every organization. These findings help organizations, including Australian publishers, realistically assess the impact of the digital technologies on their businesses and subsequently formulate effective policies and strategies for fully making use of the potential of the digital technologies for developing and sustaining their competitive advantages in the market.

The originality of this study is the use of a multi‐method approach for investigating the implications of digitization for the Australian book publishing sector and in particular for current and emerging business models. Such a study is of tremendous value to the Australian publishers due to the rapid advance of digital technologies; the need for a better understanding of the impacts of such technologies advances on publishers; and the increasing competitive market in publishing. The research findings would help Australian publishers and also other organizations develop specific strategies and polices for effectively dealing with the challenges from the rapid development of the digital technologies.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the complexities in dashboard design process.

The authors chose case study research, following Benbasat et al. (2002) who argued that it is suitable for information system research, as researchers could perform the study in the organisation as a natural setting. As a result, the authors could learn and generate insights from practice. Another reason was mainly as the phenomenon being studied cannot be taken away from its context (Yin, 2003). In addition, through case study, the authors aim to achieve a deeper understanding and richer descriptions on the subject of research in a “real-world context” (Yin, 2012). In addition, it aims to understand the intricacy of the processes going on in the organisation by focusing more towards organisational rather than the technological issues (Benbasat et al., 1987).

Through research, the authors highlighted that it is important to align the dashboard design with the organisation’s visions and goals. This creates a more persuasive rationale for adoption amongst the users, as they could use the dashboard as a means to assist them in achieving the vision and goals of the organisation. More importantly, the analysis clearly indicates the need to consider the creation of a dashboard as a holistic exercise. The intricate processes of designing a dashboard are often underestimated. Instead of focusing into a specific aspect (such as user interface or functionality) of designing dashboards, the authors should look into the multi-faceted aspects in designing an effective dashboard.

This paper articulates the findings from a single case study. However, arguably, the results of this study are transferable to other entities responsible for designing business intelligence (BI) and business analytics dashboards. Research on dashboard design and the use of design thinking across different type organisations is currently ongoing to allow for cross-case analyses.

The study has determined that interdisciplinary and cross-functional group communications play a significant role in designing a dashboard. The ability to collaborate with “data owners”, would be dashboard users, managers of the technical infrastructure, and process owners leads to a workable and effective dashboard. In this sense, design thinking could be used and/or regarded as a holistic, creative and solutions-oriented framework.

With an increasing interest on BI and business analytics, dashboards have an increasingly pivotal role in providing a summary of data for business users. The literature review shows in designing a dashboard; there is much emphasis on the graphical user interface and in providing features and functionalities for the dashboards. This paper presents a case study outlining the key considerations of a team in charge of business analytics and dashboard creations for a university. Through the case study analysis, the authors explore the key aspects that influence a dashboard design and analyse the design processes using the concept of design thinking as the theoretical framework.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the development of software pricing, following the advent of cloud-based business intelligence & analytics (BI & A) Software. A value-based conceptual software model is developed to ignite and structure further research.

A two-step research approach is applied. In step one, the available literature is screened and evaluated, and this is followed by ten semi-structured expert interviews. With that input, a conceptual software pricing model is designed. In step two, this model is validated and refined through discussions with representatives of the five leading business intelligence suites.

The paper sheds light on the value perception of customers and suggests a clear focus on the interaction between customers and vendors, and less on technical issues. The developed customer-centric, value-based pricing framework helps to improve pricing techniques and strategies.

The research is focused on the pricing strategy of software houses and excludes differentiations of technical specifications and functionalities.

The research can support practitioners in the field of BI & A in rethinking their pricing methods. Placing the customer at center stage can lead to lower customer churn rates, higher customer satisfaction and more pricing flexibility.

This empirical study reveals the importance of a customer-centric pricing approach in the specific case of BI & A. It can also be applied to other fast-developing sectors of the software industry.

The purpose of this study was to identify the influence of organizational strategy, structure, process and culture on organizational effectiveness and the possible mediating role of business intelligence (BI) systems among them.

Sample data for this study were collected from 225 organizational units in Bangladesh and analyzed using the partial least squares method, a statistical analysis technique based on the structural equation modeling.

The results revealed that organizational factors, such as organizational strategy, structure, process, and culture positively affect both BI systems’ effectiveness and organizational effectiveness. Furthermore, BI systems’ effectiveness partially mediates the impact of organizational strategy, structure, process and culture on organizational effectiveness.

BI systems are context-specific and can influence organizational effectiveness. Dearth in research on the influence of organizational factors to BI systems motivates this study to contribute in BI systems literature by proposing a theoretical model and investigating the mediating role of BI systems among various organizational factors and organizational effectiveness.