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1 – 10 of over 3000The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors facilitating and influencing the adoption of DevOps practices specifically tailored to mobile software development, with a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors facilitating and influencing the adoption of DevOps practices specifically tailored to mobile software development, with a focus on understanding the influence of mobile-specific requirements on DevOps integration.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employs a qualitative methodology, including a literature review, exploratory case research and partial quantitative assessments through DORA metrics and survey applications. This approach, guided by the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, prioritizes in-depth insights into the adoption of DevOps practices and explores strategies for integrating DevOps in mobile software development.
Findings
The research identifies several key themes specific to Mobile DevOps adoption, including tool integration issues, testing complexities, deployment challenges and security concerns. These findings underscore the necessity for tailored DevOps solutions that can effectively address the unique demands of mobile software development. The study also proposes actionable strategies to overcome these challenges, thereby enhancing the efficiency, quality and security of mobile applications.
Practical implications
The insights gained from this study provide valuable guidance for practitioners in the mobile software development sector. By understanding and addressing the specific challenges of Mobile DevOps, organizations can improve their DevOps practices and achieve better outcomes in terms of project delivery speed, quality and security. For example, implementing robust testing strategies, investing in compatible tools and developing well-defined rollback procedures can significantly enhance Mobile DevOps effectiveness. Furthermore, incorporating continuous security measures and improving cross-functional collaboration can lead to more secure and efficient mobile application deployments.
Social implications
This study offers valuable starting points for researching Mobile DevOps in real-world settings, based on insights from practical DevOps implementations in a single-case organization. Organizations can use this information to compare their own DevOps approaches with those of the studied organization, and can facilitate self-assessment and improvement.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the limited literature on Mobile DevOps adoption and proposing actionable strategies. By incorporating the TOE framework, it provides a comprehensive guide that enhances understanding and management of DevOps practices throughout the mobile application development lifecycle and offers significant value to practitioners and researchers alike.
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Jaehong Joo, Hee Sun Kim, Sae Gyoung Song, Yun Jeong Ro and Ji Hoon Song
The purpose of this study is to emphasize the important role of performance-oriented human resource (HR) practices and gender equality perceptions in supervisors and chief…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to emphasize the important role of performance-oriented human resource (HR) practices and gender equality perceptions in supervisors and chief executive officers (CEOs) for career development among women in management.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a quantitative methodology to examine relationships among variables. The authors conducted a survey to investigate factors influencing the career development of women managers in professional settings, with a sample of 1,502 female managers in South Korea.
Findings
The relationship between performance-oriented HR practices and career development for women managers was supported. In addition, self-leadership significantly mediated the relationship between performance-oriented HR practices and career development. Finally, double moderator effects of gender equality perceptions of CEOs and supervisors on the relationship between performance-oriented HR practices and self-leadership were significant.
Originality/value
This study emphasizes that career development for women in South Korea depends on gender equality awareness and institutional reorganization for best practices at top management levels. Specifically, this study identified the essential role of performance-based HR practices to support self-leadership and career development in women managers. Furthermore, this study recognized gender equality perceptions of CEOs and supervisors as a critical factor in the successful career development of women managers.
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Ayubu Ismail Ngao and Guoyuan Sang
Despite the positive impact of professional learning communities (PLCs) in improving teaching practices, many teachers still struggle to effectively integrate information and…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the positive impact of professional learning communities (PLCs) in improving teaching practices, many teachers still struggle to effectively integrate information and communication technologies (ICTs) into their teaching and learning. Drawing from human capital theory and spillover effects, this paper examines how teachers PLCs can facilitate ICT integration.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a qualitative methodology, the researchers designed a phenomenological study. From semi-structured interviews, data were collected from 15 selected secondary school teachers from four selected secondary schools in Tanzania.
Findings
The study revealed that teachers use various strategies to enhance ICT integration in teaching practices, namely, community collaboration, practice-based approaches to ICT integration and the utilization of digital learning tools in instructional practices. Furthermore, the results showed several constraints on the ability of teachers’ PLCs to encourage ICT integration. These constraints were divided into three parts, i.e. major challenges at the macro, meso and micro levels.
Practical implications
The paper has the potential to inform policy and practice, particularly in the area of PLCs. Also, it helps to better understand the changing practices with ICTs through PLCs when there are insufficient resources for ICT integration.
Originality/value
To support teachers in using ICTs in their instructional practices, it is essential to build their capacities through PLCs to increase their confidence and competence in ICT integration.
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Stéphanie Giamporcaro and George Kuk
This study aims to make a distinction between actualized and claimed affordances of blockchain by examining how a specified user group interprets and translates the actualized…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to make a distinction between actualized and claimed affordances of blockchain by examining how a specified user group interprets and translates the actualized affordances from a known use context into their existing practices. This allows us to develop and advance the concept of affordances-in-practice as an enactment of action possibilities through practices in a specified use context.
Design/methodology/approach
We focus on the field of sustainable investment (SI) and its relation to emerging blockchain technologies in the pursuit of sustainable development goals (SDGs). We used a field study involving 29 interviews with SI practitioners and blockchain entrepreneurs in South Africa, supplemented with an analysis of 91 practitioner and industry documents.
Findings
Our findings show that when there is a lack of actual use cases in the field of SI, the claimed affordances of blockchain are subject to a sensemaking process, which considers how action possibilities can be enacted and transformed through practices and how institutional constraints and socio-cognitive barriers can determine the available action possibilities.
Research limitations/implications
A notable limitation relates to the relative novelty and emerging status of blockchain. As affordances are based on available information and experience, this leaves room for claimed affordances. We discuss the implications of the interplay of the actualized and claimed affordances in blockchain applications in the field of SI.
Practical implications
We discuss the practical implications of addressing claimed affordances and field opacity in the SI field.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine blockchain affordances for good in the context of achieving SDGs through SI. Our affordances-in-practice framework holds theoretical promise to pinpoint and explain how practices can shape action possibilities despite having difficulties in evaluating the underlying technological potentialities.
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With the launch of the Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP), the Canadian government named solidarity as a shared value and a driving motivation behind the FIAP. This…
Abstract
Purpose
With the launch of the Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP), the Canadian government named solidarity as a shared value and a driving motivation behind the FIAP. This paper explores how development workers understand and apply solidarity to their work, uncovering the opportunities and constraints they face.
Design/methodology/approach
In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 42 development workers from Canada’s federal development agency between 2019 and 2020. Transcribed data were coded by the author to identify how workers made sense of solidarity within the development industry.
Findings
The majority of workers were unsure of how to define or operationalize solidarity, demonstrating confusion. Commonality was routinely mentioned as a facet of solidarity, but workers understood this term in diverse ways, with some considering commonality as a precondition that inhibited a sense of solidarity with development partners in the global South due to differences in living conditions. About a quarter identified power and privilege as necessary considerations in the process of building solidarity, showing potential for bonds across the inequalities that define development. About 40% of workers identified the institutional structure of the organization as an obstacle to solidarity.
Originality/value
This paper presents original data from Canadian development workers, providing the first study of their understanding of solidarity as a development ethic. It shows the gaps between rhetoric and practice while recommending ways for development organizations to meaningfully engage with solidarity in their work.
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Kyung Nam Kim, Jia Wang and Peter Williams
In a rapidly shifting market, organizations seek more diverse and innovative employee development interventions. Yet, these initiatives may have limited impact without employees’…
Abstract
Purpose
In a rapidly shifting market, organizations seek more diverse and innovative employee development interventions. Yet, these initiatives may have limited impact without employees’ engagement. This conceptual paper aims to propose self-leadership as a value-added strategy for promoting both individual and organizational development.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a conceptual analysis with three case examples. The cases were purposefully selected, aiming to comprehend how the concept of self-leadership has been applied within organizations and to identify real-life examples where self-leadership has been adopted as an organizational strategy.
Findings
This study demonstrates that self-leadership plays a significant role in facilitating human resource development (HRD) initiatives. Specifically, the authors illustrate how self-leadership interventions in companies empower individuals to take charge of their development, aligning personal and organizational goals. When effectively applied, self-leadership strategies positively impact HRD practices in the areas of training and development, organization development and career development, yielding benefits for both employees and employers.
Originality/value
This study addresses knowledge gaps in the emerging field of self-leadership in HRD by providing three companies’ examples of how self-leadership can add value to HRD. The findings offer unique insights into the synergy between self-leadership and HRD, benefiting academics interested in this line of inquiry and HRD practitioners seeking innovative approaches to employee and organizational development.
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Letícia de Oliveira Paula, Dário Henrique Alliprandini and Gabriela Scur
This paper aims to describe the product development process (PDP) of companies in the textile industry, seeking to understand the dynamics of their management from different…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to describe the product development process (PDP) of companies in the textile industry, seeking to understand the dynamics of their management from different actors along the production chain.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative empirical research adopted a multiple case studies design in five large Brazilian organizations, each representing a link in the production chain.
Findings
Textile PDP follows structured steps. However, it is still an informal process. The use of methodologies and tools for decision-making and control gates throughout the process is limited. Performance indicators do not cover all dimensions of the PDP since sales and profit are the main parameters for assessing projects. The predevelopment macro phase varies according to the product type and the company's business model, whereas the postdevelopment macro phase is nonexistent. PDP projects are executed through collective efforts of multiple departments in cross-functional teams, except for the commodities firms.
Practical implications
The study allows managers of Brazilian textile companies to understand the best practices in the PDP and those that require more attention, taking into account different business models and sectors of the production chain.
Originality/value
Our results contribute to the literature and practitioners by providing an overview of PDP management in the textile industry, covering its different production chain actors, types of projects and companies' characteristics.
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Minh Van Nguyen, Le Dinh Thuc and Tu Thanh Nguyen
This study aims to investigate the influence of external factors identified by the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal (PESTEL) framework on…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the influence of external factors identified by the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal (PESTEL) framework on corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance in Vietnamese construction firms.
Design/methodology/approach
The snowball sampling method was employed to gather 182 validated responses. Employing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), the research analyzed how these factors correlate with CSR practices under institutional theory.
Findings
Results indicated that social, economic, environmental, legal and technological factors positively impacted CSR performance. Among these, social factors had the most significant effect, followed sequentially by economic, environmental, legal and technological influences. Intriguingly, political factors demonstrated no significant association with CSR performance.
Research limitations/implications
The strong impact of social factors confirms that societal norms and cultural values are critical in shaping corporate behavior in Vietnam. Firms can leverage this insight by intensifying their community engagement and social investment. Additionally, the negligible role of political factors in shaping CSR suggests that firms might not need to focus heavily on political engagement in Vietnam. However, firms should remain aware of legal changes as legal factors influence CSR outcomes.
Originality/value
Despite CSR’s growing importance, there remains a notable research gap regarding how external macro-environmental factors influence CSR performance, particularly within the construction industry. The findings emphasize the importance of aligning business strategies with socioeconomic and environmental aspects.
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Saswati Tripathi and Siddhartha Shankar Roy
This article aims to comprehensively review the measurement and management of supply chain performance (SCP) and strategic performance (SP). It strives to identify integrable…
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to comprehensively review the measurement and management of supply chain performance (SCP) and strategic performance (SP). It strives to identify integrable features regarding frameworks, measurement approaches, practices and emerging research issues in these areas to integrate SCP and SP for measuring and managing performance. It intends to develop a dynamic-integrated-performance-system by incorporating integrable aspects of SCP and SP to link these domains for organizational performance improvement.
Design/methodology/approach
Using systematic-literature-review, this study analyzes 154 articles published in selected peer-reviewed international journals from 2000 to 2023 regarding SCP and SP. It assesses existing knowledge regarding research-design followed, challenging areas and imperatives in these critical business domains to investigate the prior conceptual, empirical, case study-based and literature-review-based articles.
Findings
The study identifies integrable features regarding key theoretical and measurement frameworks, critical objectives, significant measures, effective practices for measuring and managing SCP and SP and emerging research issues common to these areas. The findings help develop a dynamic-integrated-performance-system that uses the theoretical lenses of resource-based-view/dynamic-capability-theory and adopts a comprehensive framework like DBSC (system-dynamic-model with BSC perspectives). It incorporates identified integrable measures and best practices to monitor, measure, manage and improve organizational performance for sustainable competitive advantage. The article reveals that earlier studies have overlooked analyzing SCP and SP integration aspects.
Research limitations/implications
From the theoretical viewpoint, the present SLR is unique in three ways: first, in investigating both the measurement and management of SCP and SP holistically; second, in identifying integrative features of these two; and third, in proposing a DIPS to link SCP and SP for performance improvement. The study reveals that existing literature has focused on measuring and managing SCP and SP in isolation without attempting a comprehensive and unified approach to integrate the respective domains. The present SLR adopts a holistic approach to link SCP and SP from SCM and strategic-management perspectives. The study proposes a dynamic-integrated-performance-system to measure, manage and improve performance in a unified method.
Practical implications
This study provides SC and strategy practitioners with an understanding of strategy-performance pathways for achieving strategic objectives and executing risk mitigation initiatives to counter disruptions. It enables SC managers to comprehend SC practices and SCP leading to dynamic SC capabilities development. Operationalizing the proposed DIPS will help firms link SCP and SP, align operational SC practices with strategic sustainability and circularity objectives and meet sustainable development goals while benefiting social and environmental stakeholders.
Originality/value
Assessing relationships and identifying a unified approach integrating SCP with SP have not been addressed earlier. This study's uniqueness is finding integrable features of SCP and SP and constructing a dynamic-integrated-performance-system to link these domains for achieving strategic competitiveness.
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John Aliu, Ayodeji Emmanuel Oke, Onoriode Austin Odia, Prince O. Akanni, Feyisetan Leo-Olagbaye and Clinton Aigbavboa
Recognizing the importance of sustainable development, environmental economic practices have gained significant attention globally as effective measures to mitigate environmental…
Abstract
Purpose
Recognizing the importance of sustainable development, environmental economic practices have gained significant attention globally as effective measures to mitigate environmental degradation and promote resource conservation. Therefore this study identifies and evaluates the barriers hindering the implementation of environmental economic practices in the Nigerian construction industry.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative research approach, utilizing a well-structured questionnaire, was employed to collect data from construction professionals. The Shapiro-Wilk normality test was utilized to assess the normality of the data, while the Kruskal-Wallis H-test was employed to investigate potential significant differences in opinions among various categories of respondents. Subsequently, exploratory factor analysis was conducted to identify underlying patterns and relationships within the collected data.
Findings
The top five barriers were: prioritization of short-term financial gain over long-term benefits, inefficient and unreliable energy supply systems, inadequate disposal and management of waste, insufficient funding and investment and high costs associated with sustainable construction practices. Furthermore, four critical clusters of barriers were revealed, which are regulatory-related, financial and economic-related, technical and logistical-related and knowledge-related.
Practical implications
These clusters can guide policymakers, industry professionals and educators in developing tailored strategies to overcome barriers within each specific category, fostering a more holistic and effective approach toward sustainable practices in the construction sector.
Originality/value
The findings of this study were compared with results from similar cases in Iran, China and New Zealand to provide a cross-cultural perspective on challenges faced by different regions. This comparative analysis aims to identify both commonalities and unique factors, contributing to a much deeper understanding of sustainable construction practices on a global scale.
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