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Information systems (IS) project failure has been a recurring problem for decades. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to examine the key factors that influence project failure and an analysis of the major areas that can have a significant impact on success; and second, to explore some of the key aspects that have an impact on project management performance from the practitioner perspective and discusses the problems faced by organizations in the closer integration of change and project management.

This study critically reviews the IS failure literature developing a synthesized view of the key issues and common reasons for projects to fail. The approach taken in this study is one that focuses on a number of key questions that pull together the relevant themes in this genre of research whilst highlighting many of the implications for practitioners and organizations alike.

Key questions remain on the underlying causes of instances of poor project management as an IS failure factor. The literature has omitted to develop a deeper analysis of the associations between failure factors and the potential causal relationships between these factors. The realization of project benefits relies on the success of both change and project management yet the formal integration of these two disciplines is constrained by separate standards bodies and an immature body of research.

This study is limited by its theoretical nature lacking an empirical element to provide a deeper analysis of IS failure factors and their interrelationships. This specific area is a recommendation for future research, where causal relationships between failure factors could be developed via a mathematic-based method such as interpretive structural modeling.

With failure rates of IS projects still unacceptably high after decades of attempts to significantly change outcomes, a deeper analysis of this topic is required. The research gaps and recommendations for practitioners highlighted in this study have the potential to provide valuable contributions to this topic of research.

The intent of this study is to present a new perspective of this genre of IS research that develops the main arguments and gaps in the literature from the practitioner viewpoint.

The second of a two‐part study, this article focuses on motivational theories and how they relate to the specific concerns of sales management. The categories of theory considered are: need, value and reinforcement; and then three further approaches are covered: attribution theory, goal‐setting theory and the dynamics of action. It is concluded that motivational behaviour with regard to salespeople seems to be a function of three entities: salesperson, self, and outcome.

Global companies increasingly rely on the effectiveness of business negotiations for their survival and growth. As an important business function for creating and maintaining successful relationships, international business negotiations during the last decade (1990‐2000) have attracted considerable attention among researchers. Although these research efforts have shed light on several aspects of international business negotiations, there has been neither a comprehensive assessment of the knowledge gained, nor a systematic analysis of the issues that this research appears to have left unexplored. It is the purpose of this study to provide a thorough review of the publications on international business negotiations generated in the last decade, identify trends, assess where the discipline currently is and where it might be going.

Information and communications technology (ICT) offers enormous opportunities for individuals, businesses and society. The application of ICT is equally important to economic and non-economic activities. Researchers have increasingly focused on the adoption and use of ICT by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as the economic development of a country is largely dependent on them. Following the success of ICT utilisation in SMEs in developed countries, many developing countries are looking to utilise the potential of the technology to develop SMEs. Past studies have shown that the contribution of ICT to the performance of SMEs is not clear and certain. Thus, it is crucial to determine the effectiveness of ICT in generating firm performance since this has implications for SMEs’ expenditure on the technology. This research examines the diffusion of ICT among SMEs with respect to the typical stages from innovation adoption to post-adoption, by analysing the actual usage of ICT and value creation. The mediating effects of integration and utilisation on SME performance are also studied. Grounded in the innovation diffusion literature, institutional theory and resource-based theory, this study has developed a comprehensive integrated research model focused on the research objectives. Following a positivist research paradigm, this study employs a mixed-method research approach. A preliminary conceptual framework is developed through an extensive literature review and is refined by results from an in-depth field study. During the field study, a total of 11 SME owners or decision-makers were interviewed. The recorded interviews were transcribed and analysed using NVivo 10 to refine the model to develop the research hypotheses. The final research model is composed of 30 first-order and five higher-order constructs which involve both reflective and formative measures. Partial least squares-based structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) is employed to test the theoretical model with a cross-sectional data set of 282 SMEs in Bangladesh. Survey data were collected using a structured questionnaire issued to SMEs selected by applying a stratified random sampling technique. The structural equation modelling utilises a two-step procedure of data analysis. Prior to estimating the structural model, the measurement model is examined for construct validity of the study variables (i.e. convergent and discriminant validity).

The estimates show cognitive evaluation as an important antecedent for expectation which is shaped primarily by the entrepreneurs’ beliefs (perception) and also influenced by the owners’ innovativeness and culture. Culture further influences expectation. The study finds that facilitating condition, environmental pressure and country readiness are important antecedents of expectation and ICT use. The results also reveal that integration and the degree of ICT utilisation significantly affect SMEs’ performance. Surprisingly, the findings do not reveal any significant impact of ICT usage on performance which apparently suggests the possibility of the ICT productivity paradox. However, the analysis finally proves the non-existence of the paradox by demonstrating the mediating role of ICT integration and degree of utilisation explain the influence of information technology (IT) usage on firm performance which is consistent with the resource-based theory. The results suggest that the use of ICT can enhance SMEs’ performance if the technology is integrated and properly utilised. SME owners or managers, interested stakeholders and policy makers may follow the study’s outcomes and focus on ICT integration and degree of utilisation with a view to attaining superior organisational performance.

This study urges concerned business enterprises and government to look at the environmental and cultural factors with a view to achieving ICT usage success in terms of enhanced firm performance. In particular, improving organisational practices and procedures by eliminating the traditional power distance inside organisations and implementing necessary rules and regulations are important actions for managing environmental and cultural uncertainties. The application of a Bengali user interface may help to ensure the productivity of ICT use by SMEs in Bangladesh. Establishing a favourable national technology infrastructure and legal environment may contribute positively to improving the overall situation. This study also suggests some changes and modifications in the country’s existing policies and strategies. The government and policy makers should undertake mass promotional programs to disseminate information about the various uses of computers and their contribution in developing better organisational performance. Organising specialised training programs for SME capacity building may succeed in attaining the motivation for SMEs to use ICT. Ensuring easy access to the technology by providing loans, grants and subsidies is important. Various stakeholders, partners and related organisations should come forward to support government policies and priorities in order to ensure the productive use of ICT among SMEs which finally will help to foster Bangladesh’s economic development.

The purpose of this study is to understand “Why Should Companies Embrace Cost Transparency”.

This paper is a thought piece in response to the paper by Simintiras et al. (2015), “Should Consumer’s Request Cost Transparency?”

Arguments based on past research and company practices show that companies practicing cost transparency can increase their customer following, brand loyalty, differentiation and ultimately the profits.

The paper showcases examples of how companies have implemented cost transparency to differentiate their customer offerings. The paper also shows that conscious consumers are now demanding more cost transparency, and companies have already started to heed this call.

The paper specifically outlines arguments and recent examples to show why companies should embrace cost transparency.

Addresses the implementation of business process re‐engineering (BPR) programmes in 33 public and private organisations wishing to improve performance. By reviewing the existing literature, the research presented here began by identifying ten dimensions along which BPR projects might be measured. This research then uses these dimensions to investigate two research questions. Uses factor analysis based on quantitative data to address these questions. The factor analysis identified three independent aspects of BPR implementation: strategy, process and cost. These terms were then used in labelling three characteristic approaches, strategic BPR, process‐focused BPR and cost‐focused BPR. To investigate causality we re‐visited seven of the original organisations which had been in the early stages of implementation. Preliminary results indicate that managers might avoid the naturalistic tendency towards slow or stalled BPR maturity by intervening in a strategic sense at an earlier stage of implementation, thus bringing an organisation to a mature BPR programme more quickly.

The literature examining the behaviour of environmentally conscious consumers has focused mainly on the examination of non‐product specific environmental knowledge and attitudes or environmental knowledge and attitudes in relation to single product lines. Employs the constructs of product‐line‐specific environmental knowledge and attitudes, that is knowledge of and attitudes towards the green products and their impact on the environment. Presents the results of an exploratory study examining the relationship between product‐line‐specific environmental knowledge and attitudes for multiple green product lines, testing hypotheses generated from the literature, utilizing a questionnaire measuring self‐reports of environmental knowledge and attitudes. The results show no direct relationship exists between product‐line‐specific environmental knowledge and attitudes, and that consumers do not simply believe that a green product is good for the environment without also knowing how the product impacts on the environment.

This research examined the relationships between improvisational behavior, adaptive selling behavior and sales performance of direct sellers in Thailand. This research also investigated whether these relationships are moderated by the degree of challenge orientation and sellers' knowledge about the products.

The data were collected through a survey with sellers from a subsidiary of a multinational corporation located in Bangkok, Thailand (n = 172). Partial least squares–structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.

Results from data analysis revealed positive relationships between improvisational behavior, adaptive selling behavior and sales performance. The relationship between improvisational behavior and adaptive selling behavior, as well as the relationship between adaptive selling behavior and sales performance, significantly depended on the degree of challenge orientation and the sellers' knowledge about the products.

The data were collected using self-report measures; the sample was sellers from a single sales organization, and cross-sectional data were used for the analysis. Overall, this study is the exploratory research that does not intend to prove the causal effect of improvisational behavior, but rather to provide new insight on some conditional factors that influence its effectiveness.

It is essential for sales organizations to ensure that their sales force has adequate improvisational skills to handle sales adaptations effectively during unexpected sales situations. Some training may be offered to the sales force to develop these imperative improvisational skills.

The results regarding the moderating effect of challenge orientation and product knowledge provided additional insight to prior research about the potential conditions that influence the effectiveness of improvisational behavior and adaptive selling behaviors.

The image of the country of origin is a determinant variable for the success or failure of launching a product into a new market. For companies of emerging countries which want to access markets of industrialized countries, the choice of a local negotiator sharing the same culture as the purchaser might have a moderating effect on the image of the country of origin which is generally perceived as negative. Cultural similarity induces trust between negotiators and facilitates communication. Consequently, it is an important factor in the presentation of a foreign product. The purpose of this paper is to examine the different variables and factors intervening during a negotiation of a product coming from an emerging country to a foreign market.

An empirical study based on a quantitative survey of a sample of international negotiators has been conducted with the aim of testing the above mentioned hypotheses. The questionnaire used in this survey has been administered through mail and has been sent to French and Italian negotiators.

The research hypotheses have been tested empirically. The results show effectively that a product coming from an emerging country is ill‐perceived by buyers in developed countries. The results show as well that cultural similarity induces trust which in turn expresses expertise and contact easiness.

The main limitation of this study is the size of the sample. Despite the big number of the sent questionnaires, return rate was very low, which shows the limitations of surveys using the mail. The second limitation of this study concerns the variable trust which, despite a theoretical abundance on this concept, no compromise on its dimensionality has been detected till now.

At the level of management, these results constitute an encouragement to opt for local negotiators in order to succeed in launching a new product in to a foreign market.

This paper shows that professionals and researchers ought to collaborate on studies related to topics and themes related to intercultural negotiation, which is currently seen as a good way to bring together academic research and exporting companies.

Presents a comparison of approaches to negotiation and level of cultural awareness of international business managers in Russia, Greece and the UK. Demonstrates that although managers in the three countries are distinctly different in their demographic and cultural characteristics they generally exhibit high impression accuracy and adopt a similar approach to the negotiation process. Discusses implications for European business.