Likoebe Maruping, Arun Rai, Ruba Aljafari and Viswanath Venkatesh
Advances in information technology coupled with the need to build resilience against disruptions by pandemics like COVID-19 continue to emphasize offshoring services in the…
Abstract
Purpose
Advances in information technology coupled with the need to build resilience against disruptions by pandemics like COVID-19 continue to emphasize offshoring services in the software industry. Service-level agreements (SLAs) have served as a key mechanism for safeguarding against risk in offshore service arrangements. Yet, variations in service cost and quality persist. This study aims to open up the blackbox linking SLAs to offshore project outcomes by examining (1) how the provisions in these contracts affect the ability of project teams – the work unit primarily in charge of producing the offshored service – to achieve their objectives and fulfill client requirements and (2) how differences in contextual factors shape the effects of these provisions.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors incorporate the role of organizational work practice differences to understand the challenges that 270 offshore project teams faced in coordinating and integrating technical and business domain knowledge across organizational boundaries in offshore arrangements. The examined offshore IT projects were managed by a leading software vendor in India and several of its US-based clients over a three-year period.
Findings
The authors demonstrate that organizational work practice differences represent a barrier to offshore project success, and that project team transition processes are an important mechanism for overcoming these barriers. Moreover, the authors find that transition processes represent key mediating mechanisms through which SLA provisions affect offshore project outcomes.
Originality/value
The study findings shed light on how SLAs shape software project teams' balance between activities aimed at meeting client needs and those aimed at containing costs.
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Susheel Pandey, Rajeev Srivastava, Christ Prakash Paul, Arun Kumar Rai and Rakesh Narain
The aim of this paper is to study the effect of laser shock peening (LSP) on mechanical behaviour of the laser-directed energy deposition (LDED)-based printed 15-5 PH stainless…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to study the effect of laser shock peening (LSP) on mechanical behaviour of the laser-directed energy deposition (LDED)-based printed 15-5 PH stainless steel with U and V notches. The study specifically concentrates on the evaluation of effect of scan strategy, machining and LSP processing on microstructural, texture evolution and fatigue behaviour of LDED-printed 15-5 PH steel.
Design/methodology/approach
For LSP treatment, 15-5 PH steel was printed using LDED process with bidirectional scanning strategy (XX [θ = 0°) and XY [θ = 90°]) at optimised laser power of 600 W with a scanning speed of 300 mm/min and a powder feed rate of 3 g/min. Furthermore, LSP treatment was conducted on the V- and U-notched fatigue specimens extracted from LDED-built samples at laser energy of 3.5 J with a pulse width of 10 ns using laser spot diameter of 3 mm. Post to the LSP treatment, the surface roughness, fatigue life assessment and microstructural evolution analysis is performed. For this, different advanced characterisation techniques are used, such as scanning electron microscopy attached with electron backscatter diffraction for microstructure and texture, X-ray diffraction for residual stress (RS) and structure information, Vicker’s hardness tester for microhardness and universal testing machine for low-cycle fatigue.
Findings
It is observed that both scanning strategies during the LDED printing of 15-5 PH steel and laser peening have played significant role in fatigue life. Specimens with the XY printing strategy shows higher fatigue life as compared to XX with both U- and V-notched conditions. Furthermore, machining and LSP treatment led to a significant improvement of fatigue life for both scanning strategies with U and V notches. The extent of increase in fatigue life for both XX and XY scanning strategy with V notch is found to be higher than U notch after LSP treatment, though without LSP samples with U notch have a higher fatigue life. As fabricated sample is found to have the lowest fatigue life as compared to machines and laser peened with both scan strategies.
Originality/value
This study presents an innovative method to improve the fatigue life of 15-5 PH stainless steel by changing the microstructure, texture and RS with the adoption of a suitable scanning strategy, machining and LSP treatment as post-processing. The combination of preferred microstructure and compressive RS in LDED-printed 15-5 PH stainless steel achieved with a synergy between microstructure and RS, which is responsible to improve the fatigue life. This can be adopted for the futuristic application of LDED-printed 15-5 PH stainless steel for different applications in aerospace and other industries.
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Detmar Straub, Merrill Warkentin, Arun Rai and Yi Ding
Firms embedded in networks of relations are theorized through Gnyawali and Madhavan’s (2001) (G&M) structural embeddedness model to gain competitive advantage from topological…
Abstract
Purpose
Firms embedded in networks of relations are theorized through Gnyawali and Madhavan’s (2001) (G&M) structural embeddedness model to gain competitive advantage from topological characteristics. Empirical studies to support their theory have never been executed in full. Our study provided a full empirical test of their model in a digital trading network to achieve a higher degree of certainty that those network structural characteristics can have a major impact on the degree to which certain firms lead to competitiveness in a digital trading network environment.
Design/methodology/approach
To examine how firms respond in competitive situations, we chose the hyper-active digital trading network, eBay as our empirical context. We used eBay auction data to analyze how the network characteristics of eBay resellers impact their competitive behaviors.
Findings
Our study found strong support for the G&M model of competitiveness. We offer explanations for where support was not as strong as the Gynawali and Madavan theory proposes.
Research limitations/implications
Our research is limited by our chosen context and findings in support of part of G&M model. Future studies in other digital contexts are needed to enhance the modeling of network topologies and further study the impacts of network density and structural autonomy on competitive action.
Practical implications
Our study suggests that managers proceed cautiously in forming partnerships, weighing circumstances where the firm can find itself with increased information power and avoiding, to the greatest extent possible, situations where the playing field is roughly equal.
Social implications
Theory-making in this domain has begun as well as initial empirical testing. Much more needs to be accomplished, though, before embeddedness modeling can be thought of as being well established.
Originality/value
The G& M Model of competitiveness is an SNA explanation of why some competitive units succeed and others do not. Our study is the first, full blown empirical analysis of the theory.
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Hillol Bala, Viswanath Venkatesh, Daniel C. Ganster and Arun Rai
Although research has suggested that enterprise system (ES) implementations have major impacts on employee job characteristics and outcomes, there has been limited research that…
Abstract
Purpose
Although research has suggested that enterprise system (ES) implementations have major impacts on employee job characteristics and outcomes, there has been limited research that has examined the impacts of ES implementations on interpersonal relationships over time. Building on and extending recent studies that have examined changes in employee job characteristics and outcomes during an ES implementation, this research examined the nature, extent, determinants and outcomes of changes in an important interpersonal relationship construct—coworker exchange (CWX)—following an ES implementation. CWX is considered a critical aspect of employees' job and an important determinant of their success in the workplace. Drawing on social exchange theory (SET), the authors theorize that employees will perceive a change in CWX following an ES implementation.
Design/methodology/approach
A longitudinal field study over a period of 6 months among 249 employees was conducted. Latent growth modeling was used to analyze the data.
Findings
The authors found that employees' work process characteristics, namely perceived process complexity, perceived process rigidity and perceived process radicalness, significantly explained change, i.e. decline in our case, in CWX during the shakedown phase of an ES implementation. The decreasing trajectory of change in CWX led to declining job performance and job satisfaction.
Originality/value
The role of CWX and its importance in the context of ES implementations is a key novel element of this work.
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Subhashish Samaddar and Arun Rai
At the heart of successful automated manufacturing systems lies theidea of effective integration of various functions. In any sizeableapplication of a Computer Integrated…
Abstract
At the heart of successful automated manufacturing systems lies the idea of effective integration of various functions. In any sizeable application of a Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) system, an enormous amount of complex data needs to be logically integrated and managed. Presents and discusses the complex nature of CIM data and the difficulties associated with managing them. Given these difficulties, effective data management of such advanced manufacturing systems poses a challenging task for system designers and managers. Given the growing rate of diffusion of relational databases, it is important to explore the capabilities of this technology in serving the data management needs of manufacturing systems. Proposes a relational database schema, as opposed to a hierarchical or a network model. Uses appropriate examples from a Cellular Manufacturing setting to illustrate the proposed schema. Discusses issues related to distributing and logically integrating databases, and outlines managerial implications associated with rapidly changing information management technologies.
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Sunil Babbar and Arun Rai
The concept of flexibility in computer integrated manufacturing isintroduced. A production control hierarchy is developed as anevolutionary method towards computer integrated…
Abstract
The concept of flexibility in computer integrated manufacturing is introduced. A production control hierarchy is developed as an evolutionary method towards computer integrated flexible manufacturing (CIFM). A strategically comprehensive implementation model is presented. The components of CIFM are identified, defined and their relationships examined. Potential benefits from incorporating flexibility and integration are indicated.
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Paul Ambrose, Arkalgud Ramaprasad and Arun Rai
In this paper we examine how Internet technologies are useful in managing thin (amount of knowledge is low) and thinly distributed (density of expertise is low) medical knowledge…
Abstract
In this paper we examine how Internet technologies are useful in managing thin (amount of knowledge is low) and thinly distributed (density of expertise is low) medical knowledge. Our specific focus is to highlight the usefulness of the Internet in managing such knowledge, and that the nature of the “basket of Internet technologies” used to manage knowledge varies based on whether knowledge is thick or thin, and thickly or thinly distributed. We also draw attention to the need to examine the semiotic process management while designing Internet‐enabled solutions for managing thin and thinly distributed knowledge. Our study used medical genetics as the research context and collected data from physicians in the US Midwest through semi‐structured interviews.
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Shaheed Khan, Swarna M. Freeda Maria and Ajoy K. Bhattacharya
Call it the curse, the myth, the legend, the dacoits, the flora and fauna, the River, and the valley remains untouched and pristine and is home to many endemic species and is…
Abstract
Call it the curse, the myth, the legend, the dacoits, the flora and fauna, the River, and the valley remains untouched and pristine and is home to many endemic species and is blessed with stark but beautiful landscape, the surreal world of an era gone by, the ravage of the ravines, which have been preserved, protected, and conserved, albeit for the ‘ancient curses,’ and yes being a home to the ‘dreaded outlaws’ and ‘modern dacoits.’ Whether it was the fear for one’s life considering it was a dacoit area or also known as ‘gun powder area,’ or the curses that none wanted to garner to themselves, Chambal is slowly but steadily ebbing out of the dark shadows that it once was. The river itself passes through Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, before joining the river Yamuna. Declared a Protected Area (PA) in 1978, the nomenclature of dark tourism will be ubiquitous to the Chambal River valley, considering that the area is dotted by a multitude of forts, and heritage destinations, that have frozen in the sands of time; either on account of the stories that meander, as the river does, with its deep ravines, ravines that invite the adventurer. It is the last bastion for the nation’s endangered wildlife, viz., Gharial, Maggar, Turtles, Otter, and the fresh water Dolphin, which has encouraged the Government to get the local community to be part of the special purpose vehicle promoting tourism. The authors known for their contribution to community-based ecotourism (CBE) have visited the Chambal area and worked with the communities and bureaucracy to ensure conclusions.
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Michael J. Gallivan, Jim Eynon and Arun Rai
Knowledge management systems and related initiatives have become a popular focus in many firms, yet many knowledge management systems initiatives fail to achieve their goals…
Abstract
Knowledge management systems and related initiatives have become a popular focus in many firms, yet many knowledge management systems initiatives fail to achieve their goals. Focuses on systems that are implemented to achieve deliberate performance improvement objectives in organizations, rather than to support discretionary communication. Employs constructs from system dynamics – a discipline that recognizes that the relationships between complex organizing technologies and human behavior are dynamic, evolving, and interconnected. Drawing from recent studies employing system dynamics, proposes a framework to analyze the implementation challenges posed by knowledge management systems adopted as part of a deliberate performance improvement program. Illustrates the framework with a case study of an initiative within a university “help desk” department where conflicting incentives hindered employees’ efforts to leverage the systems. The framework underscores the complex and interdependent effects triggered by managers’ actions and cognitions, in conjunction with users’ actions and cognitions. Offers insights for practitioners and researchers to recognize the downward spiral that can occur when conflicting incentives thwart the behavioral changes required for performance improvement initiatives to succeed.
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Peter H. Gray and Darren B. Meister
Knowledge management (KM) research lacks a common conceptual core; it is cross‐disciplinary, addresses a wide variety of phenomena, and has difficulty distinguishing itself from…
Abstract
Knowledge management (KM) research lacks a common conceptual core; it is cross‐disciplinary, addresses a wide variety of phenomena, and has difficulty distinguishing itself from many related areas of research. The result is a fragmented field that is itself artificially split from the related literature on organizational learning. KM may be progressing through a predictable life‐cycle that could end in collapse of the KM concept unless researchers can develop more integrative core theories of learning‐ and knowledge‐related phenomena in organizations. The diverse body of organizational learning and knowledge management research provides an impressive foundation for the synthesis of such broader theories of learning and knowledge that are creative, new, and integrative.