Search results

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.

Though Blockchain has been studied in numerous contexts, the understanding of the impacts of Blockchain in achieving competitive advantages remains unexplored. Many industries, organizations and firms are still in a “wait and see” mode. This study aims at examining the effects of the technological, organizational and environmental factors drawn from the TOE framework in generating competitive advantage.

A dual-staged deep learning structural equation modeling artificial neural network analysis was conducted on 211 samples of small and medium enterprises. Four neural network models were engaged to rank the normalized importance of each of the predictor variables.

The research model can expound 57.99 and 47.33% of the variance in Blockchain adoption and competitive advantage correspondingly. The study successfully identified nonlinear relationships. The theoretical and managerial contributions are useful to scholars and practitioners such as industrial players, investors, chief executive officers (CEOs), managers, decision-makers and other stakeholders that intend to use Blockchain technology.

Unlike the existing technological–organizational–environmental (TOE) framework that uses a linear model and theoretically assumes that all relationships are linear, this has been the first study, which has successfully validated that there exist nonlinear relationships in the TOE framework. Further, very little has been theorized on the impacts of Blockchain adoption on competitive advantage, especially in the context of SMEs. Therefore, this study is the first one to provide the necessary theoretical foundation that may further extend the current knowledge of Blockchain technology adoption and its impacts.

This study sets out to explore the impact of organisational culture innovation on the adoption of information systems (IS) in Libya's oil and banking sectors.

Using a structured survey questionnaire based on Cameron and Quinn's Organisational Culture Assessments Instrument (OCAI), 400 questionnaires were administered to middle and top management employees in more than 15 government and public organisations in Libya's oil and banking sectors.

The findings showed that there is a relationship between organisational culture innovations and the adoption of IS. The findings also showed that there are no differences in the organisational culture type between the two sectors covered in this study.

The findings imply that organisational culture innovations are influenced by other factors, which are worthy of investigation. The future implications of this research are also discussed.

The purpose of this paper is to propose and validate a measurement scale to capture organizational learning capabilities (OLC) and examine how OLC affects innovation. There are several models in the literature that have been generated by statistical data from manufacturing firms. This paper presents a structural equation model in order to measure OLC in Iranian ceramic tile manufacturers. The proposed model has five dimensions – i.e. managerial commitment and empowerment, experimentation, risk taking, interaction with the external environment and openness and knowledge transfer and integration – and is evaluated by 23 items.

Data were collected from 18 Iranian ceramic tile manufacturers. The survey was sent to employees of the business section of each factory and a total of 173 valid questionnaires were obtained and used to test the research model, employing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), a particular analysis of structural equation modeling methods.

In the validation process, both the principal components and the confirmatory factor analyses clearly corroborate the existence of the five dimensions mentioned in the theoretical work. Likewise, the scale provides information that could be used by those managers wishing to improve learning capability in their firms. In addition, the results show that the OLC has a positive impact on innovation.

This research suggests that that organizational environments that facilitate learning are more innovative. In addition, the OLC literature shows that OLC has a significant impact on the effectiveness and performance of the organization. Therefore, it is essential to find a valid measurement that can evaluate OLC in an organization. The five‐factor model introduced in this paper is a practical way to measure OLC. As a result, managers can determine which organizational learning issues are strong and which are weak; this is a hint for improvement.

Considering the importance of current Libyan business environment, this paper aims to understand the influence of culture on perceived service quality that leads to customer satisfaction in the Libyan banking industry. In addition, it would be interesting to explore which type of banks, e.g. public or private banks, moderate the relationship between perceived service quality and customer satisfaction.

The data were collected from the customers who are receiving services from the top three private and top three public banks in the cities of Tripoli and Misurata, Libya. About 329 samples were obtained and Smart PLS was used for the statistical analysis.

The results show that perceived service quality is strongly predicted by collectivism, masculinity and uncertainty avoidance. Perceived service quality also leads to customer satisfaction among the Libyan banking customers. Further, public bank is more concerned on customer satisfaction compared to private banks.

The research has greater implication for the Middle-Eastern bank managers who are pursuing possibilities of newer business strategies.

The study provides an interesting viewpoint of the banking service in Libya, especially in the economic uncertainty post-war and political instability. Its focus on culture as a strong influence to the delivery of service quality in such context is admirable especially in relation with the embedded Islamic culture.

This study aims to investigate the effects of organizational culture factors on the selection of software process development models and develops a conceptual model for selecting and adopting process development models with an organizational culture approach, using 12 criteria and their sub-criteria defined in Fey and Denison’s model (12 criteria).

The research hypotheses were investigated using statistical analysis, and then the criteria and sub-criteria were selected based on Fey and Denison’s model and the experts’ viewpoints. Afterward, the organizational culture of the selected company was measured using the data from 2016 and 2017, based on Fey and Denison’s questionnaire. Due to the correlation between the criteria, using the decision-making trial and evaluation technique, the correlation between sub-criteria were determined, and by analytical network process method and using Super-Decision software, the process development model was preferred to the 12 common models in information systems development.

Results indicated a significant and positive effect of organizational culture factors (except the core values factor) on the selection of development models. Also, by changing the value of organizational culture, the selected process development model changed either. Sensitivity analysis performed on the sub-criteria implied that by changing and improving some sub-criteria, the organization will be ready and willing to use the agile or risk-based models such as spiral and win-win models. Concerning units where the mentioned indicators were at moderate and low limits, models such as waterfall, V-shaped and incremental worked more appropriately.

While many studies were performed in comparing development models and investigating their strengths and weaknesses, and the impact of organizational culture on the success of information technology projects, literature indicated that the impact of organizational sub-culture prevailing in the selection of development process models has not been investigated. In this study, new factors and indicators were addressed affecting the selection of development models with a focus on organizational culture. Correlation among the factors and indicators was also investigated and, finally, a conceptual model was proposed for proper adoption of the models and methodologies of system development.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of organisational culture and job satisfaction on the quality of services provided in higher education and to raise questions about the successful implementation of quality assurance and evaluation systems recently launched in Greece.

Drawing on a sample of faculty and administration members at the Technological Educational Institution of Larissa, a structured questionnaire was developed to measure institute's culture, job satisfaction and the quality in services and internal processes. The Competing Values Framework was adopted to operationalise organisational culture, while higher education service quality was operationalised by adopting both the quality dimensions emphasising teaching aspects proposed by Owlia and Aspinwall and Waugh's measures of administration quality.

Results indicate that specific culture archetypes are linked with different dimensions of higher education service quality. Hierarchy culture proved to be the most prevalent among administration staff, while clan and hierarchy archetypes dominated among faculty members.

Understanding the nature of the association between organisational culture, job satisfaction and service quality would enable academics and administrators to reflect critically on the quality of teaching and quality improvement decisions and actions, so as to ensure the evaluation and successful implementation of service quality processes.

The research led to the diagnosis of the culture profiles of both administration and faculty members. Findings also highlighted the importance of adhocracy culture in explaining the variance of all aspects of higher education service quality.

Organizations are social entities comprising multiple people that are goal-directed and have coordinated activities that are also linked to the external environment. As information technology improves, the organizational performance is also improved and it results in positive changes and development in the organizations. Near field communication (NFC) is one of such technologies that can be implemented and utilized in an organization. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the important variables impacting the adoption of NFC in organizations and propose an applicable model for it.

In this paper, to have a successful NFC implementation in organizations and analyze main factors impacting the NFC technology adoption in organizations, a technology acceptance model-based approach is used.

The findings show that the main variables impacting NFC adoption are ease of use, potential risk, usefulness and cost. The obtained results indicate that the model has adequate and sufficient reliability, convergent validity and discriminant validity.

In this paper, the factors impacting the NFC adoption in organizations are pointed out, and the proposed model is tested on samples gathered from Azerbaijan railway employees and for statistical analysis of questionnaires, the SMART-PLS 2.0 software package is used.

Literature highlights the impact of culture on managerial processes in general and the performance measurement system (PMS) in particular. However, understanding how organizational culture (OC) influences the PMS remains a challenge, especially in SMEs as in these companies the studies are very limited. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how OC influences PMSs in manufacturing SMEs.

To achieve the above purpose, a case study approach has been adopted. Four manufacturing SMEs with heterogeneous OC were investigated by means of companies’ documents reviews, participant observations and semi-structured interviews. A conceptual framework based on the competing value framework proposed by Cameron and Quinn (1999) and the PMS typology proposed by Garengo (2009) has been used to investigate the impact of OC on PMS.

According to the results, OC has a huge impact on PMS in manufacturing SMEs. The dimensions of “internal/external focus” influence strategy formalization, monitoring of the external environment and performance review. The “flexibility/control” dimensions influence the adoption of the balanced (or unbalanced) set of performance measures a company uses.

This paper contributes to clarifying how OC influences PMSs in manufacturing SMEs. Moreover, the study of interplay between flexibility/control dimensions and internal/external dimensions supports the identification of three theoretical propositions and four PMS types related to the four different OCs identified by Cameron and Quinn (1999).

The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the influence of different organisational cultures on e-commerce adoption maturity in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The data for this study were gathered using postal survey questionnaire and analysed using quantitative analysis methods.

The result indicates a positive correlation between adhocracy culture and e-commerce adoption. However, those firms with hierarchy cultural characteristics indicate a negative correlation in relation to e-commerce adoption. The organisational culture differences explain these issues.

The analysis is conducted in a single country (i.e. Sri Lanka). Initial findings provide a basis for further research in other country.

This research reveals the significance of organisational culture and how it influences e-commerce adoption maturity, both positively and negatively. The research findings are useful for SMEs that are planning or are in the process of implementing or reviewing their e-commerce, as well as for SMEs policy makers and business support community that engaged with e-commerce initiatives.

This study is the first to research the influence of different types of organisational cultures on e-commerce adoption maturity. It fills the research gap by advancing the understanding between the association of organisation cultures and e-commerce adoption.