Stavros Sindakis and Sakshi Aggarwal
The purpose of this chapter is to analyse the theoretical work conducted in the fields of e-business adoption by small businesses in the UK. This chapter aims to explore the…
Abstract
Chapter Contribution
The purpose of this chapter is to analyse the theoretical work conducted in the fields of e-business adoption by small businesses in the UK. This chapter aims to explore the benefits and drawbacks that influence small businesses in adopting Internet-based e-business. We are thus responding to a need to recognise and measure the perceived importance of driving forces and barriers in the adoption of e-business solutions among small businesses. Currently, adoption of e-business is rapidly growing among business organisations throughout the world. Crucially, it is often seen as an essential strategic tool that attracts many companies in turning their traditional business strategy to e-business and as a more complex concept of interfirm cooperation.
A structured work was applied to synthesise a theoretical model. A meticulous search of available literature was conducted, focussing on key terms such as e-business adoption, benefits, drawbacks and small businesses in the UK. We identify that e-business adoption within small businesses is affected by perceived relative advantage, perceived compatibility, CEO’s innovativeness, information intensity, buyer/supplier pressure, support from technology vendors and competition. Furthermore, the value of such adoption depends on how, in the face of rapid growth, small businesses can effectively expand IT resources, strategic planning and business partnerships to develop e-business capability and business process competence. These are the key areas of activity which help adopting companies to achieve outstanding business performance. The findings of this study to date are presented within the limiting parameters of methodology based upon use of self-report scales to measure the constructs of the theoretical model. The main orientation of the work of this study is theoretical and sectional which provides a static picture of e-business adoption by small businesses – offering guiding practical insight and providing foundations for subsequent empirical study.
This chapter offers researchers a broader and more comprehensive view of the benefits and drawbacks that influence small businesses in adopting Internet-based e-business. Educators, researchers and practitioners will be all benefitted. In recent years, e-business has been adopted by many corporations to improve operational efficiency and profitability and to strengthen their competitive position and potential for survival in the new economic era (the information era).
This research paper aims to integrate the employee-related factors that empirical literature considers antecedents of performance (skills, work motivation, personal…
Abstract
Purpose
This research paper aims to integrate the employee-related factors that empirical literature considers antecedents of performance (skills, work motivation, personal characteristics) into a multiple linear regression model, and to test such a model in order to measure the level of each individual factor on the performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Quantitative, multisource research approach. After testing the validity of the model with a Confirmatory Factor Analysis, this research applies the multiple linear regression model Work performance = a(Skills) + b(Work Motivation) + c(Personal Characteristics) + e(constant) to two different samples of workers: chemical technicians (N = 63) and salespeople (N = 61).
Findings
This study confirms the factorial structure of the antecedents of work performance, showing that skills, motivation, and personal characteristics are three general employee-related factors underlying work performance. The statistical analysis highlights a variance in performance between 40 and 65% explained by employee-related factors, hence leaving 35–60% as due to factors outside the model (firm/environment-related and/or job-related factors, or other skills and personal characteristics not considered in the model). The study also highlights that employee-related factors sometimes affect performance differently than job designers' expectations, and sometimes even negatively.
Research limitations/implications
The equation was tested on two case studies, so further explorations are needed. Furthermore, the approach adopted is inductive thus describing performance as it is, not as it should be. Therefore, it explains the best actual performance of workers, not the ideal performance.
Practical implications
The equation tested here represents a simple and valid tool to guide many Human Resource Management practices, such as; selection, training, development, and career orientation.
Social implications
Findings provide a valid indication for designing and managing human resource management systems more even-handedly, from an organizational and employee point of view. In doing so, it drives organizations towards a better Person/Job fit.
Originality/value
The study represents one of the first attempts to take into consideration multiple factors simultaneously in explaining work performance.
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Andreas P. Kakouris and Eleni Sfakianaki
The purpose of this paper is to explore the association between ISO 9000 certification and business performance for small-to-medium enterprises in the food and beverage (F&B…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the association between ISO 9000 certification and business performance for small-to-medium enterprises in the food and beverage (F&B) industry.
Design/methodology/approach
The research employed a qualitative approach based on case studies to investigate in depth how companies perceive ISO 9001. More specifically, four enterprises were examined, and a total of 26 semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with top and middle managers from the companies. Questions were validated by experts and through pilot interviews. In total, 45 documents of a broad range related to the quality management system were examined. Personal observation and non-structured consultation with personnel were also used to evaluate the possible impacts and livelihood outcomes.
Findings
Research findings showed that the certified companies in the F&B industry gain a number of both internal and external benefits, including: quality awareness, increased productivity, increased personnel participation and efficiency, improved image and penetration into new markets. Regarding the financial benefits of certification, the findings are not as convincing, as one company reported no financial benefits, and the rest reported that financial benefits are indirect and intangible. Conclusively, it can be said that SMEs that wish to pursue certification should certainly expect benefits.
Practical implications
Although many studies have concentrated on analyzing the impact of the implementation of ISO 9001 certification, there is still a clear need for research in specific sectors. Practicing managers and researchers will be able to examine findings in order to evaluate benefits and weaknesses from certification, thereby identifying and acting before and after certification.
Originality/value
Although the F&B industry has shown a great preference for the ISO 9000 standard and has adopted it extensively, scant empirical evidence has been recorded on the subject. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the benefits for implementing the ISO 9001 certification and to the analysis of its application to the ever-important F&B industry in Greece, a country whose economy is particularly supported by SMEs and has been severely hit by the economic crisis. Researchers will therefore further their knowledge, understand benefits but also acknowledge weaknesses.
Fahimeh Dousthosseini, Manijeh Haghighinasab and Pantea Foroudi
In this article, the authors try to determine why and under what conditions consumers intend to buy green and what the consequences are. Relying on theories of reasoned action and…
Abstract
In this article, the authors try to determine why and under what conditions consumers intend to buy green and what the consequences are. Relying on theories of reasoned action and theory of planned behaviour (TPB), the authors offer that the green purchase intention (GPI) is impressed by environmental and personality components. Provide statements about the determinants and key implications of such market identification.
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Mohamed El Mokadem and Magdy Khalaf
The aim of this research is to examine the relationship between green supply chain management and sustainability performance in a manufacturing context.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this research is to examine the relationship between green supply chain management and sustainability performance in a manufacturing context.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey approach was adopted to collect data from 163 manufacturing organizations to test the research hypotheses. A structural equation modeling (SEM) using the technique of path analysis with bootstrapping is used to test the hypothesized relationships.
Findings
The research findings provide supporting evidence for the importance of implementing green supply chain management (GSCM) as a holistic system that includes internal and external green practices. Besides, the findings highlight the direct effect of GSCM on environmental, social and operational performance. Finally, the findings provide supporting evidence that GSCM could only be translated into better economic returns through the improvement of environmental and operational performance.
Research limitations/implications
The nature of the surveyed sample and the use of a single informant might limit the ability to generalize the research findings outside the research context.
Practical implications
The research findings help managers understand that GSCM must be implemented as a holistic system and that the real benefits of its implementation extend beyond the mere environmental benefits to include operational, social as well as economic benefits.
Originality/value
The paper’s contribution to knowledge is twofold. First, the study identifies how GSCM is conceptualized and how its effect is translated into improved economic performance. Second, the research explains the contradicting findings in previous studies regarding the relationship between GSCM and economic performance.
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Evangelos Psomas, Nancy Bouranta, Maria Koemtzi and Efthalia Keramida
Citizen's service centers (CSCs) are front-end delivery public points which aim to reduce bureaucratic procedures and improve citizens' services. The present study, based on the…
Abstract
Purpose
Citizen's service centers (CSCs) are front-end delivery public points which aim to reduce bureaucratic procedures and improve citizens' services. The present study, based on the citizens' perceptions, aims to explore the impact of the CSCs' service quality on citizens' satisfaction and also to identify statistically significant differences with regard to service quality dimensions and citizen satisfaction among different groups of citizens.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey was carried out based on the five dimensions of the SERVPERF model. Random sampling was used to acquire a representative and reliable sample of 1,226 respondents. Descriptive statistics, multiple linear regression analysis, T-test and ANOVA were applied to analyze the data.
Findings
According to the citizens' perceptions, the levels of the service quality dimensions and citizen satisfaction are medium to high. The service quality dimensions have a statistically significant impact on citizens' satisfaction. Moreover, statistically significant differences are observed among groups of citizens in terms of the service quality dimensions and citizen satisfaction.
Originality/value
The present study is stimulated by the existing gap identified in the literature in the field of the public sector and more specifically in the CSCs. Building on the public sector literature, the study examines the relationship between service quality dimensions and citizens' satisfaction from the services provided by the Greek CSCs, which are innovative public service organizations operating all over Greece. It also highlights key implications for public organizations and government policy decision-makers based on citizens' demographic characteristics.
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The main purpose of this study is to examine whether quality factors as the antecedents to learner beliefs can affect learners' intention to use an e‐learning system.
Abstract
Purpose
The main purpose of this study is to examine whether quality factors as the antecedents to learner beliefs can affect learners' intention to use an e‐learning system.
Design/methodology/approach
This study gathered sample data from eight high‐tech companies in Taiwan. A total of 680 questionnaires were randomly distributed, 522 questionnaires were returned for a response rate of 76.76 percent, and 483 usable questionnaires were analyzed, with a usable response rate of 71.03 percent. Data were analyzed by using structural equation modeling.
Findings
Information quality, service quality, system quality, and instructor quality, as the antecedents of e‐learning acceptance can provide detailed accounts of the key forces underpinning employees' perception with regard to their beliefs (i.e. perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived enjoyment), and this situation can further enhance employees' usage intention of the e‐learning system.
Originality/value
Based on the extended technology acceptance model and the updated DeLone and McLean information systems success model, this study integrates related e‐learning quality factors including information quality, service quality, and system quality into the research model and further contributes additionally to the identification of instructor quality that may lead to e‐learning acceptance. Also, it should be noted that the empirical evidence on capturing both extrinsic and intrinsic motivators for completely explaining quality antecedents of e‐learning acceptance is well documented in this study. Hence, this study contributes significantly to the body of research on evaluating the quality antecedents of e‐learning acceptance.
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Technology acceptance is an incremental approach that has developed over the years. Taking technology acceptance or adoption literature into consideration, the paper aims to…
Abstract
Purpose
Technology acceptance is an incremental approach that has developed over the years. Taking technology acceptance or adoption literature into consideration, the paper aims to investigate the mediating role of adoption readiness, constructed on the basis of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), on the relationship between user resistance as well as user anxiety and attitude toward using a system.
Design/methodology/approach
In consideration of previous studies, the public personnel’s adaptation of electronic document management systems is within the scope of the present research. Gathering data from 262 administrative personnel working in a public university, explanatory and second-order confirmatory factor analyses were done for the UTAUT scale. In addition, reliability and construct validity were tested for each scale; UTAUT, user resistance, user anxiety and attitude toward using. Relationships among variables of the research were controlled by the measurement model and then the structural model was tested.
Findings
Confirming previous research, the scales of UTAUT, user resistance, user anxiety and attitude toward using were found to have acceptable reliability and internal consistency. In addition, the implications of the paper showed user resistance influenced attitude toward using indirectly, by affecting adoption readiness. It also indicated that adoption readiness fully mediated the relationship between user anxiety and attitude toward using.
Originality/value
Negative behavioral antecedents of UTAUT are the focus of the paper. Reducing the negative effects of resistance as well as anxiety of individuals on their attitudes using a system is emphasized in the technology acceptance literature. Furthermore, defining each dimension of UTAUT as a single construct, adoption readiness, and proving the intervening role of adoption readiness between user resistance, as well as anxiety, on the attitude toward using a system are contributions to the literature.
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Laurie McLeod, Stephen MacDonell and Bill Doolin
The purpose of this research is to obtain an updated assessment of the use of standard methods in IS development practice in New Zealand, and to compare these practices to those…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to obtain an updated assessment of the use of standard methods in IS development practice in New Zealand, and to compare these practices to those reported elsewhere.
Design/methodology/approach
A web‐based survey of IS development practices in New Zealand organisations with 200 or more full‐time employees was conducted. The results of the survey were compared to prior studies from other national contexts.
Findings
The results suggest that levels of standard method use continue to be high in New Zealand organisations, although methods are often used in a pragmatic or ad hoc way. Further, the type of method used maps to a shift from bespoke development to system acquisition or outsourcing. Organisations that reported using standard methods perceived them to be beneficial to IS development in their recent IS projects, and generally disagreed with most of the published limitations of standard methods.
Research limitations/implications
As the intent was to consider only New Zealand organisations, the results of the survey cannot be generalised further afield. More comparative research is needed to establish whether the trends identified here occur at a wider regional or international level.
Practical implications
A significant proportion of organisations anticipated extending their use of standard methods. Growth in packaged software acquisition and outsourced development suggests an increasing need for deployment management as well as development management, possibly reflecting the increased visibility of standard project management methods.
Originality/value
The relevance of traditional standard methods of IS development has been questioned in a changing and more dynamic IS development environment. This study provides an updated assessment of standard method use in New Zealand organisations that will be of interest to researchers and practitioners monitoring IS development and acquisition elsewhere.
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Rahman El Junusi, Heru Sulistyo, Fadjar Setiyo Anggraeni and Ferry Khusnul Mubarok
This study aims to examine the relationship between Achievement Motivation (AM), Smart Work (SW), and human resources (HR) performance. It questions how moral global leadership…
Abstract
This study aims to examine the relationship between Achievement Motivation (AM), Smart Work (SW), and human resources (HR) performance. It questions how moral global leadership (MGL) could moderate the relationship between AM, SW, and HR performance. A theoretical model was developed and tested on sample data representing 219 employees, educators, and educational staff of Islamic Higher education (IHE). The data were collected through surveys and applied to structural equation modeling using SEM-PLS. This study found that AM and SW significantly affect HR performance. While MGL substantially moderates the relationship between AM, SW, and HR performance. This study contributes to the literature on MGL, AM, and SW in creating HR performance that has yet to be studied so far. This study offers the concept of MGL, which plays a central role in moderating the relationship between AM, SW, and HR performance.