Jocelyn Cranefield, Mary Ellen Gordon, Prashant Palvia, Alexander Serenko and Tim Jacks
The study aims to explore whether there is diversity of occupational culture among IT workers. Prior work conceptualizes IT occupational culture (ITOC) as based around six…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to explore whether there is diversity of occupational culture among IT workers. Prior work conceptualizes IT occupational culture (ITOC) as based around six distinctive values (ASPIRE) but has not explored whether there is variation in ITOC.
Design/methodology/approach
Survey data from 496 New Zealand IT workers was used to create factors representing IT occupational values based on the ASPIRE tool. Hierarchical cluster analysis and discriminant analysis were applied to identify distinctive segments of ITOC.
Findings
Four ITOC segments were identified: fun-lovers, innovators, independents and institutionalists. These differed in the relative emphasis ascribed to the ITOC values with each segment being distinguished by 1–2 dominant values. Segment membership varied according to level of responsibility and birth country. Institutionalists and innovators had higher concern about organizational and IT issues than fun-lovers and independents. Job satisfaction was lowest among innovators and highest along institutionalists.
Research limitations/implications
This study challenges the concept of a unified ITOC, suggesting that ITOC is pluralistic. It also theorizes about interactions between ITOC, individual motivation and values and national culture.
Practical implications
Management needs to be cognizant of the fact that IT occupational culture is not homogeneous and different IT occupational segments require unique management approaches, and that their own values may not match those of others in IT work. By understanding ITOC segments, managers can tailor support, assign tasks appropriately and design teams to optimize synergies and avoid conflict.
Originality/value
This study reveals the existence of ITOC segments and theorizes about the relationship of these to innovation-orientation, job satisfaction, individual motivation, work styles and national culture. The combination of cluster and discriminant analysis is a valuable replicable inductive method that is underrepresented in Information Systems (IS) research.
Details
Keywords
Carlo Gabriel Porto Bellini, Prashant Palvia, Valter Moreno, Tim Jacks and Alexandre Graeml
The purpose of this paper is to discuss two important behaviors related to job mobility in the IT profession, namely, changing jobs to move to another organization (turnover) and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss two important behaviors related to job mobility in the IT profession, namely, changing jobs to move to another organization (turnover) and changing the profession entirely (turnaway), during a national crisis. Based on the theoretical foundation of the push–pull–mooring perspective, a research model is developed that includes professional self-efficacy (PSE), job insecurity (JI) and job satisfaction (JS) as important antecedents.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a positivist approach and a survey method, the authors analyzed data from IT professionals from different economic segments in Brazil. Data collection occurred in two distinctive moments of the largest crisis in modern Brazilian history – a pre-awareness moment (first half of year 2015) and a crisis-conscious moment (first half of year 2016).
Findings
The findings reveal that PSE negatively influences JI and positively influences JS, JI positively influences turnaway intention, and JS negatively influences both turnover intention and turnaway intention. The effect of the national crisis was observed in that it further accentuated the intention of IT professionals to leave the profession. Another effect was related to age, as older professionals are less willing to turn over but more willing to turn away.
Research limitations/implications
Besides developing a parsimonious model to study both the intention to leave the organization and the intention to leave the profession, the study sheds light on how IT professionals react to economic crises and how the reaction varies by age.
Practical implications
The study puts to question the common belief that IT professionals are secure in the job market due to high demand for their skills and investments made by organizations to keep them on the job. Employers must pay attention to JI and turnover/turnaway intentions.
Originality/value
This study is among the few to study JI and aspects of the theory of human migration in IT. It is also possibly the first to discuss the effects of a national crisis on the mobility patterns of IT professionals.
Details
Keywords
Tim Jacks, Prashant Palvia, Richard Schilhavy and Lei Wang
Despite the constant stream of research investigating information technology (IT) business value, IT capabilities, and competitive advantage, researchers are calling for a more…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the constant stream of research investigating information technology (IT) business value, IT capabilities, and competitive advantage, researchers are calling for a more coherent understanding of the firm‐level impacts of IT, and how those firm‐level impacts can be measured. The purpose of this study is to investigate the multitude of organization‐level studies of the impact of IT.
Design/methodology/approach
Meta‐analysis of IS literature from 2001‐2009.
Findings
The findings are synthesized into an overarching framework of the impact of IT at the organization level. The framework categorizes measures of the impact of IT into productivity, profitability, and intangible benefits, while the antecedents of IT impact are categorized into IT resources, IT capabilities, IT/business alignment and external factors.
Originality/value
The research framework proposed provides a comprehensive snapshot of IS studies on organizational performance.
Details
Keywords
Tom Copeland, Tim Roller and Jack Murrin
When the time comes to make a European acquisition or divestiture, you will be relieved to have this step‐by‐step guide to valuing a multinational business on hand. This article…
Abstract
When the time comes to make a European acquisition or divestiture, you will be relieved to have this step‐by‐step guide to valuing a multinational business on hand. This article, written from the point of view of a finance executive, is adapted from Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies.
John F. McCarthy, David J. O'Connell, Douglas T. Hall and Jan Eyvin Wang
Management scholars and researchers have long been concerned about the impact and relevance of their work. Here we chronicle the teaching, research, management, and personal…
Abstract
Management scholars and researchers have long been concerned about the impact and relevance of their work. Here we chronicle the teaching, research, management, and personal leadership development lessons that have arisen from a collaborative, decade-long relationship between three management faculty members and the senior management team of a major Norwegian-based global shipping and logistics company. This relationship grew from the creation of a teaching case in 1997 to many years of productive and meaningful work together, including the development and delivery of the all-conference Plenary Session at the 2006 Eastern Academy of Management Meeting, held concurrently with the annual CASE Association Conference. At the 2006 Plenary Session, each of the authors expressed powerful personal and professional development through their collaboration over the years, which is summarized in this article. Reflections, lessons and future research directions are provided.
Reproduces an exclusive extract from Chapter 22 of the new edition of Copeland, Koller and Murrin’s definitive work Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies…
Abstract
Reproduces an exclusive extract from Chapter 22 of the new edition of Copeland, Koller and Murrin’s definitive work Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies. Covers the practical techniques to use in the difficult issue of valuing insurance companies, using Trans America as a case study.
Details
Keywords
Kenneth Lehn and Anil K. Makhija
The increasing frequency with which the business environment demands strategic change elevates the role played by performance measures in assessing alternative business…
Abstract
The increasing frequency with which the business environment demands strategic change elevates the role played by performance measures in assessing alternative business strategies. Traditional accounting measures of performance have long been criticized for their inadequacy in guiding strategic decisions. Two alternative measures of business performance, EVA (eco‐nomic value added) and MVA (market value added) have been attracting much attention of late. According to a recent article in Fortune, EVA is employed by a large number of firms, including Coca‐Cola, AT&T, Quaker Oats, Eli Lilly, Georgia Pacific, and Tenneco. Unlike traditional accounting measures of performance, EVA attempts to measure the value that firms create or destroy by subtracting a capital charge from the returns they generate on invested capital. In addition to their use as performance measures, EVA and MVA are recommended by some as metrics for executive compensation plans and the development of corporate strategies.