Showing papers in "Interdisciplinary Journal of Information, Knowledge, and Management in 2016"

Management of Knowledge, Innovation and Performance in SMEs

Abstract: Introduction The era of knowledge plays an essential role in the economic growth and development of all enterprises (Foray, 2004; Mosconi & Roy, 2013). With the arrival of globalization, knowledge has become an intangible resource generator of permanent competitive advantage (Ikujiro & Hiroshi, 2013; Tunc Bozbura, 2007) and contributes to the generation of intellectual capital and to the economic activities of organizations (Kristandl & Bontis, 2007). In these times of constant motion, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) require the extraction of knowledge from both domestic sources and foreign sources to achieve greater participation in the markets, foster innovation, and improve performance (Gold, Malhotra, & Segars, 2001; Morgan & Berthon, 2008). Knowledge management (KM) is a comprehensive approach that includes capture, receipt, and transfer of information in a company that considers the policies, procedures, knowledge, and experience of employees (Duhon, 1998). In addition, technology systems influence the behavior of employees and strengthen a culture based on the use and transfer of information (Davenport, 1994). KM is a business practice that integrates essential strategies, policies, techniques, and procedures (Davenport, 2013; Lavergne & Earl, 2006). The alignment of corporate strategy with KM is vital for adding value and achieving results (Chuang, 2004; M. H. Zack & Singh, 2010). KM influences business systems by increasing profitability, creating a harmonious atmosphere among employees, and ensuring businesses' sustainability and competitiveness (Darvish, Mohammadi, & Afsharpour, 2012; Darvish & Nazari, 2013). However, KM is not sufficiently widespread in SMEs, mainly due to the lack of strategic planning, lack of financial resources, distaste to change cultural, uncertainty regarding benefits, and technological immaturity, which are typical in these organizations (Edvardsson & Durst, 2013; Yew Wong, 2005). A reasonable number of empirical studies have analyzed the impact of KM and innovation in SMEs (Constantinescu, 2009; C. Yu, Yu-Fang, & Yu-Cheh, 2013). However, the relationship between innovation and performance is still a wide field for exploration (Price, Stoica, & Boncella, 2013; Vaccaro, Parente, & Veloso, 2010). Works on KM have placed minimal emphasis on the benefits generated in SMEs; the majority of research focuses on large organizations (Darroch, 2005; Roxas, Battisti, & Deakins, 2014). In addition, minimal understanding of how companies create, transfer, and use knowledge has led to difficulty in transforming knowledge into a competitive advantage (C. Lin, Wu, & Yen, 2012; Perrin, Vidal, & McGill, 2006). The difficulty of measuring KM in SMEs provides a reasonable explanation for the scarcity of empirical studies in this developing discipline (Becerra-Fernandez & Sabherwal, 2014; Choi, Poon, & Davis, 2008). By the great influence of the KM in the progress and development of SMEs, it is important to develop this type of study more regularly (Imran, 2014; Vaccaro et al., 2010). The objective of this work is to empirically analyze the relationships between KM, innovation, and performance in SMEs in the region of Murcia, Spain. In the current competitive global environment, it is important to analyze the key factors that affect the development and growth of these companies. The research questions that we attempt to answer are as follows: 1. Does knowledge management influence innovation activities in SMEs? 2. Does business innovation exert any influence on SME performance? Literature reveals that KM can help SMEs to professionally develop employees, improve innovation processes, grow sales, satisfy customers and thus achieve organizational success (Edvardsson & Durst, 2013; Lopez-Nicolas & Merono-Cerdan, 2011; Madrid-Guijarro, Garcia, & Van Auken, 2009). …

Innovation Capability: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda

Abstract: Purpose: Innovation capability is a growing and significant area of academic research. However, there is little attempt to provide a cumulative overview of this phenomenon. The purpose of this syst ...

Does usability matter? An analysis of the impact of usability on technology acceptance in ERP settings

Abstract: Though the field of management information systems, as a sector and a discipline, is the inventor of many guidelines and models, it appears to be a slow runner on practical implications of interface usability This usability can influence end users' attitude and behavior to use IT The purpose of this paper was to examine the interface usability of a popular Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software system, SAP, and to identify related issues and implications to the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) A survey was conducted of 112 SAP ERP users from an organization in the heavy metal industry in Bangladesh The partial least squares technique was used to analyze the survey data The survey findings empirically confirmed that interface usability has a significant impact on users' perceptions of usefulness and ease of use which ultimately affects attitudes and intention to use the ERP software The research model extends the TAM by incorporating three criteria of interface usability It is the first known study to investigate usability criteria as an extension of TAM

Behavioural Aspects of ERP Implementation: A Conceptual Review

Abstract: Introduction In the past decade there has been an extensive introduction of large scale information packages in all organizations, popularly known as ERP systems Any ERP intervention in an organization has undergone a business process reengineering (BPR) With the implementation of BPR the organizations can seek strategic and innovative changes and achieve breakthrough performance (Sidikat & Adeyemi, 2008) BPR is basically dependent on adoption of new methods or techniques which help to frame a better job, task and work modules and subsequently lead to the advent of a new work structure and procedure It is also noteworthy that process reengineering always has some effect on the behavioral aspect of an organization such as team conflict, decreased group cohesion, and decreased productivity In general as these problems accentuate this ultimately leads to process failure Consequently the company incurs loss for that Hence, a substantial amount of research has been directed at understanding the behavioral processes in ERP implementation Objective of the Paper The aim of this paper is to enumerate the critical behavioral factors influencing effective ERP implementation Scope of the Review For this review, only scholarly articles with the key word/phrase 'ERP Implementation models", "User acceptance of ERP", "Critical success factors of ERP implementation" and "Leadership and ERP Implementation" have been considered The search data bases were "Emerald", "EB-SCO" and "Proquest" The articles referred were from 1999-2015 Studies focusing on the successful implementation of ERP systems have tried to predict and validate the existing models as well as develop certain conceptual models for successful ERP implementation At the same time, a huge number of research papers have focused on identifying the factors influencing successful implementation of ERP systems Looking at the scope of this paper, we will only focus on the people/behavioral aspects of ERP implementation Models Explaining Implementation of the ERP System The acceptance and adoption of technology is not so simple (Geels, 2005; Scott & Vessey, 2002) Research reveals that 50% of the ERP implementations fail to meet the adopting organizations' expectations (Jasperson, Carter, & Zmud, 2005; Seymour, Makanya, & Berrange, 2007) There are also extreme cases of failure of ERP implementation (Scott & Vessey, 2002) Therefore, many theories have been developed to explain the successful ERP implementation process Some of the important theories are described below System Dynamic Model The System Dynamic Model (Forrester, 1961), is a part of the Theory of Constraint This provides a conceptual model that helps to gain insight into structures that create dynamic behavior in complex systems The system pattern of behavior mainly results from the interaction of 3 core structures: 1) structure of the system, 2) time delays in feedback, 3) the extent to which a system flows and work is magnified through the feedback system The system dynamic model can be illustrated as the diagram in Figure 1 Through this concept any manager gets an insight about the continuous improvement process, which is relative to their physical policy constraints in the production system The limitation of the model was its inability to capture the complexity faced by any organization as it lacked a robust nature Reid and Koljnen (1999) have discussed this model in the context of ERP implementation However, application of this model in case of ERP implementation is very rare Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology Model The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model (UTAUT) developed by Venkatesh, Morris, Davis, and Davis (2003) explains the end users' acceptance of ERP This is a modified version of the Technology Adoption Model (TAM) as it considers the mandatory nature of ERP systems …

Intention to Use and Satisfaction of e-Learning for Training in the Corporate Context

Abstract: Together, the fields of education and information technology have identified the need for an online solution to training. The introduction of e-learning has optimised the learning process, allowing organisations to realise the many advantages that e-learning offers. The importance of user involvement in the success of e-learning makes it imperative that the forces driving intention to use e-learning and satisfaction thereof be determined. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between the metrics influencing intention to use and the satisfaction of using e-learning in companies. The results of a survey distributed amongst a South African software development company’s customer base revealed that the 94 respondents have positive enjoyment and self-efficacy levels, and low computer anxiety levels. Correlation analysis revealed significant relationships between enjoyment and self-efficacy and between enjoyment and satisfaction. Companies should therefore ensure that users enjoy using e-learning as it can directly influence satisfaction and self-efficacy.

Factors Affecting the Adoption and Usage of ICTs within Polish Households

Abstract: Introduction The turning point for civilization, initiated around the 1960s, is related to the increasing role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in creating modern society This society is referred to as the information society (Berleur, Hercheui, & Hilty, 2010; Golinski, 2011; Raban, Gordon, & Geifman, 2011; Webster, 2002) In this society, especially since the end of the 20th century, business, public administration, and everyday life have been deeply influenced by ICTs, and the adoption and usage of ICTs are becoming more widespread ICTs can contribute toward changing business methods and models, transforming production and trade, and creating new patterns of learning, work, entertainment, and consumption The potential of the information society for economic growth and social welfare is enormous (Olla & Choudrie, 2013), but regrettably it can also be a source of threats and dangers It can contribute to information and digital exclusion, new social divisions and social stratification, economic diversification, loss of privacy, information and computer crimes (Ferro, Dwivedi, Gil-Garcia, & Williams, 2010; Luo, Lu, Polgar, & Cao, 2010; Steyn & Johanson, 2010) The information society developed and became more refined over the past 50 years, and began to focus on sustainable development The move toward the new phase is called the sustainable information society (Berleur et al, 2010; Fuchs, 2009a, 2009b; Schauer, 2003; Servaes & Carpentier, 2006; Ziemba, 2013; Ziemba, 2016) In this society, ICTs are becoming a key enabler of economic, socio-cultural, political, and environmental sustainability (Berleur et al, 2010; Elliot, 2011; Hilty, 2008, 2009; Melville, 2010; Ziemba, 2015a, 2015b) ICTs cannot play a vital role in poverty alleviation and sustainable development processes unless they are adopted by different groups within society -mainly by enterprises, public administration, and households (Ziemba, 2013, 2015b) A stream of research to date has focused on exploring the adoption of ICTs from enterprise and public administration perspectives These studies are mainly concentrated on conducting investigations of ICT employment for supporting decision-making, and creating new business and government models (Boughzala, Janssen, & Assar, 2014; Dennis, Samuel, & McNamara, 2014; Grudzewski, Hejduk, Sankowska, & Wantuchowicz, 2010; Kowalczyk & Nogalski, 2007; Tapscott & Williams, 2012) Some studies identify barriers and determinants for the adoption of ICTs in enterprises and public administration (Ifinedo & Singh, 2011; Liu, 2011; Olszak & Ziemba, 2012; Rana, Dwivedi, & Williams, 2013; Roztocki & Weistroffer, 2011; Soja, 2010; Yeoh & Koronios 2010) While the key issues of ICT adoption within business and public administration are now relatively well-recognized, it is also important to acknowledge that in the information society ICT adoption within households has become prevalent in many forms such as e-commerce, e-government, e-learning, e-health, and e-working (Ziemba, 2016) There are numerous issues worthy of investigation, such as the adoption and usage of emerging ICTs, social exclusion due to unequal and unsuccessful adoption within by different groups of people, and factors influencing the adoption and usage of ICTs Factors influencing the adoption and usage of ICTs by household members in the present-day are subjected to scientific research However, most studies are grounded in the context of well-developed economies, eg, United Kingdom (Choudrie, Vyas, Voros, & Tsitsianis, 2013; Vyas & Choudrie, 2013) and Germany (Maier, Laumer, & Eckhardt, 2011; Niehaves & Plattfaut, 2011) Researchers also examined factors affecting the adoption and usage of ICTs in households of non-European developing countries, eg, in Jordan (Abu-Shamaa & Abu-Shanab, 2015; Dwivedi, AlAlwan, Rana, & Williams, 2015), Thailand (Kilenthong & Odton, 2014), and China (Yang, Chen, & Wei, 2015) …

Knowledge Management in Nigerian Universities: A Conceptual Model

Abstract: Introduction Universities are the intellectual center of knowledge production and research They are responsible for education, research, and knowledge transfer to society, hence, contributing to national development The potential of universities to transform society economically, politically, socially, and culturally has been well documented in the literature (Brennan, King, & Lebeau, 2004) In the emerging knowledge society, universities are the expected drivers of innovation, thereby contributing to the development of a learning society It may, therefore, be correct to posit that a nation's development is dependent on the ability of its universities to produce new knowledge, new technology, and quality graduates In contributing to national development, universities have a role in preparing graduates, not simply for the present time, but also for the emerging society which is characterized by technological advancements (Ramakrishnan & Yasin, 2012) Universities may, therefore, be seen as the key drivers in the emerging knowledge economy who are thus required to innovate as well as collaborate with industries for research and development purposes In the same vein, Chen, Chen, and Padro (2015) opined that higher education institutions should be able to meet the needs of students and society while attending to the well-being of the institution itself In the Nigerian context, the National Universities Commission (NUC) serves as the regulatory body for all universities in the country The NUC is charged with approving all academic programs within the universities: approving the establishment of all degree-awarding institutions, ensuring quality assurance of all academic programs, and serving as a channel for all external support to the universities (NUC, 2016a) Historically, as documented by Ololube, Dudafa, Uriah, and Agbor (2013), five federal government universities were initially established in Nigeria: the University College, Ibadan, in 1948, which is now known as the University of Ibadan; the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (1960); Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (1962); the University of Ife, Ile-Ife (1962), which is now known as Obafemi Awolowo University; and the University of Lagos, Lagos (1962) These universities were reported to have been established on the basis of the government's recognition of the role of education in attaining national economic expansion, individuals' social emancipation, as well as producing the knowledgeable and competent workforce needed for national development (Ololube et al, 2013) Presently, in Nigeria, there are 40 federal government-run universities, 42 state-owned universities, and 61 private universities, all approved by the NUC (NUC, 2016b) Higher education institutions all over the world are grappling with a number of challenges, making it difficult to achieve their set objectives while simultaneously maintaining their historical role of contributing effectively to society Some of these challenges, as highlighted by Chen et al (2015), include fiscal constraints and increased calls for accountability, growing demand for enrollment, and challenges from evolving technologies These challenges are also prominent within the Nigerian higher education context For instance, Akinyemi and Bassey (2012) note that, despite the increase in the number of universities, there remains a wide gap between the demand and supply of university education: that is, there is high demand for admission places; however, the enrollment figures are low Ezepue (2015) cited some of the challenges facing higher education in Nigeria as the following: lack of skills-focused critical education; a grossly inadequate curriculum producing graduates not ready for employment; graduates without study and critical-thinking skills; graduates with low self-confidence, low self-esteem, and low self-efficacy, among other impediments In the same vein, Famurewa (2014), in an analysis of funding of higher education in Nigeria, concluded that inadequate funding is the bane of tertiary education in Nigeria …

Doing the Organizational Tango: Symbiotic Relationship between Formal and Informal Organizational Structures for an Agile Organization

Abstract: Introduction The ongoing relevance of any major organization both within itself and to a nation's social, political, and economic prosperity depends, in large part, on its ability to respond to a rapidly changing operational context. Organizations must be capable of exploiting new opportunities and of coping with new challenges. In short, organizations must be adaptive and agile in responding to changes in their operational environment. Informal collaborative arrangements in organizations and the salient role of informal networks in many aspects of life are well recognized (Ehin, 2004; Liccardi et al., 2007). However, research on organizational responses to the complexity of the environments in which they operate largely focuses on the formal aspects of organizations in terms of their design, structures, and business strategy (Donaldson, 2001; Mintzberg, 1980; Monge & Contractor, 2003; Monge & Eisenberg, 1987: Watson & Weaver 2003). Although, in organizational life, formal and informal structures are intertwined (Rank, 2008; Zenger & Lazzarini, 2002), what research and discussion there is of informal structures tends to treat these as separate entities. There seems to be a lack of empirical studies looking at the issues that would make the entwinement of formal and informal organizational structures effective and the mechanisms that enable this interaction have not been sufficiently explored. The current paper builds on earlier published work in the informing sciences discipline where details of the methodological approach of the study are discussed (Ali, 2014). This paper describes a model for enhancement of organizational agility in response to complex operational environment. The model is derived from empirical studies and draws on the strengths of formal and the flexibility of informal organizational structures. The aim of this paper is to add to the body of knowledge for practitioners and researchers in the field of informing sciences and organizational studies in view of constantly evolving nature of informing sciences (Cohen, 2009). Setting a Scene Informal Structures--Their Role and Significance The literature on informal networks seems to suggest that the extent and the types of networks individuals form affects many aspects of individuals' lives, from their health, identity, and well-being to career advancement and power in organizations (Brass, Galaskiewicz, Greve & Tsai, 2004; Granovetter, 1983; Kilduff & Tsai 2003; Krackhardt, 1990; Krackhardt & Hanson, 1993). In the field of knowledge management, knowledge distribution, and gaining competitive advantage, the role of informal networks is well supported (Awazu, 2004; Cross, Parker, Prusak, & Borgatti, 2001; Hoffman, Hoelscher, & Sherif, 2005; Kurland & Pelled, 2000; Plickert, Cote, & Wellman, 2007). Although these aspects of the significance of informal networks are important, the role of informal networks in the management of emergency and crisis situations is of particular interest because change and uncertainty are constant features of any operational environment. Response to a modern disaster, whether natural or man-made, presents many challenges. Traditionally, disaster response management was based, to a large extent, on a command and control standpoint. However, based on analysis of disaster response over the past years, an alternative perspective on management of complex situations has emerged. This view emphasizes the importance of informal networks and hastily formed networks (Denning, 2006), and trust between individuals and agencies in crisis management (Denning, 2006; O'Brien & Ali, 2006; O'Neil & O'Brien, 2004) as disaster management seldom works according to standard operating procedures or neatly defined roles and responsibilities. Management of emergency situations requires flexibility, adaptability, and fast information flows. …

Facilitating mCommerce Growth in Nigeria through mMoney Usage: A Preliminary Analysis

Abstract: Introduction The advent of the mobile phone, as well as the Internet, has continuously brought with it so many innovations. One of such has been the emergence of mobile commerce (mCommerce), which to a very large extent makes payment for goods and services not only quite convenient but also flexible for today's increasingly digitally savvy consumer (Bang, Han, Animesh, & Hwang, 2013; Boadi, Boateng, Hinson, & Opoku, 2007; Cao, Lu, Gupta, & Yang, 2015). Globally, millions of businesses are now conducted 'on the go' with the aid of the mobile phone. Worldwide, the value of mCommerce transactions is expected to rise from 18B USD in 2012 to 117B USD in 2017. Equally, the volume of transaction is expected to rise from 1% in 2012 to 3% in 2017 (WorldPay, as cited in VantageB2B, 2014). The same study by WorldPay indicates that 66% of electronic transactions (eTransactions) in Africa/Middle East were made using non-card methods, the estimated electronic commerce (eCommerce) turnover in Nigeria in 2012 was put at 0.9B USD, and mobile payments accounted for 19.6% of the eCommerce mix by payment type. It is interesting to know that developing countries, including sub-Saharan African (SSA) nations, are equally taking advantages of the affordances of the mobile phone (Aker & Mbiti, 2010; Boateng, Hinson, Galadima, & Olumide, 2014). Unarguably, SSA countries have within the last decade witnessed a tremendous traction in the usage of mobile phones (cf. Nabareseh, Osakwe, Klimek, & Chovancova, 2014; Osakwe, 2013). What was hitherto seen as the exclusive preserve of the few rich people in SSA countries has now become a mass-commodified product (Osakwe, 2013). Needless to say, the pervasiveness of the mobile phone has provided new business opportunities in both the developed and developing nations. The major point to stress is that in the case of several developing economies, the rise of the mobile phone has indeed provided a viable pipeline, which seamlessly connects the formal sector to the informal sector of these nations (for instance, see Aker & Mbiti, 2010; Boateng, 2011; Boateng et al., 2014). Meanwhile current developments within the digital commerce (e.g., mCommerce) landscape in SSA countries including Nigeria are anything but robust at this stage (Ayo, Ekong, Fatudimu, & Adebiyi, 2007; Boateng et al., 2014). This might be partly attributable to a dearth of robust electronic financial transactions' systems. Arguably, the advent of mMoney in the SSA region offers the possibilities of facilitating mCommerce growth potentials in the region. mMoney is simply a form of mobile-enabled localized banking cum payment system that relies heavily on the availability of agents' network (cash-in-cash-out centres) (Chauhan, 2015; Cobert, Helms, & Parker, 2012; Osakwe, 2013). In other words, mMoney could be seen as a form of electronic money that is readily available on a mobile device and that can be easily converted into cash equivalent and/or transmitted electronically to a third party. It is pertinent to point out that mobile banking (mBanking) differs from mMoney in the sense that the former is strictly an add-on service to existing conventional banks' customers while the latter can be seen as an alternative banking channel to serve the hitherto unbanked and underbanked segments that are predominantly part of the Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) market in most developing economies (also, see Chauhan, 2015; Osakwe, 2013). Within the SSA region, 76% of its adult population do not have formal bank accounts with only 15% and 3% of the adult population having a debit card and credit card respectively (Demirguc-Kunt & Klapper, 2012). In a 2012 survey by Enhancing Financial Innovation & Access (EFInA), 40% of adult Nigerians were reported to have zero access to formal and informal financial services-delivery channels. Similarly, a report by the Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest (CGAP) (as cited in Mendelson, 2012) showed that out of the 2. …

Aspects of Digital Forensics in South Africa

Abstract: This paper explores the issues facing digital forensics in South Africa. It examines particular cyber threats and cyber threat levels for South Africa and the challenges in addressing the cybercrimes in the country through digital forensics. The paper paints a picture of the cy-bercrime threats facing South Africa and argues for the need to develop a skill base in digi-tal forensics in order to counter the threats through detection of cybercrime, by analyzing cybercrime reports, consideration of current legislation, and an analysis of computer foren-sics course provision in South African universities. The paper argues that there is a need to develop digital forensics skills in South Africa through university programs, in addition to associated training courses. The intention in this paper is to promote debate and discussion in order to identify the cyber threats to South Africa and to encourage the development of a framework to counter the threats – through legislation, high tech law enforcement structures and protocols, digital forensics education, digital forensics skills development, and a public and business awareness of cybercrime threats.

External Variables as Antecedents of Users Perception in Virtual Library Usage

Abstract: Introduction The Technology Acceptance Model developed by Davis (1989) is to provide a basis for tracing the impact of external variables on internal beliefs, attitudes, and intentions. Davis originated technology acceptance model to find out what factors cause people to accept or reject an information technology. Davis suggested that the two most important individual belief constructs towards acceptance of information technology are perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Perceived usefulness is the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance his or her job performance while perceived ease of use is the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would be free of effort. The technology acceptance model suggests that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are beliefs about a new technology that influence attitude toward using that technology (Davis, Bagozzi, & Warshaw, 1989). Attitude toward using technology refers to an individual's overall affective reaction to using a system (Venkatesh, Morris, Davis, & Davis, 2003). Generally, the technology acceptance model purports to offer clarification on determinants of computer acceptance and specifically to explain user behaviour across user population that is theory based. The technology acceptance model, therefore, is to make available a basis for outlining the importance of external factors on internal beliefs, attitudes, and intentions. Some extensions of the technology acceptance model examined the antecedents of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Some researchers introduce external variables such as personality traits and demographic characteristics (Gefen & Straub, 1997; Venkatesh, 2000; Venkatesh & Morris, 2000; Venkatesh et al., 2003) as antecedents for perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Theory of Reasoned Action The technology acceptance model originated from theory of reasoned action proposed by Fishbein and Ajzen (1975). The theory of reasoned action proposes that individuals make reasonable choices in decision making by calculating and evaluating relevant beliefs in the process of forming their attitude toward behaviour. A person's attitude toward behaviour is determined by beliefs that the behaviour will lead to favourable or unfavourable outcomes. A personal belief about the behaviour is a person's expectations and evaluation of outcome of performing the behaviour. It is expedient therefore to identify the beliefs that underline the behaviour. Theory reasoned action asserts that any other factors that influence behaviour do so only indirectly by influencing attitude and subjective norms. Subjective norm is the individual's motivation to comply with social convention such as computer. Attitude toward the behaviour predicts intention. Intentions are shaped by one's attitude toward the behaviour as well as subjective norm. A person's intention to act is the immediate determinant of behaviour. The basic assumptions of the theory of reasoned action is that people are rational, thoughtful but not automatic. People's behaviour are based on their beliefs about the consequences of the behaviour and what the other people want them to do; therefore behaviour is rational and social. The theory of reasoned action illustrates the link between attitudes and behaviour which proffers that the theory of reasoned action purportedly results in attitude change. Theory of reasoned action is used to predict behaviour only in a real voluntary situation; moreover behaviour is preceded by behavioural intentions. The Research Model and Hypotheses The technology acceptance model is widely supported; some researchers (Dishaw & Strong, 1999; Venkatesh, 2000; Venkatesh & Brown, 2001) call for other studies to investigate whether the technology acceptance model's belief variables, which are perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, are mediators of the effect of external variables and, if so, which external variables are important. …

Analogical thinking for generation of innovative ideas: An exploratory study of influential factors

Abstract: Introduction Despite their tremendous contribution to technological or theoretical innovation, academic institutions have been criticized for being insensitive to the rapid changes in the real world; moreover, they neglect the realities (Kogan, 2000; Minogue, 1973) In response to these criticisms and social needs, in the last few decades, a number of research centers and departments have been founded, focusing on new idea generation as a strategy for coping with social changes In response to the increasing needs for facilitating generation of new ideas, many academic institutions provide educational programs promoting innovative idea generation Definitely, innovative ideas allow us to solve complex problems that cannot be solved by traditional, routine, or common methods Creating novel solutions to problems has fascinated many researchers in diverse disciplines There is a wide range of approaches in perspective of cognitive, clinical, social, organizational, educational, historical, cultural, managerial, and personal areas In spite of the tremendous amount of work on innovation, we still lack understanding of how to evaluate innovative ideas and what kinds of thinking processes encourage innovativeness This paper proposes an effective evaluation method for assessing new ideas, as well as identifying factors that enable generation of appropriate ideas, focusing on idea generation using analogical thinking In order to fulfil the objectives of this research, it is important to establish theoretical backgrounds by reviewing relevant studies on analogical thinking and thinking process to develop an effective evaluation method More importantly, this study empirically investigates factors influencing generation of innovative ideas with data collected from four workshops Analogical Thinking for Idea Generation To some extent, everyone uses analogies as a thinking mechanism in daily life (Holyoak & Thagard, 1996) Analogical thinking is the cognitive process of transferring information or meaning from a particular subject (the source) to another one (the target) Welling (2007) defines analogical thinking as such that "implies the transposition of a conceptual structure from one habitual context to another innovative context", where "the abstract relationship between the elements of one situation is similar to those found in the innovative context" (p168) Glynn, Britton, Semrud-Clikeman & Muth (1989) defined analogy as serving an explanatory function when it puts new concepts and principles into familiar terms Analogy serves a creative function when it stimulates solutions of existing problems, identification of new problems, and generation of hypotheses Analogical Thinking for Creative Problem Solving Numerous previous studies have supported the idea that analogical thinking plays a central role in creative idea generation because it can foster insights into new domains by analogizing to prior knowledge (Finke, Ward, & Smith, 1992; Gentner et al, 1997; Hesse, 1966; Holyoak & Thagard, 1989; Koestler, 1964; Perkins, 1997) Boden (1994) stated that creativity in psychological theory needs to describe how analogical thinking works Clement (2008) examined sources of creative scientific theory formation in the domain of non-formal reasoning He observed that analogies are frequently used by scientists in problem solving Gick and Holyoak (1980) conducted five experiments with university students, having them solve a radiation problem, the same problem used in Duncker's (1945) original experiment In one of their experiments, 27 subjects were given a story analogy and two irrelevant stories before they were presented with the problem to be solved Meanwhile, twelve of them were instructed to use those story analogies to solve the radiation problem; but in the other group, fifteen subjects were not given any hint to utilize those story analogies for problem solving …

A Conceptual Model for the Creation of a Process-Oriented Knowledge Map (POK-Map) and Implementation in an Electric Power Distribution Company

Abstract: Introduction In order to effectively manage knowledge in organizations, knowledge workers and managers need to know the organizational knowledge resources and flows well. A knowledge map is a useful technique to reach this goal. Knowledge maps provide clear, purposeful and structured images of the existing knowledge in the organization. There are different approaches for preparing knowledge maps but only some are based on organizational processes. A knowledge map lets the users know "who knows what?" and "where is the location of knowledge in the organization?" (Holsapple, 2004). It also shows the existing knowledge and its flow in the specialized areas of the organization. Knowledge models are prepared in the frame of goals and knowledge processes of the organization, and organizational memory is created with the help of knowledge maps, which in turn prevents rework, and a waste of time and money (Wexler, 2001). Some of the challenges that companies are facing due to the lack of knowledge maps are: --They have problems in doing some of the organizational duties and missions and they do not know who has the knowledge and ability to help. --The process of solving problems that has happened before happens again and again because the learning from them is not documented (Tserng, Yin, & Lee, 2010). --They do not have a proper criterion for evaluating knowledge in the work processes. --They do not know the available knowledge areas on the way of implementing organizational projects or processes, and what the situation is in each of them. Knowledge maps have significantly contributed to the success of knowledge management in the company in a way that identifying, measuring and visualizing the knowledge resources of the company is considered as part of the main process of knowledge management (Subrt & Brozova, 2007; Farquharson, 2004). Knowledge mapping is a tool for determining the knowledge layout in the organization and helps the knowledge presentation using different knowledge maps. Identification and modeling of the knowledge areas that directly and indirectly help the organization to reach its strategic objectives are the basic steps in any knowledge management planning (Busch, Richards, & Dampney, 2001). Knowledge mapping reveals the knowledge assets of the organization to the entire workforce who have access to them. These maps connect the experts to each other and allow the novices to identify the experts faster and use their experience and skills to solve their problems (Kim, Suh, & Hwang, 2003). They further assist in a faster search process and access to the necessary knowledge by the workers, and reduce the working time. Some advantages of knowledge mapping are: --analyzing knowledge and arranging elements together; --introducing the company's knowledge and experiences, as well as workers' knowledge and their place in the company (Chen, Lin, & Tsui, 2007); --detecting the role and place of each knowledge relative to other fields; --identifying the current knowledge situation and necessary knowledge and determining the existing gaps in the knowledge areas; --determining the effect of knowledge areas on key performance indicators (KPIs), which are measures that emphasize and focus on aspects that play a significant role in an organization's current and future success (Dabbagh, 2001); --avoiding the purchase of repeated knowledge; --lessons learned management (LLM) in projects and learning from previous experiences; and --avoiding workers' knowledge and experiences exiting after they leave the company (for reasons such as retirement, resignation and management changes) (Buesser & Ninck, 2004; Wexler, 2001). Literature Review Drawing a knowledge map is a process with which organizations can identify knowledge assets within the organization (individuals, processes, contents and technology). …

Knowledge Management and Problem Solving in Real Time: The Role of Swarm Intelligence

Abstract: Introduction The application of knowledge management theory to management in different fields can make an important contribution. One example of such application is in the processes underlying the innovative development of new pharmaceuticals and drugs essential to human health outcomes. Recent advances in medicine, such as the emergence of biologics, or protein-based drugs, including gene-based (gene-therapy) biologics, offer new hope where no other treatments have been previously available (FDA, 2015). Similarly, the outcomes of innovative research, such as the recent discovery of a new antibiotic without detectable bacterial resistance, namely, teixobactin (Ling et al., 2015), offer new hope in the face of the rise of 'superbugs' like methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (Northeastern University, 2015) or others recently found to be resistant to last-line drug colistin (Pierson & Berkrot, 2016). At the heart of this scientific progress, however, is the application of knowledge management theory, which relates research processes and the management of knowledge and information to knowledge creation. Knowledge problems related to constraints to innovative scientific production require knowledge management theory development for scientific progress to occur. Arguably, a knowledge problem exists, which is reflected in constrained pharmaceutical innovation (Grasela & Slusser, 2014; E. C. Hayden, 2014; F. Hayden, 2006; Munos, 2009). With the global innovation pipeline providing new innovations and pharmaceutical drug development having been 'nearly broken' (McKenna, 2014), human populations may increasingly be under threat. Staying with the example of health disasters, emergent threats exist in the form of Ebola (Krishnan, 2014), antibiotic resistance (Halifax, 2013) and disease re-emergence in the form of polio in Nigeria (Ajumobi, 2014) and Pakistan (Zia, 2014), for example. Although recent successful innovation outputs such as biologics (FDA, 2015) and resistance-free antibiotics (Ling et al., 2015) may offer limited evidence against arguments that the pharmaceutical innovation pipeline is 'nearly broken' (McKenna, 2014), this paper argues that this pipeline exists under structural 'bottleneck' conditions which are associated with the knowledge aggregation problem, making it unable to increase innovation dramatically, but that techno-centric knowledge management theory premised on maximizing knowledge sharing, which is synthesized from swarm intelligence literatures, can offer new opportunities for innovations via the more effective harnessing of collective intelligence. Swarm intelligence relates to the collective behavior of decentralized, self-organized systems, either as found in nature or applied to solving problems in science (Kennedy, Eberhart, & Shi, 2001). The contribution of this paper is the identification of a source of theory around collective intelligence (Malone & Klein, 2007; Malone, Laubacher, & Johns, 2011; Surowiecki, 2004; A. W. Woolley, Chabris, Pentland, Hashmi, & Malone, 2010) in terms of how knowledge is managed in nature, for example, by social insects (Farmer, Packard, & Perelson, 1986; Krishnanand & Ghose, 2005; Storn & Price, 1997; Yang, 2010), or of how certain theory derived from the field of swarm intelligence (Bonabeau & Theraulaz, 2000), as well as the theory of markets (Fama, 1970, 1995; A. Smith, 1776/2003), can be applied in the area of knowledge management to improve 'real-time' problem-solving capability. Drawing from theory relating to swarm intelligence and other aspects of collective intelligence, an approach to real-time research problem solving is presented, namely, human swarm solving, offering a framework for understanding the implications of maximizing collaborations in support of urgent and important scientific problem solving. By offering a re-conceptualization of real-time research problem solving, human swarm solving as a method, in turn, offers a useful heuristic exercise in modeling what maximized collaboration in scientific problem solving may look like, offering theoretical, methodological and practical implications that are potentially useful for those across fields seeking to understand the effectiveness and efficiency of research systems. …

A Multi-Task Principal Agent Model for Knowledge Contribution of Enterprise Staff

Abstract: Introduction Employees, both the creators and users of knowledge, are enterprises' key resources and sources of knowledge (Nonaka & Konno, 1998). The construction and development of enterprise knowledge base relies on staff s collective participation and wisdom, and knowledge sharing and contribution are required to achieve and sustain competitive advantage (Pai & Chang , 2013). However, employees worry that their knowledge dominance may be jeopardized, thus they have no willingness to share useful knowledge with others (Y-W Liu & Phillips, 2011). It is worth mentioning that how to motivate staff to contribute knowledge has been a crucial issue in the research and practice of enterprise knowledge management (Hansen & Avital, 2005; Le, Xu, Gu, Pan, Dai, & Peng, 2011). Studies have shown that the largest challenge to knowledge management is whether individuals have intentions to propagate and share useful knowledge (Reychav & Weisberg, 2010). Oyemomi, Liu, Neaga, and Alkhuraiji (2016) demonstrate the important role of organizational operation factors (leadership support, learning and training and communication) in knowledge sharing and businessknowledge process, which directly contribute to the improvement of organizational performance. And enterprise always will take some incentive measures according to their knowledge contribution behaviors, to encourage employees to share their knowledge. The principal-agent model (Mascolell, Whinston, & Green, 1995) borrowed from economics is an appropriate framework to formulate the asymmetry of information in knowledge sharing. However, the simple model didn't consider the discrepancies of different knowledge contribution behaviors. Knowledge contribution represents the total contribution of enterprise knowledge dedicated by the staff, through knowledge creating, sharing, evaluating, and so on. It can be divided into knowledge creation contribution (by creating new knowledge) and knowledge participation contribution (by sharing and evaluating knowledge, etc.). Knowledge participation behavior and knowledge creation behavior have different effects on the knowledge contribution in enterprise (Le et al., 2011). Based on the multi-task principal-agent theory, when the agent is engaged in a number of tasks, the pincipal may not make correct inferences about the proper incentives for one task by studying only the attributes of that task alone, as other tasks will also affect his/her inferences. (Holmstrom & Milgrom, 1991). It is very important to consider the differences of knowledge contribution behaviors and to make different incentive measures of knowledge creation task and knowledge participation task. Therefore, this paper introduces the multi-task principal-agent model (Holmstrom & Milgrom, 1991), and constructs the multi-task principal-agent model between enterprise and employees, based on the multi-task of knowledge creation contribution and knowledge participation contribution. The main purpose is to extend the knowledge management literature by exploring the model and propose some incentive measures to solve the incentive problem in knowledge contribution, encouraging staff to create and share knowledge. Besides, the multi-task principal-agent model developed by this study is a theoretic model, and the applicability of the results will be improved by further empirical analysis. Literature Review The principal-agent theory has widely been applied in the research of information asymmetry and incentive issues, and it can be used to study the incentive problems of knowledge sharing in enterprise. Many scholars have applied the principal-agent theory in the economics analysis of incentive mechanism of knowledge sharing among employees. For instance, Nan (2008) developed a principal-agent model to formulate the asymmetry of information in knowledge sharing, to explore effective incentive design that can address the information asymmetry in knowledge sharing processes and variability of the intangible nature of knowledge. …

Challenges of Knowledge and Information Management during New Product Introduction: Experiences from a Finnish Multinational Company

Abstract: Introduction The ever shortening product lifecycles and rapidly changing customer requirements lead the modern manufacturing companies to practice a concurrent engineering (CE) paradigm. To succeed in CE, efficient communication between individuals from different departments in-house and within the production network is a must. In large production organizations, design and modelling of complex products, their production processes and systems is typically done by multi-disciplinary, often multicultural and geographically distributed design teams. The required cooperation and communication between the teams and each individual member of the team is heterogeneous due to the different IT systems (Information Technology) and platforms, as well as, each member's different specializations, tasks and backgrounds. As stated by Haldin-Herrgard (2000), sharing of all forms of knowledge requires a commonly understood terminology. However, usually each team or individual member of a team is specialized in solving problems related to a given phase of the product's lifecycle, which makes the work content and thus also the used terminology different. Therefore, the communication and sharing of knowledge and information may be challenging. This heterogeneity affects both the communication between the individuals and their interaction with the information systems. Furthermore, the more distance the individuals have from each other's practice, the more difficult it is to communicate the knowledge they use (Crossan, Lane, & White, 1999). Knowledge sharing can be managed by focusing either on the social dynamics between the members in the organization or management interventions (van den Hooff & Huysman, 2009). Many formal knowledge sharing practices depend on the information systems offering support on information acquisition, organization, storage, retrieval, search, presentation, distribution, and reproduction. The technology often removes the temporal physical and social distance barriers by improving the knowledge sharing process, and locating knowledge carriers and seekers (Thierauf, 2001). On the other hand, also the IT systems suffer from lack of common vocabulary. For example, in product development, for each product several different product models, related to different phases or aspects of its lifecycle, are created and used. Therefore, vast amount of different types of information and CAx-systems (Computer Aided X) are used throughout the whole product lifecycle. As the different systems usually rely on different data structures, this leads to problems with their interoperability. It affects negatively to the transparency between different design teams and departments within an organization and its network. This article will present a practical case study of the knowledge and information management issues in a large Finnish globally operating company. Knowledge management here refers to the process of creating, sharing, transferring and using of collective knowledge in an organization to help the organization compete (von Krogh 1998). Knowledge always includes the tacit dimension and cannot thus be saved to the IT systems as such (Subashini, 2010; Walsham, 2001). Therefore, the terms information and information management are used when discussing about creating, sharing, transferring, and using content in written documents, emails, information systems, and databases. The study concentrated on New Product Introduction (NPI) process, which consists of the phases from product development and detailed design until production ramp up of the newly designed product. The focus was especially on the interface between product design and production. The focal aim in the practical case study conducted in the company was to recognize the weak points in the current knowledge and information management practices and solutions, in order to be able to improve the organization's knowledge and information management and transparency. …

Towards a Methodology for the Pre-Stage of Implementing a Reengineering Project

Abstract: Introduction The beginning of reengineering is traced back to the 1980s. For decades, many American firms have expressed dissatisfaction with their failure to gain a high rate of added value from information technology (IT). Though they made huge investments in developing IT, they could not increase their efficiency or improve performance. In order to tackle this problem, various theories are proposed by the experts and researchers, with Michael Hammer's theory being one of them (Hammer, 1990. Based on his theory, three forces lead to competitive advantage. These forces consist of customers, competitors and changes, known as the "3C"s. The principle of division of labor, developed by Adam Smith, which was an essential component in setting up organizations, is no longer applicable and effective. Firms should be arranged and organized in a process-oriented manner (Hammer, 1996). Almost all managers apply various mechanisms to boost internal efficiency in order to cope with the challenges of business competition. There are two key human factors that can highly affect the competition in organizations: the customers and the staff. The common prevailing belief in every organization is that accomplishing ultimate objectives depends on effective and efficient human resources. Human resources constitute the most significant factor in promoting the comprehensive quality and efficiency of organizations and are considered as the basis for economic, social, and cultural development of every country. The quality of the employees' work, the quality of their cooperation, and their role in decision making are the factors through which the superiority and the competitiveness of an organization are determined. According to developed essential reengineering concepts introduced by Davenport and Short (1990) and Hammer (1990), many organizations have reported on their significant advantages due to the gained experiences through successful implementation of reengineering projects. Despite the importance of Business Process Reengineering, either in theoretical, academic, or in real practice contexts, the obtained results have not been outstanding, and in some instances the failure rate in this practice is reported to be as high as 70% (Grint &Willcocks, 1995). The conclusions reached from the available studies indicate that the incompatibilities between expectations and Business Process Reengineering are practically ignored by the firms involved in reengineering projects (Yetton, Johnston, & Craig, 1994). Recently, due to the risks and costs involved in reengineering project implementation, the need for prior analysis of the subject organization has made the role of the analyst significant (Mohammad Ali, Tavakoli Moghadam, & Jafari Harandi, 2006). Without a doubt, the more Business Process Reengineering is explored, the more essential the analysis becomes. The multi-criteria decision making challenges which include lack of a standard rate in speed and accuracy of decision making, make process analysis greatly dependent on the decision-maker. According to the preliminary studies run at Neyriz White Cement Corporation, factors like organizational independence, outsourcing the activities, and the change in management standard editions highlight the importance of the issue and the necessity of the process review. In this study, after a review of the measures taken prior to the reengineering project implementation, attempt is made to introduce different aspects of the issue, identify the management sub-processes, and develop the organization's human resources. The reason why the organization selected the 6-stage methodology, and also the shift in management and staff attitude, will be explained. By applying the experiences of the organization's managers and the analysts, who are aware of processes and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), attempt is made to adopt an appropriate strategy. …

The Effect of Perceived Expected Satisfaction with Electronic Health Records Availability on Expected Satisfaction with Electronic Health Records Portability in a Multi-Stakeholder Environment

Abstract: Introduction Electronic Health Records (EHR) are the digitized longitudinal health records of an individual that are shared across agencies and providers. The success of an EHR system implementation is measured by the degree it is used (e.g., Devaraj & Kohli, 2003) as an indicator that the system meets the users' expectations. Based on this principle, the Medicare, Medicaid incentive program is centered on the "Meaningful Use" of EHR systems. This program is aimed at ensuring that the certain EHR system features are properly used to provide safe, quality care with reduced disparity and increased data portability. Meeting expectations is an especially challenging objective to attain in a multi-stakeholder environment, such as the health care industry. A common reason for IS implementation failures is that organizations decide on a technological solution without fully understanding the underlying processes and stakeholders' objectives (McGowan, Cusack, & Poon, 2008; Sallas, Matthews, Watkins, & Wiley-Patton 2007). The need for an EHR system that delivers quality information timely, securely, and accurately across multiple health care provider systems is essential for delivering safe and quality care. Due to the nature of health care organizations' value chain, multiple stakeholders, whose system use and expectations may significantly differ, are involved in the information flow process (Joss & Kogan, 1995; McGlynn, 1997). Fulfilling the varying information needs across stakeholders is one of the most significant expectations from an EHR system and a key indicator of satisfaction with such a system (Thornewill, Dwling, Cox, & Esterhazy, 2011). Patient health information availability is an important system characteristic to confidently make well-informed decisions during patient care. For this purpose, the timely and complete patient health records need to be available to the right person at the right time. Primary healthcare providers (PCP) can make more educated decisions if more up-to-date information is available for them (Bates et al., 2001). For the purposes of this study, in addition to data availability, we also consider system availability to perform essential job functions efficiently, as a precursor of system use (Laplante & Ovaska, 2011). System availability is the extent to which goals are achieved with effectiveness, efficiency, and a level of satisfaction. However, when different user groups use the same system in different contexts, it is expected that these groups perceive the same system and particular features differently (Burn & Ash, 2005). Information systems may be used in different environments and on different platforms for the same functional purposes. Information sharing and the need for up-to-date information in the healthcare environment have always been demanded but only in the recent years have started to become a reality. The proper design and implementation of information sharing system characteristics will result in patient record portability. In order to reduce design and development costs, using the same source-code is inevitable for a portable system. System designers need to account for the disparate health data from the nation's many healthcare organizations. This will enable providers to universally exchange and reuse operational and clinical data stored in different EHR systems. The multi-stakeholder context in this study represents the challenges the literature identifies for proper information systems design to fulfill varying user needs. The different user groups in different healthcare settings in this study are identified as 1) health care providers, 2) patients, 3) administrators, and 4) regulators within six major care providing agencies. Following Shi and Singh (2008) for our purposes, these are 1) hospital based outpatient care, 2) continuing care, 3) end-of-life-care, 4) preventative care, 5) primary care, and 6) rehabilitative services. …