Alexeis Garcia-Perez

Technology knowledge and governance: Empowering citizen engagement and participation☆

Abstract The term technology knowledge (T-knowledge) is used to describe knowledge about and the ability to operate specific technologies such as the internet. T-knowledge also includes the ability required to operate particular technologies. T-knowledge can potentially improve engagement by helping the user to make his/her personal decision in an increasing range of domains. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) facilitates t-knowledge in e-government services offered by City Halls. We also investigate whether t-knowledge has an effect on citizen engagement in government initiatives. In this research, an extended TAM is developed to test t-knowledge in online e-government services employing a sample of 307 citizens who used the benefits advisor tool provided by a Spanish City Hall. The results suggest that the core constructs of TAM (perceived usefulness, ease of use and attitude) significantly affect t-knowledge. This study also reveals a general support for t-knowledge as a determinant of citizen engagement.

SaaS Enterprise Resource Planning Systems: Challenges of Their Adoption in SMEs

As more and more organisations move from on-premise to on-demand software solutions in order to minimise overhead costs, the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) providers begin to offer their well-established best business processes as cloud based IT solutions. As a result, ERP software previously reserved for large organisations mainly due to heavy costs associated with the initial purchase of the software, its licensing costs and subsequent configuration and maintenance, begins to open up to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). With more and more Software as a Service (SaaS) ERP solutions on the market, SMEs are beginning to consider and implement these solutions as opposed to in-house developed applications, in a bid to offer better customer relationship, gain new markets and increase profits, amongst other benefits. As this study reveals, while deployment model is a key advantage in enabling organisations to minimise costs, certain critical factors as well as some barriers need to be addressed to enable organisations to successfully implement these systems. This paper aims to identify and evaluate common problems experienced in the implementation as well as post-implementation stage of Software as Service ERP systems by Small and Medium Enterprises. Qualitative data was collected from five European and US companies, which implemented SaaS ERP, by means of a set of semi-formal interviews and online questionnaire.

Modelling research: a collaborative approach to helping PhD students develop higher-level research skills

A high proportion of PhD candidates in science and engineering fail to complete their degrees. This paper reports the results of a series of workshops where experienced researchers and supervisors were brought together with PhD students to discuss and develop a model of the PhD process. The objective was to help students develop a more rounded and thoughtful approach to their work. The impact of the workshops was assessed by carrying out structured interviews and coding the results to determine the impact on participant perceptions. The analysis suggests that the approach is effective in helping participants to clarify their thinking about the research process in which they are engaged. A proportion of participants appear to have moved from a tactical to a more strategic approach to their research. The study involved students in a postgraduate university but has implications for training of all research students in applied disciplines.

Collaborative reflections on using island maps to express new lecturers’ academic identity

New lecturers may find the notion of academic identity difficult to grasp, yet it potentially provides them with a means of revealing issues of self, career and work-life balance. In this paper, we introduce an innovative research strategy and democratic research framework which have enabled us to explore new lecturers’ academic identities in self-revelatory ways. This collaborative inquiry was undertaken by two teaching staff and four former students of a postgraduate certificate in higher education professional practice at a UK post-92 university. Through our innovative research strategy, one’s academic identity is conceptualised as the map of an island featuring actual or potential personal characteristics, qualities and interests. The visual metaphors and clustering of these attributes, together with individuals’ reflective commentaries on creating their own academic identity maps, lead us tentatively to characterise four alternative expressions of identity: the multifaceted whole, the layered self, the interlinked self and the fragmented self.

Towards a knowledge-based approach for effective decision-making in railway safety

Purpose – This paper aims to contribute towards understanding how safety knowledge can be elicited from railway experts for the purposes of supporting effective decision-making. Design/methodology/approach – A consortium of safety experts from across the British railway industry is formed. Collaborative modelling of the knowledge domain is used as an approach to the elicitation of safety knowledge from experts. From this, a series of knowledge models is derived to inform decision-making. This is achieved by using Bayesian networks as a knowledge modelling scheme, underpinning a Safety Prognosis tool to serve meaningful prognostics information and visualise such information to predict safety violations. Findings – Collaborative modelling of safety-critical knowledge is a valid approach to knowledge elicitation and its sharing across the railway industry. This approach overcomes some of the key limitations of existing approaches to knowledge elicitation. Such models become an effective tool for prediction o...

Shareholder value and open innovation: evidence from Dividend Champions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the companies listed on the US stock market in order to investigate for the selected companies, called the Dividend Champions, the introduction of an open innovation practice. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design. This research is based on an empirical analysis undertaken with 65 listed companies in order to examine, in the first phase, the Dividend Champions. These firms have increased their dividend yield for at least the past 40 years. In a second phase, this research studies the application of an open innovation practice for those listed companies that have systematically paid increased dividends for 60 years and have, at the same time, beat the market. Findings This study reveals seven listed companies that, for more than 60 years, have regularly paid growing dividends and, at the same time, have beat the yield of the market (i.e. six out of the seven companies). The latter include: American States Water, Dover Corporation, Emerson Electric, Genuine Parts Co., Parker-Hannifin Corporation and Procter & Gamble Co. All of these corporations have adopted or implemented a practice of open innovation. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this is among the first pioneer research work, based on the potential relationship between shareholder value and open innovation. In particular, this paper highlights the fact that US-listed companies can create more value for shareholders over a long period and, at the same time, beat the market by adopting different open innovation practices.

Improving Environmental Management Systems by ISO 9001 in the Spanish Hospitality Sector

As the Knowledge Management discipline continues to evolve, socialisation, externalisation, combination and internalisation remain as key management practices for the creation of knowledge which enables organisations to successfully address environmental challenges. This paper examines the relevance and importance of an ISO 9001 certification as an enabler of Nonaka and Takeuchis SECI model and the processes of reusing and updating the environmental knowledge of an organisation. These relationships are examined through an empirical study of 87 companies in the Spanish hospitality sector using repeated measures ANOVA validated by factor analysis. The study has direct implications for management practice as ISO 9001 represents a long-term programme to change, and a proactive way to improve knowledge management practices. Therefore, in order to consolidate knowledge management practices, companies need to provide and support organisational structures as ISO 9001.

Linking peripheral vision with relational capital through knowledge structures

Purpose Peripheral vision (PV) or side vision refers to that which is visible to the eye while being outside of its central area of focus. PV enables organisms to detect movement and potential threats in their environment. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the concept of PV in the business environment, as well as its relationship with knowledge structures in the form of technology knowledge and absorptive capacity. The relative importance and significance of technology knowledge and absorptive capacity as mediators between “relational capital” (RC) and “PV” are also examined. Design/methodology/approach The paper reports an empirical investigation involving 125 employees from the banking sector. Data collected was statistically analysed using PLS-graph software version 03.00. Results of the data analysis show relationships uncovered in the existing literature. Findings The creation of RC by employees from the banking sector relies to a large extent on managers’ ability to perceive, analyse and understand activity that is often outside the focus of their attention. Practical implications Managers who explicitly value their RC have a wider vision of their environment. In turn, a wider understanding of the activity in the environment drives the strengthening of the organisation and its RC. Originality/value PV can have a direct impact on the organisation’s appetite for the development of its technology knowledge base, thus contributing to enhance the firm’s absorptive capacity as well as the extent, quality and value of its RC.

Knowledge Sharing as a Driver of Competitive Advantage: Two Cases from the Field

Knowledge sharing, that is the elicitation of knowledge from experts and its transfer to potential stakeholders, has become essential for organisations to remain competitive. Knowledge sharing is particularly relevant in the current socio economic environment shaped by user connectivity and business convergence, where collective knowledge means value for customers and competitiveness for suppliers. This research explores the importance of knowledge sharing within and between organisations, in order to contribute to current efforts to devise effective mechanisms for engagement. The paper describes a qualitative research based on two case studies from the transport sector and the utility services respectively. It was found that regardless of the nature of the business it was essential that individuals, groups and decision makers within the organisation had a common understanding of the key issues driving the business. In order to reach such a joint view, a collaborative, people-based approach to knowledge sharing proved valuable in both case studies. The paper describes both cases and draws some lessons to be learned by the knowledge management research and practice communities.

Building affective commitment in a financial institution through an ambidexterity context

Purpose Ambidexterity refers to the tension between two different business models within the same organisation. This paper examines the significance of individuals’ knowledge exploration and exploitation activities in an organisation’s ambidexterity context, along with how they affect the creation of an affective commitment in the workforce. The study then investigates how an organisation’s ambidexterity vision contributes to employees’ affective commitment to learning. Design/methodology/approach These relationships are examined through an empirical investigation of 219 employees in the financial sector, using structural equation modelling validated by factor analysis. Findings The results indicate that for a firm to successfully achieve ambidexterity, its managers need to explicitly work to nurture a context where explorative and exploitative activities take place simultaneously. Another relevant contribution of this study has been addressing the impact that explorative and exploitative activities may have on affective commitment. The results suggest that while the effect of the ambidexterity context on the affective commitment by way of explorative activities is statistically insignificant, the effects of exploitative activities on affective commitment are statistically significant. Originality/value While the extant literature provides useful insights into the relationship between contextual ambidexterity and organisational performance, the relationship between ambidexterity and affective commitment has been less researched. This study has shown that an ambidexterity context is a key component in the process of combining knowledge structures in ways which are appropriate for both exploring value of that knowledge for the company and being effective in exploiting its memory.