Chin Wei Chong

Individual antecedents of ACAP and implications of social context in joint engineering project teams: a conceptual model

Purpose – This paper attempts to propose a conceptual model to explain the micro-level antecedents of absorptive capacity (ACAP) and social context of joint engineering project teams. It delineates ACAP into four dimensions and suggests specific level for each dimension. Revisiting the micro-foundational origin of ACAP, acquisition of partners embedded knowledge through joint project teams requires complex interaction among individuals, thus the effect of individual differences and perception in the teams context is proposed. Design/methodology/approach – Cohen and Levinthals assertion on the conceptual affinity that ACAP shares with creative capacity and organizational learning was revisited. Upon synthesizing pertinent literature, individual antecedents were conceptualized, while strategic alliance literature was examined to theorize on the social context. Findings – Propositions relating individual antecedents and social context to associated dimension of ACAP are postulated. Furthermore, the paper ...

Knowledge sharing of academic staff: A comparison between private and public universities in Malaysia

Purpose – The aim of this study is to build upon Jain et al.s (2007) work by investigating the knowledge-sharing barriers and strategies of academic staff in public and private universities in Malaysia which have received relatively little research attention to date. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of 502 questionnaires was collected on both public and private universities in Malaysia. Data were analysed using SPSS. Findings – The overall findings show that private universities are more effective and are more willing to share knowledge. Linking knowledge sharing with non-monetary rewards and fair performance appraisals are strongly recommended in private universities, while monetary rewards, recognitions, publication of knowledge on websites and newsletters and the use of appropriate technology tools and systems are strongly recommended in public universities. Practical implications – Top management in Malaysian public and private universities must play their role and put in more effort to ensure ...

Coaching relationship in executive coaching: a Malaysian study

Purpose – In order to bridge the gap and provide organizations with practical assistance in dealing with the effectiveness of executive coaching. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the association between coaching relationship which constitutes of rapport, trust, commitment and match with coaching effectiveness in Malaysia using a quantitative research method. Design/methodology/approach – Based on the extensive review of the current literature, rapport, trust, commitment and coach-coachee match with coaching effectiveness are investigated through questionnaire. Objective-driven model which focuses on the extent to which coaching objectives have been met, is used to measure the effectiveness of executive coaching. Findings – The main results of the multiple regressions demonstrate that both rapport and commitment significantly influence coaching effectiveness. These findings provide a basis for developing a quality relationship to advance the executive coaching and HRM research literature. Practi...

Application of knowledge management factors on customer relationship management process

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the application of knowledge management (KM) factors on customer relationship management (CRM) process in Malaysian Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) status organisations. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey was conducted on KM workers (customer service) in Malaysian MSC status organisations. Based on the extensive review of the current literature, eight KM factors were investigated to examine the application toward CRM process. Findings – The data, collected from 96 knowledge workers, suggest that KM process, organisational infrastructure and technology are three important predictors for effective CRM process. Practical implications – The practical implication of this paper could be useful for business managers who want to enhance organisational CRM through implementing KM practices to support their organisation’s KM efforts. Originality/value – This is one of the few papers to study the application of KM factors on CRM process in Malaysia.

Microlevel antecedents of absorptive capacity in joint project engineering teams

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the micro-level antecedents of absorptive capacity (ACAP) based on the multilevel perspective of learning capabilities in asymmetric joint project engineering teams constituted by local employees and expatriates. Design/methodology/approach The authors integrated the micro-foundational and multilevel learning theories to delineate the individual and team dimensions of ACAP. Using structural equation modelling, the authors tested the hypothesized relationships among the underlying individual determinants and multilevel dimensions of ACAP. The data were collected from a sample of 248 local employees from 76 joint project engineering teams in the Nigerian upstream oil industry. Findings ACAP entails individual and team capabilities, which depend on prior experience and need for cognition. The creation of shared understanding is essential for the transition of an individual’s knowledge assimilation capability into team’s knowledge utilization capability. Originality/value This study contributes to extant understanding of the multilevel perspective of learning capabilities, i.e. ACAP in a knowledge intensive team like joint project engineering.

Influence of individual factors on concern for information privacy (CFIP), a perspective from Malaysian higher educational students

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of individual factors, that is demographic factors, self-efficacy, computer anxiety and internet literacy, on concern for information privacy (CFIP), especially in social networking and e-commerce in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 164 students in Multimedia University Cyberjaya and analyzed using statistical analyses. Findings The results of this paper indicate that most of the individual factors have significant relationships with CFIP, except age as one of the demographic factors, and internet literacy. One of the outcomes, which is continuance intention in social networking, has a strong correlation with CFIP. Research limitations/implications Regarding demographic profile, the statistics of age, income and especially nationality profile shows the imbalance distribution among the group categories. This might become an issue for generalization purpose. Practical implications The empirical findings can be used as a guideline for firms to undergo a self-check in social networking sites and data over transactions in e-commerce activities. By focusing on those significant factors, firms may develop relevant strategies to enhance the social networking or e-commerce activities. Originality/value This paper is perhaps the limited study about CFIP in Malaysia, but it focuses more on social networking and e-commerce as the outcomes of CFIP.

Are KM strategies effectively implemented in Malaysian MSC status corporations

This research attempts to investigate the influence of the four KM strategies towards KM process effectiveness in Malaysian MSC corporations. The data collected from 106 middle managers indicate that all the four strategies (leadership, culture, technology and measurement) and three processes (construction, embodiment and deployment) are moderately implemented. However, technology and measurement are found to have significant relationship with KM process effectiveness. The findings help MSC corporations to frame their KM activities to enable the creation, communication, and application of knowledge, which should allow them to drive the capability of creating and retaining a greater value onto their core business competencies.