Chyan Yang

Can organizational knowledge capabilities affect knowledge sharing behavior

Recent concerns about the issue of knowledge management (KM) within an organization have accentuated the need for more efficient and effective knowledge sharing - that is, knowledge sharing plays an increasingly significant role in determining the outcomes of KM. Most scholars explore this issue from the economic perspective, while only a few research studies have focussed on organizational capabilities. Drawing from the theories of resource-based view and KM, this study aims to investigate the relationship between organizational knowledge capabilities (OKC) and knowledge sharing (KS). Using regression analysis with data from questionnaires collected in different industries with a valid response rate of 62.4%, the results show that OKC have a positive association with KS. Technical, structural, and human knowledge capabilities are significant for organizational knowledge sharing. Moreover, the effects of implementing KM on OKC and KS are also significant.

The intellectual development of the technology acceptance model: A co-citation analysis

The goal of this paper is to present a visual mapping of intellectual structure in two-dimensions and to identify the subfields of the technology acceptance model through co-citation analysis. All the citation documents are included in the ISI Web of Knowledge database between 1989 and 2006. By using a sequence of statistical analyses including factor analysis, multidimensional scaling, and cluster analysis, we identified three main trends: task-related systems, e-commerce systems, and hedonic systems. The findings yielded managerial implications for both academic and practical issues.

A structural equation model for analyzing the impact of ERP on SCM

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) and supply chain management (SCM) represent important information technology investment options for operation or IT managers, and have been acclaimed in the practitioner and academic literature for their potential to improve business performance. The purpose of this article is to provide further insights into the adoption of ERP systems and the impacts on firm competence in SCM. We propose a model featuring ERP benefits to firm competences in supply chain management. We also hypothesize that three constructs of ERP benefits positively impact firm competences in SCM. To clarify the relationships among these constructs, structural equation model (SEM) is conducted to examine the model fit and nine hypotheses. The SEM results clearly demonstrate that there exist close interrelations among the benefits of implementing ERP systems and firm competences in SCM. The data from Taiwanese IT firms was collected through interviewing of experts and surveys. The results provide empirical evidence that the beneficial impacts of ERP on the supply chain do lead to better overall SCM competence. That evidence confirms that operational benefits, business process and management benefits, and strategic IT planning benefits of ERP in turn enhance firm competences of SCM in operational process integration, customer and relationship integration, and planning and control process integration.

Performance Benchmarking For Taiwan’s International Tourist Hotels

Abstract Jhis study proposes an alternative data envelopment analysis (DEA) method to explore the managerial performance, the input congestion, and the benchmarks of intemational tourist hotels (ITHs) for a small open economy, Taiwan. Several empirical results are shown: (1) most ITHs operate at decreasing returns to scale, indicating that ITHs are facing a highly competitive environment; (2) the intemational chain ITHs are generally more efficient than independent-owned ones; (3) ITHs Iocated in resort areas operate slightly better on average than ones located in metropolitan areas; (4) ITHs that are close to CKS intemational airport operate slightly worse on average than ones far from CKS intemational airport; (5) congestion analysis reveals that inefficient ITHs lack the ability to integrate their resources, especially in the total area of the catering division and the number of guest rooms; and finally, (6) the reference-share measure shows that efficient intemational chain ITHs are able to more easily become benchmarks. The findings show that efficient intemational chain ITHs are more competitive and they should provide examples of operating practice.

Assessing the effects of interactive blogging on student attitudes towards peer interaction, learning motivation, and academic achievements

Blogs have been increasingly used to supplement traditional classroom lectures in higher education. This paper explores the use of blogs, and how student attitudes towards online peer interaction and peer learning, as well as motivation to learn from peers, may differ when using the blog comments feature, and when students are encouraged to read and comment on each others work. We contrast two ways blogs affect learning engagement: (1) solitary blogs as personal digital portfolios for writers; or (2) blogs used interactively to facilitate peer interaction by exposing blogging content and comments to peers. A quasi-experiment was conducted across two semesters, involving 154 graduate and undergraduate students. The result suggests that interactive blogs, compared with isolated blogs, are associated with positive attitudes towards academic achievement in course subjects and in online peer interaction. Students showed positive motivation to learn from peer work, regardless of whether blogs were interactive or solitary.

The relationship between benefits of ERP systems implementation and its impacts on firm performance of SCM

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide managers with a critical insight into the relationship between the benefits of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems implementation and the impacts on firm performance of supply chain management (SCM).Design/methodology/approach – This study proposes a structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze the relationship between ERP benefits and SCM performance. Hypotheses derived from the key benefits of adopting ERP system and related SCM practices presented by previous authors. An empirical survey is conducted to collect data from Taiwanese IT companies listed in the Taiwan Stock Exchanges on several aspects of firm competences and supply chain performance that adopted ERP systems and/or SCM systems.Findings – The results confirm the operational, tactical, and strategic benefits of ERP for the firm performance of SCM in the internal and external business processes, customer service, and cost management, except for the strategic benefits of ERP are not sig...

Boosting firm performance via enterprise agility and network structure

– Drawing on a network perspective on enterprise agility, the purpose of this paper is to explore whether firms with superior network structure not only may be better able to generate direct effect on firm performance, but whether a superior network structure may also help firms to create better firm agility and thus enhance their performance., – The study employed a survey method and data were collected from 250 companies in Taiwans glass industry. Using structural equation modeling (SEM) technology, it specified the measurement properties of survey instrument such as reliabilities and validities and then identified causal relation among latent constructs to examine causal effects of hypotheses testing., – The results show that a firms agility capability and its network structure are a critical competitive strategy source of firm performance. Moreover, network structure also partially mediates the impact of enterprise agility on firm performance., – Because the data were collected from a single industry and firm performance is evaluated by subjective managerial assessments, further research may be necessary by using the data involving multiple industries with objective performance indices for more meaningful and generalized results., – The findings confirm the importance of enterprise agility for contemporary firms in todays dynamic business environment. By reinforcing enterprise agility, firms could react better to unpredictable changes. In addition, firms also are suggested to put more effort into developing and maintaining their network structures, both as repositories of external resources and as boosters of enterprise agility., – The paper provides evidence regarding the impact of enterprise agility and network structure on firm performance.

Gender and Internet Consumers' Decision-Making

The purpose of this research is to provide managers of shopping websites information regarding consumer purchasing decisions based on the Consumer Styles Inventory (CSI). According to the CSI, one can capture what decision-making styles online shoppers use. Furthermore, this research also discusses the gender differences among online shoppers. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to understand the decision-making styles and discriminant analysis was used to distinguish the differences between female and male shoppers. The result shows that there are differences in purchasing decisions between online female and male Internet users.

A multicriteria analysis on the strategies to open Taiwan's mobile virtual network operators services

This study investigates the trends followed by MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) in the last three years and analyzes the strategies that can contribute to the success of Taiwans telecommunications industry and marketing. We apply the method and concept of PATTERN (Planning Assistance Through Technical Evaluation of Relevance Number) to establish relevant systems for searching out the key successful factors of strategies to attract MVNOs. We also use the fuzzy Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method for analyzing the different preference of a decision group in the criteria weights and for ranking the alternatives in a fuzzy environment in order to provide a strategy scheme. These results provide a reference to assist telecommunications operators, 3G license owners, potential MVNOs, and equipment manufacturers when working out business plans.

Assessing the performance and finding the benchmarks of the electricity distribution districts of Taiwan power company

This paper proposes an alternative data envelopment analysis method to explore the efficiency, the resource allocation, and the benchmarks of the electricity distribution districts (EDDs) of Taiwan Power Company in 2003. Several empirical results are shown: 1) the EDDs covering the high-tech industry park are more efficient, on average, than ones involved in the nonhigh-tech industry park; 2) the EDDs located in urban areas outperform those located in rural areas; 3) the large-sized EDDs generally are more able to integrate their resources and to operate efficiently; 4) the benchmark-share measure shows that while small-size efficient EDDs can easily become benchmarks, large-size efficient EDDs are deemed as competitive niche players; and finally, 5) the effect on these EDDs merging their activities should be investigated to explore the possibility of increasing competitive advantage in the future.