Haya Ajjan

Examining student decisions to adopt Web 2.0 technologies: theory and empirical tests

The purpose of this study was to examine student awareness of the pedagogical benefits of Web 2.0 to supplement in-class learning and to better understand factors that influence student decisions to adopt these tools, using the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behavior (DTPB). Findings indicated that while many students feel that some Web 2.0 applications can be effective at increasing satisfaction with a course, improving their learning and their writing ability, and increasing student interaction with other students and faculty; few choose to use them in educational contexts. Additional results indicated that student attitudes and their subjective norms are strong indicators of their intentions to use Web 2.0.

Information Technology Portfolio Management: Literature Review, Framework, and Research Issues

There is significant interest in managing IT resources as a portfolio of assets. The concept of IT portfolio management ITPM is relatively new, compared to portfolio management in the context of finance, new product development NPD, and research and development R&D. This article compares ITPM with other types of portfolio management, and develops an improved understanding of IT assets and their characteristics. It presents a process-oriented framework for identifying critical ITPM decision stages. The proposed framework can be used by managers as well as researchers.

Continuance use intention of enterprise instant messaging: a knowledge management perspective

Instant messaging has been widely utilised by a variety of types of organisations to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of internal communication and knowledge management (KM). To date, though, the continuance use of enterprise instant messaging (EIM) and its impact on KM outcomes have not been well understood in both academia and practice. This paper uses the decomposed theory of planned behaviour to explore factors that influence continual usage of EIM applications within organisations, as well as the impact of the continuance use decisions on knowledge creation, transfer, and retention within organisations. Our results are useful in developing guidelines and strategies to increase the likelihood of the continuance use of EIM and to improve the potential outcome of its use within organisations.

CRM/Social Media Technology: Impact on Customer Orientation Process and Organizational Sales Performance

The importance of technology in managing relationships with customers has grown significantly, especially with the advent of innovations such as cloud computing and web-based technology. One of the more popular topics in both academic research and business discussions has been the use of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology to increase business and sales productivity through the ongoing development of relationships with buyers. A new phenomenon in understanding buyers’ needs and reaching new customers is social media. Organizations are capturing data from tools such as LinkedIn, Facebook and blogs, and attempting to integrate this information into their sales process. In order to extract value from technology, organizations need to build a framework and processes to deliver value to the customer.

Social Media in Large Sales Forces: An Empirical Study of the Impact of Sales Process Capability and Relationship Performance

Using a resource-based view of the firm as a foundation, the research investigates antecedents and outcomes of social media used in organizations with large sales forces (500 or more). This study specifically investigates sales process capability as a moderator and relationship performance as a mediator. The results, based on 184 sales professionals, indicate upper management support and sales personnel capabilities having positive effects on social media usage. Using partial least squares path modeling, the study reveals that sales process capability moderates the relationship between social media and sales performance. Moreover, relationship-based performance mediated the connection between social media use and sales-based performance. Research and managerial implications of the findings are then discussed.

UNDERSTANDING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ADOPTERS AND NONADOPTERS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROJECT PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT

With the increased interest among organizations in managing Information Technology (IT) projects as a portfolio, there has been a growing need for research on factors influencing adoption of IT Project Portfolio Management (ITPPM). ITPPM allows organizations to improve the alignment of IT projects with organizational strategy, by balancing the risks and returns from inter-related projects. To contribute to our understanding of ITPPM, this study examines the adoption of ITPPM through the theoretical lens of diffusion of innovation. Using the technology, organization, and environment (TOE) framework, we model ITPPM adoption and test our model using survey data from 302 project managers. Our results show that an organizations external pressure, ITPPM costs, organizational support, quality of data on existing IT projects, number of IT projects within the organization, and business resistance are significantly related to the adoption decision. We also find interesting results in how expected benefits of ITPPM and compatibility are perceived as equally important by both adopters and nonadopters. In light of the increasingly complex IT project management environment faced by organizations, our paper helps managers to understand and focus on key enablers of ITPPM adoption and better manage ITPPM inhibitors.

Information technology portfolio management implementation: a case study

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the implementation of IT portfolio management (IT PoM) and develop a framework guided by adaptive structuration theory to describe the key structures, features, and appropriation steps needed to effectively manage IT investments and assets. Design/methodology/approach Using a longitudinal case study approach, data were collected over an eight-month period from a US Fortune 500 company during its IT PoM implementation effort. Findings The case analysis highlights three major IT PoM features appropriated by the organization: creating the portfolio; assessing and analyzing the portfolio characteristics based on risk, benefits, alignment, criticality, and cost; and balancing decisions to start projects or terminate under-performing IT assets such as servers and applications. The spirit of IT PoM was interpreted differently by different stakeholders (data providers, business units, and IT PoM team) leading to resistance to implementation. The case data underscores the importance of establishing a governance steering committee and new internal structures to help push the balancing decisions across the organization. Research limitations/implications The results are useful in developing guidelines and strategies to achieve successful implementation of IT PoM and to highlight critical factors that practitioners need to pay close attention to during an IT PoM implementation. Originality/value This study represents one of the first attempts to describe a detailed IT PoM implementation process and how IT PoM appropriation process can lead to improved decision making within the organization.

Post-purchase shipping and customer service experiences in online shopping and their impact on customer satisfaction: An empirical study with comparison

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the role of post-purchase logistic services on customer satisfaction and future purchase decision, to reveal any differences across China and Taiwan, to fill in a gap in the literature focused on post-purchase logistic activities related to shipping, return, and tracking, to provide managerial guidance in logistics for e-commerce, and to develop insights on logistic services for future research. Design/methodology/approach Using a validated survey instrument, 384 respondents in China and 145 respondents in Taiwan are collected. The research model is analyzed using component-based estimation approach to structural equation modeling. Findings The structural equation analysis of the study found that post-purchase shipping and tracking have an impact on customer satisfaction in both China and Taiwan. It also found that customer service is the most significant factor among the examined antecedents for online shoppers in China. While, return service is more important for shoppers in Taiwan. Finally, customer satisfaction played a stronger positive role for online shoppers in Taiwan as compared to their counterparts in China. Research limitations/implications This research extended the current literature about post-purchase logistic services in an online shopping environment with a literature-based research model and good empirical data support. However, one limitation of the study is that the data collected represents a cross-sectional sample; future research should examine longitudinal sample to study customers’ purchase intentions over time. Practical implications This study can help both scholars and practitioners understand the importance of tracking, return, shipping, and customer service in an online shopping environment and across countries. It provides insights on designing e-commerce relevant shipping services to satisfy and attract customers across countries. Originality/value The study investigated how post-purchase activities contributed to customer satisfaction in online shopping and explored the influence of customer satisfaction on future purchase intention in China and Taiwan. This is one of the first studies available in the literature to provide empirical support and managerial insights about post-purchase activities related to shipping, tracking, and returns for e-commerce with cross-regional comparison.

Using social media for competitive business outcomes: An empirical study of companies in China

The purpose of this paper is to examine the drivers, practices, and outcomes of social media use in the management of organizational supply chain.,Online questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 285 organizations representing different industries in China. The data then were analyzed with structure equation modeling using SmartPLS.,The results indicate that key antecedents such as external pressures, internal readiness, expected benefits, strategic goals, and perceived risks influence organizational social media use, which subsequently impact organizational performance outcomes in operation and marketing as well as the satisfaction level of both internal and external constituents, such as customers, employees, partners, and suppliers.,The study obtained data about one organization from only one respondent and did not used random sampling.,This study provides insights on why and how companies should use social media for relationship building and business outcomes.,Drawing from the resources-based view, social networks, strategic choice theory, and technology organization and environment framework, a new social media utilization model for business outcome was established and testified using empirical data. This study is one of the first studies that adopts technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework of technology adoption theory to study organizational social media use. The findings in this study confirm the validity of the TOE framework for analyzing social media adoption and use in various organizations.

Empowering Female Entrepreneurs Through Social Media: A Conceptual Model

Women account for just under 50 % of the world’s population (UN 2010) at approximately 3.55 billion women. Though women represent almost half of the world, they do not comprise half of the world’s workforce. Worldwide, the percentage of women in the labor force varies widely, from a low of 12 % in Qatar to a high of 53 % in Mozambique (UN 2011). Women also ‘bear a disproportionate burden of the world’s poverty,’ as they are more likely to be poor, suffer from hunger, deprived of healthcare, and denied basic rights in the workplace (UN Women 2013; OCED 2008). Not only are women more vulnerable, they are also less likely to have access to property and land (OECD 2008). Worldwide trends indicate that, in almost all cases, women are paid less than men, with the 2008 wage gap average holding at approximately 17 % (UN Women 2013). For example, the United Nations reports that, across 68 studied countries (with the exception of Qatar, the Isle of Man, and Paraguay), women in the manufacturing sector earn less than average when compared to men (UN 2011). Additionally, women are relatively overrepresented in lower-paying and more intensive jobs, such as domestic service, agricultural production and manufacturing of clothing and household goods, and are more likely to work part-time in comparison with men (OECD 2008). Further, wage gaps are most disparate for management positions (OECD 2008). Finally, women spend more hours working per day and carry the bulk of the workload in family life worldwide (UN 2010). Nonetheless, there are indications that greater access to economic opportunities, such as increasing workforce participation, can have a positive impact on poverty reduction in low-income economies. One way to improve access to economic opportunities for women is to increase their entrepreneurial activities. With an estimated 224 million women globally starting or running their own businesses (Kelley et al. 2012), there is tremendous opportunity to improve worldwide economic conditions through a better understanding of the tools that empower these women entrepreneurs. One of these tools is social media. This paper develops a conceptual model of the role social media can play in increasing empowerment of female entrepreneurs.