Mahmoud Mohammad Migdadi

Knowledge management enablers and outcomes in the small‐and‐medium sized enterprises

– This paper attempts to accomplish the following aims: first, identify the preliminary knowledge management (KM) critical success factors (CSFs) or enablers that need to be concentrated by small‐and‐medium sized enterprises (SMEs) before launching a full‐scale KM initiative. Second, develop a conceptual research model which comprises both CSFs and outcomes. Finally, empirically assess the relationships between CSFs and performance outcomes in SMEs., – The approach of this study consists of two phases: first, development of a conceptual model based on the literature. Second, an empirical evaluation of the validity of the conceptual model. This phase is carried out by developing a survey instrument comprising 16 factors. Then, through a postal survey, data are collected from SMEs in Saudi Arabia in order to investigate the relationships between KM CSFs and outcomes., – The survey instrument is shown to be both reliable and valid. Pertinent statistical analyses are then performed. The overall results from the empirical assessment were positive, thus reflecting the appropriateness of the proposed CSFs and outcomes., – The current findings of this research study may indicate some limitations. Although this study shows that CSFs may enhance an organizations capability to manage knowledge effectively and in return achieve better outcomes, the findings of this study are the results of a “snapshot” survey that do not take into account the feedback effects. Hence, further researching such as longitudinal studies into the relationships between CSFs and outcomes in SMEs to further validate the conceptual model is needed., – The set of CSFs proposed is in itself important because it can act as a list of items for SMEs to address and deal with when adopting KM. This helps to ensure that essential issues and factors are covered during implementation of KM. Later, it can provide a basis for them to systematically evaluate their KM practices. For academics, this study provides insights into the relationships between KM efforts and outcomes., – This study is probably one of the first to systematically determine the CSFs for KM implementation and comprehensively explain the criteria for measuring KM efforts in SMEs. It offers valuable information, which will encourage SMEs to practice KM from the right perspective in order to reap outcomes from KM initiatives.

The imperative of influencing citizen attitude toward e-government adoption and use

We investigate factors that impact e-government adoption.Government officials need to pay attention to the dominant culture.Attitude is the most significant determinant of citizen intention.Citizen attitude is jointly determined by public value and ease of use.Positive relationships between trust and public value and ease of use. With the imperative of e-government for better transparency, accountability and public services, the problem of low-level citizen adoption of e-government services has been recognized in developed and developing countries. This pressing problem needs socio-technological, political, and cultural perspectives. In this study we develop an integrative research model by extending extant Technology Acceptance Model through the incorporation of a set of social, political, and cultural constructs: trust, perceived public value, and national culture. The model is then tested using a large-scale, multi-site survey research of 413 Jordanian citizens. Our results find strong evidence that citizen attitude toward using e-government services is the most significant determinant of citizen intention to adopt and use e-government services. Citizen attitude, in turn, is jointly determined by perceived public value and perceived ease of use. These results have managerial implications that the government needs to pay closer attention to influencing citizen attitude toward using e-government services.

A knowledge‐centered culture as an antecedent of effective knowledge management at information technology centers in the Jordanian universities

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to, first, investigate the cultural attributes of organizations that may have an effect on knowledge‐related activities. Second, to build a case based on the literatures of knowledge management and learning which suggests that the phenomenon of cooperative learning may serve as an indicator of the existence of knowledge‐related activities such as knowledge creation and knowledge exchange. Finally, the paper seeks a better understanding of the linkages between these attributes and individual characteristics related to the development and transfer of knowledge throughout the enterprise, and ultimately, the organizations work products.Design/methodology/approach – The approach of this study consists of two phases: first, development of a conceptual model based on the literature. Second, the hypothesized research model is presented and empirically tested by utilizing multiple regression analysis and simple regression analysis to investigate the climate of organizations,...

An empirical assessment of the antecedents of electronic-business implementation and the resulting organizational performance

– The purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically test a unified framework that captures the antecedents of e-business implementation, that is; organizational factors which is decomposed into organizational capabilities (training availability, technical expertise, knowledge level), knowledge management capabilities (knowledge acquisition, application, and sharing), adhocracy culture, and top management support, e-business implementation, and organizational performance (efficiency, sales performance, customer satisfaction, relationship development). , – Data from a survey of 258 top managers in Saudi Arabian enterprises were collected to empirically test the proposed research model. Additionally, the statistical techniques employed included a confirmatory factor analysis to examine the reliability and validity of the measurement model, and structural equation modeling using AMOS is utilized to test the hypotheses. , – The findings of this study suggest that organizational factors influence e-business implementation. Moreover, e-business implementation affects organizational performance. , – This study did not investigate all organizational factors and knowledge management processes. Future research could assess the influence of additional factors such as technology and environment contexts on e-business implementation. , – Owners/managers considering e-business implementation would be best to focus on internal (organizational) factors and their interaction within and beyond the organization, rather than focussing exclusively on technological considerations. , – This study is significant for at least two reasons: it determines the key antecedents to successful business implementation based on organizational factors and it helps to understand the effects of e-business implementation on organizational performance.

An empirical investigation of knowledge management competence for enterprise resource planning systems success: insights from Jordan

The primary objective of the study reported herein is to empirically test the implicit, positive relationships between ERP-related Knowledge Management Competence (KM-competence; knowledge creation, knowledge retention, knowledge transfer, and knowledge application) dimensions and the extended Enterprise Resource Planning System Success construct (ERP system success; individual impact, workgroup impact, organisational impact, information quality, system quality, and vender/consultant quality). Data were collected from 173 of business and IT managers in 455 organisations in Jordan. Statistical techniques employed included confirmatory factor analysis to examine validity of the measurement model, and structural equation modelling using AMOS 16.0 is also utilised to test the hypotheses. The results of analysis show there is a positive significant impact of ERP knowledge creation on ERP success. Also, ERP knowledge retention positively and significantly affects ERP system success. Moreover, ERP knowledge transfer positively and significantly influence ERP system success. Furthermore, ERP knowledge application has positive effect on ERP system success. The results also indicate that ERP success construct is robust since all six observed variables are strongly loaded to the latent variable. Research limitations as well as implications for practice and research are discussed.

The Impact of Collaborative Technology on Organisational Performance Through Intranet Use Orientations

Information systems cannot improve organisational performance if they are not used (Davis et al., 1989, as cited by (Merono-Cerdan et al., 2008). In addition, (Devaraj and Kohli, 2003) showed that actual use may be an important link to information technology (IT) value. Under this approach lies the idea that the simple presence of collaborative technologies (CTs) is not enough to evaluate their real influence on organisational performance. Therefore, the researchers adopted the view that CTs impacts on organisational performance should be considered as a multistage process which starts at adoption and extends to use. Therefore, this paper analyses the impact of intranet CTs on organisational performance not directly, by measures such as adoption versus non-adoption, but through an intermediary variable (intranet use orientations). Different intranet use orientations (e-information, e-communication and e-transaction) represent actual CTs use. Hence the impact of each orientation on organisational performance is empirically evaluated. In order to achieve the research objectives, data were collected through a postal survey, from 71 small- and medium-sized (SMEs) located in a developing country such as Saudi Arabia. Research hypotheses were tested through ANOVA and hierarchical regression analysis. The results indicated that different CTs are associated with distinct intranet use orientations. The results further demonstrated that there are positive relationships between the intranet use orientations and organisational performance. Finally, the results confirmed the existence of complementarities between the intranet use orientations.

An Empirical Examination of Knowledge Management Processes and Market Orientation, Innovation Capability, and Organisational Performance: Insights from Jordan

There are many studies discussing how knowledge management and market orientation (MO) are positively related to innovation, but an examination of the impact of the knowledge management processes (KMP) — as we conceptualize the four in this study — and MO on the innovation capability of organisations which in turn impact organisational performance has never been done. Hence, this study formulates a comprehensive conceptual framework which encompasses KMP (knowledge creation, intra-organisational knowledge sharing and application, external knowledge acquisition, and knowledge storage and documentation), MO (customer orientation, competitor orientation and inter-functional coordination), innovation capability (product, process, marketing and organisational innovation), and organisational performance (product quality, operational performance and financial performance). Then empirically test the relationships among the study models with the focus on the mediating role of innovation capability. The design of the study is based on a survey of 210 Jordanian manufacturing and service organisations. The sample of this study encompasses the mid-level managers of the organisations. About 440 self-administered questionnaires were distributed among the respondents. Confirmatory factor analysis is undertaken to assess statistically the validity of the study measures. Then the structural equation modelling (SEM) path analysis is used to assess the structural relationship of KMP, MO with innovation capability, and organisational performance. The results of the study reveal that engagement in KMP and MO can lead to better innovation capability in the organisations which in turn can lead to better organisational performance. The results we observe concerning this sample of companies may not be applicable to a greater population of companies from other countries with a different technological base or to specific subsectors of the manufacturing industry (e.g. the food industry). Moreover, the study represents only snapshots since it utilized self-administered questionnaires which also have no qualitative data. For the practicing managers intending to increase the rate of innovation in their firms, this means that KMP and MO are important activities to master. Additionally, managers should put additional emphasis on innovation as it is an important element for achieving improved overall firm’s performance and sustainable competitive power.

Multimedia Mobile Cloud Computing: Application models for performance enhancement

Central to the vision of Smart City is the realization of efficient models that are capable of handling massive amounts of mobile multimedia data in the citys eco-system. Despite the improvement in hardware of mobile devices, challenges associated with analyzing, managing, and sharing of data still exist. As such, the responsiveness to real time applications and bandwidth and wireless constraints cannot be achieved by hardware design only. Therefore, there is a move towards the software side that is enabled by Mobile Cloud Computing to overcome these challenges, whereby parts of mobile applications are executed in remote servers with rich computational resources. This technology decreases the load on mobile devices and increases their performance. Several models have been proposed to increase mobile devices performance. This paper explores these models and compares them based on several performance parameters, including computation offloading, latency, bandwidth, and response time.

The Role of Effective Chief Knowledge Officer in Facilitating Knowledge Management

This paper addresses the need to appoint a chief knowledge officer (CKO) in an organisation and where that position be placed within the organisation structure. It also presents a comprehensive review of the literature in an attempt to answer the question regarding the elements: attributes and responsibilities of the CKO, and organisational conditions that contribute to the CKO success. Moreover, this paper highlights the role of the effective CKO in facilitating knowledge management (KM). Finally, this paper addresses the challenges that the CKO may encounter and forecasts what will be tomorrows CKO. The approach of this paper is based on an intensive and comprehensive literature review that aim to study the CKO position and address different aspects related to the real potential of the CKOs role that is, transforming intellectual capital into profit. An integrative conceptual research model is adopted and modified to encompass the CKO attributes, responsibilities, and organisational conditions that contribute to the CKO success and his/her role in facilitating KM. Both quantitative and qualitative studies that addressed related aspect to CKO have been reviewed. From these studies it can be concluded that the primary role of the CKO is to convert knowledge into profit by leveraging the organisations intellectual assets through facilitating KM. This study is probably one of the first studies to introduce a research model that delineates and integrates multiple issues that contribute to the success of the CKO and comprehensively present a detailed literature about this position. The findings of this paper have implications for both academicians and organisational executives.

An empirical examination of total just-in-time impact on operational performance: insights from a developing country

The main objective of this research is to examine the impact of total just-in-time (T-JIT) practices (purchasing, production, and selling) along the supply chain management on operational performance from the organisational capability perspective. Data were collected from 166 industrial companies in Jordan. Structural equation model was used to test the study hypotheses which were formulated to empirically investigate the impact of internal JIT (production) on external JIT (purchasing and selling) and the effect of JIT production on operational performance through the mediators; (JIT purchasing and JIT selling). Moreover, the effect of internal and external JIT on operational performance were investigated. The results of this study show that JIT production influences directly both; JIT purchasing and JIT selling. The results also show that JIT selling directly affects operational performance, while JIT production affects operational performance indirectly through JIT selling. Furthermore, theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed, and study limitations and future research are presented.