Pedro Soto-Acosta

Analyzing ICT adoption and use effects on knowledge creation: An empirical investigation in SMEs

This paper investigates the influence of the adoption and use of information and communication technology (ICT) on organizational learning (OL). The focus is on knowledge, creation, as an articulated construct for the OL concept, and the SECI (Socialization, Externalization, Combination and Internalization) model is used as a reference for knowledge, creation. ICT use is seen here as consisting of three different orientations: informative, communicative and workflow. The results, based on a sample of around 300 Spanish small- and, medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), indicate that ICT has a significant positive influence on the, four processes for creating knowledge. ICT oriented to communication and workflow is found, to produce a significant positive impact on knowledge creation processes, except for, socialization process, while ICT use for information does not influence any of the processes for, creating knowledge and OL.

Analyzing e-business value creation from a resource-based perspective

In recent years, scepticism about the value of e-business and information technology (IT) at the level of an individual firm has been renewed. In this sense, information systems researchers face pressure to answer the question of whether and how e-business creates value. To respond to this challenge, this paper develops a conceptual model, grounded in the resource-based theory, for assessing e-business value creation. This model posits three relationships: Internet resources and e-business value, Internet resources and e-business capabilities, and e-business capabilities and e-business value. To test hypotheses, a sample comprising 1010 Spanish firms is employed. The results show that, as hypothesized, Internet resources per se are not positively associated with e-business value. Furthermore, although Internet resources are not positively related to e-business value, they are found to play a critical role in creating e-business capabilities. In addition, the results confirm that e-business capabilities are key drivers of e-business value.

Learning management systems and cloud file hosting services: A study on students' acceptance

The aim of this paper is to investigate the motivations that lead higher education students to replace several Learning Management Systems (LMS) services with cloud file hosting services for information sharing and collaboration among them. The research approach is based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). More specifically, the model is devoted to identifying barriers and enablers to the acceptance of these technologies. A questionnaire comprising three factors (Attitude toward using technology, Perceived ease of use and Perceived usefulness) was applied to a sample consisting of 121 higher education students. Results show that the perceived ease of use of cloud file hosting services is above that of LMS tools and services and that cloud file hosting services presented higher levels of perceived usefulness than standard learning management tools. In addition, attitude toward using cloud file hosting services is well above that of using LMS tools.

Analyzing the effects of technological, organizational and competition factors on Web knowledge exchange in SMEs

Abstract Internet technologies are increasingly being used within all knowledge management processes, including knowledge acquisition, knowledge exchange and knowledge use. Although technological issues are key drivers for Internet technologies adoption and use, organizational and environmental aspects have been found to be equally important. This paper extends previous studies on the use of Internet technologies and knowledge management by analyzing factors affecting Web knowledge exchange in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). More specifically, by drawing on the technology–organization–environment framework, a model to examine how distinct contextual factors influence Web knowledge exchange in SMEs is developed. The hypotheses are tested by using structural equation modelling on a large sample of Spanish SMEs from different industries. Results suggest that IT expertise and commitment-based human resource practices positively affect Web knowledge exchange, with the latter being the strongest factor in our proposed model. In contrast, a negative relationship is found between competition and Web knowledge exchange.

E-business, organizational innovation and firm performance in manufacturing SMEs: an empirical study in Spain

AbstractThis paper extends previous studies on the organizational impact of Internet technologies by analyzing factors affecting e-business use and its effect on organizational innovation in manufacturing Small and Medium-Size Enterprises (SMEs). In addition, the mediating effect of organizational innovation on the relationship between e-business and firm performance is analyzed. Grounded in the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) theory and the Knowledge-Based View (KBV), this paper develops an integrative research model which analyzes those relations using partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modeling on a dataset of 175 Spanish manufacturing SMEs. Results suggest that e-business use emerges from technological and internal organizational resources rather than from external pressure. In addition, results show that e-business use contributes positively to firm performance through organizational innovation.

Project managers in global software development teams: a study of the effects on productivity and performance

Globalization is having a deep impact on today’s world economy. One of the most affected industries is the software industry. Recently, global software development (GSD) has gained a lot of attention. This new trend of producing software is influencing all software processes, including human resource management. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the implications of GSD for software project managers by analyzing project performance from different perspectives such as the 360-degree feedback evaluation. Results show that performance of GSD projects is lower than in-house projects, but apart from that, this study reveals that there are also negative consequences for software project managers, which need to be taken into account. For instance, the experiment revealed a lack of attention to tasks by software project managers and, as a consequence of this, performance losses. The main conclusions of this research may be valuable for software development organizations.

External Web content and its influence on organizational performance

Research into the Internet has experienced a tremendous growth within the field of information systems. In this sense, the recent literature focuses on more complex research topics. However, there is a need to further investigate into the more basic and primary use of Internet, the external Web site to interact with stakeholders. By external, we mean publicly accessible contents. This paper develops a framework that allows evaluation of external Web content of business Web sites and examines the influence on firm performance. Here, external Web content is studied according to three Web orientations: e-information, e-communication, and e-transaction. In addition, differences in external Web content are analysed according to two contingency factors: business size and business industry. To achieve these goals, a sample comprising 288 Spanish SMEs firms was employed. The results show a positive relationship between external Web content and firm performance. Furthermore, this research indicates the existence of complementarities among the Web orientations. Thus, existing e-information was found as critical for enabling e-transaction to impact upon firm performance. Additionally, e-information and e-communication (jointly considered) were found to mutually reinforce the impact of e-transaction on firm performance. The results also confirm that external Web content is not related to business size and differs slightly by business industry.

Web knowledge sharing and its effect on innovation: an empirical investigation in SMEs

This paper extends previous studies on knowledge management by analysing factors affecting Web Knowledge Sharing (WKS) in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In addition, the impact of WKS on organizational innovation and the moderating effect of IT skills on this relation are analysed. Grounded in the technology-organization-environment (TOE) theory and the resource-based view (RBV), this paper develops an integrative research model, which analyses these relations using structural equation modelling on a data set of 535 Spanish SMEs. Results suggest that technological and organizational factors – IT expertise and commitment-based human resources practices – positively influence WKS, while the contrary is found for environmental factors (customer power). In addition, results show that WKS contributes positively to organizational innovation, though support for the moderating effect of IT skills in this relation is not found. The main conclusions of this research can be valuable to SMEs that use or intend to use Internet technologies for knowledge management.

Online social networks as an enabler of innovation in organizations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of online social networks on firm performance and how this technology can help to create value. The authors approach the problem from the Resource-Based View in order to analyze if online social networks can be considered source of competitive advantage and how it can enhance or complement essential marketing competences. Design/methodology/approach – The data were obtained from a survey based on the Spanish hospitality firms. This sector was chosen because Web 2.0 is becoming an important marketing channel in the tourism industry, and especially in hospitality firms. In addition, Spain is the one of the largest tourist destination in the world and has a strong presence of social media and Web 2.0 use by the population and hospitality enterprises. Between February and June 2012, the questionnaire was sent to all top managers of four-star and five-star Spanish hospitality firms. The authors received 197 questionnaires, but four of them were elimina...

Shaping human capital in software development teams: the case of mentoring enabled by semantics

In current organisations, the importance of knowledge and competence is unquestionable. In a scenario in which knowledge workers perform their duties in knowledge-intensive organisations, mentoring has emerged as an efficient practice for the development of these personnel. On the other hand, the convergence of information technology (IT) and communication technologies and the rapid evolution of the internet has been one of the most influential factors in human resources management, and the advent of semantic technologies presents novel opportunities for the improvement of personnel development, including semantics. This study presents a solution based on semantic technologies which utilises different personal and professional data to carry out pair matching of mentors and proteges.