Wing S. Chow

Social network, social trust and shared goals in organizational knowledge sharing

The aim of our study was to further develop an understanding of social capital in organizational-knowledge-sharing. We first developed a measurement tool and then a theoretical framework in which three social capital factors (social network, social trust, and shared goals) were combined with the theory of reasoned action; their relationships were then examined using confirmatory factoring analysis. We then surveyed of 190 managers from Hong Kong firms, we confirm that a social network and shared goals significantly contributed to a persons volition to share knowledge, and directly contributed to the perceived social pressure of the organization. The social trust has however showed no direct effect on the attitude and subjective norm of sharing knowledge.

IT Capability and Organizational Performance: The Roles of Business Process Agility and Environmental Factors

The business value of information technology (IT) has been one of the top concerns of both practitioners and scholars for decades. Numerous studies have documented the positive effects of IT capability on organizational performance but our knowledge of the processes through which such gains are achieved remains limited due to a lack of focus on the business environment. Such a linkage therefore remains the subject of debate in the information systems literature. In this study, we fill this gap by investigating the mediating role of business process agility and the moderating roles of environmental factors. On the basis of matched survey data obtained from 214 IT and business executives from manufacturing firms in China, our analyses show that even though firm-wide IT capability presents the characteristics of rarity, appropriability, non-reproducibility, and non-substitutability, its impact on organizational performance is fully mediated by business process agility. Our results also show that the impact of the environment is multifaceted and nuanced. In particular, environmental hostility weakens the effect of IT capability on business process agility, while environmental complexity strengthens it. The theoretical and practical implications of this study, and its limitations, are also discussed.

Developing supply chain strategies based on the survey of supply chain quality and technology management

A two‐stage framework is developed on supply chain quality and technology management. This is based on a survey of the perceptions of practicing managers from Hong Kong’s business corporations. The two‐stage process involves empirical assessment of strategic supply chain quality and technology variables, and then using quality function deployment to deploy them to improve the competitiveness of the supply chain. This will help to achieve synergy among suppliers by focusing on the critical strategic variables to achieve sustainable competitiveness.

Management in the 1990s

Examines the managerial attitude of women managers in China and Hong Kong. Measures particularly their preference of managerial practices and identifies the key job motivators, vital management skills, and reasons for job promotion. Data were collected by a questionnaire survey method and the results reveal that the general practices of managers in China are not as mature as those in Hong Kong. In job motivation, findings show that Hong Kong women managers view their jobs in terms of career development, whereas the Chinese respondents seek immediate monetary reward. The mutually exclusive findings regarding management skills between these two groups are that Hong Kong managers concentrate on planning and Chinese managers concentrate on directing. However, results disclose that the reasons for job promotion for both groups are similar. In management practices, Hong Kong managers are more assertive than their Chinese counterparts.

Discriminating factors of information systems function performance in Hong Kong firms practising TQM

This paper proposes an effective way to improve poor performance of ISF. The result finding was based on a questionnaire survey, and the selected respondents were asked to evaluate the adoption level of the TQM concept in governing their information systems function. Through the tests of reliability and validity, the proposed instrument was verified as a good measuring tool. The findings show that dissatisfying performers of ISF should pay more emphasis on the practices of user focus, IS top management support, and IS product/service design.

Determinants of the critical success factor of disaster recovery planning for information systems

Purpose – Recent disaster recovery planning (DRP) literature has mainly focused on qualitative research, while neglecting the quantification of critical success factors (CSFs) for information systems function (ISF). This paper aims to address this issue.Design/methodology/approach – This paper first conducts an extensive literature review, and then identifies 62 DRP measurement items for ISF. A questionnaire survey, which is based on these 62 measurement items, is used for data collection, and 129 managers of DRP in ISF participate in this paper.Findings – Through the use of convergent factoring analysis, this paper identifies ten DRP CSFs for ISF, they are: DRP documentations, DRP steering committee and DRP testing, DRP policy and goals, DRP training, DRP maintenance and staff involvement, DRP minimum IS processing requirements, top management commitment to DRP, prioritization IS functions/services, external, off‐site back‐up system, and internal, and on‐site back‐up system.Originality/value – This paper...

Investigating Customers' Satisfaction with Brand Pages in Social Networking Sites

The brand page is a popular business application of Social Networking Sites (SNS) that allows companies to create added values for their brand and customers. Studies have shown that satisfied followers of a brand page are more likely to spread positive word of mouth about the brand to connected friends. However, most current research on brand pages is essentially descriptive and lack clear understanding about what factors contribute to customers ‘satisfaction with brand pages. This study relies on the Customer Value Theory, and develops a framework that investigates how multidimensional customer values enhance brand page satisfaction, and how such satisfaction further affects positive word of mouth intention. We use partial least square (PLS), which is a component based structural equation modeling technique, to analyze a survey sample including 375 “followers” of brand pages. The result reveals the significant role of customer value in determining brand page satisfaction and positive word of mouth.

Supply Chain Quality and Excellence in the New Economy: An Empirical Study of Hong Kong Based Firms

There exists an association between Supply Chain Quality Management (SCQM) and supply chain competence. To verify such claims, data was collected from Hong Kong based firms. The data showed in most cases an association could be established between SCQM initiatives and the supply chain competence. Some fi rms with SCQM initiatives tend to perform better in terms of customer service or product quality. Supply chains managers may therefore, perform better when their managerial foci are consistent with recognized dimensions of supply chain quality and excellence. In today’s global economy supply chain management is crucial in achieving organizational effectiveness.

Ethical belief and behavior of managers using information technology for decision making in Hong Kong

Examines the standards of ethical belief and ethical behavior of managers using information technology for decision making in Hong Kong. Proposes that a way of maintaining higher standards of ethics in IT practice is by adopting codes of conduct. Uses the seven ethical codes of the Institute for Certification of Computer Professionals (ICCP) as the measurement tool. These seven codes are accountability, conflict of interest, disclosure, integrity, personal conduct, protection of privacy, and social responsibility. Presents the results of a questionnaire survey of managers belonging to an IT Management Club of a computer society in Hong Kong. Concludes that the seven codes are adequate indicators for measuring ethical standards for managers.

An Exploratory Study of the Success Factors for Extranet Adoption in E-Supply Chain

Extranet is an enabler/system that enriches the information service quality in e-supply chain. This paper uses factor analysis to determine four extranet success factors: system quality, information quality, service quality, and work performance quality. A critical analysis of areas that require improvement is also conducted.