Development of a change framework to study SME web site evolution

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.It has been suggested that the adoption of e-commerce by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) follows a sequence of stages with each representing increasing complexity and benefits. These models imply a development of their web sites in successive iterations or redesigns from basic use of the Internet (as a marketing tool) to the most advanced level of sophistication and integration. The EU and the UK government appear to believe such models and have used them in their e-commerce adoption encouragement policies for SMEs. However, recent research in Europe reveals that e-commerce initiatives in SMEs in most cases are still in their initial stages, which do not exceed the use of email and simple information-based web pages. This failure of SMEs to engage in the more advanced stages of adoption suggest that our understanding of the implementation and management of SME web sites over time is too limited. Thus, the main aim of this research is to establish an enhanced understanding of the dynamics of SME web site transformations over time to better support SME e-commerce progression. The specific objectives of this research are to (1) examine the literature that explain or guide the evolution of web sites and internet strategies, particularly in the context of SMEs, (2) develop a multidimensional framework that combines three dimensions of organisational change (extent, content and drivers) to characterise and model the evolution of the web presence of SMEs and (3) undertake a study of the types and characteristics of actual changes on a sample of SME web sites over time to demonstrate the relevance and applicability of the dimensions of the framework. This study employs both quantitative and qualitative techniques. The quantitative part of the study includes the collection and observation of the sample of SME web sites to study the extent of the changes and the content of the changes incorporated. The qualitative part of the study involves telephone interviews to seek additional information about the drivers for web site redesigns and complement the previous observations. It is argued that a research framework that combines three different dimensions of organisational change offers an alternative approach to e-commerce Stage Models in understanding the evolution of SME web sites over time. The developed framework is useful to academics by providing multiple perspectives that enable more insightful study of SME web site evolution, and avoid over-simple, a priori theory, e. g. staged approach. The framework is also argued to be useful for SME managers seeking to make the most of their limited resources in this context

ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS IN NORTHERN NIGERIA SMALL BUSINESSES

Small and Medium-Size Enterprise (SME) growth is on the rise in some of the world’s wealthier economies, resulting from their role play in job creation and revenue generation, through tax for local and central governments. Many SME practitioners around the world, mostly from the low and middle income countries, are mounting pressures on their governments to increase their involvement and support for the SME sector to help maintain its pace. This study aims to evaluate the impact of Performance Measurement System implementation in SMEs; it was carried out with the purpose of assessing whether PM Systems contribute positively or otherwise in SME growth. The outcomes of the study are intended to increase understanding of the impact PM Systems have on SMEs. This study employed questionnaires as a primary method for data collection

Development of a change framework to study SME web site evolution

It has been suggested that the adoption of e-commerce by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) follows a sequence of stages with each representing increasing complexity and benefits. These models imply a development of their web sites in successive iterations or redesigns from basic use of the Internet (as a marketing tool) to the most advanced level of sophistication and integration. The EU and the UK government appear to believe such models and have used them in their e-commerce adoption encouragement policies for SMEs. However, recent research in Europe reveals that e-commerce initiatives in SMEs in most cases are still in their initial stages, which do not exceed the use of email and simple information-based web pages. This failure of SMEs to engage in the more advanced stages of adoption suggest that our understanding of the implementation and management of SME web sites over time is too limited. Thus, the main aim of this research is to establish an enhanced understanding of the dynamics of SME web site transformations over time to better support SME e-commerce progression. The specific objectives of this research are to (1) examine the literature that explain or guide the evolution of web sites and internet strategies, particularly in the context of SMEs, (2) develop a multidimensional framework that combines three dimensions of organisational change (extent, content and drivers) to characterise and model the evolution of the web presence of SMEs and (3) undertake a study of the types and characteristics of actual changes on a sample of SME web sites over time to demonstrate the relevance and applicability of the dimensions of the framework. This study employs both quantitative and qualitative techniques. The quantitative part of the study includes the collection and observation of the sample of SME web sites to study the extent of the changes and the content of the changes incorporated. The qualitative part of the study involves telephone interviews to seek additional information about the drivers for web site redesigns and complement the previous observations. It is argued that a research framework that combines three different dimensions of organisational change offers an alternative approach to e-commerce Stage Models in understanding the evolution of SME web sites over time. The developed framework is useful to academics by providing multiple perspectives that enable more insightful study of SME web site evolution, and avoid over-simple, a priori theory, e. g. staged approach. The framework is also argued to be useful for SME managers seeking to make the most of their limited resources in this context.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

An Organizational Change Perspective of SMEs Web Presence Involving Strategies

Firms are constantly evolving their Web presence. The premise of this study is that monitoring the behaviour of Web sites gives insights into the actual evolving strategies and motivations behind Internet investments in organizations. A variety of models have been utilized to study the progression of adoption of Internet technologies from different perspectives (e.g. Stages of Growth models). However, from the organizational change perspective there is little research to explain why and how organizations continually evolve their Web presence. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to present a framework to characterize and model the evolution of the Web presence of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK and undertake its preliminary validation by monitoring the evolution of a sample of Web sites. A total of 185 Web sites from SMEs were collected and monitored over an 18- month period in order to study the process and content of their change. In addition, 25 telephone interviews were undertaken to ascertain the drivers of the change and complement the previous quantitative observations

Information Systems Skills Differences between High-Wage and Low-Wage Regions: Implications for Global Sourcing

Developing Information Systems (IS) skills for a company’s workforce has always been challenging, but global sourcing growth has caused the determination of needed IS skills to be more complex. The increased use of outsourcing to an IS service provider and from high-wage regions to low-wage regions has affected what IS skills are required globally and how to distribute the workforce to meet these needs. To understand what skills are needed in locations that seek and those that provide outsourcing, we surveyed IS service provider managers in global locations. Results from 126 reporting units provide empirical evidence that provider units in low-wage regions value technical skills more than those in high-wage regions. Despite the emphasis on commodity skills in low-wage areas, high- and low-wage providers value project management skills. Low-wage regions note global and virtual teamwork more than high-wage regions do. The mix of skills and the variation by region have implications for domestic and offshore sourcing. Service providers can vary their staffing models in global regions which has consequences for recruiting, corporate training, and curriculum

Foundation Focus: Job Creation, Job Preservation or Job Loss? The Future of Europe\u27s Labour Market

This issue of Foundation Focus looks at the state of play of the European labour market and what governments, social partners and companies are doing to overcome the crisis. Over the last few years, many jobs have been lost, and mass unemployment has become the reality in some Member States. Eurofound’s latest European Quality of Life Survey points to growing inequalities and social exclusion. At the same time, the EU remains committed to the idea of creating and maintaining high-quality jobs. So where are these jobs going to come from? And is job quality being compromised in the attempt to cut costs and maintain competitiveness? All this and more in this issue of Foundation Focus

The Contribution of Internal Communication to the Social Performance of the Company: Case of Moroccan SME

This research focuses on the contribution of internal communication, through its various antecedents, on social performance by integrating human skills and entrepreneurial motivation in Morocco. Given the development of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies), individual and collective behaviors at work have changed, so we faced difficult communication. The application of human resources management is more requested so that it promotes the acquisition of knowledge, their exploitation, know-how, and creativity everywhere to companies, public and private organizations, indeed this application improves the working conditions and the acquisition of global performance. We have carried out a state of the art on theoretical framework, through which we seek to highlight the contributions of internal communication within the organization on the managerial level. This literature review has allowed us to establish eight hypotheses concerning the delimitation of the concept of internal communication, to determine its purposes and consequently to identify the dimensions of said purposes; with qualitative methodology through its four contributions to the organization, in this case, the commitment, satisfaction, motivation and individual performance that represent a management lever capable of developing a capacity and a performing competence.   Keywords: Internal Communication; Organizational Commitment; Corporate Social Performance; Know-How. JEL Classification: O1. O15. O35 Paper type: Empirical research  This research focuses on the contribution of internal communication, through its various antecedents, on social performance by integrating human skills and entrepreneurial motivation in Morocco. Given the development of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies), individual and collective behaviors at work have changed, so we faced difficult communication. The application of human resources management is more requested so that it promotes the acquisition of knowledge, their exploitation, know-how, and creativity everywhere to companies, public and private organizations, indeed this application improves the working conditions and the acquisition of global performance. We have carried out a state of the art on theoretical framework, through which we seek to highlight the contributions of internal communication within the organization on the managerial level. This literature review has allowed us to establish eight hypotheses concerning the delimitation of the concept of internal communication, to determine its purposes and consequently to identify the dimensions of said purposes; with qualitative methodology through its four contributions to the organization, in this case, the commitment, satisfaction, motivation and individual performance that represent a management lever capable of developing a capacity and a performing competence.   Keywords: Internal Communication; Organizational Commitment; Corporate Social Performance; Know-How. JEL Classification: O1. O15. O35 Paper type: Empirical research &nbsp

Online corporate social responsibility communication by Australian SMEs : a framework for website analysis

There has been almost no IS related corporate social responsibility (CSR) research on small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and most non-IS research does not examine how SMEs use websites to communicate their CSR initiatives. This paper develops and applies a framework to report on the results of an exploratory content analysis of 33 Australian SME websites in the Information Media/Telecommunications and Accommodation/ Food Services sectors which communicate CSR initiatives online.<br /

THE REGIONAL DIMENSION OF THE SME SECTOR IN ROMANIA

Situated in a permanent process of adaptation and transformation, the SME sector recorded a significant national quantitative and qualitative leap. At regional level, development of the SME sector are determined by a number of local factors, which distinguishes and emphasizes the importance of this sector, providing clues that lead to some courses of action that can be considered when developing strategies or development programs. Overall, regional disparities in the development of SME sector is relatively small, except for being on the region-capital Bucharest-Ilfov, which is distanced from the other regions in particular the performance achieved

A method for examining corporate social responsibility descriptions on SME websites

There is growing IS research concerning SME use of websites and limited but growing research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) by SMEs. However, to-date these two bodies of literature have remained largely separate. This paper links these fields by presenting an SME website content analysis method. Melville in his seminal MIS Quarterly article called for such methods which provide a nexus of IS, organisations and environment (which we extend to CSR). The method involves four steps: 1) identifying sources of SME websites; 2) determining if websites are describing CSR (based on the literature CSR by SMEs); 3) archiving website content for analysis; and 4) coding the website content using a structured framework (combining the literature on IS and CSR in an SME context). The paper also provides suggestions on how IS researchers can apply the method for quantitative and qualitative/exploratory objectives for future research.<br /