Value creation and change in social structures: the role of entrepreneurial innovation from an emergence perspective

Aim: Our aim is to develop a more complete understanding of how processes that entrepreneurs perform interact with wider society and the causal effects of society on entrepreneurial behaviour and vice versa. We aim to show how entrepreneurial agency is put into effect in relation to the disruption of social structure and social change. This has implications for innovation and entrepreneurship policy and practice, and for entrepreneurship theory. We also investigate the role of ‘value’ in these processes. Contribution to the literature Our central argument is that emergent forms (or ‘emergents’) may be short lived (ephemeral) but have causal power on the performance of the actors in the system of inter-relationships in the innovation ecosystem. The emphasis on inter-related social processes and ontological stratification provides theoretical development of extant entrepreneurship theory on new venture creation (by explaining process), effectuation (by linking individualism and holism) and opportunity recognition (by deconstructing opportunity into anticipation, ontology and process). Methodology The paper takes an 'emergence' perspective as a way to understand entrepreneurial processes that give rise to innovation. The anticipation of value and the inter-relationship with social and organisational structures are fundamental to this perspective. A longitudinal analysis of a case study of the development of a new business model within an entrepreneurial firm is described. The case is followed through seven phases in which the relationship between process and emergent ontological status is shown to have destabilising and stabilising effects which produce emergent properties. Results and Implications One methodological contribution is framing how to conceptualise the empirical evidence. Emergents have causal effects on the anticipations of value inherent in their particular system of innovation. This causality is manifest as the attraction of resource in the firm; the stabilisation of the emergent constitutes strategy in the enterprise. A key role of the entrepreneurs in our case study was the creation and maintenance of evolving ontological materiality, as meaningful to themselves and to those with whom they interacted. In simple terms, they made things meaningful to people who mattered

Exploring teacher mediation in curriculum making: Scotland and Wales

This paper explores teacher mediation in curriculum making practices, drawing upon empirical research conducted in 2018. We first provide insights from two different country contexts (Scotland and Wales), before offering a brief discussion on current literature and the research methods. We then present the key themes emerging from the research, focusing on three aspects. The first aspect is the ways in which teachers conceptualise curriculum and curriculum making. This is followed by an analysis of the factors which shape curriculum making practices. The final aspect, which is the key issue for this research, is to better understand how reflexivity mediates the ways in which teachers view curriculum and shape their curriculum making practices. Reflexivity is an important factor, helping us to understand what individuals concern and value most, and how they interpret their current conditions to project their actions. The paper concludes with discussion and inferences about the role of reflexivity in curriculum making

THE EFQM EXCELLENCE MODEL AS ENABLER OF E-PROCUREMENT ADOPTION AND THE EFFECT ON PERFORMANCE

The objective of this paper is to examine the EFQM Excellence Model as an enabler of E-procurement adoption and the effect on purchasing performance. The study utilized a cross-sectional telephone survey of a sample of Spanish manufacturing companies using multiple informants. A total of 200 firms responded making a total of 800 responses. Data was analyzed using structural equations modelling. The results indicate that the Business Excellence Enablers (Leadership, Strategy, People, Resources, and Processes) act as enablers of E-procurement and help to realize gains in purchasing performance

Navigating Through the Maze of Business Process Change Methods

Business Process Management (BPM) is an approach adopted by many organizations for improving their business processes in order to serve their customers more efficiently and effectively. Literature on BPM offers a plethora of methods used as a guide when improving business processes. Some are promoted as methods for process reengineering, while others as methods for improvement, redesign, or innovation. The number of BPM methods is overwhelming, such that organizations are faced with the challenge to select one that best fits their needs. In this paper, we follow a systematic literature review approach to investigate the characteristics of existing BPM methods. We find that the ambition, nature and perspective of the methods are important to determine whether they can be used for radical or incremental process change. Our findings point to the lack of research done on methods for radical process change

New Technologies: Catalysts for Business Models and Finance Function

To bridge performance gap, improve operational efficiency, enhance competitive advantage and secure corporate assets, business entities have continued to embrace new technologies with profound positive impact on their bottom-line.As new technologies replace humans through automation in the emerging business models, the demand for professionals, including chartered accountants, who are not IT-savvy is fast declining, taking with it, wages, salaries and a high percent of income taxes. These problems are compounded by the huge costs of technology acquisition and inevitable investment inhuman capacity building in the face of increasingly mobile staff.Using secondary information, the study observed that many professional accountants dread the transition from manual to automation as it would eliminate repetitive finance-related jobs in the midst of high unemployment rate in the country, dissuade new entrants into the accounting profession and alter the human side of enterprise.It therefore recommends that the training curricula of professional accountancy organisations should be rejigged and skewed towards technology while existing professional accountants should hone their IT skills to leverage technology to deliver value online, real time to their diverse stakeholders. Keywords: Technology, Internet of things, automation, business models, artificial intelligence, robotics, machine learning, finance function

Perceptions about Authentic Leadership Development: South African Occupational Therapy Students\u27 Camp Experience

Background. Twenty-three years into democracy, concern is deepening regarding the slow progress of Occupational Therapy (OT) in South Africa, especially with regard to diversity and inclusion within OT. Methods. This study explores authentic leadership development primarily among Black OT students attending a pilot Occupational Therapy Association of South Africa (OTASA) National Student Leadership Camp. It seeks to ascertain their perceptions on leadership and leadership development. This descriptive pilot study employs in-depth interviews and subsequent content analysis, with 12 OT students from six university OT programs in South Africa. Findings. Four categories of participant perceptions on authentic leadership development emerged from the analysis: (1) perceptions about oneself as a leader based on personal narrative, self-awareness, self-control, and psychological capital; (2) perceptions about others, specifically current leaders, with regard to their moral crisis, including continuing inequality, insincerity, greed, and selfishness; (3) goals and aspirations for leadership development via student camps; and (4) effects of leadership on the system. Conclusions. Recommendations for future practice include promotion of storytelling as a means of personal reflection for authentic leadership development and focused investment in camps for developing student leadership skills and building authentic leadership knowledge. © 2018 Fatima Hendricks and Susan Toth-Cohen

Six Sigma, Sustainability, and IT Management: A Research Review and Discussion of Future Directions

Abstract Purpose- Six Sigma is based upon quality improvement by finding the root cause and refining processes to the precision of process outcomes. The purpose of this research was to conduct a systematic literature review (SLR) to explore the Six Sigma techniques and information technology (IT) management concepts to identify the IT management principle\u27s impact on the sustainability of Six Sigma project efforts and identify the gaps that are essential to be addressed through further research. This research also discusses the principles of IT management upon the influence on Six Sigma projects, and subsequent contribution to organizational economic sustainability. An effective IT infrastructure including communication, data warehousing, and software maximizes the organization’s knowledge for management and allowing products and services to be delivered with enhanced quality. Thus, in the absence of that cooperation, Six Sigma projects may be unsustainable. Design/methodology/approach- Literature published on Six Sigma, sustainability, and related IT management was investigated. The peer-reviewed journal articles were retrieved from different management science publishers, including Emerald, Elsevier, Science Direct, and Springer Link by using the search terms: Six Sigma, sustainability, and related IT management and their combinations. A content analysis was also adopted to analyze the relationship of IT management principles, Six Sigma applications, and sustainability in small-medium organizations. Findings- Two major themes were developed from the data analysis and coding process. First: effects of Six Sigma on organizational sustainability. Second: effects of IT principles on organizational sustainability. Keywords- Six Sigma, Sustainability, IT Management, IT Infrastructure, Organizational Sustainabilit

Health information technology: A key ingredient of the patient experience

In this exploration to understand the linkages of health information technology (HIT) and patient experience, a comprehensive literature search was conducted using the key words, “information technology, HIT, patient experience, patient satisfaction, and technology”, on the MEDLINE, PubMed, and EMBASE databases resulting in over 1,000 citations. Eventually, 35 of the most relevant articles were reviewed and 11 identified as key references to include in beginning to explore the question, as the transformation of healthcare continues, how can technology enable a positive return on investment to a patients’ perception of their care in an organization and how can technology impact the patient experience? The results reveal there is in fact more questions than answers that exits and therefore further opportunities for exploration and research are encouraged. That noted, the literature and examples emerging in practices across healthcare are showing that technology and the patient experience are moving closer to one another as each day passes. HIT is truly evolving as a key ingredient in the patient experience conversation