Business-IT alignment from operational level: empirical evidence from the Bank of Qingdao, China

Business-IT Alignment (BITA) has long been a significant topic for scholars as well as enterprise managers especially in the Internet era. Although numerous studies have identified the factors influencing the aligning process and relationships between them and organization successes from strategic perspective, few consider the impact of these elements on employees’s performances from an operational level. To fill this gap, this thesis first discusses the state-of-art and the challenges of BITA in China’s city commercial banks (CCBs) and further develops a theoretical framework to empirically evaluate the BITA in China banking industry. Finally, some recommendations for improving the level of BITA in China’s CCBs are provided. Taking the Bank of Qingdao (BQD) as a sample, this thesis empirically examines BITA maturity model with the results that five factors including communication, IT competency/value measurement, IT governance, partnership, and IT skills are positively related to the BITA while IT scope and architecture are not significant. In addition, the moderating effect of service quality between BITA and employee’s working performance is also supported by the survey. This study also develops a new theoretical model namely, business-IT punctuated equilibrium alignment model (BIPEAM), based on life cycle theory and punctuated equilibrium theory to describe the alternately leading roles between business and IT strategies. This model may contribute towards the better understanding of the mechanism of business-IT strategic alignment process from a longitudinal perspective within an enterprise.O alinhamento entre o negócio e as Tecnologias de Informação (TI) ou alinhamento business-IT (BITA) tem sido desde há muito um tópico significativo para académicos bem como para gestores de empresas, especialmente na era da Internet. Embora numerosas investigações tenham identificado os fatores que influenciam o processo de alinhamento e as relações entre eles e os sucessos da organização do ponto de vista estratégico, poucas consideram o impacto destes elementos no desempenho dos empregados a partir de um nível operacional. Para preencher esta lacuna, esta tese começa por discutir o estado da arte e os desafios do BITA nos bancos comerciais das cidades da China (CCBs) e desenvolve um quadro teórico para avaliar empiricamente o BITA na indústria bancária Chinesa. Por último, são fornecidas algumas recomendações para melhorar o nível de BITA nos CCBs da China. Tomando o Banco de Qingdao (BQD) como amostra, esta tese examina empiricamente o modelo de maturidade do BITA com os resultados de que cinco fatores, incluindo comunicação, competência/avaliação de TI, governação de TI, parceria, e competências de TI estão positivamente relacionados com o BITA enquanto que o âmbito e a arquitetura de TI não são significativos. Além disso, o efeito moderador da qualidade do serviço entre a BITA e o desempenho de trabalho do empregado é também apoiado pelo inquérito realizado. Este estudo também desenvolve um novo modelo teórico, nomeadamente o modelo de alinhamento de equilíbrio pontuado de business-IT (BIPEAM) baseado na teoria do ciclo de vida e na teoria do equilíbrio pontuado para descrever os papéis alternadamente de liderança entre as estratégias empresariais e de TI. Este modelo pode contribuir para uma melhor compreensão do mecanismo do processo de alinhamento estratégico entre empresas e as TI, a partir de uma perspetiva longitudinal dentro de uma empresa

Strategic development of hospitals for infectious diseases: a dynamic capability approach

Public health emergencies have the characteristics of sudden, devastating and unpredictable. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has spread worldwide in 2019, posing enormous threats to human health, global politics, and economy. The whole world is encountering a severe situation of responding to emerging epidemics. Chinese hospitals for infectious diseases undertake the special responsibilities for emergency response and treatment to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, and make contributions to safeguarding people's health and social stability. However, affected by the continuous decline of the incidence of infectious diseases and the insufficient government compensation mechanism, the survival and development of specialized hospitals for infectious diseases are severely restricted and generally facing survival crisis. In terms of data collection, this study combined dynamic capability theory, resource-based view theory and strategic alliance theory. Through multiple-case study, the qualitative data are processed with QSR NVivo 12 software. This thesis comprehensively analyzes the development status, hospital resources, core competitiveness, dynamic capabilities, strategic alliances (Medical Treatment Alliance), strategic adjustment and performance of infectious disease hospitals in China. On the basis of data analysis, this research constructs the development strategy model of infectious disease hospitals in the rapidly changing environment, and puts forward the coping strategies for the survival and development of infectious disease hospitals. The research conclusion is consistent with the propositions and the existing literature, and considers that the competitive advantage is the concrete embodiment of the dynamic capability, and the capability of public health events’ emergency response and disposal is the most important dynamic capability of Chinese infectious disease hospitals. The research results provide scientific basis and useful reference for the infectious disease hospitals to formulate the sustainable development strategies and the government to formulate public health policies.As emergências da saúde pública não só são inesperadas, como são devastadoras e imprevisíveis. A nova pandemia (COVID 19), ao espalhar-se por todo o mundo, colocou novos e enormes desafios à saúde pública, à economia e à política internacional. Todo o mundo necessita de preparar-se para responder às epidemias emergentes. Os hospitais chineses para doenças infeciosas têm como missão dar uma resposta rápida às doenças infeciosas emergentes e re-emergentes e contribuir para a salvaguarda da saúde pública e da estabilidade social. Contudo, devido ao declínio, nos últimos anos, das doenças infeciosas e ao insuficiente mecanismo de compensação governamental, os hospitais chineses viviam numa permanente crise de sobrevivência. Para a recolha de dados, esta tese combinou a teoria das capacidades dinâmicas com a teoria baseada nos recursos e a teoria das alianças estratégicas. Os dados foram posteriormente tratados com o software NVivo 12. Esta tese analisa de um modo compreensivo os recursos, as competências nucleares e as capacidades dinâmicas, assim como as alianças estratégicas dos hospitais chineses de doenças infeciosas. Baseando-se na análise dos dados, esta tese propõe uma estratégia de desenvolvimento para os hospitais de doenças infeciosas para os tempos de mudança que vivemos. As conclusões estão de acordo com as proposições extraídas da revisão de literatura e uma das conclusões é que vantagem competitiva é a personificação das capacidades dinâmicas. Os resultados desta tese podem contribuir para a formulação de uma estratégia sustentada para os hospitais de doenças infeciosas e ajudar o governo na formulação de políticas públicas

Governance of diversified strategic business units: the case of a large chinese chemical company

JEL:L22,M12Building upon previous research of domesticand overseas modern corporate governance, this study is focussed on state-owned enterprises with diversified operations. The case of the chemical firm Luzhou North Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., illustrates the general operation types and the management and control model adopted by a large industrial group, covering institutional, structural and resources governance. Based on the background and reality of diversified strategic business units (SBUs) of Luzhou North Chemical Industry Co. Ltd., this study discusses the challengesbrought about by diversified SBU strategic development. Following this analysis, the studyproposes a management and control model in the cellulose derivative industrial and organosilicon industrial value chains.Com base na anterior investigação, nacional e internacional sobre a moderna governação empresarial, este estudo está centrado em empresas estatais com actividades diversificadas. O caso da empresa química Luzhou North Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., ilustra os vários tipos de operações e modelo de controlo adoptado por umgrande grupo industrial, incluindo dimensões de governação institucionais, estruturais e de recursos. Com base na análise da experiência e realidade das SBU (unidades estratégicas de negócio)da Luzhou North Chemical Industry Co. Ltd., este estudo discute os desafios colocadospelo desenvolvimento estratégico de SBUs diversificadas. Na sequência desta análise, este estudo propõe um modelo de gestão e controlo das cadeias de valor industriais dos derivados de celulose e de compostos de silício orgânico

Customer value assessment of Sichuan Mobile

The present research aims to contribute with the evaluation and a segmentation index criterion of the customer group value in order to improve knowledge to the telecommunication industry, in value assessment and in market subdivision based on customer value. This thesis gives practical instrument measure and guiding suggestions to a deeper customer value assessment, combining characteristics of the communication industry in China, based on outstanding domestic and foreign research results and taking the group customers of China Mobile Sichuan Company. A first brief crossing between theoretical backgrounds of customer value assessment, segmentation concept and group customer, allowed the selection and choices of the methodology and the variables that influence group customer value. The following empirical step complemented the development of the assessment index system to calculate the group customer value and the following cluster analysis. The results obtained included the industry experts' experience, which help the identification of the 14 factors that influence the group customer value and the data analysis from 2000 group customers, which has been extracted from the mobile BOSS system. Factor analysis and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method are used to calculate weights of indexes. Finally, based on current value, potential value, social value and the total value, clusters with typical characteristics are discovered using K-means clustering method. And corresponding marketing strategy is put forward.Esta tese avalia o Valor de grupos de clientes, no âmbito da grande empresa chinesa de telecomunicações móveis, a Sichuan Mobile. O presente estudo contribui para a análise da avaliação e segmentação de grupos de clientes, nomeadamente no mercado das telecomunicações. Este, sugere, ainda, um instrumento prático de medida; um índice de medida do valor de grupo de clientes é proposto e construído com base em análise de dados secundários do sector e do mercado chinês e primários baseados opiniões de peritos do sector e de resposta a um inquérito dos grupos de clientes da China Mobile. Após uma breve revisão do enquadramento teórico de conceitos inseridos na Gestão do Marketing, como Valor do Cliente, Segmentação e cliente-grupo, foram analisadas e seleccionadas as opções metodológicas e as variáveis que podem influenciar a avaliação do valor de um grupo de clientes. O desenvolvimento do índice de ponderação do valor de grupo de clientes foi elaborado após vários passos. Em primeiro lugar foram identificados, junto de peritos do sector, 14 factores que influenciam a avaliação do valor de grupo de clientes; Depois, efectuou-se um inquérito a 2000 grupos de clientes, retirados do sistema móvel BOSS da empresa Sichuan Mobile. Por fim realizou-se à base de dados obtida análises estatísticas como Análise Factorial e de Hierarquia (AHP), métodos que permitiram obter a ponderação do índice. Finalmente, com base no índice de valor corrente, valor potencial, valor social e valor total foram identificados os clusters. A análise destes clusters permitiu ainda sugerir estratégias de marketing em adaptação a cada cluster

Effect of Information and Communication Technology Investment on the Profitability of the Jordanian Commercial Banks

The objective of this research paper is to evaluate the effect of investment in information and communication technologies on the profitability and performance of the Jordanian commercial banks, whether it helps to improve sales or it helps to reduce the overall operating expenses. To arrive at this objective, the researchers used Cobb-Douglas production function as a proxy to measure these effects. The researchers used two measures of profit: ROA and ROE as dependent variables for this purpose, depending on the annual reports of the sample Jordanian commercial banks as a source for the raw data that was used in the analysis for the period between 2006 to 2013. SPSS  was used as a statistical tool for the arrangement of data and mutable regression  was used as a statistical tool for the analysis. From the analysis of the study, the following conclusion was reached: there is a positive effect of investment in information and technologies on the profitability and performance of the sample Jordanian commercial banks used in this research. Keywords: Information and communication technology, Investment, Profitability, Commercial banks, Jordan.

Growth and transformation of private dental clinics in China: a case study of Deron Dental

With great progress of China's economy and the improvement of life quality in recent years, a growing number of Chinese people begin to pay more attention to the oral health and dental aesthetic appearance. Under such circumstances, the demand for professional dental health institutions in China is also rising, so the dental hospitals and clinics in China are mushrooming. However, as the management system and supervision of dental medical institutions are yet to be improved, the whole dental medical market is facing fierce competition and is trapped in a difficult situation. Therefore, in order to survive in such a fierce market and maintain a sound development, a set of scientific and effective strategiesand methods are needed to help dental medical institutions attract sufficient number of customers and grab more market share, and constantly enhance their brand influence.This thesis takes Guangzhou Deron Dental as a case and uses the resource-based view and dynamic capabilities theory to summarize its successful experience of transformation to find out how it maintains its rapid development momentum in more than 20 years of growth, how its market share has been constantly enhanced in face of increasingly stronger competitors and how its profitability and business scope continue to expand, hoping to provide relevant suggestions and countermeasures for the growth of other private dental medical institutions.All the research results in this study aim not only to understand the successful experience of Deron Dental at different growth stages, but also to find out the growth law of the dental medical institutions at different stages in an effort to help the counterparts to solve similar problems and further provide consumers with better and safer dental care services.Com o desenvolvimento económico da China e a consequente melhoria da qualidade de vida um número, cada vez maior de Chineses começou a prestar mais atenção à saúde oral e à sua estética dental. Esta situação fez com que a procura de serviços profissionais dentários aumentasse e as clinicas dentárias se multiplicassem. A deficiente supervisão das clinicas dentárias faz com que o mercado de cuidados dentários sofra uma forte concorrência e se encontre numa situação difícil. Para sobreviverem neste mercado altamente competitivo e manterem um crescimento sustentável as clinicas dentárias necessitam de melhorar a sua capacidade de gestão. Esta tese toma por base a clinica Guangzhou Deron Dental e utiliza a escola baseada nos recursos e a as capacidades dinâmicaspara estudar a sua evolução ao longo dos últimos 20 anos. Sendo um estudo de caso não pretendemos generalizar as conclusões para todas as clínicas que operam no mercado Chinês mas pensamos que este estudo pode ajudar algumas das clinicas a melhorar a sua gestão

Success Factors Impacting Artificial Intelligence Adoption --- Perspective From the Telecom Industry in China

As the core driving force of the new round of informatization development and the industrial revolution, the disruptive achievements of artificial intelligence (AI) are rapidly and comprehensively infiltrating into various fields of human activities. Although technologies and applications of AI have been widely studied, and factors that affect AI adoption are identified in existing literature, the impact of success factors on AI adoption remains unknown. Accordingly, the main study of this paper proposes a framework to explore the effects of success factors on AI adoption by integrating the technology, organization, and environment (TOE) framework and diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory. Particularly, this framework consists of factors regarding the external environment, organizational capabilities, and innovation attributes of AI. The framework is empirically tested with data collected by surveying telecom companies in China. Structural equation modeling is applied to analyze the data. The results indicate that compatibility, relative advantage, complexity, managerial support, government involvement, and vendor partnership are significantly related to AI adoption. Managerial capability impacts other organizational capabilities and innovation attributes of AI, but it is indirectly related to AI adoption. Market uncertainty and competitive pressure are not significantly related to AI adoption, but all the external environment factors positively influence managerial capability. The study provides support for firms\u27 decision-making and resource allocation regarding AI adoption. In addition, based on the resource-based view (RBV), this article conducts study 2 which explores the factors that influence the firm sustainable growth. Multiple regression model is applied to empirically test the hypotheses with longitudinal time-series panel data from telecom companies in China. The results indicate that at the firm level, the customer value and operational expenses are significantly related to sustainable growth. Also, at the industry level, industry investment significant impacts sustainable growth. Study 2 provides insights for practitioners the way to keep sustainable growth

Simulation of manufacturing scenarios’ ambidexterity green technological innovation driven by inter-firm social networks: based on a multi-objective model

The mechanism of the impact of inter-firm social networks on innovation capabilities has attracted much research from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. However, as a special emerged and developing complex production system, how the scenario factors affect the relationship between these variables has not yet been analyzed. This study identified several scenario factors which can affect the firm’s technological innovation capabilities. Take the manufacturing scenario in China as an example, combined with the need for firms’ ambidexterity innovation and green innovation capability, a multi-objective simulation model is constructed. Past empirical analysis results on the relationship between inter-firm social network factors and innovation capabilities are used in the model. In addition, a numerical analysis was conducted using data from the Chinese auto manufacturing industry. The results of the simulation model led to several optimization strategies for firms that are in a dilemma of development in the manufacturing scenario

ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks: a literature review

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation is a complex and vibrant process, one that involves a combination of technological and organizational interactions. Often an ERP implementation project is the single largest IT project that an organization has ever launched and requires a mutual fit of system and organization. Also the concept of an ERP implementation supporting business processes across many different departments is not a generic, rigid and uniform concept and depends on variety of factors. As a result, the issues addressing the ERP implementation process have been one of the major concerns in industry. Therefore ERP implementation receives attention from practitioners and scholars and both, business as well as academic literature is abundant and not always very conclusive or coherent. However, research on ERP systems so far has been mainly focused on diffusion, use and impact issues. Less attention has been given to the methods used during the configuration and the implementation of ERP systems, even though they are commonly used in practice, they still remain largely unexplored and undocumented in Information Systems research. So, the academic relevance of this research is the contribution to the existing body of scientific knowledge. An annotated brief literature review is done in order to evaluate the current state of the existing academic literature. The purpose is to present a systematic overview of relevant ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks as a desire for achieving a better taxonomy of ERP implementation methodologies. This paper is useful to researchers who are interested in ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks. Results will serve as an input for a classification of the existing ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks. Also, this paper aims also at the professional ERP community involved in the process of ERP implementation by promoting a better understanding of ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks, its variety and history