Exploring the Use and Benefits of Web 2.0 for Supply Chain Management

In today’s dynamic environment, managing supply chain processes has been challenging. Various information and communication technologies (ICT) have been adopted for supply chain management (SCM) in the last few decades. The adoption of technologies for SCM, nevertheless, has been difficult and complex because different parties are involved. Recently, with the emergence and popularity of web 2.0 as social technology, innovative companies have started to explore and adopt web 2.0 as an alternative method for supply chain integration. Web 2.0 has many features that are useful for dynamic communication across the globe, which facilitates integration among supply chain parties. However, currently, web 2.0 has not been widely used to support SCM practices. Building upon the existing studies, in this paper, we assess how web 2.0 can be used for supporting SCM practices and highlight the values offered. A number of implications for managing supply chain with web 2.0 are also discussed

e-Business challenges and directions: important themes from the first ICE-B workshop

A three-day asynchronous, interactive workshop was held at ICE-B’10 in Piraeus, Greece in July of 2010. This event captured conference themes for e-Business challenges and directions across four subject areas: a) e-Business applications and models, b) enterprise engineering, c) mobility, d) business collaboration and e-Services, and e) technology platforms. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) methods were used to gather, organize and evaluate themes and their ratings. This paper summarizes the most important themes rated by participants: a) Since technology is becoming more economic and social in nature, more agile and context-based application develop methods are needed. b) Enterprise engineering approaches are needed to support the design of systems that can evolve with changing stakeholder needs. c) The digital native groundswell requires changes to business models, operations, and systems to support Prosumers. d) Intelligence and interoperability are needed to address Prosumer activity and their highly customized product purchases. e) Technology platforms must rapidly and correctly adapt, provide widespread offerings and scale appropriately, in the context of changing situational contexts

A Socio-Instrumental Pragmatism View for Strengthening Sales Representatives Productivity in B2B Face-to-Face Sales Interaction System

This paper examined the possibility of an extension of Lind’s and Goldkuhl’s (2005) and Goldkhul (1998) conceptualization of business transaction (in terms of Business Action Theory, B.A.T.), in order to examine the value of a socio instrumental pragmatism view of communication actions for B2B face-to-face sales interaction system. Such an approach allowed us to introduce clear propositions for strengthening sales representatives’ productivity. First, it attempted to do this by categorizing 42 (forty-two) identified empirical papers of the last decade (2000-2010) into Lind’s and Goldkuhl’s assumptions for B.A.T. in order to view communication as action. These assumptions were directly and implicitly equated with the assumptions and best practices of B2B face-to-face sales interaction system. Second, the occurrence of each category was presented in three (3) sections; the paper provided some summary points and interpretive claims. The discussion section assessed the extent to which these points and claims have addressed the stated aim of the paper, it reviewed whether the claims were unique in relation to existing literature and explored some implications and future possibilities

The Adoption of e-commerce in SMEs: An Empirical Investigation in Egypt

The Adoption of E-commerce in SMEs: An Empirical Investigation in Egypt It is recognised widely that e-commerce can offer substantial opportunities for Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) to compete in the global market. In developing countries, e-commerce opportunities can be a meaningful approach for SMEs to be able to compete with large businesses and to access, with lowest possible costs, international markets. However, the current situation shows that SMEs continue to lag behind in maximising their capabilities in taking these chances. Universally, they are reported to be slow adopters of new technologies as a result of limited financial resources and lack of expertise. The importance, of SMEs, emerged from their positions since they contributed more than 90% to many developed or developing countries’ economies and they were considered to be the backbone of any economy. Hence, the main purpose, of conducting this research, was to increase the body of knowledge about the process of the adoption of e-commerce. This was done by a primary empirical focus on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Egypt. SMEs represented about 90% of all Egyptian businesses (ITP, 2012). This study aimed to investigate the factors which could influence the SMEs’ adoption of e-commerce. In order to accomplish this objective, the researcher investigated the previous studies, on the same approach, in order to identify the gap, within the literature, regarding the adoption of e-commerce amongst SMEs. Additionally, the researcher integrated existing theories on the adoption of innovation in order to develop a conceptual framework for the determinants of the adoption of e-commerce in the SMEs sector. The researcher reviewed the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI); Resource Based View of the Firm (RBV); Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) Model; and Technology Acceptance Models (TAM) to give constructive information about the firm and decision makers, within the firm, who were believed to have an impact on the adoption of innovation. 3 The proposed model was tested using quantitative research data. The data was collected by means of an online questionnaire survey and, subsequently, due to the high rate of non-respondents, changed to a face-to-face survey. A total of 130 usable responses were generated for purpose of analysis. The study contributed to the existing research by providing valuable information about the factors which influenced the SMEs’ adoption of e-commerce. As the results showed, there were 6 groups of factors which impacted mainly on the adoption processes. Namely, these were: Decision maker characteristics (education level, position within the firm, management support, management attitude); organisational characteristics (firm activity, firm size, firm’s assets/capital, firm age, employee’s IT knowledge, firm marketing capability); innovation characteristics (Perceived Relative Advantage); e-readiness (Individual and organisation e-readiness); government support; and barriers to e-commerce. This study’s findings offered important information for Egyptian government, policy makers and managerial participants; those were the people who encouraged the Egyptian SMEs to adopt e-commerce. These findings could be generalised to be applied to other countries with similar conditions to Egypt, as well as being applicable to Egyptian SMEs in other sectors

Investigating social media strategy in organisations: implementation and platform evaluation

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonThe implementation of SM is considered an important criterion that influences the accomplishment of business performance and achieves competitive advantage. However, there is a limitation in SM research concerning the implementation of SM strategy and the selection of suitable SM platform for business. Therefore, the investigation and analysis conducted in this study provide an understanding of the application of SM in business by examining the implementation process and the selection of SM platform. Accordingly, a SM strategy framework was developed for a practical implementation of business which includes three stage-process. This empirical research context includes two field investigations in relations to the views and experience of the SM personnel who participated in this study. Both investigation phases were analysed using thematic analysis with respect to the interpretive qualitative analysis approach. The research revealed that companies do follow directly or indirectly some base guidelines in employing SM but do not have a strategic implementation process in carrying out this activity as described in the framework presented. Also, companies are required to consider selecting a suitable SM platform for business which leads to added value to the holistic strategically implemented process. The analysis of the SM strategy framework revealed that an alignment of SM strategy and business strategy could be established through strategic implementation. The implementation process of SM strategy would require company's readiness as described in the framework to ensure successful SM integration to support in achieving business goals. This research provides in-depth knowledge of how the implementation process can be conducted in stages and the application of this technological innovation. The results of the analysis of the framework indicated that companies establish a presence on platforms where their customers are located. Leading to further investigation in the second phase where Practice theory is employed. Revealing an in-depth understanding on how platform evaluation can be carried out by examining the actual act of enacting the selection process, understanding the routine and considering the individuals involved in shaping and implementing platform evaluation in the company. Therefore, the findings can be used by managers or key SM personnel to implement SM strategy efficiently to improve business performance and applied by researchers for further evaluation and analysis of this process

Online community portals for small businesses

M.A.The first part of the study is a literature review which indicate that small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) represent an important vehicle to address the challenges of job creation, economic growth and equity. Modern economy is driven by innovations and knowledge. Transforming information resources into knowledge and maximise the value of knowledge is the new challenge in achieving a sustainable competitive advantage. Information resources are needed by small businesses as much as their larger counter parts but small businesses are usually in a disadvantaged position in terms of finance and expertise. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) offer small businesses new opportunities in the information economy. Exciting ICT applications such as Web portals provide platforms for business communities to share information and communicate more efficiently than ever. Such information resources enable small businesses to react faster and adapt better to the changing global market. The stimulation of SMMEs must be seen as part of an integrated strategy to develop the society to a higher level. The research findings of this study provide all stakeholders in small business development in South Africa including government, industries and academics a better understanding and practical guideline for delivering information resources to small business owners and managers and the design of information portals that can address the information needs of small businesses in South Africa. The empirical components that follow the literature review comprised a questionnaire survey. The survey focused on non-franchised small businesses in the retail industry in the greater Johannesburg metropolitan. A total of 150 questionnaires completed by small business owners and managers were used for statistic analysis in this research. The questionnaire consisted of four sections: business biographic information, business information and agencies, information and communication technologies usage, and community and portal activities. The survey results revealed valuable insights and trends in the use of ICTs and attitudes towards information sharing amongst small business owners and managers. Textile, clothing, footwear and leather goods were the most popular trade for the small businesses use in the survey. Nearly all respondents prefer English for business communication and the businesses are typically owner manager with a small number of employees. Infrastructure for ICTs is in place for small businesses, but the usage level is still basic. Short message service (SMS) and e-mail are the most commonly used ICT tools. Traditional media such as television, radio, newspapers and magazines remain the most important source of information for these small business owners and managers. Younger businesses adapt better to ICTs than the older businesses. Despite a mixed attitude towards sharing business information, small business owners and managers showed a high level of interest in networking with other businesses, in particular with potential customers and suppliers. Most respondents do not belong to any professional or industrial organisation primarily because they were not aware of these organisations. Based on the literature review and the empirical research, the final conclusion that was made from this research is that Web community information portals can, to a great extent, promote the use of information resources for small businesses in South Africa. The results from this research give a better understanding and are useful guidelines to stakeholders in small business development in South Africa

Les médias sociaux d’entreprise pour favoriser la maturité numérique

Abstract: Developing their digital maturity is one of the most important goals of contemporary organizations. However, succeeding in this endeavor requires constant changes in the fabric of organizations and within their value-creation processes. Previous studies provided evidence of the benefits of enterprise social media to support value-creation shifts. Hence, exploring the use of enterprise social media to support digital maturity development seems coherent, although underexplored in the extant literature, especially in the context of small organizations. This doctoral research addresses this gap, by studying the use of enterprise social media, an affordable and intuitive technology, to support the development of digital maturity in the context of a small organization. To accomplish this task, we embraced an action research methodology for context understanding and problem-solving. Several data collection techniques were applied, and a template analysis approach supported data analyses, guiding the development of the action research cycles. Our research proposes a theoretical framework in which enterprise social media is likely to trigger different value-creation shifts within the partner organization, supporting the development of a flexible structure to face the challenges of the turbulent digital business environment. The proposed framework is drawn on emergent insights from the action research interventions applied in the context of a small organization. Results suggest that the different forms of value-creation related to the use of enterprise social media platforms supported the partner organization to develop its digital maturity, contributing to the Sociotechnical Systems perspective and the Contingency Theory. Moreover, while describing that technology implementation alone will not advance an organization’s digital maturity, this paper provides managers with insights into how to use enterprise social media as part of their digital maturity strategies, to assess their organizations’ enterprise social media maturity level, and to understand the potential of enterprise social media to create value in the digital business environment.Développer leur maturité numérique est l'un des objectifs les plus importants des entreprises contemporaines. La réussite de cet objectif nécessite des changements constants dans le tissu des organisations et dans leurs processus de création de valeur. Des études antérieures ont démontré les avantages des médias sociaux d'entreprise pour soutenir le changement dans la création de valeur des organisations. Par conséquent, étudier l'utilisation des médias sociaux d'entreprise pour soutenir le développement de la maturité numérique semble cohérent, bien que sous-exploré dans la littérature existante. Pour élargir les connaissances à ce sujet, la présente recherche doctorale vise à comprendre l'utilisation des médias sociaux d'entreprise, une technologie abordable et intuitive pour soutenir le développement de la maturité numérique, dans le cadre d'une petite organisation. La recherche a été menée en s'appuyant sur une méthodologie de recherche-action, afin de bien comprendre le contexte et de soutenir l’organisation partenaire dans ces objectives. Plusieurs techniques de collecte de données ont été employées, et une approche de template analysis a soutenu les analyses de données, guidant le développement des cycles de recherche-action. Notre recherche propose un modèle théorique qui explore l'influence des médias sociaux d'entreprise sur la création de valeur au sein d'une petite organisation. Le cadre théorique proposé a été appliqué dans le contexte de l'organisation partenaire, ce qui nous a permis de constater que les différentes formes de création de valeur liées à l'utilisation des plateformes de médias sociaux d'entreprise ont aidé l'organisation partenaire à développer sa maturité numérique, en ajoutant des contributions aux théories sociotechniques et des contingences. Des contributions managériales de cette recherche incluent des consignes détaillées sur la façon d'utiliser les médias sociaux d'entreprise dans le cadre de leurs stratégies numériques, d'évaluer le niveau de maturité des médias sociaux d'entreprise de leur organisation et de comprendre le potentiel des médias sociaux d'entreprise pour créer de la valeur dans l'environnement numérique d'affaires