Exploratory study on performance measures as indicators of IS effectiveness

The Information Systems Directorate at JSC/NASA has undertaken the reevaluation of its performance measures process and measures. Under the direction of a quality approach it is essential to identify an external perspective of how well an organization is performing. This study was conducted with two major objectives: (1) survey and summarize the academic literature on performance measures as indicators of information systems (IS) effectiveness; and (2) survey organizations for their experience in measuring for IS effectiveness. Four approaches to measuring the effectiveness of IS performance were identified: (1) listen to the customer for the things they need; (2) align with corporate goals; (3) benchmark against well-respected organizations; and (4) ask yourself what critical factors lead to success. The list of known methods for soliciting customer feedback are as follows: (1) executive visit; (2) survey, interview, and focus group; (3) complaints and compliments; and (4) service level agreements. A common set of characteristics that satisfy customers was identified from the literature. The list includes elements such as the following: accuracy, timeliness, relevance, understandability, reliability, and completeness. Future research in this topic area should prove beneficial to determine the metrics for external validity

A comparative study of three international construction firms : knowledge management infrastructures for optimising organisations' learning

Sendo a comunicação crescentemente crucial na sociedade contemporânea, e com o aumento do número de plataformas de redes sociais e ferramentas agregadas que vão surgindo, torna-se relevante compreender de que forma estas podem ser aproveitadas e utilizadas enquanto meios de comunicação estratégica para empresas e instituições. A tendência é a de as redes disponibilizarem cada vez mais recursos ao utilizador, fruto da adaptação às necessidades do mesmo, e os baixos custos que possuem são um incentivo à sua exploração. Como tal, através de dois estudos de casos que se tornam aqui relevantes analisar, este trabalho propõe-se compreender de que forma a parceria estratégica entre o YouTube e o Facebook pode funcionar para fortalecer e tornar eficaz a transmissão de mensagens audiovisuais de uma instituição, evidenciando assim a sua presença junto do público-alvo que se encontra cada vez mais presente nestas redes

Balanced Scorecard in SMEs: Effects on innovation and financial performance

Empirical research on the consequences of the use of the balanced scorecard (BSC) has mostly been conducted in large firms. Previous findings are not easily applied to the small business literature, and assumptions about the benefits of BSC for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are not based on quantitative empirical evidence. We investigated the effects of SME’s use of BSC in terms of financial performance and innovation outcomes. Our arguments are based on the efficiency gains and potential flexibility losses associated with formalizing managerial practices in SMEs. We propose that the developmental stage of the firm may influence this trade-off. Based on a survey of 201 SMEs in Spain, we found that firms using BSC for feedforward control obtained better financial performance and presented higher levels of exploitative innovation. We also found that the positive effect of BSC on perceived and attained financial performance is stronger in more established SMEs

The Role of Maintenance and Facility Management in Logistics: A Literature Review

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide a literature review on the different ways of carrying out Facility Management and related topics in order to uncover that there is limited research regarding the impact of Facility Management on the logistics and operational performance of warehouses. Design/methodology/approach - Four different focus areas have been identified and for each one different methodologies and streams of research have been studied. Findings - The study underlines the importance of Facility Management for the logistics operations; therefore it supports the notion that investments aiming at preserving the status of the building and service components of warehouses are crucial. Originality/value - This paper aims to suggest to Facility Management managers that they can contribute to enhance business performance by designing effective Facility Management strategie

Quality management and profitability linkage: Does the length of QM adoption act as the moderating variable?

Manufacturing companies in Malaysia have never had it so tough. They are now confronting increasing prices of oil and raw materials, high advancement in innovation and technology, as well as high customer expectation on the quality of products and services. In addition, managers of these companies are well aware of the increasing competitive pressures in the world market. It is clear today that these pressures are due largely to the increased performance of those firms that have successfully implemented quality improvement.This paper presents the findings from an empirical study examining the relationship between quality management (QM) practices and profitability in the electronics and electrical industry in Malaysia. It is said that QM has the potential to not only enhance production efficiency and effectiveness, but also improves bottom-line results. Much has been written about the relationship between QM and performance. However, the link of QM practices to profitability in the electronics and electrical industry in Malaysia has not been fully addressed in empirical studies. To address this issue, this paper investigates the impact of QM practices on profitability in the Malaysian electronics and electrical industry using correlation, multiple regression,and hierarchical regression analyses. The findings revealed that quality measurement, supplier relations, and benchmarking in particular, appear to be of primary importance and exhibit significant impact on profitability. Findings of the study provided a striking demonstration of the importance of implementing effective QM practices for the electronics and electrical industry in Malaysia in enhancing its profitability. However, the study failed to provide the statistical evidence of the existence of the moderating effect of the length of QM adoption on the QM and profitability linkage

Leading the Way: Investing in Management Development for SME Productivity and Growth: Report by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs

The vision set out for this project is to support and enable a fresh approach to growth for SMEs in Ireland where management development is a key strategic priority for SMEs to drive productivity, sustainability, competitiveness and growth, and prepare for the future of work. This research, carried out between October 2019 and March 2020, identifies 7 key findings outlined in the report

Stimulating innovation in Russia: the role of institutions and policies

This paper examines the potential role of innovation policy in enhancing long-term productivity growth in Russia. It begins by exploring the role of framework conditions for business in encouraging innovative activities, particularly with respect to intellectual property rights and competition. Realising Russia’s innovation potential will also require reform of the large public science sector. This raises issues pertaining to the organisation and financing of public research bodies and, in particular, to the incentives and opportunities they face in commercialising the results of their research. Finally, the paper looks at the potential role of direct interventions, such as special economic zones and technoparks, as well as the scope for improving the tax regime for private-sector R&D

Exploring Factors Influencing Organizational Adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiatives

Background: Globalization has resulted in social, economic, political, commercial, and technological integration. A social problem needs a global collaborative view to find a solution. Wide-ranging partnerships are essential to achieve developmental goals, with public and private partners pooling their resources and competencies. The private sector contributes by engaging in corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. These initiatives can significantly impact by leveraging emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI). While many support AI, some believe that AI is a threat to humanity. With mixed attitudes towards AI, its adoption in CSR is somewhat limited. This research leverages the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework to explore factors influencing AI adoption intention from an organizational perspective. Method: The factors were identified from a thorough literature review and mapped with Carroll\u27s CSR framework. The theorized model was tested via a sample response of 124 Indian firms. Results: The findings of this research share insight into the influence of the nine technological, organizational, and environmental factors and dives deeper through the post-hoc analysis of the variations due to the size of the firm, public or private orientation, and industry sector. Conclusions: Along with the contributions to literature and theory, this research study has several significant contributions to firms, AI products, service companies, AI strategists, and application developers