A conceptual framework for the adoption of big data analytics by e-commerce startups: a case-based approach

E-commerce start-ups have ventured into emerging economies and are growing at a significantly faster pace. Big data has acted like a catalyst in their growth story. Big data analytics (BDA) has attracted e-commerce firms to invest in the tools and gain cutting edge over their competitors. The process of adoption of these BDA tools by e-commerce start-ups has been an area of interest as successful adoption would lead to better results. The present study aims to develop an interpretive structural model (ISM) which would act as a framework for efficient implementation of BDA. The study uses hybrid multi criteria decision making processes to develop the framework and test the same using a real-life case study. Systematic review of literature and discussion with experts resulted in exploring 11 enablers of adoption of BDA tools. Primary data collection was done from industry experts to develop an ISM framework and fuzzy MICMAC analysis is used to categorize the enablers of the adoption process. The framework is then tested by using a case study. Thematic clustering is performed to develop a simple ISM framework followed by fuzzy analytical network process (ANP) to discuss the association and ranking of enablers. The results indicate that access to relevant data forms the base of the framework and would act as the strongest enabler in the adoption process while the company rates technical skillset of employees as the most important enabler. It was also found that there is a positive correlation between the ranking of enablers emerging out of ISM and ANP. The framework helps in simplifying the strategies any e-commerce company would follow to adopt BDA in future. © 2019, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature

Primary care strategic workforce planning programme

The project comprised 4 work packages conducted over 12 months to review and scope the workforce model required to deliver new and innovative health care services for the future. It included a literature review and policy analysis, stakeholder workshops, a live Delphi survey using systems dynamics methodology to model workforce requirements and education and training needs

Military Regimes, Political Power and Human Rights Violations in Postcolonial Algeria

Following Algeria’s bloody war of independence, a new, revolutionary military establishment gradually formed out of several largely independent revolutionary units, stationed mostly on Algeria’s borders. It soon expanded with the addition of revolutionary fighters from within Algeria, and from French-trained forces, many of whom had fought against the revolutionary forces during the Revolution, and had deserted late in the war from the French military to join the new Algerian military. A particularly powerful group of officers emerged from the latter group, the “French Officers,” who apparently engaged in a long-term and ultimately successful bid for national political power. This thesis, which is concerned with the politics behind the massive human rights violations in Algeria, particularly the periods immediately after Independence, and between 1991 and 2002, the “Algerian Civil War,” seeks to explore a central question: why did the Algerian military turn against its own people? While not denying the role of other groups (e.g., religious groups, ethnic groups) in the violence, the central focus of this thesis is on the distinctive and effective structure and role of the military, which was apparently the dominant political power in Algeria after Independence, and particularly on the role of the French Officers, who appear to have manipulated the presidency through coups d’état and assassinations, in their struggle to achieve political hegemony in Algeria by the 1990s. Central to this was the role played after Independence by Houari Boumédiène in establishing political and military organisations that were particularly susceptible to the growing influence of the French Officers. Central topical foci of the thesis include examinations of the possible effects (on the central question, listed above) of: professionalization of the military; civil-military relations; historical influences; ethnic and religious influences; political parties and party formation; corruption and economic opportunism; international relations and continuing French influence; and the unique role of the French Officers in the national politics of Algeria. Methodologies used in this study included the analysis of elite (non-random) interviews, based upon a questionnaire approved by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee, which the author conducted in Europe and via “Skype” with nearly two dozen prominent Algerian expatriates, for the most part in exile, including former civilian leaders and military officers. Historical analysis was also a central part of the methodology, as well as discourse analysis applied to significant memoirs and newspaper accounts. The thesis concludes that the immediate self-interests of the French Officers had a determinate effect on politics in Algeria, and particularly on the way in which the military turned against its own people after 1991. The continuing support that the French Officers apparently received from France, while not unexpected, is surprising in its extent and continuity, particularly after acts of terrorism thought to be linked to the Algerian government occurred in France. An unexpected finding of this research is the significance of corruption and economic opportunism in the Algerian military regime’s long-term strategy

Partyism and polarisation: A history of Antiguan political culture, 1967-1976

This study offers a cultural history of Antiguan politics between 1967 and 1976. It demonstrates the emergence of Antiguan party politics and explores its early impact on society and culture. The dissertation does this by focusing on four key events in Antigua’s recent past: the 1967 schism in the labour movement, civil unrest and political convulsion in 1968, and the General Elections of 1971 and 1976. Each of these events testifies to the development of a culture of ‘partyism’ - a political ideology that prioritises the survival and empowerment of one’s political party over any other principle or objective. In line with partyism, party membership became a defining feature of one’s identity within the Antiguan community, eclipsing other sources of identity such as class. This precipitated a process of societal polarisation whereby Antiguan society became sharply divided along party lines. This division was characterised by distrust between members of the opposing parties, hostility, and extreme political rhetoric. This in turn contributed to a process of pernicious polarisation whereby partyism reached such extremes that it resulted in a breakdown in good governance and long-term dislocation in Antiguan society. Many of the features and consequences of pernicious polarisation are apparent in Antigua today, making this study of importance to any with an interest in Antiguan politics and society. This project draws upon and contributes to scholarship on political polarisation and the social cost of politics. In particular, this case study of Antigua provides insight into how theories of politics and society apply, or do not apply, to very small states and postcolonial societies. Both smallness and postcolonialism loom large in this dissertation, and the project touches on substantial historical debates such as the appropriateness of the Westminster System in postcolonial states and the functioning of democracy in very small polities

Integration and Continuity of Primary Care: Polyclinics and Alternatives, a Patient-Centred Analysis of How Organisation Constrains Care Coordination

Background An ageing population, increasingly specialised of clinical services and diverse healthcare provider ownership make the coordination and continuity of complex care increasingly problematic. The way in which the provision of complex healthcare is coordinated produces – or fails to – six forms of continuity of care (cross-sectional, longitudinal, flexible, access, informational, relational). Care coordination is accomplished by a combination of activities by: patients themselves; provider organisations; care networks coordinating the separate provider organisations; and overall health system governance. This research examines how far organisational integration might promote care coordination at the clinical level. Objectives To examine: 1. What differences the organisational integration of primary care makes, compared with network governance, to horizontal and vertical coordination of care. 2. What difference provider ownership (corporate, partnership, public) makes. 3. How much scope either structure allows for managerial discretion and ‘performance’. 4. Differences between networked and hierarchical governance regarding the continuity and integration of primary care. 5. The implications of the above for managerial practice in primary care. Methods Multiple-methods design combining: 1. Assembly of an analytic framework by non-systematic review. 2. Framework analysis of patients’ experiences of the continuities of care. 3. Systematic comparison of organisational case studies made in the same study sites. 4. A cross-country comparison of care coordination mechanisms found in our NHS study sites with those in publicly owned and managed Swedish polyclinics. 5. Analysis and synthesis of data using an ‘inside-out’ analytic strategy. Study sites included professional partnership, corporate and publicly owned and managed primary care providers, and different configurations of organisational integration or separation of community health services, mental health services, social services and acute in-patient care. Results Starting from data about patients' experiences of the coordination or under-coordination of care we identified: 1. Five care coordination mechanisms present in both the integrated organisations and the care networks. 2. Four main obstacles to care coordination within the integrated organisations, of which two were also present in the care networks. 3. Seven main obstacles to care coordination that were specific to the care networks. 4. Nine care coordination mechanisms present in the integrated organisations. Taking everything into consideration, integrated organisations appeared more favourable to producing continuities of care than were care networks. Network structures demonstrated more flexibility in adding services for small care groups temporarily, but the expansion of integrated organisations had advantages when adding new services on a longer term and larger scale. Ownership differences affected the range of services to which patients had direct access; primary care doctors’ managerial responsibilities (relevant to care coordination because of its impact on GP workload); and the scope for doctors to develop special interests. We found little difference between integrated organisations and care networks in terms of managerial discretion and performance. Conclusions On balance, an integrated organisation seems more likely to favour the development of care coordination, and therefore continuities of care, than a system of care networks. At least four different variants of ownership and management of organisationally integrated primary care providers are practicable in NHS-like settings

It's all about perceptions: A DEMATEL approach to exploring user perceptions of real estate online platforms

Real Estate Online Platforms (REOPs) are used for conveying real estate and property-related information to potential users (buyers, renters, or sellers). The information leveraged through REOPs supports these users in reaching conclusive rent or buy decisions. Despite their promised utility, user perception about accepting online information through REOPs is unexplored. Using a comprehensive questionnaire and data collected from 65 users, the current study captures the users’ perception of REOPs. Risk, service, information, system, technology adoption model (RSISTAM) is proposed comprising of seven users’ perceptions: risk (PR), service quality (PSEQ), information quality (PIQ), and system quality (PSYQ) from the information systems success model, and usefulness (PU), ease of use (PEU) and behaviour to accept (BAU) from TAM. The results are analysed using the decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) approach, which shows that PIQ, PSEQ and PEU are the causes and PR, PSYQ, PU and BAU are the effects. Among the criteria, the order of prominence is PEU > PSEQ > PIQ, and for net effects, the order is PU > BAU > PSYQ > PR. For addressing the causes, the REOP managers must provide more transparent, high quality and voluminous information to the users, focus on the system, services, and information qualities, and add more enjoyable, immersive and easy-to-use content through REOPs. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by exploring user perceptions and proposing methods to improve the quality and reliability of REOPs in line with Real Estate 4.0 and industry 4.0 aims

Integration and continuity of primary care: polyclinics and alternatives - a patient-centred analysis of how organisation constrains care co-ordination

Background An ageing population, the increasing specialisation of clinical services and diverse health-care provider ownership make the co-ordination and continuity of complex care increasingly problematic. The way in which the provision of complex health care is co-ordinated produces – or fails to produce – six forms of continuity of care (cross-sectional, longitudinal, flexible, access, informational and relational). Care co-ordination is accomplished by a combination of activities by patients themselves; provider organisations; care networks co-ordinating the separate provider organisations; and overall health-system governance. This research examines how far organisational integration might promote care co-ordination at the clinical level. Objectives To examine (1) what differences the organisational integration of primary care makes, compared with network governance, to horizontal and vertical co-ordination of care; (2) what difference provider ownership (corporate, partnership, public) makes; (3) how much scope either structure allows for managerial discretion and ‘performance’; (4) differences between networked and hierarchical governance regarding the continuity and integration of primary care; and (5) the implications of the above for managerial practice in primary care. Methods Multiple-methods design combining (1) the assembly of an analytic framework by non-systematic review; (2) a framework analysis of patients’ experiences of the continuities of care; (3) a systematic comparison of organisational case studies made in the same study sites; (4) a cross-country comparison of care co-ordination mechanisms found in our NHS study sites with those in publicly owned and managed Swedish polyclinics; and (5) the analysis and synthesis of data using an ‘inside-out’ analytic strategy. Study sites included professional partnership, corporate and publicly owned and managed primary care providers, and different configurations of organisational integration or separation of community health services, mental health services, social services and acute inpatient care. Results Starting from data about patients’ experiences of the co-ordination or under-co-ordination of care, we identified five care co-ordination mechanisms present in both the integrated organisations and the care networks; four main obstacles to care co-ordination within the integrated organisations, of which two were also present in the care networks; seven main obstacles to care co-ordination that were specific to the care networks; and nine care co-ordination mechanisms present in the integrated organisations. Taking everything into consideration, integrated organisations appeared more favourable to producing continuities of care than did care networks. Network structures demonstrated more flexibility in adding services for small care groups temporarily, but the expansion of integrated organisations had advantages when adding new services on a longer term and a larger scale. Ownership differences affected the range of services to which patients had direct access; primary care doctors’ managerial responsibilities (relevant to care co-ordination because of their impact on general practitioner workload); and the scope for doctors to develop special interests. We found little difference between integrated organisations and care networks in terms of managerial discretion and performance. Conclusions On balance, an integrated organisation seems more likely to favour the development of care co-ordination and, therefore, continuities of care than a system of care networks. At least four different variants of ownership and management of organisationally integrated primary care providers are practicable in NHS-like settings. Future research is therefore required, above all to evaluate comparatively the different techniques for coordinating patient discharge across the triple interface between hospitals, general practices and community health services; and to discover what effects increasing the scale and scope of general practice activities will have on continuity of care

The relationship between knowledge sharing socialisation mechanisms structural capital and organisational performance

Globalisation, increasing competition, turbulent economic environments, and technological changes have shifted the significance of traditional assets as primary resources in sustaining competitive advantage for organisations. Whilst traditional assets remain valuable, knowledge sharing has become increasingly recognised as another critically important factor. Arguably, the use of knowledge sharing mechanisms (personal socialisation and electronic socialisation) and structural capital dimensions such as network ties, network configuration, network stability, and centrality will impact organisational performance. Thus hypothetically, knowledge sharing mechanisms are likely to affect organisational performance through the mediating role of structural capital dimensions. However, the existing literature has largely overlooked the association between knowledge sharing mechanisms, structural capital and organisational performance. Subsequently, the holistic integration of the above constructs remains under-explored. As a result, this study examines the direct and indirect effects between knowledge sharing mechanisms and structural capital on organisational performance. In addition, it validates a conceptual framework and tests a range of research hypotheses. Using a hypothetic-deductive approach, a research instrument was developed based on the existing literature. The piloted research instrument was administered to a census of the UK Top 500 companies listed in the FAME database. A useable response from 167 chief executives, chief operating officers and top managers surveyed resulted in a 33.4% response rate. Multivariate analysis results indicate the internal reliability (total Cronbach Alpha values) of retained factors ranging from .72 to .90. Structural equation modelling (SEM) show adequate goodness of fit indices: CMIN/DF=1.11, NFI=.97, GFI=.91, CFI=.98, TLI=.99, and RMSEA=.03. Results demonstrate that structural capital mediates the relationship between knowledge sharing mechanisms and organisational performance: the hypotheses were confirmed. Moreover, electronic socialisation was shown to have a positive significant effect on operations performance. This study successfully validated the conceptual framework derived from a range of relevant theories. The study provides unique insights into how knowledge sharing mechanisms interacted with structural capital which leads to organisational performance: In integrating the aforementioned research constructs this study fills theoretical gaps by broadening the conceptualisation of the structural capital dimensionality and organisational performance facets. As a result, this study advances our understanding of organisational performance determinants. Accordingly, it provides managerial implications based on the results obtained. Limitations of the methodological approach and avenues for further studies are discussed