A longitudinal analysis of IT outsourcing in large Polish organizations

PURPOSE: The purpose of the research was to determine the dynamics of the development of information technology outsourcing (ITO) in large organizations in Poland. The development of onshoring and offshoring was examined, the types and forms of services most commonly outsourced, the recipients of services within the organization, multisourcing, contract duration, method of payment, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on ITO, and the organization’s plans for ITO.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Longitudinal methods (extracting over time, mapping, visualization) were used. A diagnostic survey was used to collect data on ITO, the research tool was a survey questionnaire. Data was collected using the CATI (Computer Added Telephone Interview) method in the periods January-February 2016 and January-February 2021. Each time, 200 large organizations in Poland participated in the research. The research problem concerned the dynamics of ITO development in Poland. The research questions included the determination of the dynamics of ITO development assessed from the client's side, the types and forms of services that are developing most dynamically, changes in the features of outsourcing contracts, the exchange of enterprises regarding ITO and the impact of the pandemic on ITO activities.FINDINGS: The use of IT outsourcing in large organizations in Poland is growing, the rate of development dynamics by a big percent, especially in relation to offshoring. Outsourcing of more complex and business-critical activities and the use of cloud services are growing. Specialization and multi-sourcing are on the rise. Outsourcing contracts tend to be signed for a short period of time or the duration of the contract depends on the specifics of the project. However, there is a tendency to extend cooperation in outsourcing. The most common form of payment for services is a fixed price, although there is a trend towards other forms of payment. The COVID-19 pandemic had a weak but rather positive effect on the use of outsourcing. Companies plan to maintain the current relationship between internal and external services or expand ITO. These trends are expected to continue.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: ITO suppliers may be advised to specialize their services and offer a wider range. Customers – prudent supplier selection and multi-sourcing.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The trends in the development of IT outsourcing in large organizations in Poland and changes occurring in outsourcing contacts were determined.peer-reviewe

Unmet goals of tracking: within-track heterogeneity of students' expectations for

Educational systems are often characterized by some form(s) of ability grouping, like tracking. Although substantial variation in the implementation of these practices exists, it is always the aim to improve teaching efficiency by creating homogeneous groups of students in terms of capabilities and performances as well as expected pathways. If students’ expected pathways (university, graduate school, or working) are in line with the goals of tracking, one might presume that these expectations are rather homogeneous within tracks and heterogeneous between tracks. In Flanders (the northern region of Belgium), the educational system consists of four tracks. Many students start out in the most prestigious, academic track. If they fail to gain the necessary credentials, they move to the less esteemed technical and vocational tracks. Therefore, the educational system has been called a 'cascade system'. We presume that this cascade system creates homogeneous expectations in the academic track, though heterogeneous expectations in the technical and vocational tracks. We use data from the International Study of City Youth (ISCY), gathered during the 2013-2014 school year from 2354 pupils of the tenth grade across 30 secondary schools in the city of Ghent, Flanders. Preliminary results suggest that the technical and vocational tracks show more heterogeneity in student’s expectations than the academic track. If tracking does not fulfill the desired goals in some tracks, tracking practices should be questioned as tracking occurs along social and ethnic lines, causing social inequality

Investigating Information Trust, Professional Ethics and Risk When Embracing E-government: An Empirical Study of Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia (KSA)

In an attempt to establish more efficient and transparent governmental services, manual systems of government across the globe are being transferred to e-government systems, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). However, this transformation, and especially ensuring user acceptance of e-government, poses a number of challenges. Against this backdrop, the current work examines issues that are related to information trust, professional ethics, and the risks incurred in embracing an e-government. This was carried out based on three Saudi Arabian organisations namely the Ministry of Interior; the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology; and King Abdul-Aziz City for Science and Technology. Qualitative methods was adopted for both data collection and analysis based on semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. The data were analysed using thematic analysis to establish perceptions and behavioural patterns of e-government systems among both government officials and general users. A technological gap was identified as the core impediment to widespread implementation and user acceptance of e-government in KSA. It was established that governmental success in ensuring the system is resilient against data loss and hacking, and habitual adoption of checking mechanisms, can lead towards improved implementation of e-government, along with its utilisation throughout KSA. This research contributes a research model, informed by institutional theory, of factors affecting the adoption of e-government from both employees and citizens’ perspectives (as evident within KSA). It responds to calls from other Information Systems researchers to study e-government by conducting an in-depth field investigation using qualitative research. In doing so, it addresses issues related to information trust, professional ethics and risk in e-government implementation

Mining enterprises and regional economic development: an exploratory analysis of the sustainable development model

Towards the end of the 1990s, and in response to increasing global condemnation, the mining industry adopted sustainable development (SD) principles and standards through corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. This approach not only proposed a dramatic change in the operating practices of large mining houses, but also suggested a grand vision for the industry as a long term catalyser of local economic growth. This research now investigates the effect that mining enterprises which operate under these principles have on sub-national economic development. In doing so, it undertakes multiple case-study analysis, focussing on a single firm, Rio Tinto, and covers three of its subsidiary companies at various stages of development. Consistent with claims by mining advocates, this work confirms the frequently striking importance that large mines have for sub-national economies. However, this investigation disagrees with the emphasis typically attributed to each stream of benefits and brings attention back to the use that mining cash flows are put to. More generally, the study argues that the potential for large mining firms to trigger endogenous growth has been underestimated. On the one hand, these enterprises can contribute distinctly to local capital accumulation; on the other, under certain circumstances, they can also help sustain increases in local productivity endogenously. Indeed; while local preconditions will determine socioeconomic outcomes to a significant degree, mining companies can play a critical part in economic planning and the building of innovative institutions, which could, in turn, help increase the underlying local rate of technological absorption, human capital and overall capacity for economic governance. This entails a drastic (and controversial) change from the role previously assumed by companies. Yet, this study also concludes that, in some other cases, SD has promoted unattainable economic expectations. In these cases, minimising the local impact of mining would be a more advisable economic strategy

Neoliberalism in Translation: Economic Ideas and Reforms in Spain and Romania

Most political economists studying the global spread of neoliberalism have seen it as a form of policy diffusion. Recently constructivist political economists have pointed to the important role of the spread of neoliberal economic ideas in this process. However, they have not provided a theoretical framework for understanding the mechanisms through which neoliberal ideas travel across national policy spheres. To address this gap, this dissertation draws on the claim made by some sociologists that ideas do not stay the same as they travel from one social setting to another, but are "translated" by idea entrepreneurs called "translators". More specifically, this dissertation aims to specify what shapes the result of translation, the pace at which it occurs, and the means through which it can shape policy. In doing this, it makes three contributions to the study of political economy. First, it argues that the content of adopted neoliberal ideas is shaped by the context-specific choices made by translators who employ "framing," "grafting" and "editing" as translation devices. Secondly, the pace of translation is shaped by the density of transnational ties between domestic policy stakeholders and external advocates of neoliberalism. Finally, translated neoliberal ideas are likely to serve as templates for economic policies when they are shared by an intellectually coherent policy team inside a cabinet that can effectively control economic policy decisions. To make thesearguments, the dissertation draws on a comparative historical analysis of the spread of neoliberalism in two "crucial cases": postauthoritarian Spain and Romania

Global Political Leadership

Global Political Leadership explores contemporary shifts in leadership, and the related leadership crisis, in the global world. Globalization is now perceived as a threatening and hostile force, with many of its advocates and political supporters turning away from it, but its processes cannot be reversed. New powers emerge, old ones re-emerge, and uncertainty about the future global order is increasing. This book tells the inside stories of global power games and asks important questions about the leadership crisis in the western world. The author provides an interpretative framework for contemporary shifts within the western political sphere based on the concept of global leadership. This framework presents the nature of the transformation caused by global processes, as part of which force and coercion have ceased to be the main modus operandi of the international realm. The issue of global political leadership has often been neglected in international relations literature, while being widely exploited by managerial and organizational studies. However, all social organizations have ‘gone global’ within the last several decades; they are more interconnected and more dependent on global processes, so the question of effective leadership strategies matching these new realities is highly necessary, even – or especially – at a time when globalization is no longer seen as a leading political programme. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of global affairs, politics and international relations, leadership and development, and diplomatic studies

The Proceedings of the 23rd Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research (DGO2022) Intelligent Technologies, Governments and Citizens June 15-17, 2022

The 23rd Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research theme is “Intelligent Technologies, Governments and Citizens”. Data and computational algorithms make systems smarter, but should result in smarter government and citizens. Intelligence and smartness affect all kinds of public values - such as fairness, inclusion, equity, transparency, privacy, security, trust, etc., and is not well-understood. These technologies provide immense opportunities and should be used in the light of public values. Society and technology co-evolve and we are looking for new ways to balance between them. Specifically, the conference aims to advance research and practice in this field. The keynotes, presentations, posters and workshops show that the conference theme is very well-chosen and more actual than ever. The challenges posed by new technology have underscored the need to grasp the potential. Digital government brings into focus the realization of public values to improve our society at all levels of government. The conference again shows the importance of the digital government society, which brings together scholars in this field. Dg.o 2022 is fully online and enables to connect to scholars and practitioners around the globe and facilitate global conversations and exchanges via the use of digital technologies. This conference is primarily a live conference for full engagement, keynotes, presentations of research papers, workshops, panels and posters and provides engaging exchange throughout the entire duration of the conference