Don\u27t Let the Digital Tail Wag the Transformation Dog: A Digital Transformation Roadmap for Corporate Counsel

Due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, enhancements in technology, as well as shifts in the macroeconomic and socioeconomic dynamics of globalization, Digital Transformation (DT) has become an enterprise-wide imperative for most multinational companies (MNCs). As a result, legal departments are being challenged to embrace enterprise DT and start their own departmental DT journeys. Despite these trends, there is little scholarship and research about how MNC legal departments are addressing the DT challenge. How are General Counsel (GCs) currently approaching DT? Is what they are doing effective and value-accretive? And importantly, how should GCs approach DT to best generate value? This article attempts to fill the literature gap. Based on interviews of 25 GCs and Chief Digital Officers of S&P 500 MNCs along with the authors\u27 professional experience and secondary research, we explore how legal departments are responding to and approaching DT. We identify a Three-Phased Digital Maturity Framework that maps the typical MNC legal department DT trajectory. We argue that this trajectory is suboptimal because it emphasizes technology at the expense of the foundational, non-technological elements of DT that are critical for success. Too often, GCs appear to let the digital tail of DT wag the transformational dog. The legal department itself must be fully transformed before the digital elements can add full value. By failing to transform the non-digital foundations of their departments in collaboration with the business before they introduce new technologies, GCs are leaving the most difficult aspects of DT-the organizational and structural, behavioral, and cultural changes-for last. This post-hoc approach (that leaves client-centricity and change management last) is disruptive, adds unnecessary cost, and threatens the credibility, viability, and timing of the entire DT effort on a go-forward. As an alternative to this typical Three-Phased approach, we articulate a Best Practice 5-Step Model for how GCs should approach DT. Our approach is distinctive in that technology is only considered and applied after the service delivery model has been designed and processes have been optimized in accordance with the broader strategic and organizational contexts of both the legal department and the MNC itself. Moreover, ours is iterative. Our approach is also distinct in that throughout this process, change management principles are thoughtfully and consistently applied in each step. Contrary to standard depictions, we contend that if deployed correctly, DT can significantly transform how a legal department operates and can enable legal departments to add value in ways that go beyond generating efficiencies, reducing costs, and increasing speed-to-market. Our model provides a roadmap to help GCs better execute DT and leverage DT-generated data and insights, moving the legal department away from its standard depiction as a cost center to that of a revenue generator and value creator that is seamlessly integrated with the rest of the MNC. In addition to filling some of the gaps in the literature, this article provides a vision that has broad applicability beyond the MNC legal department context and can be used as a model for law firms and other legal services providers to harness DT in their own contexts, to keep pace with-and better serve-their digitally transforming client base

The Role of Business Analytics for Competitive Advantage of Small and Medium Enterprises

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are locomotives of economic development. They constitute an important proportion of enterprises globally, including in Australia. Hence, the Australian government recognises the importance of enabling the competitiveness of SMEs as a driving force of the economy of Australia. In recent years, there has been a rapid expansion of technological resources which are essential in enabling competitive advantage for SMEs. One type of technical resource that has gained increasing importance over the last decade is Business Analytics (BA). Research into BA, predominantly in the context of large organisations, has shown how BA contributes to business value and business performance. However, there’s a lack of understanding of the role BA resources can play in obtaining competitive advantage in the SME context. By employing Resource-Based View (RBV) as theoretical underpinning, this research explores this gap and aims to provide a richer understanding of the role of BA capabilities and BA assets in enabling SMEs to create competitive advantage as well as an insight into how SMEs utilise BA resources to that end

An integrative approach to HRM–firm performance relationship : a missing link to corporate governance

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to ongoing debates regarding the human resource management (HRM)-firm performance relationship. In seeking to provide a more complete picture of the relationship, the paper discusses the existing literature and proposes an integrative framework that draws upon different literatures and multiple theoretical perspectives. Design/methodology/approach: Our review includes nearly 100 research studies published in this field. The review includes articles published in mainstream HRM journals and broader management journals with strong ties to HRM literature. Importantly, the paper also identifies a gap – a missing link - that concerns the importance of incorporating insights from corporate governance literature when considering strategic HR decision making. Findings: A significant contribution of this paper to theory is to propose an integrative framework that conceptualises the elusive relationship between HRM and firm performance, and which draws on different literatures and multiple theoretical perspectives in to offer more holistic insights into the relationship. The paper discusses the implications of the integrative perspective for theory and practice. Originality/value: This paper argues that one of the main stumbling blocks for developing a better understanding of the mechanisms through which HRM creates value in an organisation is the fragmentation of the HRM literature between “HR as practices” versus “HR as the department/profession”, as well as a tendency to neglect insights from the corporate governance literature

Circular economy practices and environmental performance: Analysing the role of big data analytics capability and responsible research and innovation

This study employs dynamic capability view theory to comprehend the interplay between big data analytics capability (BDAC), responsible research and innovation (RRI) and circular economy practices (CEPs) as an execution strategy for improving environmental performance. The study uses partial least square structural equation modelling to analyse primary survey data collected from 326 manufacturers. The results indicate that BDAC, RRI and CEPs favourably affect environmental performance. Notably, RRI emerges as the most influential factor among the three. Furthermore, the findings suggest that implementing CEPs serves as a partial mediator for the influence of BDAC and RRI on environmental performance. Surprisingly, the study finds that the moderating impact of resource commitment is not statistically significant in any of the three pairwise interactions involving BDAC, RRI and CEPs with respect to environmental performance. The results have various intriguing implications for how manufacturers can enhance their circular economy strategies to achieve better environmental performance, representing a noteworthy contribution to the foundational theory of the dynamic capability view. Finally, these findings also provide valuable insights to managers, enabling a deeper understanding of the determinants that contribute to deploying CEPs and improving environmental performance within a manufacturing setting.publishedVersio

HR Analytics: Concept, Application, and Impact on Talent Management, Branding, and Challenges

Purpose: Making wiser decisions about employees to improve performance at the individual and/or organizational levels is the process of HR analytics. HR analytics is a method for determining the correlation between HR practices and organizational performance outcomes such as sales volume or customer satisfaction. Human Resource Analytics was established in 1978 by Jac Fitz-Enz, the pioneer of human capital strategic analysis and performance benchmarking. In this paper, the researcher wants to discuss the concept of HR analytics, its application, impact on talent management, branding, and challenges in its application.Design/methodology/approach: The researcher examines secondary data and conducts a thorough literature review to understand the concept and its application across industries and nations, as well as to identify any challenges encountered during deployment and any benefits perceived by various industry professionals. Findings: The study's findings indicate that using HR analytics can help businesses build their brand and gain a competitive edge in today's fiercely competitive business environment while also enhancing workforce and employee productivity.Originality/value: This study has significant implications for both literature and HR analytics. Researchers will know more about the factors that contribute to and the mechanisms by which HR analytics improve organisational performance. The author's second claim is that having access to HR technology both facilitates and precedes HR analytics. Finally, concrete data from the literature demonstrates its influence on branding and organisational success. Keywords: Human resource (HR) analytics, People analytics, Branding, Talent Management, Organizational performance. Paper type: Research paper JEL Code: M12, M15 & M51 DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/15-8-06 Publication date: April 30th 202

Strategic Insights into Elevating Marketing Performance

This research aims to determine the strategies used by the Melati Farming Women's Group in Bogor to improve product marketing performance. This article presents strategic insights into the marketing performance of the sweet potato brownie business through a mixed methodology approach. Data collected in research consists of primary data and secondary data. Primary data was obtained through observations and interviews in the form of prices produced and costs incurred to operate the business to gain profits, and secondary data was obtained from publications from related agencies, various print and online media, books, and literature related to research. The data collection method in this research used interviews, observation and documentation. The results of this research show that through the application of strategic management practices, such as international standardization with the SQF Code, product innovation, and response to global trends, this group has created a strong basis for expanding their business into international markets, even though on a relatively small scale. Based on the results of processing the IFE matrix, the total score is 3.11. This illustrates that the sweet potato brownie product business is a strong company internally, and based on the EFE matrix processing results in the table above, the resulting total score is 3.11. This illustrates that the KWT Melati sweet potato brownie business has solid external business opportunities

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN LOCAL GOVERNMENTS: A CASE STUDY OF ABU DHABI MUNICIPALITY TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT

The new generation is rapidly adapting to the digital era, where government and private services are being transformed into electronic services, commonly known as Eservices. Cities are leveraging digitalization to streamline their business processes and business services. This digitalization has improved service delivery time and quality for individuals. With digitalization, business processes align with technology, enhancing performance and customer satisfaction. However, there are challenges associated with digitalization, particularly people working in various municipality departments who find it challenging to adapt to digitization. Employees may take time to adjust to the new techniques and technologies, which may hamper the actions of the municipality departments. Therefore, the main objective of this research proposal is to investigate the benefits of digital transformation in different departments of local municipalities. In this research, we will use qualitative and quantitative methods for data collection through surveys. The study will be conducted in the Transport Department of Abu Dhabi Municipality, targeting the employees and customers in the Abu Dhabi and Al Ain centers. The results indicate that around 86% of the respondents believe that service delivery has improved due to digital transformation, with 96% of the participants considering digital transformation essential. Customer satisfaction is closely linked to the development of online service, and a considerable percentage of respondents confirm that service delivery time and efficiency have significantly improved due to digital transformation. Finally, a reference framework for digital transformation will be presented, and discuss the result outcomes based on this reference framework