Relationship Between Strategic Dexterity, Absorptive Capacity, and Competitive Advantage

Small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) manufacturing executives and managers are concerned with the rapid technological changes involving artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and big data. To compete in the global landscape, effectively managing digital and artificial intelligence changes among SME manufacturing executives and managers is critical for leaders to compete in 2023 and beyond. Grounded in the dynamic capabilities view theory, the purpose of this quantitative correlation study was to examine the relationship between strategic dexterity, absorptive capacity, and competitive advantage. The participants were 66 executives and managers of SME manufacturing organizations who use big data and analytics daily and agreed to complete the AI Analytics Survey Questionnaire using Wu et al.’s survey. The results of the multiple linear regression were significant F(2, 63) = 54.29, p \u3c .001, R2 = .63. In the final model, both predictors were significant: strategic dexterity (t = 2.48, p = .02, ß = .391) and absorptive capacity (t = 2.61, p = .01, ß = .439). A key recommendation is for SME manufacturing executives and managers to understand how to integrate, build, and orchestrate their strategic digital assets when implementing absorptive capacity strategies within their organization. The implications for positive social change include the potential to provide SME manufacturing executives and managers with an understanding of how these technologies can be integrated into the future of data analytics and automation, the support towards a digital economy, and the social effects of artificial intelligence on the underserved and underrepresented groups

Relationship Between Strategic Dexterity, Absorptive Capacity, and Competitive Advantage

Small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) manufacturing executives and managers are concerned with the rapid technological changes involving artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and big data. To compete in the global landscape, effectively managing digital and artificial intelligence changes among SME manufacturing executives and managers is critical for leaders to compete in 2023 and beyond. Grounded in the dynamic capabilities view theory, the purpose of this quantitative correlation study was to examine the relationship between strategic dexterity, absorptive capacity, and competitive advantage. The participants were 66 executives and managers of SME manufacturing organizations who use big data and analytics daily and agreed to complete the AI Analytics Survey Questionnaire using Wu et al.’s survey. The results of the multiple linear regression were significant F(2, 63) = 54.29, p \u3c .001, R2 = .63. In the final model, both predictors were significant: strategic dexterity (t = 2.48, p = .02, ß = .391) and absorptive capacity (t = 2.61, p = .01, ß = .439). A key recommendation is for SME manufacturing executives and managers to understand how to integrate, build, and orchestrate their strategic digital assets when implementing absorptive capacity strategies within their organization. The implications for positive social change include the potential to provide SME manufacturing executives and managers with an understanding of how these technologies can be integrated into the future of data analytics and automation, the support towards a digital economy, and the social effects of artificial intelligence on the underserved and underrepresented groups

SIDVI: a model for secure distributed data integration

The new millennium has brought about an increase in the use of business intelligence and knowledge management systems. The very foundations of these systems are the multitude of source databases that store the data. The ability to derive information from these databases is brought about by means of data integration. With the current emphasis on security in all walks of information and communication technology, a renewed interest must be placed in the systems that provide us with information; data integration systems. This dissertation investigates security issues at specific stages in the data integration cycle, with special reference to problems when performing data integration in a peer-topeer environment, as in distributed data integration. In the database environment we are concerned with the database itself and the media used to connect to and from the database. In distributed data integration, the concept of the database is redefined to the source database, from which we extract data and the storage database in which the integrated data is stored. This postulates three distinct areas in which to apply security, the data source, the network medium and the data store. All of these areas encompass data integration and must be considered holistically when implementing security. Data integration is never only one server or one database; it is various geographically dispersed components working together towards a common goal. It is important then that we consider all aspects involved when attempting to provide security for data integration. This dissertation will focus on the areas of security threats and investigates a model to ensure the integrity and security of data during the entire integration process. In order to ensure effective security in a data integration environment, that security, should be present at all stages, it should provide for end-to-end protection

Industrial Internet in sustainable value creation of companies

As we are heading towards a more digitalized world, an increasing amount of opportunities lies ahead of us. The Industrial Internet is described to have a large impact for industries around the globe. This research focuses on exploring its effects on sustainable value creation of companies. While the subject has gained a lot of enthusiasm over the last couple of years, the overall sustainable value creation elements of the Industrial Internet have not been studied properly due to its novelty. Yet, understanding the effects on how and where the sustainable value comes from is crucial in understanding the opportunities and challenges better. The thesis is conducted by an extensive theoretical framework of the Industrial Internet phenomenon and its relevant sustainable value creation factors. The research is also done as a qualitative multiple case study to have a more in-depth understanding of the subject. The empirical findings represent five different top company personnel views, which have already implemented the Industrial Internet in their business processes. Different industry sectors were chosen to answer the research questions better and have a more comprehensive view of the issue. Furthermore, a theory-bound data analysis method is used to not only allow the comparisons to existing theory, but also gain the possibility to discover new information. The results show the quality of the data and the combination of data sources to be the crucial elements in extracting value from data. While the Industrial Internet has allowed the companies to create sustainable value by improving their existing internal services and processes through monitoring and optimizations, the overall measurable short-term value it has created has not been that impactful at this stage yet. Although, improving existing services could have an influence on preventing potential value loss for the companies. However, the results also indicate that by providing external services, such as data analysis for customers can bring extensive short-term value when executed properly. The findings also demonstrated the Industrial Internet to allow new business partners and opportunities to be created, which would not have been possible had the investments not been made. Those new opportunities can bring a competitive advantage to the company by providing differentiation and better service levels to the customers. While the results and implementations vary between the company, industry sector and expertise, the study can help companies to understand the opportunities and key factors behind the data better. The findings also help the companies that are discussing or in the process of implementing the Industrial Internet into their business processes to comprehend the crucial stages that need to be taken into consideration

Strategic capability through business intelligence applications

This thesis analyzes the potential strategic capability that can be improved from the deployment of business intelligence (BI) applications. AOK Niedersachsen (AOKN), a German health insurance company in the north of Germany (Lower-Saxony), is used as the case study for primary qualitative research and analysis. For many years, information and data have been considered even “factors of production” for companies; but data and information have become more complex, requiring processing and structural analysis to get the needed transparency in the company. Data from different operational sources must be extracted and structured to provide information for management accounting employees, top management, and end-users throughout an organization. In the healthcare industry, BI systems have played a crucial role for decades. For organizations such as AOKN, the application of BI tools and technologies can create and support sustainable capability. Several research questions are answered in this thesis through structured one-to-one interviews with different AOKN employees, and the resulting analysis of interview data. A qualitative approach to this case study is used, allowing the researcher to get in-depth information about a specific context. When case studies are conducted, the one-to-one interview is considered to be an optimal instrument and a significant source of evidence. BI technologies and tools are classified within an appropriate conceptual framework which integrates the complex BI demands and structures of AOKN, identifying different components as part of the framework - systems infrastructure, data provision, reporting, and information receiver. The framework is further enhanced by four factors of a competitive advantage model drawn from existing literature to develop capabilities. The use and integration of BI technologies and tools in the strategy development process are then analyzed. Different BI tools, that have an important function during the whole strategy process, are recommended for each strategy phase. The final area of research examines the possible addition of new functions and solutions to current BI technologies and tools to enhance the potential of these systems in gaining capabilities. Research findings encompass system access, report characteristics, and BI end users profiles and capabilities. To this end, a structured model gives examples of practical AOKN BI projects that have generated strategic capabilities for the organization. At the end, the conclusion chapter stresses the needs of contribution to knowledge (theory and practice)

Experiential marketing: bridging the gap between value creation to customers and value capture by firms

An already voluminous literature addressing the value of marketing to the firm has, until now, fallen short of expectations. In a context in which marketers have increasingly been challenged to prove their worth, the scholarly attempts to demonstrate the value of marketing to the firm have stumbled to reach unquestionable results. Part of the problem may lie in the lengthy and twisted chain of effects from marketing actions to marketing performance outcomes. Between inputs and outputs lie numerous uncontrollable and often confounding external factors, such as the actions of customers, competitors, and other market agents. The problematic operationalization of such complex market structures impelled researchers to analyze fractions of this web of effects rather than attempting to study overarching conceptual models in full. Prior empirical research has typically considered either the impact of marketing actions in the marketplace or the consequences to the firm of the behaviors of customers and rivals. There is still a gap in the literature of an all-encompassing end-to-end demonstration of how specific marketing inputs can drive specific marketing outputs unequivocally contributing to organizational performance. This thesis addresses the issue of marketing as a value-capturing corporate function through its determinant role in managing value-creating exchanges with customers in the marketplace while hindering competitors from appropriating it. Our research suggests that experiential marketing may bridge the gap between value creation to the customer and value capture by the firm. In particular, our findings show that marketing-crafted valuecreating online shopping experiences may predict value-capturing marketing performance outcomes with the mediation of superior customer-level marketing performance. Thus, our results suggest that experiential marketing may offer an opportunity to bridge the gap between "give and take," value creation and value capture, and demonstrate how relevant the contribution of marketing to the firm's value rising can be.Uma já volumosa literatura abordando o valor do marketing para a empresa tem até agora ficado aquém das expectativas. As tentativas para demonstrar a valia do marketing para a empresa não têm conseguido alcançar inequívocas demonstrações de como o marketing pode ter uma contribuição relevante para a apropriação de valor pela empresa. Parte do problema reside na longa e sinuosa cadeia de efeitos ligando os estímulos de marketing aos resultados do desempenho. Entre uns e outros existem inúmeros fatores externos, incontroláveis e perturbadores, tais como as ações de outros participantes no mercado. A investigação empírica anterior tem tipicamente estudado ou os efeitos the ações de marketing no mercado, sobretudo nos clientes, mas também nos concorrentes, ou então as consequências para a empresa dos comportamentos dos clientes e rivais. Consequentemente, há uma lacuna na literatura de uma demonstração abrangente de como determinados estímulos de marketing podem conduzir a efeitos específicos precursores do desempenho da organização. Esta tese equaciona o marketing como função de captura de valor para a empresa através do seu papel determinante na gestão de trocas de valor com clientes, em paralelo com o impedimento aos concorrentes de se apropriarem do valor criado. A nossa investigação sugere que o marketing experiencial pode estabelecer a ligação entre criação de valor para o cliente e captura de valor para a empresa. Em particular, os nossos resultados mostram que experiências de compra criadoras de valor para os clientes em ambientes digitais podem conduzir à captura de valor para a empresa através da mediação de desempenho de marketing a nível de cliente. Portanto, os nossos resultados sugerem que o marketing experiencial pode ser uma grande oportunidade para preencher a lacuna entre “dar e receber”, criação e captura de valor, e mostram quão relevante pode ser a contribuição do marketing para o valor da empresa

A Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experiences of Criminal Gang Members Enrolled in an Employment Program to Reduce Gang-Related Homicides

In collaboration with the local police force, St. Kitts and Nevis\u27s government introduced an Alternative Lifestyle Pathway Program (ALPP). The program reduces gang-related homicides by offering legitimate employment and other incentives to known criminal gang members. The ALPP is an incentive-based program newly introduced in St. Kitts and Nevis, and there is no evidence that the program reduces gang-related homicide. This research investigated the lived experiences of criminal gang members enrolled in the ALPP. By understanding the lived experiences of the criminal gang members enrolled in the program, administrators, and stakeholders can appreciate the program\u27s formation and effectiveness. By understanding the outcomes of such programs in the long term, policymakers can better formulate and implement them. Additionally, incentive-based programs must be structured appropriately alongside other rehabilitative solutions targeting criminal gang members to help reduce gang-related homicides. The primary research question in this study is: What are the lived experiences of criminal gang members enrolled in an employment program to reduce gang-related homicides? Phenomenology and hermeneutic theory of interpretation were used to explore this question. The data for this research were analyzed using coding, categories, and themes, and the hermeneutic circle was used to interpret the data. The study adds value to the positive social change agenda by giving the criminal justice system an evidence-based alternative diversion program to mitigate gang-related homicides and save lives

Decision-Making in Data-Intensive Environments and Its Impact on Organisational Design: Dynamic Capabilities Approach

The main purpose of this research is to investigate how organisations that are dealing with large datasets can improve their decision-making processes by developing new and reconfiguring existing capabilities. Business environments are getting increasingly dynamic and data-intensive because of emerging technologies and advances in data science, information and communication technologies, which require enterprises to make regular and faster decisions. In this regard, one of the new phenomena that has revolutionised businesses is big data providing organisations with opportunities and also challenges. Based on big data’s capability to provide useful information for dynamic decision-making processes, this study aims to investigate how big data influences decision-making processes and, consequently organisational design. It seeks to identify how organisations change and design either of those processes and their organisational structure to make sense of big data. This study uses an integrated approach of dynamic capabilities as a lens to identify the sources of dynamism in organisations. This approach takes into account three levels of dynamism including individual, interpersonal and corporate levels, which are employed in the process of data analysis. In terms of methodology and methods, this study uses a multiple case-study approach in order to gain rich and illuminating data about each case and the phenomenon under investigation. The cases of this study are chosen from organisations that are using large datasets as a source of information for decision-making based in the UK. Nine cases were studied, from which twelve people were interviewed. Interviewees included business intelligence and analytics experts and managers who have a deep understanding of organisational and information-processing mechanisms. The reasoning technique is abductive, meaning that some of the concepts are taken from the literature and constant comparison are made between literature and data to identify emerging concepts. This study, contributes to decision-making theory by providing insights about dynamic decision-making in the context of big data and a better understanding of organisational strategies for working with and leveraging value from big data. In addition, for the practical aspect, it contributes to guiding practitioners in evaluating their organisations to inform improvement to become better enabled for big data-driven decision-making