People in the E-Business: New Challenges, New Solutions

[Excerpt] Human Resource Planning Society’s (HRPS) annual State of the Art/Practice (SOTA/P) study has become an integral contributor to HRPS’s mission of providing leading edge thinking to its members. Past efforts conducted in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999 have focused on identifying the issues on the horizon that will have a significant impact on the field of Human Resources (HR). This year, in a divergence from past practice, the SOTA/P effort aimed at developing a deeper understanding of one critical issue having a profound impact on organizations and HR, the rise of e-business. The rise of e-business has been both rapid and dramatic. One estimate puts the rate of adoption of the internet at 4,000 new users each hour (eMarketer, 1999) resulting in the expectation of 250 million people on line by the end of 2000, and 350 million by 2005 (Nua, 1999). E-commerce is expected to reach $1.3 trillion by 2003, and of that, 87 percent will go to the business to business (B2B) and 13 percent to the business to consumer (B2C) segments, respectively (Plumely, 2000)

The Climate Imperative and Innovative Behavior: Encouraging Greater Advances in the Production of Energy-Efficient Technologies and Services

This white paper examines why a larger array of innovative institutions, behaviors, technologies, and servicesis needed – specifically in the context of what we call “the climate imperative.” We explore possible mechanisms that can encourage the more robust development of innovative programs and policies within the State of California, with special attention to the activities of the California Public Utilities Commission

The Role of Internal Auditors Characteristics in Cybersecurity Risk Assessment in Financial-Based Business Organisations: A Conceptual Review

Purpose: This paper aims to establish a theoretical framework that will enhance the examination of the role of internal auditors in cybersecurity risk assessment in financial-based business organizations. Financial-based business organizations are institutions or companies that render financial services to public and private stakeholders in an economy. It is a powerful sector in the economy of every country. This drive poses a lot of challenges to organizations. Hence, business organizations strategically devised a means to safeguard the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of information. Also, innovation poses many risks and threats to the internal audit function in an organization.   Theoretical Framework/Findings: Using the competency and planned behaviour theories (McClelland 1973 and Ajzen,1991), this study disclosed that the task performance of cybersecurity risk assessment by the internal auditor is influenced by the required internal auditor’s characteristics of professional ethics of integrity and objectivity, personality traits, professional skills competency professional knowledge competency and deterrence and rewards to advise the management on the implications of cyber security risk on business organisations for monitoring and mitigations.   Methodology: A literature review approach is adopted to highlight the role of internal auditors in cyber security risk assessment in financial–based business organizations.   Research Limitation/Implication: This conceptual paper has consequences for the practice of internal auditing. This approach is helpful to academic scholars in testing it out in the real world. This model is helpful to practitioners when evaluating the function of IAs in the cybersecurity risk assessment context.   Originality/Values: Earlier auditing-related studies haven't addressed this problem. This study makes an effort to close such a gap and investigate the subject of the internal auditor’s characteristics and cyber security risk assessment among financial-based organizations

Trifecta : embedded sustainability criterion dismantling barriers through learning and full suite of power tools

Title from PDF of Title page, viewed on March, 3, 2014Dissertation advisor: Joan GallosVitaIncludes bibliographical references (pages 160-181)Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Henry W. Bloch School of Management. University of Missouri--Kansas City.This dissertation uses a multiple case study format with polar sampling to examine the organizational strategies and processes underlying two firms’ successful sustainability programs, in order to understand the factors leading to positive sustainability outcomes. Particular attention is given to the values underlying sustainable development objectives, the means of institutionalizing those values, and the organizational strategies and resources utilized to protect those values while simultaneously serving other important organizational values. The two organizations studied have different business structures and decision-making processes; however, they share three key features that empower strong sustainability outcomes. First, each organization has an embedded sustainability criterion that ensures the organization acts on sustainability concerns across its value chain. Second, each has learning processes by which it dismantles barriers to sustainability. Third, each organization supports sustainability learning activities with a full suite of what researchers have called “empowerment tools,” a variety of infrastructural resources without which learning rarely occurs. This study offers a three-pronged strategy for organizational sustainability tailorable to the individual firm, and may be of interest to firms searching for a “do-able” alternative. It brings novel, grounded data to bear on conventional views about embedding sustainability across an organization and about the need to build an organizational culture of sustainability. It supports recent comments in the literature about the role of the business case in sustainability behavior. Although much has been written about sustainable development, research investigating the ways firms choose to overcome barriers to sustainable development is at its beginning. This study helps to fill that void.Abstract -- List of illustrations -- List of tables -- Acknowledgements -- Dedication -- Introduction and overview -- Literature review -- Theoretical framework, research design, and methodology -- The Cases: seventh generation and Cox Arizona -- Application of grounded theory method to the data -- Core concept: embedded sustainability -- Core concepts: learning processes to dismantle barriers and power tools to support learning -- Conclusions -- Strengths and weaknesses of the study and future research considerations -- Appendix -- Reference

An Exploration of the Influence of Dimensions of Organizational Behavior on the Relationship between the Allocation of Financial Resources and Persistence and Graduation Rates

This study was prompted by the limited body of research describing the relationship between the allocation of financial resources and student outcomes in higher education, and by the instance of contradictory and inconclusive results found in that research. With consideration that yet unidentified dynamics might account for the diversity of results, this study explored the influence of dimensions of organizational behavior on the allocation of financial resources at three colleges with differing rates of persistence and graduation rates, but that were otherwise similar in terms of other defining institutional characteristics. Q Methodology ascertained perceptions of senior leadership at the three colleges about the behavioral nature of financial decision making at those institutions. Factor analysis of those perceptions revealed distinctly different profiles for two of the institutions in terms of dimensions of organizational behavior. Factor analysis found a lesser degree of commonality in perceptions about financial resource allocation at the third institution. The results implied that dimensions of organizational behavior differentially influence the allocation of financial resources. Implications for the relationship of financial resource allocation and persistence and graduation rates are discussed, and areas for future research recommended