The successful implementation of e-government transformation: A case study in Oman

The aim of this paper is to investigate, and to discuss the key critical factors that facilitate the successful implementation of E-government projects. The nature of this research is mainly qualitative. This investigation uses a single case study and data was mainly collected by means of semi-structured interviews and organisational documents from the Ministry of Higher Education in Oman. The research findings suggest that there are three paradigms which each include a set of factors that impacts the success of E-government success namely, organisational paradigm, technology paradigm and end-users paradigm. The authors believe that, this paper demonstrates an added value to the current literature on transformation of E-government and to E-government projects success, within the wider context of E-government implementation projects. Also the research will benefit organisations in the public sector, as it has identified main key success factors in E-government transformations and implementations

Knowledge management: Exploring the relationship between human capital and organisation structure capital

Human capital and its impact on the organisation structure capital are of paramount importance in the modern business organisations. This research in progress, which investigates and analyses the role that human capital plays in the determination of the organisation structure capital. The study is based on wide spectrum of current literature, which presents theoretical and practical research on the subject of study. Knowledge Management (KM) is systematic process based on models and technological integration, which helps in the development of the conceptual framework. It is assumed that KM leads to benefits for the organisation and provides a platform for future research. Also, it addresses KM impacts on human capital and the enhancement of organisational effectiveness. The procedure is established for the measurement of the effectiveness of knowledge management criteria. The study aims at large businesses in Syria. It is confirmed through the results and findings that models and processing of information through systematic structure is essential for the development of the manager’s capabilities which plays an important factor in defining the impact of human capital on the success of the organisation structure of a business

Antecedents of trust in international joint ventures' (IJVS) performance in developing countries: A review of empirical evidence

Trust in international joint venture has received much attention for the last 20 years. This study highlights the importance of social capital in international joint ventures (IJVs) in developing countries. This paper assesses the impact of antecedents of trust on performance of international joint ventures in developing countries, which is based on social exchange theory. Little attention has been paid to exploring the concept in IJV. The impacts of components of inter partner-fits and relational factors on trust and the effect of trust on performance of IJVs will be considered. In addition the impact of religion and country risk on level of trust in IJVs in these countries will be evaluated. A framework has been developed based on this review analyses and integrates empirical evidence in order to identify convergence and conflict in IJV. The paper addresses a problem of relevance to both international academics and practitioners in addressing managerial implications. It is hoped that the study will provide a meaningful implication to the process of selection of IJV partners

Environmental sustainability conducts and corporate performance in extractive sector

The subject of environmental sustainability transcends geographical zones, it attracts attention at the top-most business, governmental and civil society levels because of its current visible impacts. Despite the growing concern for a sustainable ecosystem, few applied studies have been conducted to establish the relationship between environmental sustainability and corporate performance in the extractive sector (one of the most profitable of all business sectors, yet arguably the worst culprit in environmental degradation). Therefore, this research seeks to explore the relationship between environmental sustainability and corporate performance in the extractive sector. This relationship was investigated using data from 68 companies within the extractive sector in both Europe and the Americas by the technique of multiple linear regression and event studies by one-way ANOVA. Our results show a negative relationship between environmental sustainability and profit while mixed results were obtained for relationship between environmental sustainability and firm value. In the short horizon, there is a positive relationship between environmental sustainability and firm value while a negative result was obtained in a long-horizon. The pattern of the results is most likely due to the unique nature of the sector where the demand for product exceeds supply. There is monopoly power in the form of cartels, and substitutes for the sector’s products (e.g. oil, gas, and cement) are either unavailable or inadequate. Therefore, poor attention to environmental responsibilities may not necessarily affect the profit but impact negatively on corporate value of the companies within the sector in a short-term. However, in the long-term, poor sensitivity to the environment may not be sustainable

Electronic word of mouth in social media: The common characteristics of retweeted and favourited marketer-generated content posted on Twitter

Marketers desire to utilise electronic word of mouth (eWOM) marketing on social media sites. However, not all online content generated by marketers has the same effect on consumers; some of them are effective while others are not. This paper aims to examine different characteristics of marketer-generated content (MGC) that of which one lead users to eWOM. Twitter was chosen as one of the leading social media sites and a content analysis approach was employed to identify the common characteristics of retweeted and favourited tweets. 2,780 tweets from six companies (Booking, Hostelworld, Hotels, Lastminute, Laterooms and Priceline) operating in the tourism sector are analysed. Results indicate that the posts which contain pictures, hyperlinks, product or service information, direct answers to customers and brand centrality are more likely to be retweeted and favourited by users. The findings present the main eWOM drivers for MGC in social media.Abdulaziz Elwalda and Mohammed Alsagga

An empirical investigation of the influence of organizational culture on individual readiness for change in Syrian manufacturing organizations

Purpose - While few recent studies have paid attention to the relationship between Organizational Culture (OC) and Individual Readiness for Change (IRFC), there is still a lack of systematic and empirical studies regarding the influence of all OC types on the IRFC components within the change management literature. This study aims to fill this gap in the literature by empirically examining the influence of all four organizational culture types of the Competing Values Framework (CVF) on the components of IRFC regarding TQM implementation, within the context of manufacturing organizations operating in Syria. Design/methodology/approach - A total of four hypotheses were proposed for testing. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to 350 Syrian Manufacturing Organizations (SMOs) in order to measure the level of IRFC and to identify the cultural profiles and characteristics of these organizations. Findings - The analysis of the collected shows that certain types of organizational culture are conducive to fostering IRFC. In particular, the findings of an empirical investigation revealed that group culture and adhocracy culture are the most supportive culture types for IRFC. Originality/value - This paper contributes to the existing literature of change management by providing empirical evidence leading to advancement of knowledge and the understanding of the relationship between OC types and IRFC components. Furthermore, the paper adds value via its contextual originality; being the first study that empirically examined the Syrian cultural context, and hence contributing to the scarce body of literature of both OC and IRFC, and in particular the developing countries

Proposing a systems vision of knowledge management in emergency care

This paper makes a case for taking a systems view of knowledge management within health-care provision, concentrating on the emergency care process in the UK National Health Service. It draws upon research in two casestudy organizations (a hospital and an ambulance service). The case-study organizations appear to be approaching knowledge (and information) management in a somewhat fragmented way. They are trying to think more holistically, but (perhaps) because of the ways their organizations and their work are structured, they cannot ‘see’ the whole of the care process. The paper explores the complexity of knowledge management in emergency health care and draws the distinction for knowledge management between managing local and operational knowledge, and global and clinical knowledge

Managing software engineers and their knowledge

This chapter begins by reviewing the history of software engineering as a profession, especially the so-called software crisis and responses to it, to help focus on what it is that software engineers do. This leads into a discussion of the areas in software engineering that are problematic as a basis for considering knowledge management issues. Some of the previous work on knowledge management in software engineering is then examined, much of it not actually going under a knowledge management title, but rather “learning” or “expertise”. The chapter goes on to consider the potential for knowledge management in software engineering and the different types of knowledge management solutions and strategies that might be adopted, and it touches on the crucial importance of cultural issues. It concludes with a list of challenges that knowledge management in software engineering needs to address