Simplifying sensemaking: concept, process, strengths, shortcomings, and ways forward for information systems in contemporary business environments

Sensemaking is a popular and useful organizational behaviour concept that is gaining visibility in the field of information systems. However, it remains relatively unknown compared to more established information systems concepts like technology acceptance and resistance. To enhance and propel greater use of sensemaking in information systems, this article offers a systematic explanation of sensemaking, specifically focusing on its concept, process, strengths, and shortcomings, as well as discussing ways forward for information systems in contemporary business environments

What is at stake in a war? A prospective evaluation of the Ukraine and Russia conflict for business and society

War produces devastating impacts on humankind, especially in terms of lives and livelihoods. While war is a widely studied topic in history, it remains relatively understudied in business. To address this gap, this article explores the impact of war for business and society. To do so, this article undertakes a prospective evaluation of the Ukraine and Russia conflict as a recent case of war. In doing so, this article reveals that a war can impact society within (e.g., limit access to basic necessities and monetary resources, increase unemployment and reduce purchasing power, and increase asylum seekers and refugees) and outside (e.g., supply shortage and inflation and threat of false information) as well as business within(e.g., threat of cyberattacks, threat to digital and sustainable growth, and short-term and long-term sanctions and support) and outside (e.g., test of business ethics and moral obligations and test of brand management) war-torn countries. The article concludes with an agenda for future research involving war, business, and society

Confucianism values for transformational leadership development in the Chinese context

Transformational leadership has received a great significance in the leadership literature during the past two decades. However, this research is dominated by Western traditions and scant attention is paid to Asian traditions. Therefore, in this paper, the authors explore the relevance of Confucianism, an Asian tradition, and its significance in transformational leadership development. For this purpose, the authors have selected the Analects, which provide the essence of Confucianism to explore the relevant transformational leadership concepts. This paper is based on hermeneutics, a qualitative research methodology that involves study, understanding and interpretation of ancient text. Confucianism provides an inside-out approach to transformational leadership development, which is self leadership first, before leadership of others. This inside-out perspective is also similar to other Asian traditions, such as ancient Indian wisdom. The prospects of analysis of Confucianism in other areas of leadership and management can be considered for future research

Virtual goods in social games: an exploratory study of factors that drive purchase of in-game items

Purchases of in-game virtual goods in digital environments have been growing rapidly. With the rise of social networks like Facebook, socially-oriented online games have become a staple activity for users in these communities. Revenue models built around the selling of these non-physical items to casual players are projected to become increasingly dominant. We present a framework to explore the factors that motivate the buying of virtual goods by reviewing the literature on purchase behaviors in the Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) domains. We share preliminary results based on data collected in Pet Society, a popular social game in Facebook, and discuss findings related to users’demographic profiles, play frequency, and virtual goods purchasing patterns and motivations

Real money from non-real stuff: the business of virtual goods

Abstract not available

Building the organisational learning capability of small and medium enterprises

The ability to foster and support effective organisational learning (OL) has been described as a key strategic capability that fuels the development and leverage of valuable organisational resources for contemporary organisations. Theoretical and conceptual advances in the field of OL however, have been based predominantly on the experience of larger organisations in the western hemisphere. In comparison, the extant knowledge concerning how small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) can foster and support the development of their OL capability has been limited. Researchers have stressed that the cultural and structural variations between SMEs and larger organisations would limit both the generalisability and applicability of mainstream strategic prescriptions. As a result, more 'localized' knowledge is needed to shed light on the types of strategies and learning mechanisms which can be implemented in order to enhance SMEs' capability to learn. This study provides an overview of the conceptual underpinnings of OL capability. It discusses the roles of four selected antecedents of OL capability as well as the link between the capability and organisational competitiveness. To this end, it establishes the argument that the development of a strong OL capability as a strategic factor can confer significant competitive advantage for resource-constrained SMEs in Sarawak

Resource-Based View of Information Systems: Sustainable and Transient Competitive Advantage Perspectives

The resource-based view (RBV), or resource-based theory, is one of the oldest and most influential theories in the field of information systems. This paper contends that it is timely to revisit, reflect on, and reposition RBV to ensure its continued disciplinary relevance and progress. In doing so, this paper (i) provides a succinct and sharp evaluation of the conventional RBV of information systems that firms use to establish sustainable competitive advantage, and (ii) makes an original contribution by introducing a contemporary RBV of information systems that firms can use to establish transient competitive advantage. Both these contributions should advance the current and future understanding of information systems as (a) an internal firm resource, (b) a source of competitive advantage, and (c) a driver of firm performance

Resource-Based View of Information Systems: Sustainable and Transient Competitive Advantage Perspectives

The resource-based view (RBV), or resource-based theory, is one of the oldest and most influential theories in the field of information systems. This paper contends that it is timely to revisit, reflect on, and reposition RBV to ensure its continued disciplinary relevance and progress. In doing so, this paper (i) provides a succinct and sharp evaluation of the conventional RBV of information systems that firms use to establish sustainable competitive advantage, and (ii) makes an original contribution by introducing a contemporary RBV of information systems that firms can use to establish transient competitive advantage. Both these contributions should advance the current and future understanding of information systems as (a) an internal firm resource, (b) a source of competitive advantage, and (c) a driver of firm performance