Digital Transformation: A Foundational Capability Building Block Perspective on Maturing the IT Capability

The enterprise-wide scope of an organisation's IT capability in sustainably leveraging technology for business value is well-researched, and the level of maturity of this capability is a key determinant of an organisation's success. IT capability maturity has become more critical as technological developments continue at an accelerated pace and as whole industries are being disrupted by digital developments. Maturity in terms of IT leadership, IT processes, IT infrastructure, and a myriad of other supporting organisation-wide capabilities is required. Since the 1980s, maturity models in the literature have focused on specialist niche areas, with few adopting a holistic perspective. Across these models, a lack of consensus is evident on the key capabilities that should be matured and on what the important sub elements or building blocks of these capabilities are. How does the organisation achieve an adequate level of maturity if the required capabilities are unclear? As one of the most holistic IT capability maturity models identified, this paper undertakes a systematic analysis of the 36 IT capabilities within IT Capability Maturity Framework (IT-CMF) and the 315 sub elements (Capability Building Blocks (CBBs)) that comprise these capabilities. This research aims to identify the common sub elements or building blocks inherent across the 36 capabilities, which we will refer to as Foundational Capability Building Blocks (FCBBs), and a high-level definition of these FCBBs abstracted from the relevant sub elements and discussed in terms of their recognised importance to effecting successful digital transformations. From an academic perspective, the research provides deeper insight on common themes that are pertinent to IT capability improvement. From an industry practitioner perspective, it breaks down the complexities of IT capability maturity with a focus on a manageable number of considerations. © 2022 Authors. All rights reserved

Eliciting Persona Characteristics for Risk Based Decision Making

Personas are behavioural specifications of archetypical users in Human Factors Engineering and User Interaction research aimed at preventing biased views system designers may have of users. Personas are therefore nuanced representations of goals and expectations that should be addressed when designing systems. Previous work has shown how personas may be validated by grounding in qualitative models; however, more evidence is needed on the applicability for grounding models in risk decision making research. We present an approach for eliciting persona characteristics for risk-based decision making by using Observe Orient Decide Act (OODA) as a modelling baseline. The approach illustrates how modelling personas based on decision makers’ understanding of risk facilitates designing for risk and uncertainty

Cloud computing adoption: Strategies for Sub-Saharan Africa SMEs for enhancing competitiveness

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) need to design and implement strategies for adopting new technologies as a competitive tool for maintaining their competitive advantage and cloud computing is at its peak. Since its emergence, there has been a surge in the adoption of cloud computing with research into its adoption primarily concentrated on bigger firms. However, a major characteristic of cloud computing is the anticipated possibilities it holds for SMEs. This paper primarily explores cloud computing adoption strategies for SMEs operating in Sub-Saharan Africa. Using a mixed method approach, a sample of 261 respondents and 11 SMEs was respectively used for the quantitative and qualitative stages of the research. The results reveal that, even though SMEs have their unique expectations for adopting cloud computing, they were of the consensus that elements of an adoption strategy should include adoption goals, a roadmap, and considerations. The paper makes specific recommendations to SMEs to develop adoption strategies that meet their specific needs if they expect cloud computing to play a stronger role to support more strategic initiatives to grow their businesses and improve customer experience

Write, draw, show, and tell: a child-centred dual methodology to explore perceptions of out-of-school physical activity

Background Research to increase children’s physical activity and inform intervention design has, to date, largely underrepresented children’s voices. Further, research has been limited to singular qualitative methods that overlook children’s varied linguistic ability and interaction preference. The aim of this study was to use a novel combination of qualitative techniques to explore children’s current views, experiences and perceptions of out-of-school physical activity as well as offering formative opinion about future intervention design. Methods Write, draw, show and tell (WDST) groups were conducted with 35 children aged 10–11 years from 7 primary schools. Data were analysed through a deductive and inductive process, firstly using the Youth Physical Activity Promotion Model as a thematic framework, and then inductively to enable emergent themes to be further explored. Pen profiles were constructed representing key emergent themes. Results The WDST combination of qualitative techniques generated complimentary interconnected data which both confirmed and uncovered new insights into factors relevant to children’s out-of-school physical activity. Physical activity was most frequently associated with organised sports. Fun, enjoyment, competence, and physical activity provision were all important predictors of children’s out-of-school physical activity. Paradoxically, parents served as both significant enablers (i.e. encouragement) and barriers (i.e. restricting participation) to physical activity participation. Some of these key findings would have otherwise remained hidden when compared to more traditional singular methods based approaches. Conclusions Parents are in a unique position to promote health promoting behaviours serving as role models, physical activity gatekeepers and choice architects. Given the strong socialising effect parents have on children’s physical activity, family-based physical activity intervention may offer a promising alternative compared to traditional school-based approaches. Parents' qualitative input is important to supplement children’s voices and inform future family-based intervention design. The WDST method developed here is an inclusive, interactive and child-centred methodology which facilitates the exploration of a wide range of topics and enhances data credibility

Factors Associated with Revision Surgery after Internal Fixation of Hip Fractures

Background: Femoral neck fractures are associated with high rates of revision surgery after management with internal fixation. Using data from the Fixation using Alternative Implants for the Treatment of Hip fractures (FAITH) trial evaluating methods of internal fixation in patients with femoral neck fractures, we investigated associations between baseline and surgical factors and the need for revision surgery to promote healing, relieve pain, treat infection or improve function over 24 months postsurgery. Additionally, we investigated factors associated with (1) hardware removal and (2) implant exchange from cancellous screws (CS) or sliding hip screw (SHS) to total hip arthroplasty, hemiarthroplasty, or another internal fixation device. Methods: We identified 15 potential factors a priori that may be associated with revision surgery, 7 with hardware removal, and 14 with implant exchange. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses in our investigation. Results: Factors associated with increased risk of revision surgery included: female sex, [hazard ratio (HR) 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-2.50; P = 0.001], higher body mass index (fo

Hodnocení vyspělosti systému řízení rizik v automotivu v České republice: model a metodika

Tento článek poskytuje přehled aktuálně používaných modelů rizikové splatnosti, aby poskytl přehled hodnocení a diagnostiky zralosti řízení rizik ve společnostech. Hlavní Cílem výzkumu je vyvinout snadno použitelný diagnostický nástroj pro podnikové riziko hodnocení zralosti řízení přizpůsobené dodavatelům automobilového průmyslu úrovně I. v Prvním krokem byl dotazník pro autoevaluaci připravený pomocí panelu odborníci používající syntézu existujících modelů vhodných pro použití v automobilovém průmyslu. model hodnocení rizikové splatnosti je poté připraven pomocí metody Delphi a Likertovy stupnice pro vícekriteriální hodnocení, protože odborníci trvali na stanovení různých hmotností pro každého kritérium. Na základě výsledků prezentovaných v tomto článku je nástrojem pro sebehodnocení rizikové splatnosti v roce 2007 pro firmy byl vytvořen dotazník. Zjištění: Původním účelem výzkumu bylo poskytnout přehled o aktuálně používaných rizikové modely splatnosti, což nás vedlo k nalezení více než 77 modelů splatnosti. Původ rizika modely splatnosti lze připsat Hillsonovi (1997), který vytvořil první model rizikové splatnosti na základě modelu zralosti schopností v IT sektoru. Významné výzkumné úsilí bylo dát pozor na tvrdé a měkké výhody řízení rizik. Na základě analýzy u pečlivě vybraných modelů byl nový model syntetizován. Navrhovaný model používá samohodnocující snadno použitelný dotazník. Dotazník se skládá z 24 atributů rozdělených do 5 modulů, které byly vyhodnoceny na základě 25 otázek. Všechny atributy byly hodnoceny na a 10-bodová Likertova stupnice pomocí metody Delphi prováděné s panelem odborníků. Výsledkem a účelem modelu je vstupní diagnostický dotazník základní úrovně splatnost řízení rizik společnosti přizpůsobená dodavatelům automobilového průmyslu úrovně I. Originalita / hodnota: Vzhledem k tomu, že řízení rizik je komplexní, poskytují společnosti modely zralosti schopnost posoudit jejich situaci a stanovit strategické cíle v oblasti řízení rizik. Přizpůsobení modelu splatnosti rizik pro potřeby konkrétní organizace nebo průmyslového sektoru byl doporučen vědci a odborníky v oboru řízení rizik (Antonucci, 2016; Kaplan a Mikes, 2016; Marks, 2015; MARSH, 2018; McKay, 2017).This article provides a review of currently used risk maturity models to provide an overview of the assessment and diagnostics of risk management maturity in companies. The main research goal is to develop an entry-level easy-to-use diagnostic tool for enterprise-wide risk management maturity assessment tailored to Tier I suppliers of the automotive industry. In the first step, the questionnaire for self-evaluation was prepared with the help of a panel of experts using a synthesis of existing models suitable for use in the automotive industry. The risk maturity assessment model is then prepared using the Delphi method and the Likert scale for multi-criteria evaluation since the experts insisted on setting different weights for each criterion. Based on the results presented in the paper, a risk maturity self-evaluation tool in the form of a questionnaire was created for companies. Findings: The initial purpose of the research was to provide a review of the currently used risk maturity models, which led us to find more than 77 maturity models. The origin of risk maturity models can be credited to Hillson (1997) who built the first risk maturity model based on the capability maturity model from the IT sector. A significant research effort was put into the observation of hard and soft benefits of risk management. Based on the analysis of carefully chosen models, the new model was synthesized. The proposed model uses a selfevaluating easy-to-use questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of 24 attributes divided into 5 modules that were evaluated based on the 25 questions. All attributes were assessed on a 10-point Likert scale using the Delphi method conducted with the panel of experts. The outcome and purpose of the model is an entry-level diagnostics questionnaire of company risk management maturity tailored for Tier I suppliers of the automotive industry. Originality/value: As risk management is complex, maturity models provide companies with the ability to assess their situation and set strategic goals in the field of risk management. Tailoring a risk maturity model for the needs of the specific organization or industry sector has been recommended by researchers and industry practitioners in risk management (Antonucci, 2016; Kaplan and Mikes, 2016; Marks, 2015; MARSH, 2018; McKay, 2017)