Staff's Activities Web Database System

People are the most valuable asset of any organization. Therefore, the need for executive Human Asset Management is undeniable. One important area that supports successful Human Asset Management is good records management of staff's progress. Thus, there must be an effective way of keeping records of each staff's activities. The boost of Information Technology application provides opportunities for organizations to manipulate the technology in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their operations. One example is the development of computerized record management system using database system, which now has expanded its' capabilities with the introduction of web driven database system. The tremendous growth of this technology offers the ability to transfer large amount of stored and organized data on demand. As a result, powerful and scalable data has been a crucial component of today's web applications. The evolution of this technology has in turn supports the development of new record management software, whether develop internally or through outsourcing. There are numerous methodologies that could be adhered to in system development process. Thus, developers must carefully select the methodology that is suit with own systems needs to be followed. This report will discuss about the development of Staff's Activities Web Database System. It could be seen as an introductory work to a new dimension of record management system, which is based on the web application. This system is develop based on the Database Life Cycle approach. Even though the system is initially designed for the School of Accountancy, UUM, the structure and functions developed are flexible. Thus, this system could be used as a model or reference by other departments or schools in order to develop a similar system in future. Last but not least, some issues and challenges related to the system design and development has also been discovered in this project

Change Readiness Influences on Knowledge Management Processes: A Case of Three Professional Service Firms

Introduction: The current dynamic market is characterised by stiff competition and ever-changing clients’ demand for better and innovative products and services. In this challenging environment, the need for developing and managing knowledge transcends the importance of accumulating physical capital. With an increasing awareness of the potential of knowledge as a competitive source for firms’ survival, there is an increased knowledge management initiatives and investments by firms. Nevertheless, literature highlights increasing failures of knowledge management initiatives, with reasons for the failure yet to be established conclusively. On the basis of the premise that implementation of the knowledge management process could induce changes in firms’ practices and culture, and employees’ beliefs and cognitive structure, the current thesis addresses the issue from the change management perspective. The main idea that drives the research evolves from the understanding that failure in knowledge management initiatives could be rooted in the lack of readiness to change. Objective: The primary objective of this thesis is to understand how the change readiness construct shapes the various processes for managing knowledge in professional service firms. Change readiness in this thesis was conceptualised as a multidimensional and multilevel construct. This thesis contributes to the body of knowledge by explicating the way these change readiness elements shape knowledge management processes. The study setting within the professional service industry offers unique insights, which is less explored in the extant KM literature. Method: The study was conducted within the professional service firms’ context, on the basis that knowledge represents the main source for survival and competitiveness in this knowledge-intensive industry. This research is grounded in the interpretive paradigm and is studied from the constructivist epistemological lens. This qualitative research employed multiple case study design in three New Zealand professional service firms. Two firms are accounting establishments and one represents an engineering maintenance firm. Sixteen semi-structured interviews, conducted over the period of two months, involved the managerial and operational professionals in these participating firms. Data were analysed following the grounded theory analysis and findings presented using cross-cases analysis. Results: This thesis contributes to the body of knowledge in the field of knowledge management (KM) by revealing the distinctive influences of multidimensional elements of the change readiness construct on the knowledge acquisition, knowledge application and knowledge sharing processes in the firms studied. The thesis proposes three dimensions of the change readiness construct, which are categorised as KM change understanding, KM change context and individual differences. The dimension of KM change understanding consists of change goal, change benefit, need for knowledge, perceived management support and collective commitment. The KM change context is comprised of learning, participation, communication and management support. Individual expertise and adaptability represent the individual differences dimension of the change readiness construct. Specifically, findings show that: 1) Readiness for the knowledge acquisition process is largely shaped by the individual’s change readiness elements, including the understanding of the need for knowledge and perceived management support, and the individual’s capability of expertise and adaptability. Learning and communication provides the essential contexts that shape the firm’s readiness for the knowledge acquisition process. 2) Readiness for the knowledge application process is largely shaped by the individual’s change readiness elements, including the understanding of change goal, change benefit and perceived management support, and the individual’s capability of expertise and adaptability. Collective commitment shapes professionals’ understanding of knowledge application at the firm level. Learning and management support provides the essential contexts that shape the firm’s readiness for the knowledge application process. 3) Readiness for the knowledge sharing process is largely shaped by the firm’s change readiness elements, consisting of professionals’ understanding of collective commitment, and the essential contexts of communication, participation and learning. Understanding of the need for knowledge and change benefit, as well as the professional’s expertise, shapes the individual’s readiness for the knowledge sharing process. 4) The way these change readiness elements shapes the distinctive KM processes in the professional service firms studied vary due to the effects of firm archetypes, inter-profession differences, change nature, knowledge nature and the demographic characteristic. These factors moderates the interrelationships described in in 1), 2), and 3)

Falling prey for social media shopping frauds: The victims’ perspective

Proliferation of e-commerce and the advent of social media utilization have contributed to the significant progress of social commerce around the world. Similar to existing internet applications for businesses, such as conventional e-commerce and mobile commerce, interactions and socialization on online medium (with less visibility of sellers and buyers physical presence) over the social media also possess risks of unreliable and fraudulent transactions. Despite the informed risks of online dealings, fraudulent social commerce incidents are growing. While the existing literature on social commerce provided insights on social commerce development in terms of its advantages and adoption, dearth of studies offer understanding of the dark side of social commerce, particularly with regards to the occurrence of social commerce frauds.This proposed qualitative study intends to bridge this gap, with the focus to examine the occurrence and the nature of the social commerce fraud, and consequently to understand how and why shoppers become victims of social commerce fraud.Findings are expected to contribute towards conceptual understanding of social commerce fraud phenomenon and offer inputs to increase awareness among social commerce community

Perception and attitude towards e-commerce: A case of postgraduate students in UUM

E-commerce is defined as business activities conducted using electronic data transmission technology. It includes any form of business transactions in which the parties interact electronically rather than by physical exchanges or direct physical contact. Even though it has been a few years since the commercialization of the Internet, Malaysians still mainly regard it as a means of communication and entertainment and not yet as a medium for business interactions. Thus, the proliferation of e-commerce activities has created a need to understand how and why people participate in e-commerce. This research is designed to analyze perception and attitude towards e-commerce among postgraduate students, based on organizational, environmental and personal factors. The results of this study revealed that the postgraduate students perceived e-commerce positively with the overall mean score of 82.6 (min=17, max= 109). They also possessed positive attitude towards e-commerce and are supportive of the e-commerce development (mean= 16.66, min=3, max=21). However, there is still room for improvement particularly in disseminating e-commerce information, enhancing information technology and e-commerce understanding among the people, strengthening cyber regulations as well as encouraging superior organizational commitment to support e-commerce development

The impact of minimum pay implementation on small businesses operating cost and sustainability: a case of service business

The implementation of minimum wage requirement in Malaysia beginning mid 2016 seems to impact both employees and employers in different ways. While this implementation could increase household income and claimed to boost employees’ productivity, employers or business operators, on the other hand are experiencing stringent effect on their business operating cost.The effect is more significant for small business operators, including the childcare centers.Childcare industry operates in the service sector, which represents the main contributor of Malaysian SMEs. Unfortunately for the industry, there is an increasing numbers of childcare centers have to cease their operation due to inability to comply with the minimum pay requirement.In the absence of thorough understanding of the phenomena, the small businesses, particularly among institution-based childcare, is at the risk of losing their businesses.This exploratory study intends to assess how the implementation of minimum pay requirement affects the existing operating cost structure, and consequently business sustainability of Malaysian childcare industry

The impact of change readiness on the knowledge sharing process for professional service firms

Purpose– The study aims to assess the influence of change readiness on the knowledge sharing process. This study proposes that readiness for knowledge sharing involves developing holistic understanding of the process through identification of individual and organisational readiness. Design/methodology/approach– The study adopts a qualitative case study design involving three New Zealand professional service firms (PFSs).Using grounded theory analysis, categories and concepts of change readiness that shape the knowledge sharing process were identified. The linkages among these elements offer an explanation of how readiness for knowledge sharing is formed.Findings – Findings show that beliefs regarding knowledge sharing and individual expertise determine individual readiness to share knowledge. Readiness for the process is escalated by instilling collective commitment for knowledge sharing. A conducive organisational context, which comprises communication, participation and learning, represents a firm’s capability to implement the knowledge sharing process. Findings also highlight the moderating influences of firm archetype, inter-profession differences and knowledge nature in the interplay between change readiness elements and the knowledge sharing process.Research limitations/implications– Findings reveal elements that motivate readiness for knowledge sharing from a change perspective. The propositions and theoretical model offered could extend understanding of the phenomena and lead to further studies assessing readiness for other knowledge management processes. The study involves three PFSs; hence, interpretation of the findings is limited within the scope and context of the study. Practical implications– Findings contribute to the formulation of firms’ knowledge sharing strategies by offering holistic insights into the importance of motivating readiness for knowledge sharing through consideration of multidimensional change readiness: individual and collective beliefs, individuals’ characteristics and organisational context.Originality/value– It is the first empirical study that seeks to develop theory how change readiness elements influences knowledge sharing in the organisation. To offer more contextualized findings, the study focuses on the phenomena of change readiness and knowledge sharing within the professional service industry

Change readiness: Creating understanding and capability for the knowledge acquisition process

Purpose– This study aims to show how change readiness shapes the knowledge acquisition process. The study elicits change readiness factors, at the individual and firm levels, that influence the knowledge acquisition process and are based on the context of professional service firms.Design/methodology/approach – The qualitative study is grounded in interpretive philosophy and adopts a multiple-case study design. Three New Zealand Professional Service firms were analyzed for this study. Using grounded theory analysis, categories and concepts of change readiness that shape knowledge acquisition were identified.Findings– Knowledge acquisition understanding, knowledge acquisition context and individual differences, represent primary dimensions defining change readiness for the knowledge acquisition process. Finally, distinctive firm archetypes, inter-profession differences and professionals’ demography, affect the way change readiness elements shape the knowledge acquisition process in the firms studied.Research limitations/implications – The study develops a theoretical model that shows how elements of change readiness, at the individual and organizational levels, influence knowledge acquisition. The study offers several propositions that could be tested in future studies. The study involves three professional service firms; hence, interpretation of the findings is limited.Practical implications – A holistic understanding of change readiness factors that influence knowledge acquisition could mitigate failures of knowledge management processes in organizations.Originality/value – It is the first empirical study that seeks to develop a theory on how change readiness elements influence knowledge acquisitions in the organization.To offer more contextualized findings, the study is done within the professional service industry

Social Commerce: Chanting the Experience of Shoppers in a Developing Country

The proliferation of the Internet, and the recent hype/massive popularity of social media for socialization and interactions have created a new landscape of social commerce. While social commerce via websites and marketplaces is accustomed in the Western market, the recent development indicates that millennials in the Southeast Asia are taking riskier buying decisions by embarking on business transactions with individual sellers on the social networking (SNS) platforms; known as customer to customer social commerce (C2C-SC). Taking into consideration of the rapid growth and potential security issues of this type of social commerce, it is therefore pivotal to understand why shoppers tend to shop on SNS platforms although they have options to shop on a more secured platform. This qualitative study was conducted, in a developing country of the Southeast Asia, to gain in depth understanding of buyers’ engagement in the rapidly growing social commerce. Based on the thematic analysis from the interviews data, findings highlighted that buyers’ interest for shopping on SNS platforms was instigated from the two motivational perspectives – intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivations consist of feelings of convenience, sense of comfort and sense of satisfaction. Extrinsic motivations are formed by inputs of other buyers, sellers’ characterization and products distinct. This study is amongst the first to explore online buyers’ experiences that justify their interest to purchase on SNS platforms, which emerged from the interplay of internal and external factors. Findings offer insightful explanations on the phenomenon and contribute to further development in the body of knowledge of social commerce, specifically related to C2CSC

Modelowanie wewnętrznych sił MSP strategia adaptacji cyfrowej w kierunku przemysłu rewolucji 4.0

This paper explores internal forces that formed the digital adaptation strategy for SMEs embarking on the digital transformation of Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0). A qualitative case study design was adopted involving Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) from the manufacturing and service sectors in Malaysia. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews and supported by the resources from the firms’ website. Adopting the Planned Process Change Model and Technology Adaptation Process Model as new theoretical lenses in the digital adaptation study, findings from the multiple case studies using thematic analysis revealed four dimensions of internal forces driving SMEs’ digital adaptation: business strategy, value creation, digital leadership and digital talent. Findings contribute to the theoretical development of the digital adaptation strategy from a change management perspective.Niniejszy artykuł bada siły wewnętrzne, które ukształtowały strategię adaptacji cyfrowej dla MŚP rozpoczynających cyfrową transformację rewolucji przemysłowej 4.0 (IR4.0). Przyjęto jakościowy projekt studium przypadku z udziałem MŚP z sektora produkcyjnego i usługowego w Malezji. Dane zostały zebrane za pomocą częściowo ustrukturyzowanych wywiadów i poparte zasobami ze strony internetowej firm. Przyjmując Model Planowanej Zmiany Procesu i Model Procesu Adaptacji Technologii jako nowe soczewki teoretyczne w badaniu adaptacji cyfrowej, wnioski z wielu studiów przypadku z wykorzystaniem analizy tematycznej ujawniły cztery wymiary sił wewnętrznych napędzających adaptację cyfrową MŚP: strategia biznesowa, tworzenie wartości, przywództwo cyfrowe i talent cyfrowy. Ustalenia przyczyniają się do teoretycznego opracowania strategii adaptacji cyfrowej z perspektywy zarządzania zmianą