Gli impatti organizzativi delle piattaforme di Enterprise Content Management sui processi decisionali

L\u2019obiettivo della tesi di ricerca \ue8 quello di analizzare le correlazioni esistenti tra il vantaggio competitivo, associato al miglioramento del processo di decision making, e la gestione dei contenuti aziendali attraverso le piattaforme di Enterprise Content Management (ECM). Con questo contributo si intende pertanto incrementare la letteratura presente all\u2019interno del Knowledge Management (KM) ed in particolare sul rapporto esistente tra i sistemi di Knowledge Management, di Enterprise Content Management e la gestione dei processi decisionali. All\u2019interno della letteratura del Knowledge Management, le piattaforme di Enterprise Content Management, sino ad ora, sono state analizzate solo attraverso la Transaction-Costs Theory (Reimer, 2002; McKeever, 2003; Smith e McKeen, 2003; O'Callaghan e Smits, 2005; Tyrv\ue4inen et al., 2006) e vengono generalmente descritte come dei sistemi utili per la riduzione dei costi di gestione dei contenuti aziendali presenti all\u2019interno dell\u2019organizzazione. Nello specifico attraverso analisi empiriche i diversi autori hanno evidenziato come gli strumenti di ECM siano in grado di aumentare l\u2019efficienza della gestione delle informazioni aziendali, riducendone il costo di gestione e ricerca. Analizzando gli articoli presenti all\u2019interno della letteratura manageriale, si pu\uf2 facilmente constatare che, a tutt\u2019oggi, non esiste una definizione univocamente accettata del concetto di ECM. Esaminandoli congiuntamente si possono per\uf2 riscontrare alcune analogie. La distinzione non dipende dal contenuto ma dal focus utilizzato dal ricercatore per descrivere, analizzare ed interpretare i sistemi ECM. Pochi ricercatori hanno per\uf2 studiato gli impatti che tali strumenti di Content Management hanno sull\u2019organizzazione e sui processi aziendali. In particolare, nessuna ricerca ha mai evidenziato il ruolo strategico delle piattaforme ECM nella gestione dei contenuti aziendali (Gupta et al., 2002; Helfat e Peteraf, 2003; Smith e McKeen, 2003; O'Callaghan e Smits, 2005). Per analizzare ed interpretare i valori rilevati all\u2019interno del case study, verr\ue0 utilizzata la teoria della Knowledge Based View. Si considera infatti che i siano le risorse strategiche utili per raggiungere e mantenere il vantaggio competitivo (Conner e Prahalad; 1996; Choi et al.; 2008). I sistemi di ECM non verranno analizzati secondo un approccio gestionale, cio\ue8 non si valuter\ue0 l\u2019aumento di efficienza connesso al miglioramento della gestione delle informazioni aziendali, bens\uec si andr\ue0 ad analizzare l\u2019evoluzione delle performance aziendali connesso con lo sviluppo del processo decisionale. Nel corso dell\u2019analisi, si andr\ue0 ad analizzare se la conoscenza contenuta all\u2019interno delle organizzazioni, risulta essere fondamentale per lo sviluppo e la crescita aziendale (Wernerfelt, 1984; Grant, 1991; Penrose, 1995; Grant, 1996; Prusak, 1996; Teece et al., 1997; Piccoli et al., 2000; Piccoli et al., 2002). Le informazioni assumono per\uf2 un reale valore solamente quando possono essere gestite facilmente all\u2019interno del processo di decision making per il mantenimento di un vantaggio competitivo. Per migliorare le prestazioni aziendali, risulta fondamentale riuscire a trasformare i numerosi contenuti aziendali \u201cpassivi\u201d in sorgenti \u201cattive\u201d. La potenzialit\ue0 dei sistemi di Enterprise Content Management consiste nella loro capacit\ue0 di elaborare elevati volumi informativi, fornendo all\u2019utente finale o al sistema di Decision Support Systems (DSS), tutte le informazioni utili ai fini decisionali. In tal modo le migliori performance dell\u2019attivit\ue0 del decision maker avviene non solo attraverso l\u2019incremento della qualit\ue0 e della quantit\ue0 delle informazioni di ingresso al processo decisionale ma anche grazie ad una migliore formalizzazione della conoscenza presente all\u2019interno della memoria organizzativa. Il metodo di ricerca utilizzato sar\ue0 il cosiddetto \u201cinterpretative case study\u201d, il quale risulta particolarmente utile per esaminare un fenomeno nella sua naturale evoluzione (Benbasat, 1984). Il metodo del case study \ue8 stato scelto anche perch\ue9 pu\uf2 rappresentare un veicolo ideale per giungere ad una pi\uf9 profonda comprensione dei processi di business espliciti ed impliciti, ma anche per comprendere meglio il ruolo degli attori all'interno dei sistemi organizzativi (Campbell, 1975; Hamel et al., 1993; Lee, 1999; Stake, 2000). Si utilizzer\ue0 l'azienda come unit\ue0 di analisi (Yin, 1984) sia quando si analizzeranno le relazioni col mercato che il comportamento dei singoli partecipanti ad un processo (Zardini et al., 2010). Inizialmente si andranno ad analizzare alcune delle pi\uf9 significative definizioni di conoscenza presenti all\u2019interno della letteratura e per ciascuna si evidenzieranno i punti di forza e di debolezza. Inizialmente sar\ue0 ripresa l\u2019enunciazione proposta da Polanyi (Polanyi, 1958; Polanyi, 1967), la quale verr\ue0 poi integrata con gli studi condotti da Nonaka, Takeuchi e Konno (Nonaka, 1991; Nonaka e Takeuchi, 1995; Nonaka e Konno, 1998; Nonaka et al., 2000). Si passer\ue0 dal concetto generale di conoscenza alla nozione di knowledge assests, i quali verranno identificati anche come delle risorse intangibili generate internamente all\u2019impresa, difficilmente acquistabili sul mercato. Dopo aver accertato che la conoscenza pu\uf2 essere considerata una risorsa importante per l\u2019ottenimento di un vantaggio competitivo (Grant, 1996b; Prusak, 1996; Alavi e Leidner, 1999; Earl e Scott, 1999; Piccoli et al., 2002), il capitolo terminer\ue0 contestualizzando il concetto di knowledge assets anche all\u2019interno della teoria della Knowledge Based View. Nel secondo capitolo verr\ue0 esplicitato il processo di creazione della conoscenza e si identificheranno le tre tipologie di Knowledge Management Systems. Il capitolo terminer\ue0 con una disamina dei principali sistemi di Knowledge Management utilizzati per la creazione, l\u2019analisi ed il mantenimento della conoscenza presente all\u2019interno della memoria organizzativa. Nel terzo capitolo si proceder\ue0 alla disamina delle componenti principali presenti all\u2019interno del processo di decision making e con l\u2019analisi degli strumenti di KM specifici per il miglioramento del processo decisionale medesimo. Il capitolo si concluder\ue0 con la descrizione e la disamina dei sistemi a supporto delle decisioni. Nella quarta sezione si definir\ue0 il termine \u201ccontenuto aziendale\u201d e lo si assocer\ue0 al concetto di dynamic capabilities (Teece et al., 1997; Eisenhardt e Martin, 2000; Helfat et al., 2007). Successivamente si analizzeranno tutte le fasi presenti all\u2019interno del ciclo di vita dell\u2019informazione: dalla creazione di un nuovo contenuto sino alla catalogazione, al salvataggio ed all\u2019eventuale modifica o cancellazione dello stesso. Avendo circoscritto il concetto di content si proceder\ue0 con l\u2019analisi delle definizioni presenti all\u2019interno della letteratura. Il capitolo terminer\ue0 con lo studio delle componenti principali presenti all\u2019intento dei sistemi ECM ed in particolare con l\u2019analisi degli strumenti utili a supportare i processi decisionali presenti all\u2019interno delle organizzazioni. Nell\u2019ultimo capitolo si proceder\ue0 alla disamina della metodologia dell\u2019Action-Research, analizzandone i punti di forza e le criticit\ue0. Successivamente si seguir\ue0 l\u2019approccio proposto da Baskerville (Baskerville, 1999), secondo cui il termine \u201cRicerca-Azione\u201d da un lato identifica un metodo di investigazione per le scienze sociali, dall\u2019altro rappresenta una sub-categoria che la distingue dagli altri sotto-metodi presenti. Procedendo con l\u2019analisi si giunger\ue0 al modello di Baskerville e Wood-Harper (Baskerville e Wood-Harper; 1998) secondo cui si possono individuare dieci distinte forme di Action-Research all\u2019interno della letteratura dei Sistemi Informativi, e tra queste, la Multiview ed in particolare la Multiview2, sar\ue0 la metodologia di riferimento utilizzata per testare il framework teorico all\u2019interno del case study.The focus of this thesis is to analyze the correlations between the competitive advantage, associated to the improvement of the process of decision making, and the content management through the Enterprise Content Management platform (ECM). One scope of this work is to increase the Knowledge Management (KM) literature and in particular to seek the correlation between the ECM Systems and the Decision Support Systems. Enterprise Content Management platforms largely have been analyzed according to Transaction Cost Theory (Reimer, 2002; McKeever, 2003; Smith and McKeen, 2003; O'Callaghan and Smits, 2005; Tyrv\ue4inen et al., 2006) and generally are described as useful for the reduction of ECM costs inside an organization (McKeever, 2003). Through empirical analyses, various authors have stressed that ECM tools increase efficiency and reduce management and research costs. Few studies consider the impacts of these tools on the organization or company processes. In particular, no research has highlighted the strategic role of ECM platforms in Enterprise Content Management (Gupta et al., 2002; Helfat and Peteraf, 2003; Smith and McKeen, 2003; O'Callaghan and Smits, 2005) as a means to improve and speed up the decision-making process. The case study will be analyzed by the Knowledge Based View. Specifically, the knowledge-based view (KBV) constitutes a fundamental essence of the resource-based view (RBV; Conner and Prahalad, 1996), reflecting the importance of knowledge assets. The knowledge and enterprise content generated thus can be interpreted not only as strategic resources to achieve or maintain a competitive advantage but also as useful tools for developing and expanding the company\u2019s ability to respond promptly to unexpected events in the external environment and therefore perfect decision making within the organization. According to several authors (Barney, 1991; Amit and Schoemaker, 1993; Peteraf, 1993; Winter, 1995; Grover et al., 2009), the Resource Based View (RBV) cites knowledge as a resource that can generate information asymmetries and thus a competitive advantage for the enterprises that possess it. Reconsidering the general theory on the RBV and including knowledge assets among an enterprise\u2019s intangible resources easily results in the KBV. If the term \u201cacquired resources\u201d from the general RBV proposed by Lippman and Rumelt (1982) and Barney (1986) gets replaced by \u201cknowledge,\u201d the result is KBV theory, and knowledge represents one of the strategic factors for maintaining a competitive advantage (Grant and Baden-Fuller, 1995; Grant, 1996c; Teece et al., 1997; Sambamurthy and Subramani, 2005; Bach et al., 2008; Choi et al., 2008). The availability of content thus is necessary, but it is not a sufficient condition to improve the decision-making process and company performance. Rather, the company also needs to transform \u201cpassive\u201d contents, such as unused information within the boundaries of organizational memory, into \u201cactive\u201d sources that are integral to the decision-making process. To improve the decision-making process and create value, the enterprises must enrich the quality and quantity of all information that provides critical input to a decision. The goal therefore involves an ability to manage knowledge in- and outside the organization by transforming data into knowledge. In the case analyzed, decision-makers achieve the best performance not only improving the quantity and quality of input information to the decisional process but also thanks to a better formalization of the knowledge included in all phases of the process. In this view, ECM platforms are advanced KM tools that are fundamental for the development of a competitive advantage, in that they simplify and speed up the management (creation, classification, storing, change, deletion) of information, increase the productivity of each member, and improve the efficiency of the system (McKeever, 2003; Nordheim and P\ue4iv\ue4rinta, 2004; O' Callaghan and Smits, 2005). By implementing an ECM system, the company has not only an effective means for creating, tracking, managing, and archiving all company content but also can integrate business processes, develop collaborative actions through the systemic organization of work teams, and create a search engine with specialized \u201cbusiness logic views.\u201d Standardized contents and layout, associated with a definition of content owners and users (i.e., management of authorizations), and document processes support the spread of updated, error-free information to various organizational actors. Similar to business intelligence systems, ECM platforms support decision making inside the organizations in terms of viewing and retrieving data and analyzing and sharing information\u2014and thus increase organizational memory\u2014as well as their storage and continuous maintenance along the life cycle of the enterprise. For the analysis of the case study, this study employs the action research method (Lewin, 1946; Checkland, 1985; Checkland and Scholes, 1990), and specifically Multiview2 (Avison and Wood-Harper, 2003). The original Multiview concept assumed a continuous interaction between analysts and method, including the present situation and the future scenario that originated by application of the methodology. In some respects, the original definition was limited, in that it did not describe the function of each element and the trend of possible interactions (Avison and Wood-Harper, 2003). Multiview2 fills these gaps by taking into consideration the action and reaction generated by the interactions of the elements. The three macro-categories therefore must be aligned to conduct an organizational, socio-technical, and technological analysis (Avison et al., 1998; Avison and Wood-Harper, 2003). The researcher provides a clear contribution that matches the theoretical framework used as a reference and measures and evaluates in subsequent phases the results obtained from those implemented actions

Transformative social innovation in developing and emerging ecosystems: a configurational examination

Despite the literature on social innovation (SI) in ecosystems growing considerably in recent years, what makes an ecosystem a facilitator for transformative SI remains unexamined, particularly indeveloping and emerging countries. Our research aims to fill this literature gap by determining which combination of characteristics-stemming from stakeholder theory and knowledge management-turns local smallholder coffee farmers in developing and emerging producing countries into autonomous and empowered partners and catalysts for spreading SI initiatives locally. We adopt a configurational approach using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis of 18 SI projects that coffee MNEs, nongovernmental organizations, and institutions have undertaken to favor such an egalitarian value co-creation with local stakeholders. We demonstrate that stakeholder empowerment, cooperative strategic posturing, knowledge transfer, and local knowledge exchange are necessary conditions within the ecosystem to create local autonomy as an antecedent for transformative SI. The novelty in our approach lies in proposing a shift from a pure firm-centric perspective based on stakeholder dependence to a more participatory relational perspective that entails lower-power stakeholders' interdependence and collaboration for autonomous decision-making, thereby advancing fresh thinking on stakeholder and knowledge management applied to SI in developing and emerging contexts. We also propose practical suggestions to deal with stakeholder power's imbalances, which might limit the ecosystems' adaptation toward transformative SI

Enhancing employees' remote work experience: Exploring the role of organizational job resources

The improvement of well-being and working conditions for remote employees has long been a topic of discussion in management literature. The COVID-19 lockdowns have brought this topic back to the forefront, with remote work becoming not just an option but a necessity in some cases. Therefore, understanding the organizational and individual-level variables that contribute to enhanced remote work experience for workers is critical today. However, academic research on the topic remains incomplete. The present study contributes to this topic by building a comprehensive research model, including relevant organizational variables connected to individual-level experiences of stress in remote work contexts. An examination of 471 observations of remote workers was conducted to test a moderated mediation model, which showed the significant role of participative leadership, goal clarity, and job resource adequacy in enhancing remote work self-efficacy as stress-coping mechanisms

E-commerce and e-procurement: an outsourcing perspective

The make or buy dilemma has been largely analyzed in the field of Information Systems. The main reason for this type of literature thriving so much is that the Information Systems function was one of the first enterprise areas to be externalized. If traditionally only few activities, distant from the core business of the enterprises, have been externalized with the sole objective of gaining efficiency, in the late Nineties externalization of real company functions has started to be considered again, in some instances concerning activities that have always been considered core business. The role played by the management of organizational interdependencies was stressed and the fact that outsourcing was perceived according to solutions of organizational engineering was highlighted, steering enterprises towards new organizational design criteria. In fact, make or buy decisions require more and more that organizational variables be structured by processes and not by functions, precisely to ease the management of organizational interdependencies and make externalization decisions more transparent and objectively measurable. The research question of this paper aims at understanding how much can a particular form of electronic commerce, such as e-procurement, be categorized as a special form of outsourcing, intending this phenomenon as a hybrid organizational form, halfway between hierarchy and market. In order to categorize the outsourcing phenomenon from a theoretical standpoint, the Transaction Cost Theory (TCT) has been used, while the research method consists of a case study. In this paper the attention will be focused on a particular process only, i.e., procurement, in relation to the activities involved in the externalization process. The paper will analyze an outsourcing case applied to the entire macro-process of procurement. The conclusions will highlight the evolving trends in this research field, which appears to be affected by substantial changes and to be increasingly more volatile and influenced by multiple factors that are not always easily recognizable and measurable. The purpose of this paper in fact is to give a contribution to the formalization of an application subject, namely, externalization of procurement, largely diffused in practice although scarcely developed from a theoretical standpoint

BI as a service: an attempt to understand the leading adoption factors

The research question of this study attempts to identify which are the leading factors for the adoption of a sourcing Software as a Service model for Business Intelligence applications. The objective is to build a model containing enabling factors for the adoption of BI solutions. We seek to expand on the Benlian et al. model which is based on a theoretical framework including axioms from Transaction Cost Theory, Resource Based View, Theory of Planned Behavior. In order to better understand the phenomenon under investigation, we will use also the Organizational Culture Theory. It is a theoretical research in progress

Virtual Network organizations and e-Procurement: A New Outsourcing Perspective

The make-or-buy dilemma represents one of the most important topic in the IS research field. The IT function, in fact, has been one of the first business areas to be outsourced. In this paper, we consider the outsourcing process not only as an economic decision driven by efficacy or efficiency but a real strategic move, driven by new business scenarios. In this new perspective, we consider ICT as a main factor enabling this change, where outsourcing is no longer a one-to-one relationship between two actors who regulate their transaction by a contract which establish terms and conditions of the exchange, but a one-to-X relationship where the outsourcing process is mediated by a technological interface such as the electronic marketplace which establish terms and condition of any transaction regulating the participation to e-marketplac

Thermodynamic properties and cloud droplet activation of a series of oxo-acids

We have investigated the thermodynamic properties of four aliphatic oxo-dicarboyxlic acids identified or thought to be present in atmospheric particulate matter: oxosuccinic acid, 2-oxoglutaric acid, 3-oxoglutaric acid, and 4-oxopimelic acid. The compounds were characterized in terms of their cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activity, vapor pressure, density, and tendency to decarboxylate in aqueous solution. We deployed a variety of experimental techniques and instruments: a CCN counter, a Tandem Differential Mobililty Analyzer (TDMA) coupled with a laminar flow-tube, and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). The presence of the oxo functional group in the α-position causes the vapor pressure of the compounds to diminish by an order of magnitude with respect to the parent dicarboxylic acid, while the CCN activity is similar or increased. Dicarboxylic acids with an oxo-group in the β-position decarboxylate in aqueous solution. We studied the effects of this process on our measurements and findings

A combined particle trap/HTDMA hygroscopicity study of mixed inorganic/organic aerosol particles

International audienceAtmospheric aerosols are often mixtures of inorganic and organic material. Organics can represent a large fraction of the total aerosol mass and are comprised of water-soluble and insoluble compounds. Increasing attention was paid in the last decade to the capability of mixed inorganic/organic aerosol particles to take up water (hygroscopicity). We performed hygroscopicity measurements of internally mixed particles containing ammonium sulfate and carboxylic acids (citric, glutaric, adipic acid) in parallel with an electrodynamic balance (EDB) and a hygroscopicity tandem differential mobility analyzer (HTDMA). The organic compounds were chosen to represent three distinct physical states. During hygroscopicity cycles covering hydration and dehydration measured by the EDB and the HTDMA, pure citric acid remained always liquid, adipic acid remained always solid, while glutaric acid could be either. We show that the hygroscopicity of mixtures of the above compounds is well described by the Zdanovskii-Stokes-Robinson (ZSR) relationship as long as the two-component particle is completely liquid in the ammonium sulfate/citric acid and in the ammonium sulfate/glutaric acid cases. However, we observe significant discrepancies compared to what is expected from bulk thermodynamics when a solid component is present. We explain this in terms of a complex morphology resulting from the crystallization process leading to veins, pores, and grain boundaries which allow for water sorption in excess of bulk thermodynamic predictions caused by the inverse Kelvin effect on concave surfaces

Flunisolide Decreases Exhaled Nitric Oxide and Nitrotyrosine Levels in Asthmatic Children

Background. Exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) has been reported to be elevated in the oxidative stress involved in asthmatic patients, and the reaction of nitric oxide (NO) with superoxide anions results in the formation of nitrotyrosine. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of inhaled steroid treatment on nitrotyrosine levels collected by exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and on FeNO. Methods. This was a single-blind placebo-controlled study. The lung function, FeNO, and nitrotyrosine levels were evaluated in 10 asthmatic children. Results. The nitrotyrosine levels were stable during the placebo period (T0 = 1.16 ng/ml versus T1 = 1.05 ng/ml; NS.), whereas they decreased after the treatment with flunisolide (T2 = 1.14 ng/ml versus T3 = 0.88 ng/ml; P < .001). No significant reduction in FeNO levels was observed after placebo treatment (T0 = 38.4 ppb versus T1 = 34.7 ppb, NS.). In contrast, FeNO values decreased significantly being at T3 = 14.9 ppb (T1 versus T3; P = .024). Conclusions. This study shows that corticosteroid treatment reduces nitrotyrosine levels in EBC of asthmatic subjects

The vapor pressures and activities of dicarboxylic acids reconsidered: the impact of the physical state of the aerosol

We present vapor pressure data of the C_2 to C_5 dicarboxylic acids deduced from measured evaporation rates of single levitated particles as both, aqueous droplets and solid crystals. The data of aqueous solution particles over a wide concentration range allow us to directly calculate activities of the dicarboxylic acids and comparison of these activities with parameterizations reported in the literature. The data of the pure liquid state acids, i.e. the dicarboxylic acids in their supercooled melt state, exhibit no even-odd alternation in vapor pressure, while the acids in the solid form do. This observation is consistent with the known solubilities of the acids and our measured vapor pressures of the supercooled melt. Thus, the gas/particle partitioning of the different dicarboxylic acids in the atmosphere depends strongly on the physical state of the aerosol phase, the difference being largest for the even acids. Our results show also that, in general, measurements of vapor pressures of solid dicarboxylic acids may be compromised by the presence of polymorphic forms, crystalline structures with a high defect number, and/or solvent inclusions in the solid material, yielding a higher vapor pressure than the one of the thermodynamically stable crystalline form at the same temperature