A Systematic Literature Review

The present work offers a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) to analyze how information systems could improve decision making in SMEs with a focus on objectives and methods used, types of information systems, benefits and the main impacts associated with the use of IS to support decisions in SMEs. A conceptual framework containing this issues is developed. The literature review is based on articles from journals and conference articles from 2008 to 2018, using B-on, Science Direct and Web of Science databases. Thus, this systematic literature review represents an important contribution to the organizations and researchers, making it possible to clarify approaches and components of IS use to improve decision making in SMEs.A informação deve ser vista como um dos recursos mais valiosos nas organizações, tendo em vista a internalização e a globalização dos mercados. Assim, é necessário que a informação esteja disponível de forma integrada e atualizada, proporcionando uma visão de alto nível que promova a eficácia no processo de tomada de decisão e, conseqüentemente, no desempenho das PMEs. Para analisar como os Sistemas de Informação (SI) podem melhorar a tomada de decisões nas PME foi realizada uma Revisão Sistemática da Literatura, cujo objetivo foi o de analisar os principais objetivos de pesquisa e métodos aplicados nos trabalhos que focam esta temática, os tipos de sistemas de informação disponiveis, os benefícios e os principais impactos associados quanto a utilização de SI para apoiar o processo de decisão nas PMEs. Portanto, foram selecionados 14 artigos com base na metodologia de Denyer & Tranfield (2009); Kitchenham & Charters (2007); Rousseau et al. (2008) e Tranfield et al. (2003), publicados entre 2008 e 2018, nas bases de dados B-on, Science Direct e Web of Science. Quanto aos tipos de SI, não há consenso em relação à classificação/tipologia, mesmo porque devido às inovações tecnológicas emergentes estão em constante atualizações. Os tipos de SI utilizados nas PME variam de acordo com uma série de fatores como o tipo de negócio da empresa, a cultura, a indústria, os recursos disponíveis, entre outros aspectos. Assim, quanto aos objetivos de pesquisa, a maioria dos trabalhos que fazem parte da amostra possuem como objetivo principal validação e depois o desenvolvimento, adaptapção ou criação de um tipo de SI ou elaboração de framework utilizado no processo de tomada de decisões. Esses resultados demonstram que existe uma tendência em estudar um tipo específico de SI em relação a outro. Já em relação aos tipos de SI utilizados para apoiar o processo de tomada de decisão nas PME, o Business Intelligence System (BIS) e o Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) são os tipos mais utilizados, embora em alguns estudos foram utilizados dois tipos simultaneamente, como ERP e BIS ou ERP e Product- Service Systems (PSS). Há evidências nos artigos pesquisados, que o impacto no desempenho organizacional ocorre principalmente a nível estratégico, na organização como um todo, em outros setores de cadeia financeira ou produtiva e na Supply Chain. Finalmente, no que diz respeito às medidas de desempenho apoiadas pelo uso de SI nas PME, apenas 6 estudos mencionaram algum indicador, como a eficácia financeira, operacional, controlo de receitas e despesas, produtividade e satisfação do usuário. Assim, esta revisão sistemática representa um importante contributo para as organizações e pesquisadores, possibilitando esclarecer abordagens e componentes do uso de sistemas de informação para melhorar a tomada de decisões nas PME

SME stakeholder relationship descriptions in website CSR communications

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to report on an exploratory, qualitative study of how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) describe their firm’s relationships with or impact on stakeholders when communicating corporate social responsibility (CSR) on their websites. Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative content analysis was conducted on 22 Australian SME websites from the information media and telecommunications sector. Stakeholder theory was used as the basis for analysis. Findings – An important aspect of CSR communication is reporting the firm’s relationships with stakeholders such as society/communities, ecological environment, employees, customers and suppliers. This paper provides insights into how these relationships are manifested in SME website communications. For example, three-way relationships between the firm and stakeholders were described on some websites, but few explained the impact of their CSR on stakeholders. Research limitations/implications – This study concentrated on identifying the CSR communication on websites from one industry sector in Australia. These limitations provide the basis for future research to explore and compare CSR communication on websites by SMEs from other industry sectors and countries. Practical implications – The findings offer SME owner-managers ideas on different ways they can incorporate details of stakeholder relationships in CSR website communications. Originality/value – There has been little research on how SMEs use channels such as websites to communicate CSR. This paper addresses this gap in knowledge by providing insights into how SMEs describe stakeholder relationships in CSR website communications

Conceptualising how SMEs incorporate green content in their websites

This paper presents a framework on how Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) can proactively incorporate content relating to their ecological responsibility (or green) activities in their websites. SME studies offer limited guidance on, and conceptualisation of, how organisations can incorporate different types of content into their website designs. This paper addresses this problem by presenting the results of an exploratory, qualitative content analysis of Australian SME websites where emergent themes are interpreted using framing and legitimacy theories. It describes three dimensions (location, presentation, and specificity) which comprise the framework, under which the themes are grouped. The paper outlines how scholars can use the framework to develop models and carry out evaluations regarding how SMEs embed green content, and potentially other specific content types, in their websites. It also summarises how the framework can assist SMEs (or website developers serving them) make informed decisions regarding framing their websites as green, or de-emphasising this content, by paying attention to its location (e.g. homepage, navigation bars) and presentation (e.g. how paragraphs, images, etc are used) within webpages. The legitimacy or credibility of the green content can be enhanced using different types of specificity (e.g. statistics, detail of processes and actions, and third-party substantiation)

Investigating the antecedents to the adoption of SCRM technologies by start-up companies

Despite their fairly recent emergence, start-up companies now play an important role in the economic development of countries around the globe. These companies have fewer tangible assets and capital, and therefore, the efficient delivery of services and products is a key business priority for them. Customer relationship management (CRM) technologies, which are designed to facilitate customer engagement during the design, development and delivery of services and products may play a significant role in the success or failure of start-up companies. Developments in new communication technologies have transformed traditional CRM into electronic CRM (eCRM), mobile CRM (mCRM); and more recently, social CRM (SCRM). However, there remains very little understanding of the factors affecting SCRM adoption in start-up businesses. The relative newness of SCRM technologies, coupled with the swiftly evolving nature of start-up companies: which has made them difficult cases to study – has limited the amount of research undertaken in this area. This paper aims to close this gap by proposing a framework that depicts the factors affecting start-up companies’ intention to adopt SCRM applications, and explores the relative importance of these factors. Inspired by an extended Technological, Organisational and Environmental (TOE) framework, this paper investigates effects of technological characteristics (TC), organisational characteristics (OC), environmental characteristics (EC) and managerial characteristics (MC) on start-up companies’ intentions to adopt SCRM applications. The results outlined in this research indicate that the observability, compatibility and trialability of SCRM solutions positively affect SCRM adoption in start-up businesses. Moreover, the availability of internal financial resources has a similarly positive effect. When considering environmental characteristics, it was found that support from venture capitalists, crowd funding support, governmental support, business angels support and external pressure all positively affect the intention to adopt SCRM applications within start-up businesses

The Relationship Between Customer Relationship Management Usage, Customer Satisfaction, and Revenue

Given that analysts expect companies to invest $22 billion in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems by 2017, it is critical that leaders understand the impact of CRM on their bottom line. The purpose of this correlational study was to investigate potential relationships between the independent variables of customer satisfaction and CRM utilization on the dependent variable of business revenue. The service-profit chain formed the theoretical framework for this study. The study population included 203 service branches for an industrial equipment manufacturer in North America. The service director for the subject organization provided the data for the study via data extracts from the company\u27s corporate database. Some branches were eliminated, leaving a total sample size of 178. The results of a multiple linear regression analysis showed that the proposed model could significantly predict branch revenue F (2,175) = 37.321, p \u3c .001, R2 = .298. Both CRM use and customer satisfaction were statistically significant, with CRM use (beta = .488, p \u3c .001) showing a higher contribution than customer satisfaction (beta = -.152, p = .021). This study provides evidence to business executives that CRM use has a strong positive influence on revenue. Additionally, this study supports the findings of other studies that show a point of diminishing returns in improved customer satisfaction. This study contributes to positive social change by allowing firms to make better decisions with their investment dollars and by increasing CRM utilization through cause-related marketing

Studying the electronic customer relationship management and its effect on bank quality outcomes

In this article, the researcher attempts to study theelectronic customerrelationship management and its effect on bank quality outcomes. Statistical population of thus  research is all staff working at Refah Bank of Arak City. The research objective is  applied and the method is survey-descriptive. The researcher has used questionnaire to collect the data in addition to library references. Sampling size is 122 based on Cochran's formula that was returned after distributing of 80 samples. Hypotheses of research have been analyzed using spss software and Spearman correlation test. The results prove all hypotheses of research.Keywords: Electronic Banking, Service Quality, Customer Satisfaction, Management ofRelationship with Customer, Commitmen

Maturity assessment of social customer knowledge management (SCKM) using fuzzy expert system

Organizations which provide electronic services do not have a logically structured strategy for implementing Customer Knowledge Management through Social media (SCKM). By assessing the position of SCKM, organizations can have a clear understanding of their maturity level and find their future investment interests. This research examined the maturity assessment of SCKM utilizing a fuzzy expert system. It consisted of a-four-stage procedure. The maturity model is based on 11 critical success factors, including strategy, leadership, information technology, knowledge management, culture, process, resources, business intelligence, security, social customer, and assessment. Results showed that the studied organization has covered 48.2% of maturity on the first level and 51.8% on the second level. Thus, to increase productivity, it is indispensable for organizations to act in a targeted way. The fuzzy expert system is not designed specifically for a case study, but can be utilized as a reference for in-depth analysis of the organizational readiness for SCKM implementation and development within organizations, which provide e-services applications

Customer relationship management: digital transformation and sustainable business model innovation

[EN] The point of departure for this study is the understanding of customer relationship management (CRM) as a set of technological solutions key for efficient business management, the benefits of which, highlighted by previous works, are presented and defined here as crucial for entrepreneurial success. Of particular interest for this purpose are the existing studies on sustainability, which provide a viable research model to assess and validate the potential effect of each CRM component (sales, marketing, and services) on the three dimensions of sustainability (economic, environmental, and social). Upon confirmation of our hypotheses, the subsequent validation of such model should bring a better understanding of the way in which CRM-related benefits may increase the positive impact of its components on each dimension of sustainability. CRM can hence be considered a sort of Green IT, oriented toward digital transformation and sustainable business model innovation. 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Small firm perspective in customer relationship management implementation

CRM has been a popular topic since the 90s and several of studies have been conducted by academic scholars from diverse multidisciplinary fields of study. CRM implementation have always been focused in large organizations and not that much attention given has been to smaller size organization. However, with the emerging small size firms in the market CRM software providers shifted the attention from larger firms to smaller size firms. The ready to use software, lower cost and features functions attract small size firms to implement CRM for their business. Furthermore, the demand to implement CRM in firms is to achieve competitive advantage and survival in the global market. The objective of this study is to gain an understanding from a small firm perspective in implementing CRM. To achieve this, both benefits and challenges related to CRM framework processes were identified and discussed. The study also aims to identify the challenges as well as the benefits encounter during the implementation process. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) term have been around since 1990s. Many CRM implementation studies have been conducted in a large organization however there is limited study conducted from a small firm perspective. The studies begin with exploring CRM definitions. However, there is no one define definition found in literature. CRM concepts: process, data, customer knowledge and technology are being introduced. Next, concept of small firm being introduced. The connection between small firm and CRM are being explored in three perspectives: drivers to implement CRM, potential benefits and challenges of CRM. Those perspectives are based on previous studies found in existing literature reviews. The empirical study is based on qualitative methodology and conducted as a single case study. The single case is built on a small firm operating in Finland. The research data was gathered as a combination of semi-structured interviews and author’s observations. The findings verified the importance of having a similar CRM definition among the employees in order to achieve a successful CRM implementation. Based on the result of the study, challenges and benefits of CRM have been identified, reflected and discussed related to previous academic studies. The result showed that CRM is commonly viewed as a technological tool or project rather than cross-functional long-term business process. The finding of this thesis may assist future small firms in having more effective strategy and less frustration during the implementation process

Small firm perspective in customer relationship management implementation

CRM has been a popular topic since the 90s and several of studies have been conducted by academic scholars from diverse multidisciplinary fields of study. CRM implementation have always been focused in large organizations and not that much attention given has been to smaller size organization. However, with the emerging small size firms in the market CRM software providers shifted the attention from larger firms to smaller size firms. The ready to use software, lower cost and features functions attract small size firms to implement CRM for their business. Furthermore, the demand to implement CRM in firms is to achieve competitive advantage and survival in the global market. The objective of this study is to gain an understanding from a small firm perspective in implementing CRM. To achieve this, both benefits and challenges related to CRM framework processes were identified and discussed. The study also aims to identify the challenges as well as the benefits encounter during the implementation process. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) term have been around since 1990s. Many CRM implementation studies have been conducted in a large organization however there is limited study conducted from a small firm perspective. The studies begin with exploring CRM definitions. However, there is no one define definition found in literature. CRM concepts: process, data, customer knowledge and technology are being introduced. Next, concept of small firm being introduced. The connection between small firm and CRM are being explored in three perspectives: drivers to implement CRM, potential benefits and challenges of CRM. Those perspectives are based on previous studies found in existing literature reviews. The empirical study is based on qualitative methodology and conducted as a single case study. The single case is built on a small firm operating in Finland. The research data was gathered as a combination of semi-structured interviews and author’s observations. The findings verified the importance of having a similar CRM definition among the employees in order to achieve a successful CRM implementation. Based on the result of the study, challenges and benefits of CRM have been identified, reflected and discussed related to previous academic studies. The result showed that CRM is commonly viewed as a technological tool or project rather than cross-functional long-term business process. The finding of this thesis may assist future small firms in having more effective strategy and less frustration during the implementation process