bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Knowledge management and organization's perception in the United Arab Emirates: case study
Authors: Alrawi Khalid W. 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe challenge of knowledge management (KM) is to determine what information within an organization qualifies as “valuable”. Not all information is knowledge, and not all knowledge is valuable. The key is to find the relevant and worthwhile knowledge within a vast sea of information. The main purpose of the paper was to ascertain the meaning managers ascribe to the concept of KM. This study was not intended to build or test theory, but does offer some insights into needed and relevant research in the area of KM.Design/methodology/approachThis empirical seeks sought to determine whether or not CEOs in UAE organizations are capable in managing knowledge to the advantage of the firm. The study sample consists of 102 managers in different organizations in Abu Dhabi/UAE, reflecting their attitudes towards KM.FindingsSeveral managers expressed concerns over technological issues. These issues related to technical infrastructure and security of data on the internet. The finding was that Knowledge should make a difference in some way, materially or spiritually, and that KM resources will be best employed by organizations utilizing technology as a long‐term investment.Originality/valueThis paper fulfils and identifies needs and offers new thought to individuals in the field of management and information technology.
Competency and performance analysis of Indian SMEs and large organizations
Authors: Singh Rajesh K. , Garg Suresh K. , Deshmukh S.G. 
Published: November 2008

PurposeGlobalization of markets and increasing expectations of customers have created a turbulent environment for Indian organizations. The purpose of this paper is to study the development of various competencies by small‐, medium‐ and large‐scale Indian organizations under various pressures and constraints.Design/methodology/approachFor collecting data, a questionnaire‐based survey were conducted. Out of 241 responding organizations, 193 were small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) and 48 were larger organizations. Statistical analysis of data acquired from the survey are done by reliability test, t‐test and correlation analysis.FindingsIntroduction of new technology and identification of market changes have emerged as most important competencies because they are significantly correlated with subjective performance, objective performance and overall competitiveness of organization. Levels of focus given on competencies development by large organizations differ significantly from SMEs.Research limitations/implicationsFindings of the study imply that SMEs should be as proactive as large organizations in making changes in terms of various processes such as development of competencies, human resources, upgrading of technology and awareness about market changes. For validating these results, further case studies are recommended.Originality/valueThis study will help organizations in shaping their competitive strategies for developing competencies as per the market needs.
Using outsourcing for strategic competitiveness in small and medium‐sized firms
Authors: Elango B. 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop an outsourcing matrix and explains how outsourcing can be used to facilitate strategic innovation.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology used in this study is of an explanatory case study. This paper uses secondary data as well as primary data from several interviews with executives, entrepreneurs and industry experts. The combination of the two sources of data ensures a certain level of convergence and completeness in the analysis presented.FindingsThe approach suggested in this paper offers small and medium‐sized firms an opportunity to innovate strategically (i.e. creation of newer services and products) and potentially level the playing field with larger rivals.Originality/valueThis paper offers practicing managers a framework for using outsourcing as a means to compete effectively. Importantly, compared to the outsourcing literature's traditional focus on large firms, this paper is one of the few which takes the perspective of the small or medium sized firm. Additionally, this paper serves as a foundation for theory building and future research on the usage of outsourcing by such firms to enhance strategic competitiveness.
Dealing with organizational inertia: psychoanalytical insight and instruction
Authors: Allcorn Seth , Godkin Lynn 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the concept of communities of practice from a psychoanalytically informed perspective.Design/methodology/approachThe concept of communities of practice is defined, their working described, and negative attributes delineated.FindingsThe paper finds that through the exploitation of basic skills, the development and sharing of a shared language, incorporation of previous relevant experience and current information over time, the community of practice becomes more open. The group is better able to combine existing knowledge with emerging understandings.Practical implicationsPsychoanalytically informed theory is applied to provide alternative insight into communities of practice and how they impede organizational progress.Originality/valueThe paper illustrates how human nature influences the workplace in general and contributes to the working of communities of practice in particular.
Politicians, central banks, and the shape of financial supervision architectures
Authors: Dalla Pellegrina Lucia , Masciandaro Donato 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the role of the quality of government on financial supervisory structures in different countries.Design/methodology/approachThe objectives are pursued by means of econometric tools based on probit and multinomial logit techniques.FindingsIt is found that the quality of government plays a crucial role in determining supervision unification. “Good” policymakers (helping hand types) prefer a unified financial authority while “bad” ones (grabbing hand type) choose specialized or hybrid models depending on how powerful is the central bank.Research limitations/implicationsResearch limitations are represented by the endogenous nature of political variables with respect to the supervisory design. Suggestions for future research rely on finding adequate instrumental variables to be included in the empirical analysis in order to address causality issues.Practical implicationsThe paper follows a positive approach, explaining why different supervisory structures are observed around the world. As a consequence, it does not provide any normative implication.Originality/valueIts original contribution can be identified in the first attempt to include political preferences in determining the choice among different regimes of financial supervision.
Compliance risk in Italian banks: the results of a survey
Authors: Birindelli Giuliana , Ferretti Paola 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe objective of this paper is to highlight the results of a survey on compliance practices in Italian financial institutions (Italian banks and branches in Italy of foreign banks).Design/methodology/approachThe survey is carried out through a structured questionnaire, arranged into several sections: general information on the definition and framework of compliance risk, organizational structure, reporting, culture, purpose and tasks of the compliance staff, assessment of the compliance staff performance and of the risk. The survey is mainly developed on two issues: organizational and risk assessment implications.FindingsIt is found that many survey participants are responding positively to regulation developments, since there is a widespread recognition of compliance as a key element for creating value and improving reputation. It is also found that the Italian banks surveyed, whose compliance activities have been usually performed by internal audit, dedicate less attention to compliance matters in comparison with the branches of foreign banks. The institutions interviewed underline the need to have clear guidelines from supervisory authorities, so that they can achieve an effective and efficient management of compliance risk.Originality/valueThis subject has not been analyzed in depth to date. This paper provides a representative view of the management of compliance risk in Italian banks, thanks to the variety of the issues under observation and the size of the sample.
The impact of corporate fairness on the bank‐SME relationship
Authors: Vegholm Fatima , Silver Lars 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe United Kingdom Financial Services Authority's treating customers fairly initiative has drawn attention to a current trend that involves regulators using regulatory principles to enhance the relationship between financial institutions and customers. The term corporate fairness is introduced to facilitate the understanding of the construction of fairness. The purpose of this study is to investigate corporate fairness as a means of achieving customer satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on a sample of 359 small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in Sweden. LISREL, a structural equation modelling technique, is used to analyse the empirical data.FindingsThe present study emphasises the importance of treating customers fairly in the financial sector. By being embedded in the strategy and structure of the bank organisation, corporate fairness enables individual bankers to act in a relational manner towards their customers, thereby resulting in higher customer satisfaction.Originality/valueCorporate fairness is a topic usually reserved for consumer research, this study shows the impact of corporate fairness on the SME community. The study shows how corporate fairness is linked to customer satisfaction, and how perceived fairness can be improved.
Coordination and transformation in business processes: towards an integrated view
Authors: Goldkuhl Göran , Lind Mikael 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to contrast two views, a transformative and a coordinative view, on business process management (BPM) in order to propose an integrated view.Design/methodology/approachThe investigation has been made with the purpose of developing a synthesis of these two views working as thesis and antithesis. The core of such dialectic approach is to create a synthesis that transcends contradictions of the thesis and antithesis. Pros and cons in the two perspectives have been identified and an integrated process view has been proposed, as well as operationalised into modelling methods. The integrated process view comprises a number of definitions of different process types (business process, assignment process, transformation process and provision process).FindingsThe paper derives characteristics of the transformative as well as the coordinative view. These are used as the basis for pinpointing important characteristics of an integrative view. These characteristics put forward coordination in relation to transformation as well as assignment processes in relation to other types of processes (such as transformation processes and provision processes)Practical implicationsThe proposed integrated view has practical implications in the work of modelling, analysing and designing business processes.Originality/valueThe value of the paper is that it presents a complementary view on business processes derived from two existing views. In the paper, coordination aspects are seen as superior to transformation.
Business process improvement: empirical assessment and extensions
Authors: Siha Samia M. , Saad Germaine H. 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to survey and analyze current process improvement (PI) approaches, their empirical results reported in the literature, and develop accordingly a conceptual framework and implementation guidelines.Design/methodology/approachA literature review of the popular business database to search for case studies and empirical research on PI methods was conducted. The empirical evidence on success and failure factors were inferred and tabulated. Based on synthesis of the lessons learned from this empirical evidence along with concepts drawn from economics, and operations management, a conceptual framework is developed.FindingsIt was found that the framework would serve as a diagnostic tool for identification of, and recovering from root causes of problems and inefficiencies faced in business environments. The framework proposed synthesizes and extends earlier PI tools and basic approaches used for mitigating disruptions faced in operations practice. The framework design consists of three main phases: Specify; Analyze; and Monitor closely. Accordingly, it is denoted by SAM.Practical implicationsDecision makers can be altered to both the success factors and causes of failure of different PI approaches, and a framework is provided along with implementation guidelines that help assure practical effectiveness of PI efforts. The guidelines provided for practicing managers comprise two categories: specific; tool‐based, and general; system‐based.Originality/valueThe contribution of this paper is two fold: first, empirical evidence on the drivers of success and failure of four main PI approaches, were synthesized. These include: six sigma, benchmarking, reengineering and process mapping. Second, based on this empirical evidence, a conceptual framework that guides both the choice and implementation of business process improvement programs is developed. The proposed framework and its implementation guidelines help assure actual effectiveness of PI practice.
Process‐based management
Authors: Carmignani Gionata 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a structured method to apply process management approach following ISO 9001:2000 requirements, clause 4.1.Design/methodology/approachThe content of this paper is focused on the detailed analysis of the fourth clause of the 2000 edition of norm ISO 9001, and it presents an articulated procedure which can be undertaken by any organization in order to give the best answers to the requirements therein.FindingsThe method described consists in eight steps, with a top‐down approach going from the definition of the macro‐processes of the organization to the definition of the single stages which constitute the activities. An approach to implement quality objectives deployment is implemented. In order to better explain the methodology, a case study is used.Originality/valueIndeed, it is thought that the content of the fourth clause of ISO 9001, and in particular of paragraph 4.1, represents one of the most important innovations brought in by the new edition which nevertheless, since this paragraph contains requisites oriented more towards method and approach mentality to the quality system and less towards detail and strictly operational prescriptions, has been poorly and erroneously understood, or even deliberately not taken into account. The proposed methodology represents an original guide line to implement process management approach.
Business process modelling, simulation and reengineering: call centres
Authors: Doomun Razvi , Vunka Jungum Nevin 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a flexible framework through which business processes can be modelled, simulated and reengineered in a cost‐effective way.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is mainly based on a review of the literature and the methodology is discussed in the context of a typical call centre business.FindingsReengineering business processes involve changes in people, processes and technology over time. In this paper, a flexible business process modelling, simulation and reengineering (BPMSR) approach is presented. Modelling starts with precisely defining model objectives and boundaries, and carrying extensive data analysis. Simulation modelling allows testing and analysis of different scenarios to understand their impact on a broader “system” and evaluate feedback before moving forward with reengineering implementation plans. The need for a flexible and adaptive methodology is stressed to augment efficiency and effectiveness of reengineering cycle.Originality/valueFlexibility and adaptability in the reengineering cycle are effective to identify early modelling incompatibility and simulation defects. It adds intelligence to BPMSR and accommodates for any technical or process changes that may subsequently arise. This approach is reliable for future process improvement or reengineering endeavours due to its flexible configuration, which can be adapted to both radical or incremental change.
Good computing: a pedagogically focused model of virtue in the practice of computing (part 2)
Authors: Huff Chuck , Barnard Laura , Frey William 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a four component model of ethical behavior that integrates literature in moral psychology, computing ethics, and virtue ethics as informed by research on moral exemplars in computing. This is part 2 of a two part contribution, part 1 having appeared in Vol. 6 No. 3.Design/methodology/approachThis psychologically based and philosophically informed model argues that moral action is grounded in relatively stable personality characteristics, guided by integration of morality into the self‐system, shaped by the context of the surrounding moral ecology, and facilitated by morally relevant skills and knowledge.FindingsThe model seeks to explain the daily successful (and unsuccessful) performance of moral action by computing professionals and to provide groundwork for a pedagogy that emphasizes ethically effective performance.Practical implicationsThe model has significant implications for how ethical action to computer professionals and other design professionals might be taught. It also makes recommendations about what need to be measured to construct a complete picture of sustained ethical action in a profession.Originality/valueMost accepted models of ethical behavior are unidimensional, emphasizing either principled reasoning or a simplistic model of integrity/character. This model brings together a variety of disparate literatures in the light of its emphasis on sustained moral action in the profession. It thereby provides researchers and educators with a picture of what is needed to construct a complete understanding of moral action in the profession.
Value‐centred interaction design methods
Authors: Knight John 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThis paper aims to inform and improve the quality of electronic products and services by outlining an approach to ethically grounded design.Design/methodology/approachA number of design disciplines were investigated using desk research and also learning from experience in commercial design practice in the mobile phone, Internet and software industries.FindingsIt is suggested that design “scripts” specific behaviours with either good or bad results. Scripts have a behavioural element and they define the physical, social and individual impact of products and services. This suggests that designers should be aware of the impact design decisions have throughout the product lifecycle. In order to achieve this, three ethical design principles (situated research, reflexivity and participation) are proposed to frame ethical design practice.Research limitations/implicationsIt is suggested that measuring impact alone is insufficient to minimise harm caused by electronic products and services. Instead, research should focus on positively informing design through actionable results in the participatory design tradition. Conversely, design needs to accommodate research into measuring the impact of products in order to deliver long‐term benefits to users rather than perpetuating passive consumption.Practical implicationsThe paper provides an overview of methods for value‐centred interaction design based on the analysis of alternative approaches to ethical design.Originality/valueThe research in the paper spans a number of related but heretofore separate disciplines pertinent to deepening design thinking. These disciplines are critiqued on the basis of their appropriateness and applicability to an ethical design approach and the concept of scripting, used in traditional design, is applied to interactivity. Lastly, three new principles are proposed for ethically grounded design.
Arabic script language identification using letter frequency neural networks
Authors: Selamat Ali , Ng Choon‐Ching 
Published: November 2008

PurposeWith the rapid emergence and explosion of the internet and the trend of globalization, a tremendous number of textual documents written in different languages are electronically accessible online from the world wide web. Efficiently and effectively managing these documents written in different languages is important to organizations and individuals. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to propose letter frequency neural networks to enhance the performance of language identification.Design/methodology/approachInitially, the paper analyzes the feasibility of using a windowing algorithm in order to find the best method in selecting the features of Arabic script documents language identification using backpropagation neural networks. Previously, it had been found that the sliding window and non‐sliding window algorithm used as feature selection methods in the experiments did not yield a good result. Therefore, this paper proposes, a language identification of Arabic script documents based on letter frequency using a backpropagation neural network and used the datasets belonging to Arabic, Persian, Urdu and Pashto language documents which are all Arabic script languages.FindingsThe experiments have shown that the average root mean squared error of Arabic script document language identification based on letter frequency feature selection algorithm is lower than the windowing algorithm.Originality/valueThis paper highlights the fact that using neural networks with proper feature selection methods will increase the performance of language identification.
Transforming research case studies into teaching cases
Authors: Štrach Pavel , Everett André M. 
Published: November 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to encourage consideration of the multiple factors affecting dual use of case studies for both research and teaching, and conversion between the two types; to encourage development of a case transformation protocol to add rigor to this process.Design/methodology/approachLiterature review with discussion.FindingsNoting that insularity diminishes the potential contribution of the research underlying either teaching or research cases, this paper advocates establishment of more formalized conversion approaches.Practical implicationsDual use of case studies can provide economies of scale for academics, conserving time, effort, and funding, but involving greater care and advance consideration of the implications of differences between teaching and research cases.Originality/valueBy highlighting key issues and proposing solutions, this paper advances understanding of the potential for transformation of cases and the importance of advance consideration of their purpose(s).