IBIMA Publishing

Conformance of Malaysia E-Commerce Blogs with Quality Content Theories

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:37:59 GMT

Syahida Hassan, Suzana Zambri, Mohd Khairudin Kasiran, Mohamad Tarmidi Mahli, Nor Farzana Abd Ghani and Muziah Muhammad, Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 168019, Journal of Internet and e-business Studies, 9 pages, Abstract: Recently the use of blog as an e-commerce site has become popular in Malaysia. Significant changes can be seen in e-commerce usage as more people are connected to the Internet through faster broadband connection. Nonetheless, trust remains a major issue when it involves online transaction. Information displayed on the blog is vital and considered as one of the important factors to gain the consumer trust. This paper is a preliminary study particularly focusing on the conformance of Malaysia E-Commerce blogs with related theories on quality online content. Samples were taken from Malaysia e-commerce blogs to identify the information that is shared by the owner of respective blogs. The information collected from the blog is then compared to the quality contents’ theories. Descriptive statistic is used to describe the findings. Findings from this paper can be used as a guideline for entrepreneurs who intend to use blogs for e-commerce purposes.

Elements of Relational Contract in the Delivery of Public Infrastructure in Malaysia

Syuhaida Ismail, Aminah Md Yusof and Wai Soon Han — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:36:03 GMT

Syuhaida Ismail, Aminah Md Yusof and Wai Soon Han, Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 991384, IBIMA Business Review, 11 pages, Abstract: The involvement of private concessionaire in the delivery of public infrastructure worldwide is apparent in reducing the budgetary burden on the government’s part specifically due to the major downturn in the global economy. Their involvement varies from concessionaire, privatization to partnerships. Looking at the most current type of project delivery approach procured around the globe, which is known as Public Private Partnerships (PPP), although the opportunities are widely opened for the private concessionaires to partake in the delivery of public infrastructure projects with numerous incentives by the government, their responses are still minimal. Their reluctance is observed due to the current scenario in the PPP implementation involving the development of monopolies by certain groups of private concessionaires in Malaysia, which consequently reduces the healthy competition among concessionaires. Therefore, this paper is materialized with the aim of determining the elements of relational contract, which can improve the current delivery of public infrastructure project and subsequently eradicate the private concessionaire’s lack of enthusiasm. Questionnaire surveys on 22 respondents of construction industry players are undertaken to determine the elements of relational contract suitable to be adopted in public infrastructure delivery in Malaysia in encouraging the involvement of private concessionaires. The results show that relational contract elements of clearly defined scope, integrated project team, mutual alignment of goals and open honest communication should be included in the relational contract elements frameworks due to its potential in overcoming the current recession of private concessionaire’s initiatives and ultimately improving the public infrastructure delivery in Malaysia.

Conceptualizing a Dynamic Model for Operation Strategy Formulation in the Third Millennium

Nezal Aghajari — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:34:14 GMT

Nezal Aghajari, Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 280706, Communications of the IBIMA, 13 pages, Abstract: Today’s firms are residing in a hypercompetitive environment in which operational supremacy undisputedly is a fulcrum of competitiveness. However, under tough competitive circumstances posed by globalized business milieu achieving this end apparently requires a comprehensive and systematic approach to understand and strategize operation in a superior way. This means operation and strategy must be intertwined, co-formulated and co-implemented. Logically only in this way firms are enabled to outperform rivals and create an operational hegemony. Despite this notion, management literature is suffering from a gap in its body of operational knowledge. Specifically, prior research laments the absence of a dynamic theory for operational strategy in order to harmonize operation with the modern theory of strategy. This paper, hence, is designed to address this context by proposing a conceptual model. Thus, this paper is a conceptual research that follows a simple approach to develop a theoretical framework for understanding the dynamicity of operational strategy. Accordingly at the end implications of this approach are presented for researchers and practitioners

Ethical and Socially Responsible Practices among SME Owner-Managers: Proposing a Multi-Ethnic Assessment

Noor Hazlina Ahmad, Azlan Amran and Hasliza Abdul Halim — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:32:33 GMT

Noor Hazlina Ahmad, Azlan Amran and Hasliza Abdul Halim, Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 258185, Journal of Southeast Asian Research, 9 pages, Abstract: Building on the stakeholder theory, this paper proposes a conceptual framework that looks into the effects of ethical and socially responsible practices on the financial and non-financial performance of SME in Malaysia. This paper argues that ethical and socially responsible commercial practices are seen critical in order to build a strong ground for harmonious business dealings among the multiracial community in Malaysia which could subsequently affect the overall performance of the SMEs. The varying commercial interests, distinct cultural perspectives, and historically distinct skill and trades could provide a rich perceptual framework for understanding the ethical and socially responsible practices in commercial settings. Even though it has been reported that there is minimal cultural distance between Malays, Chinese and Indians, it is likely that the various challenges faced in the commercial settings have some bearings on their perception of ethics and social responsibility. It is envisaged that this research will provide a better insight into the intercultural variation in regards to values, ethical and socially responsible practices among entrepreneurs in Malaysia and promote a better understanding of the linkage of personal values held by three racial groups in Malaysia and their business practices.

Co-evolution of Supply Chain Strategies and Technologies

Mohdzaher B. Mohdzain, Andrew D. White and John M. Ward — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:52:38 GMT

Mohdzaher B. Mohdzain, Andrew D. White and John M. Ward, Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 724378, Journal of Enterprise Resource Planning Studies, 9 pages, Abstract: This paper proposes a framework that seeks to denote the relationship and promote a better alignment between the evolution of supply chain strategies and technologies. In the supply chain strategy, the focal shift in strategy has been from lean supply chain to a combination of lean and agile supply chain, whereas in supply chain technology the focal shift has been from individual and dyadic to global, inter-organisational systems. Examples of these systems include Vendor-Managed Inventory and Web-based Electronic Data Interchange. These systems increase visibility of information within the supply network and require a high level of trust between the trading partners. Since most inter-organisational systems are developed by IT vendors, the concepts of visibility and trust must be understood by these vendors and translated into the systems they develop. The proposed framework emphasizes the focus on fit and alignment between progress in supply chain strategies and IT strategies that would potentially enable agility as well as trust and visibility within the supply network.

The International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and Financial Stability: The Case of Russian and East Asian Financial Crises

Aikaterini C. Valvi, Konstantinos C. Fragkos and Christos C. Frangos — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:50:45 GMT

by Aikaterini C. Valvi, Konstantinos C. Fragkos and Christos C. Frangos, Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 904328, Journal of Economics Studies and Research, 26 pages, Abstract: The role of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) in providing financial stability to countries with financial problems has received conflicting views from different social and political groups. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether these two international organizations provide financial stability by focusing on the case of the Russian and East Asian financial crises. After a comprehensive analysis (graphs, tables and statistical regression models), the researchers found that the support of both the IMF and the WB was mostly without success in these two crises; thus promoting financial instability. This finding comes from both a descriptive analysis of financial stability in terms of unemployment, inflation and changes in GDP and GDP per capita and quantitative calculations by performing multiple linear regressions in PASW 18.0 with certain indicators [GDP Annual growth rate, Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %), Inflation, GDP deflator (annual %), Annual industrial value and GINI Index]. The intervention of these international organizations appears to have been followed by unemployment and inflation rises, as a result of their financial policies. These results provide important incentives for international policy changes in dealing with financial crises, emphasizing the importance for less destabilizing practices.

Knowledge among Military Commanders in Motivating Non-Commissioned Officers in the Infantry

Endry Nixon A — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:48:29 GMT

by Endry Nixon A., Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 937694, Journal of Southeast Asian Research,16 pages, Abstract: Motivation is taken seriously by most military forces as it is a crucial for success in military missions. As much as motivation is an important factor in the military, knowledge in motivation is equally pertinent for military commanders as part of their human resource management function. Knowledge conceived as conceptual, contextual and operational are pertinent as it emphasizes not only knowing what to do but rather how to interpret what to do into practical implications. This paper aims to establish how well military commanders are in motivating their non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and the level of knowledge among military commanders in motivating NCOs in the infantry regiments. A quantitative approach was taken to determine empirically how satisfied are the NCOs motivated by their military commanders and the level of knowledge in motivating NCOs among military commanders, specifically in the Malaysian Infantry. The findings indicate that 63.3 % of the respondents rated between very satisfied and satisfied for their military commanders in motivating NCOs and there is a similarity in the level of knowledge in motivating NCOs among the military commanders in the Malaysian Infantry. The findings imply that although all military commanders have a similar level of knowledge in motivating NCOs but not all are able to put their knowledge into practice. The paper will be able to contribute an understanding to motivating NCOs among military commanders in the Malaysian Infantry for subsequent measures in enhancing human resource management in the organization. In addition, from a practical perspective, the study proposes knowledge elicitation of relevant knowledge in motivating NCOs for the purpose of training potential military commanders

Accounting Reporting in Banks: The Case in Egypt and the UAE Before and after the Financial Crisis

Afaf Mubarak — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:46:45 GMT

Afaf Mubarak, Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 454273, Journal of Accounting and Auditing: Research & Practice, 15 pages, Abstract: Banks in many countries including those in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) suffered losses –at various degrees- as a result of the world financial crisis (started in 2006 by the US credit crisis). This stimulated the researcher to raise a question: Could accounting reporting by banks lessen the losses if more and better transparent information had been issued before the crisis? Corporate governance was considered a relevant framework based on an implicit assumption that: if stakeholders were better informed about the main policies and decisions undertaken in an adequate and timely manner, they may have to react to protect their interests and hence reduce losses. This study tests three hypotheses about disclosure of accounting information of banks and effects on quality of those information in Egypt and the UAE after the crisis. By analyzing data for years (2003-2005) as representative of pre-crisis and (2009-2011) as post-crisis findings show support for the research hypotheses. There is more disclosure about financial items, operations abroad, directors and their remuneration in both countries after the crisis than before and in the UAE more than in Egypt. It was also found a positive association between disclosure and quality of information in terms of the timeliness and credibility it covers. The differences between the two countries could be explained by bigger exposure to international market (financial and trade) and bank having more resources in the UAE compared to Egypt but not because of ownership concentration which had a weak influence on change in transparency and governance between the two countries.

A Conceptual Review of Social Infrastructure Projects

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:51:42 GMT

Wai Soon Han, Aminah Md Yusof, Tey Kim Hai and Syuhaida Ismail, Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 222039, Communications of the IBIMA, 9 pages, Abstract: Social infrastructure projects (SIP), as the name implies, is defined as those buildings, structures and facilities specifically constructed to serve the community at large. The most apparent form of the social infrastructure projects are hospitals, schools and community facilities. Consequently, the nature of the infrastructure attracts less attention. In a sense, social infrastructure projects are one of the main criteria to enhance the economic productivity. This paper aims to contribute to this overlooked but important research line. There are two objectives of this paper. Semantically, this paper comprehensively reviews the social infrastructure literature from various aspects and applications. Then, it reviews nine journal papers and one conference paper in terms of ontology, epistemology and methodology. The preliminary finding reveals that ontological subjectivism, epistemological interpretivism, and qualitative analysis have dominated the social infrastructure domain. Last sections of this paper discuss the limitations and future research directions. The outcome can be used to improve general understanding of the social infrastructure projects.

Information Dissemination Needs of Indonesian Migrant Domestic Workers in Malaysia

Graham Orange, Verena Seitz and Ah Lian Kor — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:40:58 GMT

by Graham Orange, Verena Seitz and Ah Lian Kor, Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 492902, Journal of Southeast Asian Research, 16 pages, Abstract: Substantial numbers of Indonesian women are seeking employment as domestic workers in Malaysia in order to escape poverty and unemployment and to be able to support their families back home. Most Indonesian domestic workers in Malaysia face unpleasant working conditions with long working hours and no freedom to move or communicate; some find themselves in a situation of abuse. In many cases, the decision to work abroad is made without being properly informed about what to expect. Furthermore, most of the Indonesian migrant domestic workers do not know about process and procedures and are not aware of their rights and the possibilities of seeking assistance when problems occur. In order to empower the target group, relevant information need to be disseminated. Current strategies do not seem to achieve the desired effect. Many of the affected women come from remote areas, are poor and have a low level of education; therefore, their skills to make use of written or even digital information are limited. Appropriate strategies are suggested to utilise traditional and commonly used information dissemination channels such as cultural performances, group discussions and radio. Educational measures should be combined with aspects of local entertainment culture in order to attract attention and to provoke identification with the issues discussed. Further research is necessary to actually develop an appropriate information dissemination strategy with regard to the target group and to evaluate its benefits by conducting pilot projects.

A Review of Corporate Governance: Ownership Structure of Domestic-Owned Banks in Term of Government Connected Ownership, and Foreign Ownership of Commercial Banks in Malaysia

Peong Kwee Kim, Devinaga Rasiah and Rahayu Binti Tasnim — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:36:53 GMT

by Peong Kwee Kim, Devinaga Rasiah and Rahayu Binti Tasnim, Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 335681, Journal of Organizational Management Studies, 18 pages, Abstract: The Asian financial crisis of 1997 resulted in Malaysian commercial banks seeking to strengthen their corporate governance, transparency and disclosure levels. The aim of this research is to review corporate governance in relation to ownership structure of domestic owned banks in terms of government connected ownership and foreign ownership of commercial banks in Malaysia. This research has given a brighter insight into corporate governance and bank performance in selected Malaysian commercial banking institutions. The findings have also provided useful information to investors, bankers and regulators pertaining to the importance of the role of corporate governance practices in the Malaysian banking system and its performance. Different types of bank ownership have had different concerns about implementing corporate governance practices among commercial banks in Malaysia.

Estimating the Romanian Economic Sentiment Indicator Using Artificial Intelligence Techniques

Constantin Ilie, Margareta Ilie, Lucia Melnic and Ana-Maria Topalu — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:36:24 GMT

by Constantin Ilie, Margareta Ilie, Lucia Melnic and Ana-Maria Topalu, Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 966864, Journal of Eastern Europe Research in Business & Economics, 22 pages, Abstract: The subject of the present paper represents the result of a research that uses artificial intelligence, through the artificial neural networks, in order to simulate the Romanian Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI-mentioned by The Economist and provided by the European Commission – Economic and Financial Affairs website). The reason for the research is to determine a better method to forecast the Romania ESI considering its nonlinear behavior. For the simulation, a feed forward artificial neural network (ANN) was used. For this type of ANN, the best training algorithm is the back propagation algorithm. Training condition were set to a smaller than 5% error between the real data and the simulated data. The research is then extended to new input data (not available at the time of ANN training) used for comparison and forecasting of the real trends with the simulated ones. Even with new data, the use of the ANN determined forecasting results smaller than 5% (between -4.92; 5.16%). Also the ANN simulation offers an image about how indicators influence the ESI. In conclusion, the use of the ANN is considered a success and the authors determine the possibility that ANN research application be extended to other countries ESI or even to the European zone

A Review of E-Financial Reporting Research

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 05:02:31 GMT

by Mohd Noor Azli Ali Khan and Noor Azizi Ismail, Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 798113, Journal of Internet and e-business Studies, 16 pages, Abstract: Internet is a very exciting medium to look into especially with regards to presentation, disclosure and financial reporting. The Internet also has become one of users’ most frequently used sources of information. Consistent with the innovation of the Internet as a cheap but powerful communication device, disclosure of financial and non-financial information on the Internet is becoming an increasingly popular subject of research. Internet reporting or e-reporting is a very powerful and useful tool for financial reporting information. Internet Financial Reporting (IFR) has become quite a trendy practice of communicating with stakeholders in recent times. World Wide Web (WWW) technologies are extensively used by ever-increasing number of companies around the world. A growing percentage of those companies have created and promoted websites on the Internet. There have been tendencies to disseminate information on their websites, including financial data, financial performance, social and environmental issues, corporate information, corporate governance, marketing and other information. At this point, a significant amount of academic research has been established in the area of IFR in developed countries such as the United States, United Kingdom and other European countries. On the contrary, very few studies are carried out in developing countries. Previous IFR studies are divided into three main groups: single-country studies, multi-country studies and international studies. Methodologically, studies on IFR are categorized into three main groups: descriptive research, comparative research and explanatory research. This paper seeks to contribute to the existing body of knowledge concerning online financial reporting by reviewing and documenting the research of IFR.

Does Mobile Technology Matter? A Student-Centric Perspective

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 05:01:23 GMT

by Wenshin Chen, Venugopal Balijepally and Peter Sutanto, Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 424156, IBIMA Business Review, 10 pages, Abstract: Based on a student-centric perspective, this study seeks to understand how mobile technology influences students’ learning experiences. Our research motivation is driven by the increasing attention paid to mobile technology in the research and business community. Set in a public university setting, our investigation seeks to shed light on how teaching and learning could be reshaped by mobile technology, most specifically, emerging tablet PCs. The findings, based on two MIS (Management Information Systems) courses, one graduate and the other undergraduate, suggest that overall students perceived the mobility of tablet PC positively. In addition, graduate students expressed a higher degree of learning satisfaction and greater expectation of future technology usage than undergraduate students. Indeed, mobile technology seems to matter to students’ learning in general. The finding is particularly relevant when considering how to incorporate mobile technology into teaching practice as such technology-driven teaching practice is increasingly being expected in the contemporary networked society. Additional insights for managers, technology vendors, and college instructors are also discussed.

Intellectual Property Valuation Decision Support System for University Research Output: A Conceptual Model

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 04:53:23 GMT

by Kamarulzaman Ab Aziz, Hezlin Harris and Nor Azlina Ab. Aziz, Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 739457, Communications of the IBIMA, 17 pages, Abstract: Commercializing university research outputs or intellectual property is an imperative facet in the National Economic Model of the 10th Malaysian Plan (2011-2015) whereby innovation-based economy is the vehicle identified to drive Malaysia into becoming a high-income nation. A vital aspect of this innovation-based economy is Intellectual Property (IP) and its strategic management in the preliminary commercialization phase. One of the critical components of strategic management of IP is the valuation process. In order to capture and capitalize the IP resulting from university research, valuing the IP becomes a significant juncture on the road to exploitation and commercialization. This paper explores the aspects of IP valuation practices among Malaysian universities. It is found that IP valuation generally was done by external consultants or committees. This paper suggests that technology development provides an opportunity for enabling the researchers themselves with the capability to do the IP valuation.

On-line HRD: A Leadership Decision Making Case Study

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:14:49 GMT

by Ross Humby, Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 531015, Journal of Human Resources Management Research, 14 pages, Abstract: This case study was conducted to determine what factors are important to decision making that led leaders in a national nongovernmental organization (NGO)to select a technology-enhanced distance education solution for staff and volunteer training. The Bates ACTIONS technology choice model (2000) and the curriculum-centred strategic planning model (Dolence, 2004) form the conceptual framework for the data collected from the case study interviews. The factors that influenced the decision makers to choose a technology-enhanced distance education system include factors external as well as internal to the organization. External factors are the market and economic situation, competitive and partnership considerations and the cost of technology for training. Internal factors are learner- centred or organization- centred. Learner-centred factors are the ability of learners to access the learning, the necessity to understand the learners’ needs including their geographic distribution, a need for interactivity in the learning design and an understanding of the impact of the technological choice on teachers and learners. Internal organizational factors include the understanding of organizational impacts, plus a need to incorporate technology decisions into the strategic planning and operational analysis processes. A measure of organizational effectiveness (i.e., key performance indicators) and the importance of individual skills complete the organizational factor influences.

Personality Traits: Business versus Technical Graduates

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:06:22 GMT

by Nurazariah Abidin and Salina Daud, Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 747338, Communications of the IBIMA, 15 pages, Abstract: Effective interactions depend largely on personality traits, which is a consistent and long-lasting tendency in behavior. In psychology, five major trait factors (Big Five personality traits) have been generally used to assess personality of people. The study highlights the practicality of importance-performance analysis as a means to assessing the importance of personality traits dimension that should be possessed by Malaysian graduates. The importance-performance analysis is used to evaluate the gap in personality traits possessed by Business and Technical Graduates. The study is carried out in two phases: Phase 1 which involves a focus group session and Phase 2 which focus on establishing a questionnaire appropriate to the study across a diverse range of industries. The questionnaires were distributed to managers selected from a sampling frame. Graduates’ personality attributes are analysed in terms of big five personality traits which include openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and emotional stability traits. The findings of this study suggest that Higher Education Institutions in Malaysia should target improvements on a specific personality development component pertaining to openness and extroversion personality for business management graduates, and conscientiousness personality for technical graduates as part of the curriculum development strategies of these Higher Education Institutions.

Rethinking Insolvency Laws in the Malaysian Context

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:05:20 GMT

by Gita Radhakrishna, Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 597752, Journal of Southeast Asian Research, 15 pages, Abstract: In the 2011 Malaysian budget announcement, it was stated that the recent economic crisis, saw a number of businessmen and individuals with financial problems being declared bankrupt. Personal and corporate insolvency can have a debilitating effect on the economy and society as a whole. The recent public ‘bail outs’ of big American companies have set in motion a rethinking of insolvency laws. This paper examines the calls for reform of the insolvency laws in Malaysia. It looks at the objectives of insolvency laws in general, identifies the most common causes for insolvency in Malaysia and goes on to study the possible areas for reform.

Awareness: A Study of Knowledge Management Adoption amongst Iranian SMEs

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:18:34 GMT

by Naser Valaei and Kamarulzaman Ab. Aziz, Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 465399, Journal of Organizational Knowledge Management, 14 pages, Abstract: Nowadays, companies that are unaware of knowledge management (KM) and its concepts are considered illiterate in business context. In order to thrive in this turbulent market, a company must be familiar with all concepts pertaining to its intellectual assets, i.e. KM, KM strategy, KM processes, its knowledge workers and all other activities involved in managing intangible assets. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as drivers of economical growth play a major role in prosperity and innovativeness of almost all countries worldwide. In this study, a sample of 63 SMEs in north of Iran is drawn for data analysis. Obstacles and issues regarding KM are clearly stated and the degree of their awareness toward KM concepts is measured.

Profiling E-business Practices amongst Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Using a Fit Perspective

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:41:59 GMT

By Rosli Mohamad and Noor Azizi Ismail, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 239017, Journal of Internet and e-Business Studies, 19 pages, Abstract: E-business as a multifaceted application has vast capabilities to support today's business. Nevertheless, these capabilities do not equally benefit all firms. Therefore, appropriate selection of e-business solutions would substantially enhance firm efficiency and effectiveness. Despite extensive research in this domain, there are limited works that explore the extent to which SMEs successfully align diverse e-business capabilities to their strategic business functions. This is crucial considering that SMEs have relatively limited resources and thus make them more selective in e-business-related investments. This study therefore explores the current state of e-business fit (alignment) among Malaysian SMEs. The next attempt is to reveal any possible patterns that represent firms with respect to their e-business alignment characteristics. A self-administered survey was conducted on 140 SMEs owner/manager in order to investigate present status of e-business alignment across various business processes. The results generally indicate that firms perceive a relatively higher level of alignment in terms of information searching, sales, and internal-related functions relative to other functions. A cluster analysis further classifies firms into three (3) groups with somewhat distinct alignment patterns. Despite several limitations, this study has provided insights on how e-business penetrates across firm operation and the extent to which it corresponds to the most salient functions of the business. This study, therefore, supports the claim that SMEs have different priorities over e-business solutions in support of various business functions. These findings have also provided more insights such as why some firms do not progress into a higher e-business ladder.

Investigating the Relationship between Knowledge Sharing Strategies and Organizational Excellence Pillars

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:40:40 GMT

by Abeer Hmoud AL-Faouri, Subhasish Dasgupta and Mohammed Mufaddy Al-Kasasbeh, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 923859, Communications of the IBIMA, 19 pages, Abstract: Although it is generally accepted that only organizations with a commitment to knowledge sharing and organizational excellence will remain competitive, there are an alarmingly low number of public organizations that have been identified as having the basics of excellence in the fourth cycle (2008/2009) of King Abdullah II Award for Excellence in Government Performance and Transparency in Jordan. It is then the aim to perform a study that seeks to investigate the relationship between codification and personalization knowledge sharing strategies on three main pillars of organizational excellence which were adapted by the award. These pillars include: customer focus, results orientation and transparency. Survey method employing a questionnaire as a technique for collecting data was used. The survey involves four selected government organizations who won the award in the fourth cycle (2008/2009) and are familiar with the topic of this study. 500 questionnaires were distributed using the simple random sampling technique yielding to 191 usable responses. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS version 15. To ensure the validity and reliability of the instrument, factor analysis and reliability test were performed. Analysis revealed that there are positive and significant relationships between codification and personalization knowledge sharing strategies and each of the organizational excellence pillars. The results of multiple regression analyses indicated that codification knowledge sharing strategies is a more significant predictor of each organizational pillar than personalization knowledge sharing strategies. The results of this study could encourage public organizations in adopting knowledge sharing strategies to enhance their organizational excellence.

Antecedents to Consumer Ethnocentrism: A Fuzzy Logic-Based Analysis Study

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:38:30 GMT

By Saeb Farhan Al Ganideh, Ghaleb El Refae and Maher Al Omari, Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 693619, Journal of Administrative Sciences and Technology, 14 pages, Abstract: This study empirically examines a segment of consumers within the Jordanian society who express high ethnocentric tendencies towards domestic products using fuzzy logic technique. MATLAB® ANFIS has been employed to model the relationships between three inputs (conservatism, dogmatism and world-mindedness) and one output (consumer ethnocentrism). The results of this research conclude that Sugeno type fuzzy model has the ability to predict precisely consumers ethnocentric tendencies levels based on their socio-psychological variables. Overall, fuzzy logic can improve the research of consumer ethnocentrism and can illuminate uncovered sides in the area of consumer ethnocentrism

The Perception of Customer Relationship Management Adoption: Case of Mobile Companies in Saudi Arabia

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:36:44 GMT

By Amine Nehari Talet, Mazen Harbi Shawosh and Saeed A. Al-Saeed, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 940658, Journal of Mobile Technologies, Knowledge & Society, 13 pages, Abstract: The purpose of this study is to ascertain customer satisfaction perception of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) adoption by mobile telecom companies in Saudi Arabia. This study surveys more than 440 mobile telecom customers to investigate their opinion about the quality of offered customer services by mobile telecom companies and its impact on customer satisfaction and hence customer. The study concentrates on the main three channels used by mobile companies to provide customer services (customer service offices, phone operator and web site services). Empirical findings present evidence that the quality of customer service significantly affect customer satisfaction and thus customer loyalty. It is found that the majority of customers preferred to use phone operator than office customer services.

The Process of Decision Making and the Evaluation of Investment Projects in Information Technology

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:35:42 GMT

by Bejjar Mohamed Ali and Boujelben Younes, Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 134094, Journal of Administrative Sciences and Technology, 27 pages, Abstract: The current economic environment is characterized by the dependence of the organization on information technology (IT). As in, this dependence on IT has given rise to concerns about how to evaluate investment initiatives. This article focuses on the generic decision process from analysis and planning to evaluation post-implementation of IT. Similarly, it aims to explore the level of applicability and feasibility of the theories and techniques relevant to investment decisions and evaluation of IT as observed in the Tunisian companies.

Strategic Instruments for University Performance Evaluation in the Context of the Economy Based on Knowledge

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 20:44:30 GMT

by Marilena Mironiuc, Ioan-Bogdan Robu, Mihai Carp and Mihaela-Alina Robu Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 514815, Journal of e-Learning and Higher Education, 14 pages, Abstract: The first objective of knowledge economy is to capitalize on the human resource through the potential of the knowledge and cognitive skills of the latter. An important role in educating and training the human resource in the economic field is played by specialized universities, which, through master programs and by increasing the performance of the educational act, determine a better insertion of the master degree students in labor market. Starting from the standard form of the Balanced Scorecard, in this paper there has been drawn a strategic instrument for evaluating university performance and the axes and strategic objectives with implications on evaluation and improving educational performance have been founded. After questioning a sample of 147 master degree students, and according to the analysis of the master program accreditation file, the main factors that contribute to increasing university performance have been identified using the regression analysis with dummy variables and the logistic regression analysis. In order to obtain the results of the research, the data has been processed using SPSS 15.0

Determining the Career Success among the Hotel Managers in Northern States: The Role of Personality Traits

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:49:47 GMT

by Siti Rohaida Mohamed Zainal, Aizzat Mohd. Nasurdin and Quah Chun Hoo Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 320260, Journal of Southeast Asian Research, 12 pages, Abstract: This study looks at the role of personality towards career success among the hotel managers in Northern states of Malaysia. Although, there is a growing body of literature on managers and their career success, this growing literature is rather prescriptive and logic-deductive in career success. Consequently, the basic element such as personality is rather viewed lightly. Due to the growth and performance of Malaysia’s hotel industry as well as Malaysia’s aim to add value to this industry, managers in this sector are expected to be under considerable pressure to perform well and succeed in their careers. Similarly, the importance of the service sector in boosting the economic development of Malaysia necessitates the need for managers within this sector to enhance their performance and succeed in their careers. This study examines the effect of personality traits towards managers’ career satisfaction in hotels located in north Malaysia. By using the quantitative approach as research methodology, questionnaires were developed comprised of the measurement items for personality and career success. Then, by using purposive sampling, managers were selected. Later, a total of 83 hotel managers participated in this research. Data analysis, however, revealed mixed results. In conclusion, although the relationship between personality traits and career satisfaction might seem marginal, the effects are still worth taking into consideration.

Knowledge Management and SMEs: A Study of Knowledge Management Utilization by SMEs in Iran

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:48:51 GMT

by Naser Valaei and Kamarulzaman Ab. Aziz, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 724444, IBIMA Business Review, 14 pages, Abstract: Creating and sustaining a competitive advantage is a knowledge-based activity and those companies that are aware of knowledge management concepts and utilize it within their organizations have an edge over their competitors. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a major role in developing countries’ growth agenda. The purpose of this study is to examine the degree of KM utilization in Iranian SMEs and it conducts a comparative analysis of SMEs in Taiwan and Hong Kong. In order to gauge the degree of utilization, infrastructure and process capabilities of Iranian SMEs are investigated. It is found that KM in Iranian SMEs is partially, not fully, deployed. Further, the results of regression analysis indicate that organizational culture has a significant role in KM adoption amongst Iranian SMEs.

Post-Secondary Students’ Behaviour in the College Choice Decision

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:27:23 GMT

by Joseph Kee Ming Sia, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 440964, Journal of Marketing Research & Case Studies, 15 pages, Abstract: The objectives of this study are to explore Sarawak post-secondary students’ behavior in the college choice decision and to establish the rank of importance of the influencing factors in students’ college choice decision. A total of 512 post-secondary students in Sarawak are surveyed using questionnaires. Data collected from the survey is analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). A series of analyses, including descriptive and factors analysis were conducted on the data. Results suggest that post-secondary students in Sarawak consider programme, cost, location, high school personnel, peers and friends and campus visit as important criteria in selecting higher learning institution. Future research suggested to be carried out is on other aspects that influence student college choice decision such as academic achievement, educational consultant and accreditation. Another direction for future studies is exploration of mediating variable such as parents’ expectation and encouragement on college choice decision

Knowledge Management to Promote Occupational Safety and Health at the Malaysian Manufacturing Workplace: Reposed in Occupational Safety and Health Committees?

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Ummu Kolsome Farouk, Stanley Richardson and Arul Jeganathan Solucis Santhapparaj, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 663054, Journal of Organizational Knowledge Management, 13 pages, Abstract: Occupational safety and health committees (OSHCs) have been mandated in Malaysian workplaces regardless of type by section 30 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (OSHA 1994). Workplaces with 40 or more employees must establish OSHCs. They are a form of employee involvement in the area of workplace safety and health. The activities of OSHCs are regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health (Safety and Health Committee) Regulations 1996 (OSHCR 1996). To determine whether these activities embrace the twin pillars of knowledge sharing and knowledge creation that form the foundation of knowledge management, the Knowledge Creation Model for ISO 9001:2000 conceptualized by Lin and Wu (2005) is used in this study. An application of the said model proves that the aforesaid regulated activities of OSHCs are linked to knowledgeable quality information and could, via appropriate modes of knowledge conversion that was dependent upon varied contextual situations, enable the creation of four types of knowledge assets; namely, routine, experiential, systemic or conceptual. To determine the types of OSHC activities that have not been extensively tapped in pursuit of knowledge creation, survey data from 231 Malaysian manufacturing companies was used. The empirical findings indicate that the following activities with knowledge creation potential are relatively lagging in comparison to the other activities: access to reports provided by external experts, access to safety audits, collecting of general information on safety and health issues, assist employer in safety and health competition, carrying out studies on safety and health at the workplace, access to internal and external experts in determining safety and health issues.

The Information Potential and Temporal Elements of Web 2.0 Folksonomy for User Profiling in Personalized Information Retrieval

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Wern Han Lim, Saadat M. Alhashmi and Eu-Gene Siew, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 685060, Journal of Internet Social Networking & Virtual Communities, 14 pages, Abstract: The World Wide Web (WWW) has grown into a rich repository of information. The vast amount of data on the web however would require the users to be skilled in querying generic information retrieval (GIR) systems to meet their information need. This is further complicated by various noises on the web such as spam and advertisement. Personalized information retrieval (PIR) systems have the potential to meet users’ information need effectively and efficiently. This paper focuses on the user profiling (UP) aspect of PIR systems as it would directly determine the system’s ability to address the users’ information need. With the high adoption of web 2.0 systems among the users of the web, web 2.0 systems proved to be an important source of user information for improvement in user profiling. One of such systems is collaborative tagging systems otherwise known as folksonomy. This paper explores the information potential of folksonomy systems in improving user profilers. A case study of the Delicious social bookmarking system was conducted to explore temporal elements of folksonomy which is neglected in previous approaches to improve the performance of user profilers. We conclude that folksonomy systems have the information potential to enhance the performance of user profilers.

Dimensions of E-CRM: An Empirical Study on Hotels’ Web Sites

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Noor Raihan Ab Hamid, Aw Yoke Cheng and Romiza Md Akhir, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 820820, Journal of Southeast Asian Research, 15 pages, Abstract: Electronic consumer relationship management (E-CRM) features are among the main factors contributing to the success of any ecommerce Web sites. E-CRM programmes and implementation should focus on effectiveness of managing consumer relations on the Internet through effective use of Internet features either to deliver updated and accurate information, offering customer service support as well as providing personalized and value-added services. Thus, the aims of this research are to identify E-CRM dimensions and perceived important features from a consumers’ perspective. The primary data for this research were collected through a questionnaire survey. To determine the dimensions of E-CRM, a factor analysis was performed.The findings reported 14 dimensions of E-CRM which were perceived as important elements affording consumers repeated visits and purchases. The limitations of the study and future directions of research are discussed herein.

Achieving Competitive Advantage (CA) through Information Infrastructure Capability (IIC): An Empirical Justification

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Lew Sook Ling, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 842405, Communications of the IBIMA, 19 pages, Abstract: The goals of most of the organisations are achieving their sustainable competitive advantage (CA) challenges. One of the organizational initiatives is to invest appropriate information infrastructures. However, organisations may face difficulties to select effective information infrastructures in their respective situations to achieve CA from elusive information. This paper is to connect the Information infrastructure capability (IIC) to CA with empirical justification. Hence, IICs are categorised into dynamic capability (D), integrating capability (I), data management capability (DM), security capability (S), utility capability (U) and collaborating capability (C) from past studies. This paper then empirically test the model using a set of survey data collected from 295 MSC Malaysia companies with the aim to analyse IICs in a holistic way. Four capabilities emerge from the factor analysis as IICs: D, I, DM and U. These results show there is an empirical link between IICs which comprises D, I, DM and U with CA. Finally, a clear full chain of variables model connecting IIC to organisational CA is obtained to fill the research lacuna.

Creation of Price Image Measurement Scale and Comparing Perceptions of Price Image Dimensions of Two Sales Formats

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Rim Ben Amara and Néji Buslama, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 855364, IBIMA Business Review, 15 pages, Abstract: The measures of price image proposed by the literature are mostly multidimensional and fail to consider the richness of this concept. This study proposes a measure of price image. An exploratory and qualitative study helped generate a pool of items. Then the obtained list has been subject to a questionnaire-based survey in order to determine the dimensions that would better conceptualise price image in the context of purchasing cosmetic products and perfumes. Three dimensions have been identified: the dimensions of “price security”, “proposed brand” and “value”. These dimensions have been then compared to unveil the difference between a specialised store price image and a non-specialised store price image. A mean difference test is conducted to attest for the hypothesis that a non-specialised store price image is evaluated more positively than a specialised store price image. Our study is nonetheless limited. The implications and limitations of our study open up new research venues worth exploring.

IT Professionals Awareness: Green IT International Comparison Study

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Nathalia Devina Widjaja, Minsani Mariani and Karen Imam Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 534852, Communications of the IBIMA, 15 pages, Abstract: Global warming and other environmental issues such as energy and resource constraint are becoming the world's major concerns and need to be solved. Information Technology (IT) is perceived as an enabler to resolve those problems and bring greater efficiency. This concept is known as Green IT which covers energy conservation by IT and energy conservation of IT. It is important to analyse the awareness of IT professionals about Green IT in order to measure whether they are ready to implement a Green IT strategy. Many countries have already applied Green IT initiatives to reduce carbon emissions. Awareness of Green IT has been measured in many countries, except Indonesia, which has committed to reduce its carbon emissions by 26% in 2020. Green IT should be one of the potential enablers to achieve that goal. This paper provides a preliminary insight into Green IT awareness among Indonesian IT professionals and shows a comparison between attitude and awareness levels of other countries. Some recommendations will be discussed in order to increase the awareness and reduce the inhibiting factors that influence it. The current findings suggest that although IT professionals in Indonesia have already some concerns about climate change and the power consumption of IT, there is still a lack of implementation and action dimensions.

Transformation and Perception: How an Information System Project Can Be Carried out Successfully

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Dorota Leszczyńska and Laurence Saglietto, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 488099, Journal of Organizational Management Studies, 20 pages, Abstract: Perception is not taken into account at its true value by the research work on organisational transformation.The aim of this publication is to put forward an analysis of the critical first stage of organizational transformation (first phase). We think there is a link between the first stage of transformation, its perception by the actors, and the success of the implementation of the project. We therefore put forward a conceptual model, which we shall illustrate with two case-studies in information systems and a discussion.

Call Centers Performance: An Application of Structuration Theory

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Wafa Kort and Jamel Eddine Gharbi Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 606307, Communications of the IBIMA, 16 pages, Abstract: The academic field of individual performance is concerned with a large range of multifaceted questions regarding the prediction of individual performance, the assessment issue, or the enhancement and the keeping of a performance value. Current debates have emerged in call centers context. Based on structuration theory, this paper tries to understand the process that leads to individual performance. A case study based on half structured interviews is made at “Téléperformance”. Results show that there are three kinds of determinants: (1) agent features, (2) technological structures and (3) non technological structures shape performance. The relationship between agent features and structures is assumed to be recursive.

18th IBIMA Conference

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

18th IBIMA Conference - Istanbul, Turkey 9-10 May 2012 - Submission now open

Analysis of the level of Emotional Intelligence among Executives in the Small and Medium Sized Enterprises

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Susan Tee Suan Chin, R. N. Anantharaman and David Yoon Kin Tong, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 302272, Journal of Human Resources Management Research, 13 page, Abstract: The purpose of this research is to study the level of emotional intelligence among executives in small and medium sized enterprises particularly from the manufacturing sector. SMEs have problems in attracting and retaining their employees. For the purpose of the study, the GENOS Emotional Intelligence questionnaire developed by Palmer and Stough (2001) has been used. A total of 96 employees from different manufacturing sectors took part in the survey. It was found that emotional intelligence did not have a significant relationship with organizational citizenship behaviour. Results from the study show that employees in the SMEs do experience some kind of experiences that affect their working attitudes. The initial study provides many insights especially to the areas where respondents show a low level of emotional intelligence. The low level of emotional intelligence is related to the nature of work involved especially when it involves a high level of stress

A Study on Ethical Investment Behaviour among Malaysian General Insurance Fund Managers

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Peong Kwee Kim and Devinaga Rasiahof, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 162047, Journal of Financial Studies & Research, 9 pages, Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the Ethical investment behaviour and predictors which is relatively new field of study among a General Insurance Fund Manager in Malaysia in order to refine in an ethical behavioural scope. A questionnaire-based survey was used to collect data from fund managers and insurance asset managers who are working in all 52 companies of general insurance in Malacca and Negeri Sembilan states of Malaysia. Throughout this research, there were three major aspects investigated namely personal, social and demographic factors of General Insurance Fund Managers who were involved in investment activities. However, the major findings showed that social factors had played the biggest effect in conducting ethical investment behaviour in the insurance industry. Hence, other factors, for example, personal factor and demographic factor had significantly affected the General Insurance Fund Manager’s ethical investment behaviour and had directly given greater impacts to the performance of a socially responsible investment. Nonetheless, the implications of this study would be able to assist general insurance fund managers to determine the right directions and intentions of placing the funds and to manage it in an ethical manner. This study could also be used as a benchmark for specific investment activities because an ethical source was a main criterion to manage the clients’ funds and income in a good way. Furthermore, the findings offered valuable insights to policy makers in general insurance and to the consumers on the significance of the results.

A Five-Layered Business Intelligence Architecture

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by In Lih Ong, Pei Hwa Siew and Siew Fan Wong, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 695619, Communications of the IBIMA, 11 pages, Abstract: Many organizations today have adopted business intelligence (BI) as a catalyst to meet specific business needs and to improve organizational effectiveness. Although BI has become more robust and pervasive, some organizations are still unable to maximize the return on their BI investments.One contributing reason is the lack of a good guiding BI architecture to support the implementation of such a system. Having a solid architecture can help organizations to better control the implementation process as well as the operation of the entire BI environment. A review of the existing literature shows that although the importance of a good BI architecture is non-arguable, research in this area is still lacking. To fill the gap, this paper proposes a framework of BI architecture which consists of five layers: data source, ETL, data warehouse, end user, and metadata layers. These five layers are essential to ensure high data quality and smooth information flow in a BI system

University Students’ Emotion State and Academic Performance: New Insights of Managing Complex Cognitive

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Ika Febrilia, Ari Warokka and Haim Hilman Abdullah, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 879553, Journal of e-Learning and Higher Education,15 pages, Abstract: A potentially important but relatively unexplored factor in explaining human capital accumulation during college is mental state (health) problems.Recent empirical findings reveal the impact of mental state, i.e. positive mood, on the performance of the students in processing information. This kind of mental state facilitates cognitive process that leads to better learning performance and satisfaction. Positive mood facilitates complex cognitive functions requiring flexibility, integration, and utilization of cognitive material such as memory, categorization, creative problem solving, decision-making and learning. Little empirical research on students’ emotions and their effect on learning and academic performance is available that could guide the design of learning environments. This study extends the literature that has been done mostly in western societies by proposing a further linkage between positive and negative mood to students’ learning and the impact of that learning on student’s academic performance in Indonesian universities, which is rarely investigated in non-western societies. The data were collected by using questionnaires and a sample of 106 students who have mid-term examination (assessment) in their active academic semester. The result, based on analysis using structural equation modeling, indicates that the tested model has an acceptable fit. The findings also indicate that (1) positive mood has no influence on learning, (2) negative mood has negative influence on learning, and (3) learning has positive influence on student’s academic performance.

Improving Website Ranking through Search Engine Optimization

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Ali H. Al-Badi, Ali O. Al Majeeni and Abdullah S. Al-Rashdi Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 969476, Journal of Internet and e-business Studies, 11 pages, Abstract: Internet is fast becoming critically important to commerce, industry and individuals. Perhaps the most important single component of this communication network is the Search Engine (SE). Successful Websites rank high in SEs hits, whereas unsuccessful Websites may not rank at all. In an effort to increase the ranking of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) amongst international universities, it was recommended to apply “Webometrics” measures. Hence, it was necessary to enhance the university's Website ranking. Therefore, the primary aim of this research is to explore the factors and techniques that contribute to a page ranking highly in a Search Engine Results Page (SERP). The research is divided into two parts. The first part is a descriptive/interpretive analysis aiming to provide an outline of the current and relevant literature with regard to Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It covers how SEs work, and explores the guidelines that are available for Web designers to optimize Web pages, thereby increasing their visibility and ranking. Furthermore, it provides a short history of the most important SEs, differentiates between them, and reviews the approaches they use to crawl, index, and display search results. It also provides an account of the different factors/methods impacting Website ranking. The second part documents an action research project undertaken to enhance the visibility and ranking of the SQU Website. The main findings are that, for a site to rank well, it must use a combination of increasingly sophisticated techniques and tools, and not to rely on outdated methods such as Meta tags (especially the keywords). Fortunately, there are many online tools which can assist in tuning a site to work better, as well as other freely available good pieces of advice.

Strategic Role of Mobile Commerce (M-Commerce) Payment System: Establishing New Competitive Advantage

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Haim Hilman Abdullah, Abdul Manaf Bohari, Ari Warokka and Ashraf Abdussalam, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 578329, Journal of Electronic Banking Systems,14 pages, Abstract: A Mobile based payment system or m-commerce is an emerging issue of e-commerce in Malaysia. It is recognized by both academia and practitioners as one of the fastest growing and preferable medium of making business transactions. This study investigated the benefits of m-commerce payment method, and services satisfaction on m-commerce providers. Respondents were those who had experienced using this mode of payment. The main objectives of the study were; a) to determine the level of m-commerce awareness in Malaysia; b) to determine the level of m-commerce payment system usage among Malaysian; c) to determine the level of m-commerce payment environment among Malaysian; and d) to determine the relationship between payment system and payment environment toward m-commerce services satisfaction. The results show that m-commerce is another tool that is both highly intangible and possesses specific characteristics. It can be developed and made as another avenue for firms to create competitive advantage.

Will You Still Trust Me Tomorrow? Lessons Learnt in Maintaining Trust for SME, B2C Ecommerce

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Vivienne Farrell, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 723360, Journal of Internet and e-business Studies, 13 pages, Abstract: The introduction of e-commerce holds substantial potential for marketing and selling products and services online while also introducing a plethora of risks and concerns for consumers. In the context of business-to-consumer (B2C) electronic commerce (e-commerce), the consumer compares not only product and pricing alternatives, but also the risks of conducting the transaction online. Maintaining trust in a risk ridden environment provids challenges for many online businesses. E-commerce, although growing in usage, is also experiencing a growing hostility from non-users and from previous users who have determined not to return. Small to medium enterprise (SMEs) who are starting in the e-commerce arena are at a disadvantage in presenting a trustworthy venture not having the reputation, finances or infrastructure to create an online business that exudes safety, security and trust. The SME must explore methods that will assist them in surviving the competitive ecommerce market place. This paper will explore SMEs that have developed start-up Internet based e-commerce businesses in Australia and the methods they have engaged to keep trust and loyalty. It concludes that trust, once gained, is very fragile requiring constant vigilance, essential to overcome the risks that will sustain trust and loyalty in clients. In conclusion this paper offers guidelines for new B2C e-commerce SMEs to assist in reducing security and business risks.

Critical Success Factors for Knowledge Transfer via Government Websites

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Nurdiana Azizan, Ross Smith and Vanessa Cooper, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 781417, Journal of e-Government Studies and Best Practices, 12 pages, Abstract: The transfer of knowledge pertaining to government is central to the success of e-government websites. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how Australian government website providers perceive critical success factors (CSFs) for the transfer of knowledge from government to users (citizens, business entities, employees and other government agencies) via an Australian government education website. CSFs are defined as “the limited number of areas in which results, if satisfactory, will ensure successful competitive performance for the organization” (Rockart 1979, p. 5) and knowledge transfer (KT) is defined as a process that includes “any exchange of knowledge between or among individuals, teams, groups or organizations” (King 2006, p. 538). It is the process by which knowledge is transmitted to, and absorbed by, users. Knowledge in this research is scoped to include government knowledge resources (information and services) made explicit and available to users via government websites. The research is exploratory, applying content analysis to analyse qualitative data that were collected using interview and focus group techniques. Szulanski’s knowledge transfer (KT) four stages model was adapted as a lens to study CSFs. Eleven CSFs are identified, grouped into six themes, and associated with the four KT stages. The research provides guidance to practitioners, arguing that identifying and understanding the CSFs can support government website providers in taking decisions related to the internal operation of their website’s content development and delivery activities, thus enhancing their capacity to deliver requisite knowledge to website users.

Development of Ontology Information Retrieval System for Novice Researchers in Malaysia

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Norasykin Mohd Zaid and Sim Kim Lau, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 611355, Journal of Software and Systems Development, 11 pages, Abstract: This research describes the development of an online thesis database system to assist novice researchers in a Malaysian university to identify research topics in local language context. Two major problems have been identified in the current system of keyword search. Firstly, student’s lack of experience in querying often results in irrelevant search outcomes. Secondly, language barrier limits students’ abilities to conduct keyword search in bilingual language context. A semantic search approach that applies ontology-based search is proposed. This paper presents system framework design, its ontological development and sample queries are also presented to demonstrate how the system works

The Fraud Auditing: Empirical Study Concerning the Identification of the Financial Dimensions of Fraud

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Marilena Mironiuc, Ioan-Bogdan Robu and Mihaela-Alina Robu, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 391631, Journal of Accounting and Auditing: Research & Practice, 13 pages, Abstract: The last two decades, marked by financial instability, economic crises, the bankruptcy of worldwide renowned companies, stock exchange speculations, financial scandals and lack of trust in capital markets, have lead to an economic downfall and have brought back into light the analysis of the responsible factors. Of these, financial fraud is a significant element regarded as a disastrous phenomenon difficult to pin under safe touchlines. Therefore, the identification of the determining factors of fraud is nowadays an important desideratum at an international level for the prevention and elimination of these events beyond the psychological approaches. This study aims to identify the main financial components of fraud in order to obtain score classification functions, as well as to determine the probability of occurrence of the risk of fraud starting from a series of consecrated economical-financial indicators by using advanced statistical methods of data analysis. The research objectives and the validation of the work hypotheses have been achieved based on the study of 65 frauded and unfrauded companies, quoted on the main financial markets in the world. In order to obtain the research results, the data have been processed with SPSS 19.0.

An Evaluation Framework for Saudi E-Government

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Hana Abdullah Al-Nuaim, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 820912, Journal of e-Government Studies and Best Practices, 12 pages, Abstract: E-government supports the integration of technology into the social structure to transform administrative procedures to achieve a more effective form of government. Technological advances and the miniaturization of Information and Communication Technologies provide tools to enhance the diffusion of information and services to form part of an intellectual society serving citizens, customers, and professionals. Global e-government evaluation reports, such as the Brown University global e-government report, ranked the Saudi e-government at 72 in 2005, 98 in 2006, and 89 in 2007, while Saudi e-government jumped in the UN global ranking from 70 in 2008 to 58 in 2010. The purpose of this research was to assess the current state of the Saudi e-government by evaluating its ministries’ web sites using a citizen-centered e-government approach. An interactive services e-government framework circumvents the limitations of existing evaluation frameworks examined in the literature while simultaneously building on their strengths. This study’s framework quantitatively assesses stages of the Saudi ministry e-government web site and its problems. It was found that 8 (41%) of 21 ministries did not implement the main features of an e-government web site. In addition, 10 ministries (45.4%) were completely or partially in the first stage (web presence); 3 ministries (13.6%) were in the second stage (one-way interaction); and 6 ministries had no online service at all. These findings clearly demonstrate that the evaluated ministries were not citizen-centered e-government web sites and lacked transactional services, resulting in citizen dissatisfaction and frustration.

Implementation of MS1500: 2009: A Gap Analysis

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Salina Daud, Rohayati Che Din, Suzaida Bakar, Mohd Ridzuan Kadir and Noraina Mazuin Sapuan, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 360500, Communications of the IBIMA, 11 pages, Abstract: A comprehensive halal food guideline known as Malaysia Standard Halal Food Guidelines (MS 1500: 2009) was launched in 2004. This standard is a new concept in marketing as well as a quality benchmark for producers. The objective of the study is to analyse the gap between importance and performance factors in the implementation of MS 1500: 2009 Halal food guidelines in Malaysia. Survey questions were distributed to managers or supervisors of selected Halal companies located at two Halal Hubs in Malaysia. Findings suggest that the companies in the sample should target improvements of the premises’ layout in the implementation of MS 1500: 2009 standard. Besides that, these companies shall also focus on the factor that relates to the processing of Halal food. The results indicate that the use of the importance-performance analysis in evaluating the implementation of MS 1500: 2009 standard can identify how companies implement this standard effectively.

Employer Branding in Selected Companies in United Arab Emirates

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Jawahitha Sarabdeen, Nada El-Rakhawy and Haneen Niaz Khan Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 228533, Communications of the IBIMA, 9 pages, Abstract: The article is an attempt to analyze the concept of employer branding and apply the concept to selected companies in United Arab Emirates (UAE). The concept of employer branding is drawn upon pre-existing theories, models, and practices across fields of marketing, human resource management and organizational behaviour. Various literature from marketing, organisational behaviour and human resource management were analysed to built the conceptual framework then three companies were selected to illustrate adoption of employer branding in United Arab Emirates. The research method used in the research paper is content analysis. The analysis shows that employers in the region do engage in employer branding initiatives.

Developing a Mobile Curriculum Vitae Using Weblog: A Cross-disciplinary Survey on University Students’ Perception Based on Technology Acceptance Model

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Mah, Boon Yih, Wan Syakira Meor Hissan and Ch’ng, Pei Eng, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 919804, Journal of Southeast Asian Research, 11 pages, Abstract: A traditional Curriculum Vitae (CV) fails to highlight the candidates’ strength, skills and achievement effectively. Thus, graduates are unable to sell and present themselves in an interactive way in order to impress the employer. In the digital age, mobile phones and Wi-Fi are ubiquitous; thus, an online CV namely “Mobile Curriculum Vitae” (m-CV) is created and proposed to be the alternative. It uses weblog as the developing platform that comes with both web and mobile versions. It can be accessed using mobile devices such as smart phones wherever and whenever they are. The objective of the study is conducting a survey to investigate the acceptance of m-CV on a group of 200 diploma students in one of the Malaysian universities-Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Penang campus using questionnaires based on Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). After conducting a two-hour seminar on the m-CV, a total of 191 questionnaires were collected. Descriptive analysis was done using SPSS based on 4 point Likert scale. The study found that m-CV was perceived to be more useful rather than ease of use. It reports on how far the diploma students are in favor of using the online method instead of the traditional way to create their CVs. The study attests the process involved in user acceptance of using information and communication technology (ICT) in the making of CV that can be modeled and predicted.

Knowledge Management Innovation: Perspectives from the Islamic Development Bank

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Amir Raslan Abu Bakar and Rugayah Hashim, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 227698, Journal of Organizational Knowledge Management, 8 pages, Abstract: International financial institutions should no longer rely on traditional ways to conduct business. By innovating on legacy platforms, organizations are able to be on the competitive edge. Information is power and managing information or knowledge will ensure profits are maximized and competitive business advantage is attained. In the case of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), becoming the leader in the international banking industry requires smart leveraging of innovation in knowledge management. By exploring these innovative capabilities, organization information processes will enhance the routine activities for IDB while simultaneously positioning itself strategically in the eyes of the world as the leading Islamic financial institution that serves the interests of the people to its fullest potential. Consequently, key performance indicators (KPI) can then be identified and applied to ensure objectives are achieved. The outcome of this paper would be of interests not only to the IDB’s top management but also to academics, advocates of KM and innovation and would ultimately contribute towards breadth of knowledge within these two areas for further in-depth, empirical studies

Identity Theft Awareness among City Dwellers in Malaysia

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Alias Hazelah, Nur Nadia Ismail and Rugayah Hashim, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 274080, Journal of Information Assurance & Cybersecurity, 8 pages, Abstract: The Information Era brings with it a new breed of cyber criminals; the identity thieves. Worldwide, identity thieves are able to assume another person’s identity to commit fraud or other crimes with the help of digital information technology. In Malaysia, identity theft cases are on the increase in tandem with police reports made on stolen personal documents such as identity cards, credit cards and pas sports. Most of the perpetrators are illegal immigrants from neighboring Asian countries. As such, Malaysian citizens should be informed of this crime as currently, lack of awareness and specific preventive actions are the reasons for the spread of this criminal activity. Thus, the objectives of this study were to assess the awareness of identity theft among city dwellers in Johor Bahru and Petaling Jaya as well as to determine the factors that can increase awareness of this crime. Forty questionnaires were administered to conveniently sampled respondents for this pilot study. The low mean score of 1.62 indicated that city dwellers are unaware of identity theft crimes and it is suggested that relevant parties and policy-makers highlight the seriousness of this crime.

Organisational Culture, Leadership Styles and Employee’s Affective Commitment to Change: A Case of Yemen Public Sector

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Hartini Ahmad and Hamid Mahmood Gelaidan, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 722551, Journal of Organizational Management Studies, 10 pages, Abstract: The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of leadership style on the affective commitment to change, moderated by the organisational culture. The research adopts both qualitative and quantitative approaches through a survey with 371 employees of public organisations in Yemen, as well as interviews with the managers. The findings showed that the transformational leadership was positively related to the employee’s affective commitment to change; similar to the transactional leadership that was positively related to the affective commitment to change. The results showed that organisational culture had positively moderated the relationship between the leadership styles and employee affective commitment to change. Finally, the findings revealed that the transactional leadership was a strong predictor to affective commitment to change compared with the transformational leadership.

Consumer Acceptance of an Electronic Dinar Payment System in Malaysia

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Mohd-Nazri Muhayiddin, Elsadig Musa Ahmed and Hishamuddin Ismail, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 463185, Journal of Electronic Banking Systems, 13 pages, Abstract: This study attempts to solve several problems associated with physical gold dinar when used as a form of payment. One dinar is equal to 4.25 gram of fine gold. Specifically, this work proposes the use of e-commerce technology -- known as electronic dinar payment system -- to solve those problems. But before actual system can be implemented, this research seeks to find out whether or not the public would be ready to adopt the concept of electronic dinar payment system. The research framework is based on Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) (Venkatesh et al., 2003). It measures the user acceptance based on these constructs; performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions. In addition, anxiety, perceived credibility, and attitude toward using are added as three new constructs. Data collection is based on a questionnaire survey. This paper presents descriptive analysis results whereby it is discovered that most of the respondents participated in this survey generally agree with the idea of using the proposed electronic dinar payment system (mean rating of above 4.00).

A Study on the Validation of Green Supply Chain Performance Measures in the Automotive Industry

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Ezutah Udoncy Olugu and Kuan Yew Wong, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 911153, Communications of the IBIMA, 14 pages, Abstract: This study was aimed at establishing the validity of the measures and metrics for automobile green supply chain performance measurement. The study involved statistical tests using 16 measures and 72 corresponding metrics. These statistical tests include exploratory factor analysis to investigate the construct validity of the measures and their metrics, a confirmatory factor analysis to test the model fitness and a multiple regression analysis to test the criterion validity of the measures. From the results obtained, the validity of the measures and their corresponding metrics has been established. The paper culminated with recommendations for further studies.

Malaysian Based Manufacturing Firms’ Strategic Sourcing: A Test of Transaction Cost Economics Theory and Resource Based View

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Haim Hilman and Ari Warokka, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 457377, Journal of Outsourcing and Organizational Information Management, 10 pages, Abstract: The relentless searching of strategic sourcing, due to the fact that globalization is inevitable and today’s manufacturers are competing in highly competitive environment, has pooled many business practices into two competing school of thoughts related to sourcing strategies, i.e. Transaction Cost Economics (TCE) Theory and Resource Based View (RBV). This paper explored sourcing strategies and sourcing supplying countries of firms in Malaysia in responding to the intensified competition and put these strategies as an integral parts of firms’ distinctive competencies. Specifically, the results indicated sourcing strategies have significant effects to both financial and non-financial performance. However, both models indicated the ‘self-produce’ and ‘outsourcing’ strategies affect non-financial performance more than financial performance. The results also indicated the most popular supplying countries for both sourcing strategies (self-produce and outsourcing) are Malaysia, China and Singapore and the majority of them received supply from one country. These findings provide new insights of sourcing practices among Malaysia based manufacturing firms and how those companies perceive and react to the competition environment surrounding them.

Theorizing Collective Green Actions: An Institutional Perspective for the UAE Industries

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Wenshin Chen, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 434109, Communications of the IBIMA, 9 pages, Abstract: User satisfaction is an important predictor of online consumer behavior and the success of a web-based system. If customers are satisfied with the services received through the online system, it is likely they will keep using the system. To examine factors affecting user satisfaction with e-services, a questionnaire was distributed to a random sample of (615) students out of (5918) at Petra University in Jordan to explore their perceptions. Regression analysis was conducted to test the hypotheses. The results indicated that website design, navigation, and personalization were found to be predictors of e-service satisfaction. The results of this study provide a comprehensive set of implications for practitioners and researchers. This study shows how the website design, navigation, and personalization play a crucial role in the overall evaluation of e-service satisfaction. Management of universities need to be aware that a bad experience with website design, navigation, and personalization can affect satisfaction, if a student has a bad experience regarding interactivity, customization, or website design, then a student might make an overall e-service judgment even before a transaction can take place. If customers believe that an organization’s website is hard to use, poorly designed, and doesn’t take into consideration distinguished services for each user, then customers are likely to move to other organizations’ websites.

An Empirical Study on E-banking Acceptance in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Ramona Florentina Rusu and Kathy Ning Shen, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 462904, Journal Electronic Banking System, 9 pages, Abstract, While most banks in the UAE have adopted the Internet in providing various services, the understanding of the user acceptance of e-banking services remains limited. Prior studies on e-banking acceptance have been mainly conducted in the western countries. Given the different population and culture in the UAE from the western countries, it is necessary to identify the factors that are more relevant to the context. Built upon the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this study examines e-banking acceptance in the context of the UAE. Specific factors were identified, i.e., security, image, convenience and computer self-efficacy, and incorporated into the TAM. The resulting research model was validated with a survey study involving 183 e-banking users and the results provided support for the extended TAM model. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed

Factors Affecting E-Service Satisfaction

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Mohammed Mufaddy Al-Kasasbeh, Subhasish Dasgupta and Abeer Hmoud AL-Faouri, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 547937, Communications of the IBIMA, 12 pages, Abstract User satisfaction is an important predictor of online consumer behavior and the success of a web-based system. If customers are satisfied with the services received through the online system, it is likely they will keep using the system. To examine factors affecting user satisfaction with e-services, a questionnaire was distributed to a random sample of (615) students out of (5918) at Petra University in Jordan to explore their perceptions. Regression analysis was conducted to test the hypotheses. The results indicated that website design, navigation, and personalization were found to be predictors of e-service satisfaction. The results of this study provide a comprehensive set of implications for practitioners and researchers. This study shows how the website design, navigation, and personalization play a crucial role in the overall evaluation of e-service satisfaction. Management of universities need to be aware that a bad experience with website design, navigation, and personalization can affect satisfaction, if a student has a bad experience regarding interactivity, customization, or website design, then a student might make an overall e-service judgment even before a transaction can take place. If customers believe that an organization’s website is hard to use, poorly designed, and doesn’t take into consideration distinguished services for each user, then customers are likely to move to other organizations’ websites.

Dimensions of Customer-Based Brand Equity: A Study on Malaysian Brands

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Goi Chai Lee and Fayrene Chieng Yew Leh, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 821981, Journal of Marketing Research and Case Studies, 10 pages, Abstract Although Malaysian market is deluged with value-for-money Malaysian brands since decades ago, not all the Malaysian brand achieved national recognition. The objective of this research is to develop a valid and reliable model of Malaysian brand equity by assessing the dimensions of the brand equity and its constructs. Based on 30 constructs, which were compiled from literatures, four variables were included for brand awareness, seventeen variables for brand association, five for perceived quality and four for brand loyalty. Factor Analysis was conducted to identify dimensions of brand equity and its constructs. Principal Component Analysis with subsequent rotation (varimax) was conducted on 30 constructs of a questionnaire. According to the four dimensions proposed by Aaker (1991) in the brand equity literature, a four factor solution that reduced the 30 constructs to four factors was chosen in this study. The factors produce a Cronbach alpha of 0.96, with eigenvalues greater than 1.0. The brand equity constructs with a loading below 0.6 were excluded from further analysis. 14 constructs remained in this study.

Going Global: The Role and Effect of Leadership Styles in PT Bunga Mawar Indonesia

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Siti Rohaida Mohamed Zainal, Roazian Md Nor and Yudi Fernando, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 170225, IBIMA Business Review , 9 pages, Abstract It is widely acknowledged that among all determinants of employment outcomes, leadership is viewed as an important predictor with a central role (Carli, 1990). It has been long held within the humanistic management perspective that different types of leadership style eventually are leading towards different outcomes. In this era of globalization, the role of leadership in determining the internalization pathways for the company is even more crucial. Due to many environment changes, companies decide to inject a new perspective into their management styles. The issue of globalization for example, has lead many companies to divert their focus to the issues of sustainability. This paradigm shift requires management to solicit the subordinates’ inputs in decision making and/or allow them to ensure that the management receive a warm support from the employees which is embarking to the sustainability journey, it actually begin from the internal groups. Thus, this paper discusses the leadership style of senior manager in medical wastes business in Indonesia. By using the qualitative approach with case study method, there were 13 semi-structured interviews with 35 questions based on the topic used to investigate the role of leader’s leadership styles. Later, all data was transcribed and coded systematically. Based on the results of the interviews, the case analysis is presented, thus at the end, this paper will conclude by recommendations for management of PT Bunga Mawar.

Exploring Information Quality in Accounting Information Systems Adoption

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Manirath Wongsim and Jing Gao, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 683574, Communications of the IBIMA, 12 pages, Abstract, Information Quality (IQ) Management plays a vital role in the process of Accounting Information Systems (AIS) adoption. IQ is emerging as a well-known business problem in modern organisations. Specifically, the level of information quality is critical for all accounting processes, and has a significant impact on business decision-making. It must be noted that modern organisations rely heavily on the use of accounting information systems for their accounting processes. There is a growing need for research to provide insights into issues and solutions related to IQ in AIS adoption. This research aims to explore ways of managing information quality and AIS adoption to investigate the relationship between the IQ issues and AIS adoption process. This study has led to the development of a framework to guide the organisations on implementing an adequate IQ management approach during the system adoption process. This research was done on 44 respondents at ten organisations within manufacturing firms in Thailand. The findings of the research’s empirical evidence suggest that IQ dimensions in AIS adoption provide assistance in all processes of decision making. This research provides empirical evidence that information quality of AIS adoption affect decision making and suggests that these variables should be considered in adopting AIS in order to improve the effectiveness of AIS.

Service Quality and Students’ Satisfaction at Higher Learning Institutions: The Competing Dimensions of Malaysian Universities’ Competitiveness

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Jalal R. M. Hanaysha, Haim Hilman Abdullah and Ari Warokka Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 855931, Journal of Southeast Asian Research, 10 pages, Abstract One of important determinants of national competitiveness is the quality of its higher education. This quality comes from the combination of excellent learning process and public satisfaction on the service delivered. Student satisfaction assessment is vital in determining service quality at higher learning institutions (HEIs). To remain competitive, it requires HEIs to continuously acquire, maintain, and build stronger relationships with students. The main purpose of this paper is to evaluate students’ satisfaction on services provided by HEIs. Specifically, the study found significant relationship between the five dimensions of service quality (tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy) or SERVQUAL and students’ satisfaction. From 1000 questionnaires being sent out to respondents, 360 responded. The findings generally indicate that the majority of students are satisfied with the facilities provided by universities. Such findings should help universities make better strategic plan as to enhance students’ satisfaction in particular and its overall performance in general. In general, the results indicated that all the five dimensions of service quality were correlated with student satisfaction.

A Framework for Information Quality Assessment Using Six Sigma Approach

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Sang Hyun Lee and Abrar Haider, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 927907, Communications of the IBIMA, 11 pages, Abstract Impacts of poor quality of information are felt at every level in an organisation. To mitigate these impacts, information quality must be assessed and managed. However, obtaining accurate measurements and cost-effective assessments of information quality have proven to be an extremely difficult task due to the complexities of information systems and the various information quality dimensions depending upon the business properties. Most of the available information quality assessment frameworks are based on measuring customer data only and thus, they do not provide comprehensive and systematic assessment of information quality. However, not only that these approaches are unable to provide a complete measurement of all the information quality dimensions, but are also unable to highlight the dirtiness of data due to the correlation of various information quality dimensions. This paper introduces a new approach to information quality measurement and employs Six Sigma approach to information quality assessment. This approach focuses on continuous improvement of information quality by a systematic assessment of multiple information quality dimensions. It specifically tackles the correlation and the relative importance of information quality dimensions and proposes precise and systematic information quality assessment criteria.

Effects of Climate Change on Agricultural Trade Capability in the European Food Market

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by E. Nur Ozkan-Gunay and Halit Fedai, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 949944, Journal of EU Research in Business, 21 pages, Abstract Climate change and global food security issues will continue to be at the center of policy debates as long global warming prolongs due to increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Since agriculture is very vulnerable to climate change, various climate change scenarios are projected for the impact of climate change on the agricultural sector. However, there are conflicting hypotheses regarding the relation between climate change and agricultural production, and agricultural trade as well, in the literature. In this study, the major determinants of agricultural trade capability, including climate change indicators are analyzed in the European food market. First of all, Turkey and its major rivals are included in the analysis because Turkey is one of the major agricultural exporters and ranks the 16th in global agricultural market. The share of the first 16 countries covers 60% of agricultural exports in the world. Secondly, the major rivals of Turkey are determined in the European food market and categorized as emerging and developing countries. Then, panel data models are employed to analyze the main determinants of agricultural trade for 16 countries for the period of 1990-2008. The empirical evidence supports that climate change affects the agricultural trade capability of food exporters in the European Market. Fixed Effect Model results reveal that particulate emission damage decreases agricultural trade capability of emerging and developed countries in the European food market. In addition, carbon dioxide emission level is favorable for agricultural trade capability in developed countries due to usage of energy sources and the efficiency in agricultural production. Contradicting results are applicable for emerging countries since the carbon dioxide emission level is favorable mainly for the industrial sector. Furthermore, carbon dioxide intensity is also negatively correlated with the agricultural trade capability of both emerging and developed countries.

Emerging Themes of the Leadership and Green Innovation of the Government-Linked Companies

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Noormaizatul Akmar Ishak and Hartini Ahmad, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 507312, IBIMA Business Review, 9 pages, Abstract: The main reason businesses need to innovate is due to its necessity to sustain and survive, and not for the matter of how brilliant and visionary the leaders of the organisation are. Innovation has known for its very significant role in the organisation progression and growth. Innovation can happen in the products, processes, and services being embarked by organisations to make more profit by reducing operational cost and making processes more efficient. The concern over the environment all around the world has encouraged innovation to be more tailored to the “green”. “Green” is a name that is being associated with anything or any action that has impact to the environment such as green building, green government and green innovation. This constructive research is a qualitative multicases study. Data collection is done via interviews, focus group discussions and document analysis. The result has been analyzed to see the themes emerging from the data before the analysis is being interpreted. This paper discusses the impact of green innovation to the top management leadership in the Government-linked Companies (GLCs) in Malaysia. The key findings highlighted that the leadership must be sensitive and must understand the green demand and situation in Malaysia and around the world with respect to the industries that these GLCs are operating. This is where the top management leadership “attribute” is justified to fit the green innovation implementation.

European Union: New Risks from the Actual Globalization

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By J. Adrian Ivorra, J. Manuel Bonilla, Francisco J. Brotons and Ángel Grediaga, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 632905, Journal of EU Research in Business, 7 pages, Abstract: This paper analyzes and explains different challenges the European Union (EU) is currently facing. It also analyzes the main impact that globalization has when trying to resolve these challenges. The EU has identified several challenges that their understanding need to be resolved and settled during the 21st Century. Among these, but not limited to, are, unemployment, the integration of all European countries under the EU umbrella, and the multicultural and multiracial diversity so prevalent in the continent. If these challenges are tackled effectively, the EU will face and conquer, to a large extent, the main issues impacting all member nations. On the contrary, if the EU fails to resolve these challenges, the member nations will feel the consequences of increased unemployment and lack of political and social integration. Consequently, the up to now unattained main objective of a unified - politically and economically - Europe, will also fail. The authors understand that globalization defines and determines the interaction of all different parts of our society. Therefore, it is a fair statement to emphasize that globalization is the context that frames all the conditions required to effectively face and resolve the challenges mentioned above.

Gender, Age, and Education: Do They Really Moderate Online Music Acceptance?

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

Norazah Mohd Suki, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 959384, Communications of the IBIMA, 18 pages, Abstract: The objective of this paper is to investigate whether gender, age, and education really moderate online music acceptance of early adopters. An empirical survey was used to test the hypotheses. Data were collected from a total of 200 questionnaires distributed to early adopters of online music and were analysed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) via the Analysis of Moment Structure (AMOS 16) computer program. Results enumerates that younger people (younger than 25 years), male and higher educated were more strongly affected by Perceived Playfulness and Perceived Ease of Use towards online music. This study helps practitioners to extend online music market with greater understanding about early adopters’ willingness to involve in online music purchase. The paper rounds off with conclusions and an agenda for future research in this area.

Defining Knowledge Management (KM) Activities from Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) Perspective

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

Lew Sook Ling, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 510976, Journal of Organizational Knowledge Management, 10 pages, Abstract, KM practitioners or managers may sometimes face difficultities when they come to adop definitions to plan for effective KM and information infrastructure in their respective situations to achieve organisational competitive advanatge (CA). This paper is to review and examine the variations and similarities from the various definitions of KM activities since 1990s from the perspective of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) with the aim of finding out which is the most suitable one to adopt. A keyword index search of ‘knowledge management’ was conducted on 01 December 2009 in the ProQuest Central online database. 25932 articles were found. After topic filtering, there were only 254 articles related to the keyword and 55 of them were connected to the ‘knowledge management activities’. Based on the scope of the 55 articles, this paper identified that there are four KM activities: creating, storing, sharing and utilising knowledge.

The Relationship between Participation in Decision Making and Job Satisfaction among Academic Staff in the School of Business, University of Nairobi

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

Florence K. Muindi, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 246460, Journal of Human Resources Management Research, 34 pages, Abstract This study examines the relationship between participation in decision making and job satisfaction among academic staff in public University of Nairobi. This study was conducted on the positivism approach to research. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population of the study was all non-management members of academic staff at the school of Business, University of Nairobi. A structured questionnaire was prepared and distributed to all selected respondents. The study comprised of two major variables, namely participation in decision making, which was the independent variable and job satisfaction which was the dependent variable. A five point scale was used to collect data and analysis was based on averages, percentage, correlation coefficient and linier regression . The findings indicate that a significantly strong positive correlation was found to exist between job satisfaction and participation in decision-making (=0.888). The findings indicate also a positively strong correlation between participation in decision-making and job satisfaction in relation to general working conditions (=0.640); pay and promotion potential (=0.703); use of skills and abilities (=0.895); job design (=0.750); and job feedback (=0.632). The findings indicate that the level of job satisfaction for workers at the SOB increases proportionately with an increase in their level of participation in decision-making.

An Enterprise Architecture Methodology for Business-IT Alignment: Adopter and Developer Perspectives

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Zulkhairi Md. Dahalin, Rafidah Abd Razak, Huda Ibrahim, Nor Iadah Yuso, and M.Khairudin Kasiran, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 222028, Communications of the IBIMA, 17 pages, Abstract:This paper proposes the use of an enterprise architecture methodology known as the Systemic Enterprise Architecture Methodology to determine the relevance of EA in addressing the business-IT alignment. A construct that characterized EA was developed based on review of the literature. A theoretical framework build upon the Systemic Enterprise Architecture Methodology (SEAM) was used based on a business-IT alignment market, in which supplier business systems compete to provide a value to an adopter business system. Data was empirically gathered based on survey respondents who are concerned with the adoption, planning and implementation of EA in their organizations. Respondents were managers and executives representing the IT and senior level management of public and private organizations in Malaysia. The data collected was then analyzed based on the following factors: (1) EA business issues; (2) EA environment; (3) EA governance; and (4) EA methods, tools and frameworks. Comparative analysis was carried out based on the four factors to examine the trend and status of EA adoption and implementation in Malaysia vis-à-vis the international scenario. Statistical analysis was used to validate the SEAM, which was found to be relevant in addressing the business-IT alignment.

Electronic Business Maturity in Portuguese SME and Large Enterprises

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Elisabete Paulo Morais, Sónia Sousa Santos, and Ramiro Moreira Gonçalves Volume. 2011 (2011), Article ID 283342, Communications of the IBIMA, 10 pages, Abstract: Since the introduction of computer technology into organizations in the 1960s, there have been numerous attempts to develop models of Information Systems/Information Technology (IS/IT) maturity. The maturity models are based on the premise that the planning process, development or adoption, use and management of IS/IT organizations, evolves through a learning process that can move through stages of maturity. If these stages (and their associated features) can be identified, could then be used to develop a plan for the IS and provide guidelines for action for the orderly progression through several stages from the current culture of the organization. This work focuses the e-business maturity stages of Portuguese SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) and large enterprises. Our goal is to identify in which e-business maturity stage they are and explore the relationship between their e-business maturity and the associated constrains to e-business evolution (previously identified in an exploratory study).

Simulation of Sequencing Rules Using Witness in a Milling Job Shop

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Liqi Ang, Kuan Yew Wong and Wai Peng Wong, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 402089, Communications of the IBIMA, 6 pages, Abstract: Simulation is essential when studying manufacturing processes or designing production systems. This project was a real case study which involved a job shop with five similar CNC milling machines. A total of six jobs were performed and each of them consisted of a different set of operations. The sequence of the six jobs to enter the system was determined by the sequencing rules including shortest setup time (SST), shortest processing time (SPT), shortest processing and setup time (SPST), earliest due date (EDD), least process (LP), and lowest volume (LV). The setup time was taken into consideration to make the results more realistic. Due to the complexity of the model, WITNESS was used to simulate all the sequencing rules. The best approach was then determined by comparing the results of each rule. By doing this, the case company would be able to make a better decision on which job should be processed first instead of selecting it randomly among the jobs.

A Survey of Communication Content in Software Requirements Elicitation Involving Customer and Developer

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Noraini Che Pa and Abdullah Mohd Zain Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 742200, Journal of Software & Systems Development, 12 pages, Abstract, At the heart of software requirements elicitation lies the communication between customer and developer. There are several valuable components of communication such as medium, sender, receiver, and messages, which relates to the input and output from both parties. Most of these messages are delivered through incompletely, inconsistently or inaccurately defined communication medium. This study has been done to look into the communication content of the current communication practices between developer and customer in Malaysia. The results of this study revealed some important notes on the practices of communication content during software requirements elicitation process in Malaysia.

Layered Approach to Open Source Software Development Success

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Aminat Showole, Shamsul Sahibuddin and Suhaimi Ibrahim Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 160480, Communications of the IBIMA, 22 pages, Abstract Open source has emerged as a widely accepted software development phenomenon which has tremendously brought about a significant paradigm shift from traditional software development methodologies such as top down design and stepwise refinement to an unconventional software development approach by means of collaborative software development method among a wide geographically dispersed interested developers and committed project participants while paying less attention to immediate “physical gains”. The open source approach focuses on highly diverse views of developer motivations; ranging from ego gratification, ideological satisfaction and gift culture for individual developers and open source motivations may be viewed from spreading the software development risks and associated maintenance costs at corporate organisational level. In this article, a five layered open onion model of open source was broadly examined. Analysis and evaluation were narrowed down to only the initiation layer of the open onion model. Results show that open source success largely depends on the quality associated with successful initiation of the project. Our findings also reveal that the most popular open source license is GPL and that license type has significant impact on project rank. The domain audience has negative impact on project rank and user interface has significantly negative impact on project’s domain audience. Open source project topics covered have a significant impact on the domain audience and a negative effect on the user interface. This research has also presented a conceptual framework of open source success tree.

The Roles of Emotional Intelligence and Spiritual Intelligence at the Workplace

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Susan Tee Suan Chin, R.N. Anantharaman and David Yoon Kin Tong Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 582992, Journal of Human Resources Management Research, 9 pages, Abstract: The workplace environment keeps on changing, indicating its dynamic nature as well as unpredictability. The workforce is now more diverse, not only in terms of age but also of nationality. Globalization has made the world boundaryless and people are now mobile. Organizations require its employees to be more committed as well as to have a better cohesive working interrelationship. Emotional Intelligence is the ability to sense, understand and effectively apply the power and acumen of emotions as a source of human energy, information, connection and influence. Spiritual intelligence is the set of abilities that individuals use to apply, manifest and embody spiritual resources, values and qualities in ways that enhance their daily functioning and well-being. With both these intelligences happening in the workplace, the environment will be more conducive. A better working environment relates to a higher level of productivity.

14th and 15th IBIMA proceedings are now indexed at Thomson Reuters

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

On July 27, 2011, 14th IBIMA proceedings for the conference that was held in Istanbul Turkey 23-24 June 2010 and 15th IBIMA proceedings for the conference that was held in Cairo 6-7 November 2010 are now indexed at Thomson Reuters (ISI). IBIMA strives for excellence in research and world class academic collaboration.

Experienced Benefits and Barriers of e-Business Technology Adoption by SME suppliers

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Ali Abu Abid, Md Mahbubur Rahim, and Helana Scheepers, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 791778, Communications of the IBIMA, 11 pages, Abstract, E-business technologies present unique opportunities and challenges for businesses, and Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are no exception. However, there is a rich body of the e-business literature concentrates on adoption concerns from SMEs buyers’ viewpoint, little research has so far been reported from the viewpoint of SME suppliers. Participation of SME suppliers needs to be ensured in order to use the full potential of e-business technologies. This study was thus initiated to identify the experienced and expected benefits and barriers to adoption of e-business technologies from the viewpoint of group SME suppliers. In general, the findings designate that the SME suppliers have experienced numerous impediments that they need to overcome for the successful implementation of e-business technologies. The suppliers also have a broader view of e-business benefits than just cost saving.

Ontology-based System for Semantic Visio-conference Information Retrieval and Annotation

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Ameni Yengui and Mahmoud Neji, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 902924, Communications of the IBIMA, 10 pages, Abstract: Our system OSVIRA (Ontology-Based System for Semantic Information Retrieval Visio-conference and Annotation) is devoted to the development of help to annotation and semantic search of multimedia conferencing resources. It is based on the use of ontology associated with dense thesaurus. It allows using multiple ontology relating to the same seamlessly domain with the ability to define links of equivalence between concepts and / or relationships of different ontology considered. The OSVIRA’ thesaurus besides the uses of uses linguistic relations to reinforce relations between terms and enlarge the semantics of vocabulary. OSVIRA allows to describe semantically the content of a pedagogic multimedia resources on the basis of an intuitive model of annotation based on the triplet {Object, Relation, Object}. It formally represents this content using conceptualgraphs.

Automatic Acquisition of Corpus for Multimedia Applications

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Najeh Hajlaoui, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 254926, Communications of the IBIMA, 12 pages, Abstract: IEvaluations of tools (information retrieval systems, machine learning, speech recognition, machine translation, automatic acquisition of data, etc.) are annually organized throughout evaluation campaigns (TREC, ELRA, ESTER IWSLT, etc.). The building of an ad hoc evaluation corpus in the context of these evaluation campaigns is a complex task and it is done manually today and with a high cost. Indeed, this is a very dedicated corpus that would answer to an application need in a precise context but automating its building is a challenge that will help significantly the organization of these campaigns. As a contribution to this challenge, we propose in a context of multimedia information retrieval, an approach of multilevel extension of a small applicative corpus to a larger and voluminous corpus based on the detection of intersections between the two corpus in terms of lemmas having the same grammatical label, that means to get a list of appropriate terminology for which we use several tools (internal and external to our laboratory) and we try to evaluate them in order to keep consistency and coherence with the original corpus..

Technology Acceptance: Course and Teaching Surveys Case Study at Sultan Qaboos University

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Ali H. Al-Badi, Abdullah S. Al-Rashdi and Taher A. Ba-Omar Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 989188, IBIMA Business Review , 15 pages, Abstract: Course and teaching surveys (CTS) are an integral part of academic life in institutions of higher education. CTS are conducted with the aim of informing the University's commitment to continuous improvement in the delivery of high quality learning experiences for students. They are used also to gauge the students’ satisfaction with the course materials and the instructor(s) and to provide feedback to the instructor(s). Paper based surveys, for historical reasons, are frequently used for this task. With the rolling out of low cost and accessible web based systems, it is now possible to deploy computer-based instead of paper-based surveys. Paper based surveys present a problem due to the extensive amount of paper handling required, and offer greater potential for abuse by certain individuals. Electronic surveys facilitate more efficient development, distribution and reporting processes, but have some issues with motivating student responses. The objective of this research is of two folds; first, to explore the usefulness and effectiveness of using the web-based surveys in contrast to the paper-based ones by obtaining the opinions of the stakeholders (students, faculty members and staff); and secondly to investigate the causes behind the low number of students attempting the web-based surveys in comparison to the paper-based. Interviews with stakeholders) give different perspectives on this matter. Experience with a paper based survey, and the implementation of an electronic replacement at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), allows the two approaches to be compared. The paper also investigates the acceptability and willingness of the students to use the newly created web-based survey. Many researchers have written about the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and some have provided extensions to the initially proposed model. In this paper we present a case study confirming the Perceived Usefulness of Technology (PUT) component of TAM, and how this factor influences a customer’s willingness to use a technology. The study showed clearly that the web-based CTS have much more advantages over the paper-based ones. Furthermore, if a user does not believe a technology is useful he/she will not use it. Many students claimed that they believe that the CTS have no benefits if there are not actions to be taken by the administration. The paper concludes by providing some recommendations to encourage people to use the technology under discussion, an on-line survey service.

Cognitive Load and Learning Styles of Mobile Workers: Future directions

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Sonia Jeddi and Samia Karoui Zouaoui, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 474021, Communications of the IBIMA, 12 pages, Abstract: The wide use of mobile information and communication technologies in working practices offers new opportunities to workers to absorb and process information in different ways, different places and consequently to support their learning anytime anywhere. However, owing to this mobilization, mobile devices contribute to work intensification and at the end lead to the development of information overload problems. Recent mobility literature misses a theoretical and empirical explanation of the individual and organizational impact of this emerging concept, we thus propose in the current research to explain the relationship between worker's mobility and the learning styles through enhancing the information load. The results of semi-structured interviews with Tunisian mobile workers reveal that the use of mobiles ICT can generates paradoxical styles of learning. This is essentially due to individual cognitive capacity, the nature (urgent or ordinary), the moment (beginning or end of day) and solicitations. Researches on learning styles in the Information System area should be further developed, especially with regard to the analysis of overload of mobile workers. Cognitive issues and the awareness of the way mobile workers assimilate and use information can offer new individual and organizational opportunities to face mobility challenges. It will also provide us with a useful framework for future researches.

Information Security Solutions Status and the Roadmap for Future Requirements

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Said K. Al-Wahaibi, Norafida Binti Ithnin and Ali H. Al-Badi, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 664951, Journal of Information Assurance & Cybersecturity, 7 pages, Abstract: Information Security (InfoSec) Surveys conducted worldwide show that the number and type of InfoSec attacks is expanding daily. This is verified and validated through a survey discussed in this paper. The paper asks a number of questions concerning InfoSec issues, outlines a survey designed to answer these questions, and then discusses the results obtained within the framework of those questions. The survey concludes that, although InfoSec awareness exists, best InfoSec practices are usually not being followed. Consequently InfoSec threats are increasing enormously despite the existence of tools designed to protect against them. Of particular concern is “human factors”, since user carelessness and negligence may contribute to the issue and may grant hacker’s access to sensitive assets.

Electronic Participation in Malaysia

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Mohamad Aizi Bin Salamat, Shahizan Bin Hassan and Mohamad Syakiran Bin Muhammad, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 270543, Journal of e-Government Studies and Best Practices, 11 pages, Abstract: This article seeks to highlight the prevalent role of electronic participation (e-participation) in the implementation of e-government (EG) and possible approaches in enhancing the application of e-government through the insertion of e-participation module. Previous case studies on e-participation cover definitions and technique of e-participation, applicable strategies to implement e-participation, and the quality of e-participation for top management decision making. Several literature in EG supports the statement that e-participation could improve the quality of public sector governance process. As a result, most developed countries implemented EG projects to enable involvement of citizens in the political decision making process through e-participation. However, this is not the case in most of the developing countries which focus more on improving public sector services rather than e-participation. Among others, there are arguments which focus on the issue of lack of citizen participation in the political process through the Internet. This is particularly true in the context of EG implementation in developing countries whereby the focus is more on e-services rather than e-participation. Malaysian government has implemented EG, since 1997 under one of the MSC flagships, to deliver information and services in an integrated manner. Malaysian Government Portal or myGovernment performs as a single platform providing information and services related to government agencies. Despite this effort, myGovernment, as evident in other developing nations, also does not place emphasis on e-participation.

Game Changer? How VoIP Is Impacting the Way We Play

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by John Halloran, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 144197, International Journal of Interactive Worlds 27 pages, Abstract: Recently, computer games producers have integrated Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) into distributed multiplayer games, allowing gamers playing at a distance to talk to each other ‘ear-to-ear’ in an audio-conference-like setting. How does being able to talk to one another in this manner affect the gaming experience? A longitudinal study of a group of adults playing a multiplayer team game is presented. Our analysis looks at how the players used VoIP talk to interact with each other in the virtual game world. We found that VoIP represents talk in ways that differ both to face-to-face talk and to text-mediated communications, and this leads to new forms of multiplayer gameplay: VoIP audio representations interact with, and mediate, the graphical materials of the game world in ways that can generate problems to be overcome for players, but also provide new opportunities. In particular, our findings show how players used VoIP to coach each other in the early stages of playing together, and then later on to successfully coordinate more complex game playing. For both, distinctive forms of collaboration made possible by VoIP were found. On the basis of our findings, we consider how VoIP can be further integrated with graphical representations to enhance the user experience in distributed multiplayer games.

The Influence of Intellectual Capital on Knowledge Sharing: Small and Medium Enterprises’ Perspective

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Rohana Ngah and Abdul Razak Ibrahim, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 444770, Communications of the IBIMA,13 pages, Abstract: Intellectual capital of the organization would determine the success of the organization itself if it is well capitalized. Knowledge sharing is a platform for the organization to further enhance productivity. Furthermore, knowledge sharing is always linked to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) due to their advantage of being small. Convenience sampling was used for manufacturing and services industries of SMEs. Data was tested using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to investigate the impact of intellectual capital on knowledge sharing. Measurement model and structural model were developed. Findings show that relational capital has a positive impact on knowledge sharing while human capital and structural capital has negative impact on knowledge sharing. All the intellectual capital dimensions contributed a significant impact on knowledge sharing. It is important for SMEs to invest and focus on knowledge sharing activity as it would create a platform for innovation, thus enhances the performance.

Efficient Creation of 3D Models from Buildings’ Floor Plans

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Diana S. S. Santos, Márcio Dionísio, Nuno Rodrigues and António Pereira, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 897069 Journal of Interactive Worlds , 30 pages, Abstract: Nowadays, there is a huge need for efficient tools to produce virtual models, mostly urban, in several areas such as architecture, movies, games, virtual worlds and commercial applications. These models may be either generated “fictional” models or reconstructed models representing real world structures. This last option is the motivation behind this paper and past experience has shown us that, usually, it is harder to recreate existing models than trying to create new ones. The purpose of the research here addressed is the definition of a method to efficiently produce 3D models of existing buildings. The method allows the 3D creation of buildings’ structures (interior and exterior) and corresponding surrounding environments from existing information such as floor plans (in any format), photographs, etc. It also allows the application of different materials (textures and colours) to the buildings’ structure and to place and distribute objects logically. The method is established through the development of a software prototype – AV3D (Ambientes Virtuais 3D – 3D Virtual Environments) – that allows the production of the realistic results shown in this paper.

A Fuzzy Sets Model for Companies Behaviour of Absorption Minimum Wage Shocks: An Analysis of Inflationary Risks

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Dorel Ailenei, Coralia Angelescu, Amalia Cristescu and Mihaela Hrisanta, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 903755, Journal of Economics Studies and Research, 11 pages, Abstract: The minimum wage appears to be a new challenge for emerging labor market from Romania. Is this a real problem or only a theoretical shadow of some unclear model of market economy? The authors tried to bring to light the real effects of minimum wage increases during the last decade in Romania and to identify some potential inflationary risks of this phenomenon. For that, they used some econometric test of relationships between minimum wage and average gross nominal wage, rate of employment and consumer prices index dynamics, a national survey of Romanian companies and elaborated a fuzzy sets model for companies’ behaviors for absorbing minimum wage shocks.

The Criteria for Measuring Knowledge Management Initiatives: A Rare Glimpse into Malaysian Organizations

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Reza Sigari Tabrizi, Yeap Peik Foong and Nazli Ebrahimi, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 955926, Journal of Organizational Knowledge Management, 15 pages, Abstract: Many challenges are facing measuring KM initiatives and one of the key challenges is to provide a comprehensive set of criteria to measure success of KM programs. The aim of this research is to address the problem of identifying the criteria for measuring KM outcomes among Malaysia companies and seeks to develop widely-accepted criteria based on the systematic review of the literature in order to measure success of knowledge management programs for Malaysian organizations. Hence, attempts were made to discover the most favored criteria among Malaysia organizations and to investigate the relationship between KM criteria and organization’s mission, goals, and objectives. In addition, the relationship between KM criteria and success of KM programs were examined using regression analysis. The current population study was composed of 79 Malaysian organizations from different types of sectors. According to results achieved by statistical analyses, the most favored criteria among respondents who participated in this survey were enhanced collaboration, improved communication, improved learning/adaptation capability, sharing best practices, better decision-making, enhanced product or service quality, enhanced intellectual capital, and increased empowerment of employees. Finally, it is hoped that the current study provides a better picture for Malaysia organizations to identify and develop a comprehensive set of criteria to measure success of KM initiatives.

An Investigation into the Use of ERP Systems in the Public Sector

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Maria Céu Gaspar Alves and Sergio Ivo Amaral Matos, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 950191, Journal of Enterprise Resource Planning Studies, 6 pages, Abstract: During recent years, public organizations have invested considerable resources in the implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, even using solutions initially targeted for manufacturing companies. The interest generated by the ERP phenomenon in the public-sector still growing and the particularities of this sector make specific studies necessary. Just a few empirical studies have looked at public-sector motivations for ERP implementation and it appears from previous studies that organizational conditions of public and private organizations are different. This suggests that the reasons to implement ERP system may also differ. Consequently, the aim of this paper is to get an insight into how public organizations approach ERP implementation. Based on a survey of public organizations we try to identified and characterize the motivations that lead to the adoption of ERP systems, and to identify and understand modules adoption in the public-sector. Overall, our findings reveal that the need to increase the demand for real-time information, to obtain information for decision-making and the integration of applications appear as main reasons to implement an ERP system. The study also reveals that Financial Accounting and Material Management modules are the most implemented. This paper reinforces the need for more research focused on public sector organizations. Since literature on ERP implementation on public-sector is relatively sparse, our paper helps to narrow this knowledge gap.

Towards Implementing a Privacy Policy: An Observation on Existing Practices in Hospital Information System

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Suhaila Samsuri, Rabiah Ahmad and Zuraini Ismail, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 345834, Journal of e-health Management, 9 pages, Abstract: In order to safeguard the confidentiality and sensitivity of personal health information belongs to individual, a privacy law is needed to be in place. There are numerous cases of unauthorised intrusions of personal health information occurred but no legal action can be exerted due to the absence of a privacy act in Malaysia. Therefore, a preliminary observation has been conducted to review the current privacy implementations in management of personal health information at Malaysian government hospitals. Analysis was conducted based on OECD Fair Information Practices Guideline which has been the benchmark of most of the privacy and data protection legislation in the world. Interviews were conducted with key personnel in medical informatics and legal expertise using Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) technique as guidance. The findings of the observation were then compared with the existing health information privacy acts. Then, recommendations were made to include those findings in the proposed privacy law or policy in Malaysia.

IT Service Level Management: Practices in Large Organizations

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Gianmario Motta, Thiago Barroero, Filippo Galvani and Antonella Longo, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 635464, Communications of the IBIMA, 9 pages, Abstract: We survey actual practices of IT SLM (Service Level Management) in large organizations. The survey is based on a comprehensive analysis framework, called ESLAM (Extended Service Level Analysis Model) that considers (a) service level variables, that are what SLM measures (b) service information system, that processes information on service level technology, and (c) service organization that defines roles and procedures to run SLM. The survey was based on face to face interviews to both IT intensive (Banks and Telcos) and non-intensive (as Railways) organizations and has considered also context variables, as size and organizational shape, to develop correlation analysis. The survey has identified key drivers of SLM maturity and shown that IT intensive organizations, as banks and telecommunications, develop a more mature SLM. Also SLM maturity is unrelated to organizational size.

E-Commerce Products and Services in the Banking Industry: The Adoption and Usage in Commercial Banks in Kenya

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Peterson Obara Magutu, Michael Mwangi, Richard Bitange Nyaoga, Gladys Monchari Ondimu, Margaret Kagu, Kipngeno Mutai, Henry Kilonzo and Peninah Nthenya, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 678961, Journal of Electronic Banking Systems, 19 pages, Abstract: Globalization, collaboration and wireless technologies have led to stiff competition. As a result, commercial banks have generally adopted the use of e-commerce products and services in their delivery of services to customers. This study’s main objective was to explore the challenges faced and benefits that accrue from adoption and usage of e-commerce products and services banking by commercial banks in Kenya. A survey was carried out to achieve the envisaged aims of the study. A total of 100 questionnaires were distributed however only 70 banks responded. Overall, research showed that while the majority of the banks in Kenya have adopted e-commerce products and services, usage levels have remained relatively low, as not many customers are using this innovation in Kenya. To establish benefits and challenges in the adoption and usage of e-commerce, 32 variables were used to measure the level of application among these banks. These variables were analyzed using factor analysis procedure and in order to achieve a simple and meaningful structure, that is, have a nonzero loading of the explained variance for each individual factors, varimax rotation was done. As a result, 10 critical factors were established as the best practices which include: improved customer service, reduced number of customers in the banking hall, reduced operating costs and increased market share. The challenges faced in the adoption of e-commerce products and services include compatibility with existing legacy systems, cost of implementation and security concerns ranked high, ensuring desired levels of security and privacy. Unreliable telecommunication as well as lack of legislation governing e-commerce transactions rated highly.

Information and Communications Technology Threats: Personal Data and User Behaviour

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Daniel Lang and Jean-Luc Pillet, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 130212, Communications of the IBIMA, 15 pages, Abstract: This article analyses the threats which Information and Communications Technologies currently pose to individual liberties. Indeed, the information which is collected on individuals is becoming more and more complex: via RFID chips inserted into different cards (including transport, bank and customer loyalty cards), via visits to internet sites, over surveillance cameras posted in various places (work and public spaces), each of us is leaving « traces » which make up just as much collected data, most often treated and transmitted without our knowledge, and integrated into files, the mastery of which eludes us. We wished to carry out a study in order to evaluate the use of information and communications technologies and the awareness of users to the inherent risks. We also sought to determine if there exists a significant gap between the awareness of a threat and the safety measures associated in order to reduce the vulnerability of a system.

Internet Banking Security Guideline Model for Banking in Thailand

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By M.L.Kulthon Kasemsan and Nantana Hunngam, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 787725, Communications of the IBIMA, 13 pages, Abstract: The purpose of this research is to study the Internet banking security guideline model for banking business in Thailand. At the present, the uses of the Internet have grown rapidly, but there are not many customers who use the Internet banking services because they do not trust the bank security systems. As a result, the study of the Internet banking security guideline model and tools development as well as information technology were conducted to ensure the security of the Internet banking services by using the concept of reliability, innovation adoption theory, the quality of the Internet connection and e-commerce law. The collected data were taken to form the Internet banking services security model by using innovation adoption theory, trust of the system, the quality of the Internet connection, e-commerce legal support, authentication theory, key locker security, and one time password (OTP). The results of the research showed that the customers paid attention to the security, risk awareness, ease of use, and quality of Internet connection, respectively. Furthermore, it can also be concluded that a comparative study between the Internet banking and mobile banking should be studied as well as the study of social factors, and security factors to ensure the security and in order to meet with the customers’ needs.

Testing Web Services Composition: A Mapping Study

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Hazlifah Mohd Rusli, Suhaimi Ibrahim and Mazidah Puteh, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 598357, Communications of the IBIMA, 12 pages, Abstract: E-business systems are known for their frequent changes in business requirements, and traditional software development engineering approaches have difficulties in keeping up with this dynamicity. The use of service oriented architecture in software development has become popular as it provides a solution to frequent changes to business environments in a heterogeneous network. In service oriented architecture, new systems are quickly developed by combining services developed and owned by different organizations, and one way of realising this architecture is via Web services. Although much research effort has been put into the discovery, invocation and composition of services testing Web services has only begun to attract interest from both researchers and industry players. This paper aims to provide a mapping study of current Web services composition testing researches conducted by other researchers. Research papers on testing of Web services composition were gathered from various scholarly databases using provided search engines within a given period of time. The research papers were then classified according to issues addressed by them. The aim is to get a broad overview of the current state of research in Web services composition testing. By looking at the areas focused by existing researchers, gaps and untouched areas of Web services composition testing can be discovered.

Using ICT as a Value Adding Tool in South African SMEs

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

Reza Ismail, Robyne Jeffery, and Jean-Paul Van Belle Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 470652, Journal of African Research in Business & Technology, 12 pages, Abstract: This article investigates how Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been used to add value to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa, particularly in the retail, production and service provision sectors. This empirical study had three objectives. The first objective was to find out which ICTs South African SMEs are currently using. The second goal was to investigate what SME owners perceived and what value ICTs added to their operations. Finally, the various barriers which SMEs face when adopting ICTs were looked at. It was found that ICT does indeed add value to SMEs, the use of ICT differs between different sectors, and South African SMEs encounter a number of critical barriers in the process of adopting ICT.

Innovative Teaching Experiences: Globalization via Collaboration

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Tahereh Alavi Hojjat and Ana- Maria Preda Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 531938, Journal of Administrative Sciences and Technology, 8 pages, Abstract: It has become increasingly more important with the rapid progress of internationalization to have a broad view based on the awareness that we live in an international society that requires us to achieve mutual understanding beyond our own borders. We are enmeshed in a global web of economic relationships through trading of goods and services, multinational corporations, cooperative ventures among the world’s firms, and the ties among the world’s financial markets. The global economy affects all of us daily and we cannot ignore the increasing globalization of the world’s economies. The education of our students will play an even more important role in globalization in the future. The purpose of this study is to investigate and evaluate how international collaboration in education has helped students in a small University to increase their understanding of the global economy and how exchange of ideas on various economic issues has been playing an increasingly more important key role at the global level. In particular, in this project, the experience of Desales University’s collaboration projects will be described to demonstrate the impact of short-term immersion experiences across cultures to develop global competence. Similarly, the role of technology will be discussed to illustrate innovative and cost effective ways to prepare students to become globally competent.

Intranet Supported Knowledge Sharing Behavior

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Mohamad Noorman Masrek, Hasnah Abdul Rahim, Rusnah Johare and Yanti Rahayu Rambli, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 802263, Journal of Organizational Knowledge Management, 11 pages, Abstract: While most corporate organizations in Malaysia have implemented intranet or portal, questions regarding users’ utilization behavior for the purpose of knowledge sharing still remain unanswered. Against this concern, this study seeks to investigate demographic profiles associated with knowledge sharing behavior in an intranet computing environment in selected Malaysian companies. Using the survey research method, 700 questionnaires were distributed using the simple random sampling technique yielding to 359 usable responses. The findings suggest that there is a significant difference in terms of knowledge sharing behavior across demographic profiles. In addition, it was also found that both length of service and internet experience is a significant predictor of knowledge sharing behavior in an intranet computing environment.

Enhancing the Satisfaction of Consumers of Tourism Services, a Core Element of the Marketing Polices

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Cătălina Lache and Alexandru Trifu Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 710632, IBIMA Business Review, 11 pages, Abstract: Consumer’s satisfaction is vital for the tourism companies. Leaving aside the fact that it is associated by the marketing specialists with the outcome of the purchasing and consumption processes, with consumers’ loyalty and with company profitability, the satisfaction degree of the tourism services consumers derives from the highest wishes, of accomplishing the cultural, artistic needs of communion with the nature, of rest, relaxation, of being beside those who share the same hobbies with us. This is why, both the producers, the tourism services providers, and the suppliers are particularly interested in the way in which the clients perceive the overall tourism product, but also each of the services encompassed by the service package. The exact evaluation of the clients’ satisfaction has become a central element of the marketing policies, next to the quality policy. The enhancement of the satisfaction stands at the basis of the loyalty raising policies and aims the clients, but also the employees, the shareholders and the suppliers. The paper presents the results of the research performed between 01.01.2010 and 01.09.2010. The matter under study consists of two distinct samples: 180 clients chosen randomly of the data bank held by 3 companies in the field of tourism (hotel, restaurant and tourism agency) and a sample of 50 employees, who are employees with the 3 analysed companies, residing in Romania, in the N-E region. The research method consists in making a poll, measuring opinions on an ordinal Likert scale, and in processing the information. The results reflect the concern for the thorough evaluation of the consumer’s satisfaction and its enhancement. Our study emphasises the importance of tourism services in Romania North-East, in order to absorb labour force and to ensure consumers’ high satisfaction, for leisure time and for refill “the batteries” for working activities.

Effects of Industry Type on ICT Adoption among Malaysian SMEs

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Khong Sin Tan, Uchenna Cyril Eze, and Siong Choy Chong Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 113797, Journal of Supply Chain and Customer Relationship Management, 13 pages Abstract: Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has been widely regarded as an enabler to boost the competitive level of SMEs in the business arena. Notwithstanding the many efforts undertaken by governments to promote ICT adoption among SMEs across different types of industries, many of them failed to reap this benefit evenly. This problem is prevalent among the SMEs in the Asia Pacific region and Malaysia is no exception. This paper therefore investigates industry types as a moderating factor that may exert significant effects on the adoption of ICT among SMEs in Malaysia. Based on the extended Diffusion of Technology Innovation model, a questionnaire-based survey was conducted on 406 managers/owners of SMEs in the southern region of Malaysia. The findings suggest that different type of SMEs do affect the strength relationship between some predictor variables and ICT adoption intention. The findings are discussed and interpreted to provide key implications to the policy makers in general and the SMEs in particular.

Enablers and Inhibitors of SISP: A Case Study of a Korean Large Corporation

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Jungho Yang, Kerry Tanner and Joze Kuzic, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 922957, Communications of the IBIMA, 16 pages, Abstract: Within more turbulent, and increasingly globalized and digitalized environments, Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP) has long been recognized as one of the most significant factors for better management. More recently, SISP has been included as one of the important components of IT governance frameworks. However, as business environments and IS/IT applications are rapidly growing in complexity, SISP needs to be implemented rigidly enough to meet project requirements, yet sufficiently flexible to adjust to environmental and managerial change. To diminish the problems and develop a successful SISP process, various enablers that make change possible both inside and outside of the corporation need to be identified and enhanced, and all possible inhibitors that prevent corporations from obtaining benefits and value need to be predicted and minimized. Besides, the inhibitors and enablers are intimately interrelated with each other. This paper presents a model of these interrelationships and reports on a pilot case study that investigated enablers and inhibitors of SISP in a large Korean corporation. The study demonstrated close relationships between enablers and inhibitors and benefits of SISP. Further research is planned to validate these findings in other large Korean corporations.

Business Failure Prediction by Using the Hybrid Technique of GA and ANFIS Based on Financial Ratio: Evident from Listed Companies in the Stock Exchange of Thailand

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Wonlop Buachoom and M.L.Kulthon Kasemsan, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 499279, Journal of Financial Studies & Research, 10 pages, Abstract: The objective of this study is to predict the business failure by using the combination of Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS). According to the forecasting procedure, 21 financial ratios are employed to use as the fundamental business failure signal for artificial intelligence generating within the combination technique. There are 109 Thai enterprises which are divided into 2 categories, for preparing the training set and test set. The process of this study starts with the GA selects attribute from the training set data group. After selecting process, ANFIS is taken to generate the forecasting model. Another set of data, test set, is used to prove the accuracy and error rate of testing result from the forecasting model. The result of the study points out that there are 5 financial ratios from GA-ANFIS selection which are appropriate to construct the failure forecasting model with 90.63 percent of accuracy rate and 3.13 percent of type 1 error. Finally, according to this study, the GA-ANFIS selection is helpful to predict the financial distress situation for Thai enterprises

Classification of Enterprise Portals: A Data Mining Approach

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Ahmed A. Elragal and Heba George Abouseif, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 887612, Communications of the IBIMA, 9 pages, Abstract: Classification of enterprise portal systems (EP) based on their features is the topic of this paper. We propose a classification based on cluster analysis which depends on features collected from the internet. Results showed that systems were found to belong to different classes based on their features.

A Maturity Model of Enterprise Business Intelligence

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Chee-Sok Tan, Yee-Wai Sim and William Yeoh, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 417812, Communications of the IBIMA, 9 pages, Abstract: The implementation of an enterprise-level business intelligence initiative is a large-scale and complex undertaking, involving significant expenditure and multiple stakeholders over a lengthy period. It is therefore imperative to have systematic guidelines for business intelligence stakeholders in referring business intelligence maturity levels. Draw upon the prudent concepts of the Capability Maturity Model, this research proposes a multi-dimensional maturity model with distinct maturity levels for managing enterprise business intelligence initiatives. The maturity model, named Enterprise Business Intelligence Maturiy (EBIM), consists of five core maturity levels and four key dimensions, namely information quality, master data management, warehousing architecture, and analytics. It can be used to assist enterprises in benchmarking their business intelligence maturity level and identifying the critical areas to attain higher level of maturity.

Innovation in Teaching Economics: The Case of Greek Post – Secondary Level

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Eleni Tsami, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 596368, Journal of Administrative Sciences and Technology, 11 pages, Abstract: This paper is a part of a research in Teaching Economics with the use of Technologies in Post – Secondary level. The aim of this paper is to challenge the hypothesis: “the use of computers and the internet in the teaching of economic modules does not affect student learning and retention”. Research restrictions stipulated that the research was to be conducted at Institutes for Professional Training (IEK) of the Organization for Professional Education and Training (OEEK), during spring semester, 2007-2008. 70 students, in total, participated in the research, comprising three classes of 25, 25 and 20 students respectively. “Money – Banks – Elements of Banking Techniques” was the course attended by these three classes. The lessons of the three classes took place in the computer laboratory where 25 computers were installed. The result of this research is that students like to use of computers in Economic classes and learn more with the use of New Technologies.

Inward Strategy: An Optimal Solution to Build a Software Industry in Saudi Arabia

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Ayman Talib and Mohammad Malkawi, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 126226, IBIMA Business Review, 16 pages, Abstract: Employing the appropriate strategy was critical in building successful software industry in many developing countries. Through innovative strategies, a number of developing nations were able to create unique software industry models that emerged as strong software exporters at the global level. The main similarity among these strategies was the market orientation; almost all of these strategies were export oriented, software products were produced in the developing countries to satisfy external market demands in the developed world. The need for newer innovative strategies remains a critical success factor for new entrants to the software industry. One of the suggested strategies by the literature was the inward strategy or the focus on the domestic market needs. This paper employs a quantitative approach to identify a possible strategy that Arab countries may adopt to build their own software industry when industry success factors exist in these countries. An analysis of data from published reports and from public databases was used to examine the situation in Saudi Arabia. The goals of this study were, first to pin point the possible strategy that Saudi Arabia may adopt to build its own software industry, second to examine the existence of the software industry success factors in Saudi Arabia. The most significant finding from this study suggested that Saudi Arabia can adopt the inward strategy to build a new software industry model to serve the country’s oil and gas industry needs of software. Additionally, this study revealed that Saudi Arabia acquire a number of the software industry success factors like the software demand, the financial resources, and the IT infrastructure while other factors like the quantity of science and technology graduates and the intellectual property and copy right laws are weak and need improvements.

Online Branding in Newspapers: A Conceptual Model

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Lassaad Ghachem, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 489627, Communications of the IBIMA, 7 pages, Abstract: Online media branding strategies is growing at a very fast pace and is increasingly adopted not only by pure players companies but also by traditional firms. In the digital newspapers sector, online news are becoming the most required services from Internet users and their sites are among the most visited on the web. Researches on online branding of newspapers seem incomplete and there is still a lack of investigations and studies about newspapers e-brands aspects (exp: content, interactivity, web site attributes…). Our aim is to develop a conceptual model allowing a better understanding of the newspapers e-brands aspects and their relations with levels of substitutability and reader motivations

The Impact of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System Implementation on Organization: Case Study ERP Implementation in Indonesia

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Gede Rasben Dantes and Zainal Arifin Hasibuan, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 210664, IBIMA Business Review, 10 pages, Abstract: Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is one of the most popular software technologies for supporting operational organization. It emphasizes business transformation which will lead to process change in its effort to maximize the company’s benefit. However, implementation of ERP system does not always give a strategic benefit for the company. Most companies did not succeed in implementing this system. In this study, we focused on the exploration of strategical and tactical impact induced by the implementation of ERP and to find out the correlation among ERP implementation success with the strategical and tactical impact. Thirty-five respondents from seven companies became the samples that represent four different industrial sectors (oil & service, manufacturing, telecommunication, automotive). It was found that ERP implementation gave more impact to tactical level than to strategical level. Thus, specifically for Indonesian companies, the present study shows that ERP implementation acted only as a support toward the core business instead of creating a competitive advantage. The reasons behind these findings are: (1) the companies were not ready to make big investment for implementing all modules in ERP, including the specific modules; (2) the companies were afraid to fail in their implementation, so they chose to implement the modules only for supporting the core business; (3) the ERP implementations were not driven by the organizations’ business needs, but by the technology itself; (4) there were other external factors which forced the companies to implement ERP, such as: government policy, bank policy and political issue.

Graphing Calculator for Probability Students: How Was It Perceived?

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Choo-Kim Tan, Madhubala Bava Harji, and Siong-Hoe Lau, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 167702, IBIMA Business Review , 11 pages, Abstract: Most students see Mathematics as one of the most challenging and stressful subjects, which if given an option, would rather opt out than undertake it. With low motivation and interest levels, the thought of undertaking a course in Mathematics can be worrying for some. Consequently, teachers are faced with disinterested students, who are passive in class, which makes teaching of the subject even more challenging. At times, with non participative students, Mathematics classrooms appear 'solemn'. Through the years, teachers have been experimenting or 'trying out' various approaches/techniques, in their attempt to develop students' interest and motivation. With the advent of information technology tools, teachers have now attempted to adopt more innovative approaches and incorporate ICT tools into Mathematics classrooms as well. One such tool is the graphing calculator (GC), which is adopted in this study. The incorporation of GCs into Malaysian Mathematics classrooms is at its infant stages. The study examined the students' reactions toward the incorporation of GCs into Probability lessons as well as the subject itself. Findings favor the adoption of GC in learning Probability, particularly in terms of calculator usage, quality of output, understanding of Probability concepts, confidence in solving problems, enhanced communication abilities and positive attitudes towards GC. Recommendations made aimed at assisting educators, policy-makers and researchers in enhancing the quality of the teaching and learning of Probability.

Is Company Intellectual Capital Linked to Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure? Findings from Indonesia

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Dominique Razafindrambinina and David Kariodimedjo, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 511442, Communications of the IBIMA, 11pages, Abstract: Many researchers have found relationships between a company’s financial performance and either corporate social responsibility (CSR) or intellectual capital. But this exploratory study investigates whether there is a relationship between intellectual capital and its components and corporate social responsibility disclosure. The method uses hypothesis testing of listed companies on the Indonesian Stock Exchange. The corporate social responsibility disclosure index is based on content analysis of a company’s annual report, whereas the Value Added Intellectual Coefficient (VAIC) for the fiscal year of 2007 is derived from financial information. The result shows that intellectual capital, in its aggregate value of the VAIC, does not have a significant relationship with corporate social responsibility disclosure. However, one of its components, capital employed efficiency, has a significant impact on CSR disclosure, while the other two, human capital efficiency and structural capital efficiency, have no significant impact. The results of the research could also infer that the perception of corporate social responsibility is still at a stage where companies conduct CSR on an ad-hoc basis rather than incorporating it into corporate strategy.

The Moderating Role of Need for Personal Interaction in the Relationship between E-Quality, E-Satisfaction and Commitment: Case of Moroccan E-Banking Users

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Chakib HAMADI, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 625728, IBIMA Business Review , 12 pages, Abstract: This article demonstrates that the need for personal interaction has no moderating effect on the relationship between e-quality and e-satisfaction, either in the relationship between e-satisfaction and commitment. The results reveal that a high or low need for personal interaction does not modify these relationships for Moroccan e-banking users.

Customer Knowledge Management Competencies Role in the CRM Implementation Project

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

Abdelfatteh Triki and Fekhta Zouaoui, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 235827, Journal of Organizational Knowledge Management , 11 pages, Abstract: The purpose of this research is to understand the way a CRM project implementation may contribute to the success of the project. The approach of Knowledge Management Strategic Alignment was used as a theoretical framework and a case study was realised for this end. The case study allowed exploring the role of customer knowledge competencies of the company in the CRM project implementation. Three types of customer knowledge competencies are required: customer knowledge acquisition skills, customer knowledge sharing skills and finally customer knowledge use skills

Developing a Framework for Integrating Knowledge Management and Decision Support Systems: Application to Time Series Forecasting

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

Gonca Gulser,and Bertan Badur, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 137658, Communications of the IBIMA, 15 pages, Abstract: The aim of the study is to develop a framework that integrates knowledge management (KM) and decision support systems (DSS) by using knowledge discovery techniques (KDT). KDT are applied for achieving conversions among different types of knowledge and also creating new models from previously defined ones. Extracted neural network rules are stored into a model base for achieving knowledge externalization. CLIQUE algorithm, suitable for clustering high dimensional data, is used for generating explicit knowledge by combining decision rules in the model base. The case base reasoning (CBR) paradigm is utilized for the other types of knowledge conversions, internalization and socialization. CBR enables to solve newly defined problem with the help of previous rules. The applicability of the proposed framework is demonstrated by an experimental study in which forecasting the change in US Dollar/Turkish Lira exchange rate is illustrated.

Preservation of Geological Information Using a Repository System on Langkawi Geoparks

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Aziz Deraman, Jamaiah H. Yahaya, Juhana Salim, Sufian Idris, Ibrahim Komoo, Mohd. Shafeea Leman and Tanot Unjah, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 308469, IBIMA Business Review , 10 pages, Abstract: The development of a repository system is a valuable solution that can assure the preservation of geological information and would provide a more sustainable tool for future references. This research attempted to establish on how geological information could be modeled into various forms of digital object (DO) to enable access and sharing of geological information. The main objective of this research was to provide a sustainable and maintainable repository system that would preserve geological data in an efficient manner. In this effort, the Langkawi Geodiversity data will be captured, modeled and kept in a single repository system. Samples were collected from Langkawi geoparks and analysed in order to understand the complexity of the information needed as well as their relationships. The DO structure and definition were formulated based on the collected samples and tested to a certain level of optimization. With regard to toolset design and implementation, a commercial database engine was used to implement the development of the repository named as MyGeo-RS. The Langkawi geodiversity data was captured digitized and populated into the repository and was published. This paper presents the development of MyGeo-RS which includes the architecture, the design of geodiversity repository and the implementation. The preserved data provided by this system is suitable for tourism and public users and at the same time would also contribute to scientific applications.

The Role of ICT within Small and Medium Enterprises in Gauteng

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Lloyd Modimogale and Jan H. Kroeze, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 369288, Communications of the IBIMA, 13 pages, Abstract: This article discusses the role of information and communication technology (ICT) within the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector in Gauteng, a province in South Africa. ICT plays a very important role in the current knowledge economy. It is vital for SMEs to participate in this economy in order to compete and thrive in the future. The problem is that SMEs are mainly using traditional tools to stay competitive. They need to take advantage of the power of ICT in order to take on the competition, whether small, big or global. Both the traditional and the ICT tools are very important for the competitiveness of the business. The article follows a qualitative research approach and uses semi-structured questionnaires with open-ended questions as data gathering method. There are a number of reasons why an SME might not implement ICT tools, such as limited funds, lack of knowledge, lack of skilled staff and lack of tools. The article highlights the limitation that SMEs have in using ICT and make recommendations on how to overcome them.

Evaluation of Scientific and Practice Approaches to Soft Skills Requirements in the ICT Project Management

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Malgorzata Pinkowska and Bogdan Lent, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 318867, IBIMA Business Review, 12 pages, Abstract: Majority of products and services in today’s technologically advanced and global world is developed in form of projects. ICT (information and communication technology) research and practice confirm that success of those projects depends on three equivocally relevant areas: technology, management process and people. The last, as proven in numerous surveys and research, is the main cause of failure and challenge of the ICT projects. Project manager skills to handle humans are essential to those endeavours. This paper examines trends in required soft skills for ICT project managers, reflecting state-of-the-art in the field. The skills identified in a careful survey of 219 job advertisements for ICT project managers in Switzerland, Poland and Thailand are compared with the soft skills identified in 27 journal and conference publications as well as further 46 monographs and standards on project management. For evaluation purpose authors adopted the L-Timer™ process based mental model of project management. Whereas science considers leadership skills and communication capabilities as most important one, practice calls for communication and leadership in reverse sequence, followed by the team management, first. The processes of Human Resource, Conflict and Self Management are underrepresented in the advertisements. While Switzerland represents weighted approach, Poland focuses on team management capability, while Thailand demands leadership qualities of prospective project managers. The cultural roots evaluation and inter-cultural differences reflected by the conclusions of this paper are further research objectives of the authors.

Improving the Performance of Wireless Ad-hoc Networks: Accounting for the Behavior of Selfish Nodes

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Houssein Hallani and Seyed Shahrestani, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 413976, Communications of the IBIMA, 11 pages, Abstract: Modern Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) with relatively high data rates have become an attractive technology for providing Internet connectivity for mobile users. Ad-hoc networks are a collection of mobile nodes that can be deployed without the need for any centralized management infrastructure. In such a set-up, to establish the required communication paths, each node must be willing to act as a potential router. In practice though, some nodes may act selfishly and refuse to forward packets. In Ad-hoc networks, a node may be considered as misbehaving for different reasons, for instance when it acts selfishly, refusing to forward packets. In some circumstances, the node can be overloaded, or they simply want to save their resources by not forwarding packets unless they are of direct interest to the node itself. Conversely, these nodes may still be expecting others to forward packets on their behalf In this paper, we report the experimental results obtained from a typical Ad-hoc networks that contain selfish nodes. We also analyze the behavior of the nodes, to establish some quantifiable measure of their reliability. Such measures, based on the behavior history of the nodes, are then utilized to improve the performance and reliability of the widely used Ad-hoc On Demand Distance Vector routing protocol. We also report the results of simulations of large Ad-hoc networks in the presence of malicious or selfish nodes. These results clearly indicate the capabilities of the proposed approach in discovering communication paths with a minimal number of malicious or selfish nodes.

Dynamic Pricing in Management Science

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Régis Chenavaz, Louis-Philippe Carrier, Lydie Etienne and Corina Paraschiv, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 283281, Journal of Economics Studies and Research, 16 pages, Abstract: This paper presents a review of the literature on dynamic pricing models in management science. We discuss monopolistic and competitive situations, with an emphasis on applications in different contexts. We also describe the main development perspectives of this literature.

Analyzing the Effectiveness of Marketing Strategies in the Presence of Word of Mouth: Agent-Based Modeling Approach

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

Çiğdem Karakaya, Bertan Badur, and Can Aytekin, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 421059, Journal of Marketing Research and Case Studies, 17 pages, Abstract: Consumer purchasing decision making has been of great interest to researchers and practitioners for improving strategic marketing policies and gaining a competitive advantage in the market. Traditional market models generally concentrate on single individuals rather than taking social interactions into account. However, individuals are tied to one another with invisible bonds and the influence an individual receives from others, affects her purchasing decision which is known as word of mouth (WOM) effect. In this process, some people have greater influence on other consumers’ buying decisions that are known as opinion leaders. A new evolving modeling approach, agent-based modeling enables researchers to build models where individual entities and their interactions are directly represented. In this paper, we aim to build an agent-based simulation model for a technological product in a monopolistic artificial market. In particular, we will try to assess the efficiency and profitability of different marketing strategies consisting of different price, promotion, quality levels and different number of targeted opinion leaders where consumers are subject to WOM effects . In the presence of WOM, product’s quality is found to be the most significant factor affecting the profit of the company due to the positive WOM effect disseminated by the consumers.

Competitive Potential of Micro-sized IT Outsourcing Vendors in a Small State of the European Union: A Case of Malta

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Keith Cilia De Bono, Dragan Nikolik and Silvio De Bono Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 704367, Journal of Outsourcing and Organizational Information Management, 22 pages, Abstract: Information Technology (IT) outsourcing becomes an increasingly popular phenomenon among business practitioners who seek services and/or products of third party suppliers to meet their in-house IT needs. It offers a business opportunity for IT outsourcing vendors, which, from a competitive potential perspective, may be challenging when such organisations are micro-enterprises (employing not more than ten employees) and operate from Malta - a developing micro island state in the Mediterranean and a constituent part of the European Union. This paper tests the notion of competitive potential as posed by the Strategic Alignment Model (SAM) of Henderson and Venkatraman (1993), within such particular context. Through the SAM, competitive potential is viewed as a strategic co-alignment of a firm’s business strategy, IT strategy and organisation infrastructure. A best fit model which positively asserts such a notion is derived from Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) that is applied to data collected from a survey amongst the Maltese IT outsourcing micro-enterprises. The model is validated and confirmed through a Case Study involving six micro-enterprises. The paper indicates the strategic alignment of competitive, organisational and strategic factors, which, albeit not often explicit, are highly active in IT outsourcing micro-enterprises. It also indicates that competitive potential in the IT outsourcing micro-enterprises is a dynamic capability that evolves out of a well conceived business strategy, IT strategy and organisation infrastructure which seek to exploit existing competitive potential and compensate for resource constraints whilst seeking to deliver IT service and/or product through outsourcing arrangements.

Collaborative Business Applications: A New Methodological Approach

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Roberto Paiano, Andrea Pandurino, Leonardo Mangia, Palmalisa Marra, and Michele Russo, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 826557, IBIMA Business Review,18 pages, Abstract: The introduction of the Enterprise 2.0 philosophy is to make the companies more flexible by improving the collaboration between the employees. The real application of this concept doesn’t concern about a simple adoption of a new technology but a more complex change that involves all company’s sectors. Today, there is not a unique and well-know methodology to design this innovation inside the business process and applications. The collaboration aspects were not properly considered in the panorama of the traditional methodologies to model collaborative business applications. Thus, in this paper in order to fill this gap, we introduce a new methodological approach supported and explained through real case studies.

The Relationship between Cultural Identity and Individual Knowledge Sharing Behavior

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Mohamad Noorman Masrek, Siti Arpah Noordin, Norizan Anwar and Ahmad Sufi Alwi Idris, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 406402, IBIMA Business Review, 14 pages, Abstract: While study focusing on cultural identity has been vastly reported in the literature, not much is really known about the relationship between knowledge sharing behavior and cultural identity. Against this background, this study was undertaken to examine the relationship between knowledge sharing identity and the four cultural identities, namely, horizontal individualism, vertical individualism, horizontal collectivism and vertical collectivism. Using the survey research method involving 100 respondents in a university setting, the study found that both collectivism behaviors are significantly correlated with the knowledge sharing behavior. The findings also suggest that vertical collectivism is more dominant amongst research respondents.

The Adoption of Strategic Human Resource Management Practices in Commercial Banks: The Process and Challenges in Kenya

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By George O. Omondi, Peterson Obara Magutu, Cliff Ouko Onsongo and Linda A. Abong’o, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 598896, Journal of Human Resources Management Research, 20 pages, Abstract: Developing an effective human resource system that is compatible with organizational strategy is critical for the functioning and success of an organization in the competitive business arena. The main objectives of the study were to establish the extent of adoption of strategic human resource management practices among commercial banks in Kenya; and to determine the factors that influence adoption of strategic human resource management practices by commercial banks in Kenya. The research questions were systematically generated from the objectives. In the data analysis, descriptive statistics and factor analysis were used to help draw comparisons and conclusions based on the results. It was assumed in the data analysis that the results obtained were quite representative for the general population considering the sampled size. The conclusions of the study are based on the research questions leading to the main purpose of the study. First, a number of human resource practices can be used as strategic weapons for organization to remain competitive. The key strategic resources management practices can be broken into two components. The first component is post-entry/ on-the-job strategic human resources management practices, which include the implementation of chosen human resources management strategy. The second component is pre-entry strategic human resources management practices, which include the recognition of the individual roles of employees before they are employed, keen selection and development. Secondly, the factors that have discouraged the adoption of strategic human resource management practices by commercial banks in Kenya can be broken into three components. The first component is poor communication and decision making process, which include failure of union representatives and managers to meet often to discuss concerns and cooperate in finding solutions to human resources issues. The second component is poor planning on HR issues, which include the failure to cover employees by a "non-traditional" incentive pay plan which applies across shifts of workers. The third component is on poor job orientations which includes lack of extensive efforts to set clear expectations about required work behaviors of the new workers.

E-generation, what’s New?

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Franck Brillet, Annabelle Hulin, Julie Leroy and Stéphane Bourliataux-Lajoinie, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 784128, Journal of Human Resources Management Research, 15 pages, Abstract: This article discusses the "e-generation’s" characteristics and the management tools and methods capable of handling them. In particular, we take a look at how to get a better grip on this generation’s values when faced with the issues of being attractive, recruitment, and employee loyalty that many enterprises have to deal with. Much food for thought is offered on these topics: establishing a new style of management (giving more meaning, handling the individualism/collective paradox, fostering intergenerational management, etc) and adapting existing tools (recruitment through social networks for instance);

Public Sector ERP Implementation: Successfully Engaging Middle-Management!

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Rainer Sommer, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 162439, Communications of the IBIMA, 11 pages, Abstract, ERP implementation problems often occur due to cultural problems that lie deep within the organizational structure. Highly departmentalized (referred to as “stove-piped”) organizations are averse to the open flow of information and to process oriented management solutions. Nowhere are these problems more evident than in our public sector institutions. To increase the success of future public ERP initiatives, this paper focuses on the important role of middle management to proactively support and advocate an ERP project in the pre-planning and requirements definition phase of a project. The research identifies high value middle management attributes that need to be identified by ERP project managers to co-opt these individuals into the role of “trusted intermediaries” to act as managerial bridges between traditional, and often adversarial organizational “stovepipes”. Existing project work by the author and interviews with former public sector, project managers and implementation consultants show that the role of middle management is much more critical to the success of a public sector ERP implementation than in a corresponding private sector effort.

SMEs E-business Behaviour: A Demographics and Strategic Analysis

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Ilias P. Vlachos, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 250358,Journal of Enterprise Resource Planning Studies , 21 pages, Abstract, The aim of this research was to understand the strategic uses of e-business systems and technologies by classifying companies and particularly small and medium businesses according to demographics as well as e-business behavior variables. The study was based on data from a large quantitative survey of European E-business W@tch for the period 2007 using questionnaire interviews (N=409). We employed two-step cluster analysis, multinomial logistic regression and stepwise descriminant analysis as the most appropriate methods for our analysis. The findings revealed six clusters associated to e-business adoption. The six groups differ in terms of demographic characteristics as well as e-business applications they use. We found that the following clusters exist: (a) Leaders: large companies that extensively use e-business in a strategic manner (b) innovators: use e-business in an way that allows them to innovate and differentiate from other companies (c) Beginners: small and medium companies across all sectors that only recently start to use e-business (d) Unready Adopters: micro and small companies that lag behind (e) Late Adopters: small-size companies but larger that the Unready Adopters, that appear not to be interest in the advances of ICTs and (f) Laggards: micro companies with little use of e-business. The results of our survey can positively contribute to managers aiming to take advantage of technological advances in electronic business as well as to any researcher who study e-business management and applications.

Exploring Policy-Formulation for SMEs in Cloud Computing: The Case of Turkey

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Asli Deniz Helvacioglu Kuyucu, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 890061, IBIMA Business Review, 13 page, Abstract, The promise of competitiveness that clouds offer to enterprises creates a substantial part of the cloud phenomenon. 2010 European Union report on cloud computing identifies the strong commercial nature of clouds and addresses new policies and actions for the competitiveness of European industry. Today, European Union attributes competitiveness to the smart growth of SMEs. The concept of smart growth is based on effective policies that foster innovation and capability to adopt the dynamics of information society. This paper aims at exploring the policy-making methods for cloud computing that will serve to enhance the competitiveness of SMEs. It analyses the dynamics of Turkish policy-making and discusses the role of EU policies in a candidate country as the motivators of migration to clouds. It is an output of an ongoing research on cloud computing in Turkey. This paper contributes to the literature as being one of the first studies on policy-making for cloud computing. It provides a twofold policy tool proposed for policy-makers. First, it identifies the dynamics of policy-making by adapting the model of Van Schendelen’s general categories of decision buttons for EU lobbying to the Turkish policy-making mechanisms. Secondly, it detects the main patterns of cloud computing policy under five priority areas as a check list for policy-makers.

Evaluating Adoption of Innovations of Mobile Devices and Desktops within Collaborative Environments in a Higher Education Context

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Steven Lopes Abrantes and Luis Borges Gouveia, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 341897, Communications of the IBIMA, 8 pages, Abstract, This study aims to evaluate if students that use laptops or desktops learn when using Google Groups, involving one hundred and twelve students in a higher education context. The research main goal is to validate which of the students, involved in this study, are in the initial and the majority market of adopters and also classify which of them are more in the flow experience. This study is based on the categories proposed by Roger (1995) for the adoption of innovations, and in the flow experience concept, introduced by Csikszentmihalyi (1975). The main purpose of this study is to establish whether the laptops or desktops users in the initial and the majority market of adopters are in the flow experience when using a set of the available Google applications. At the end of the study, it was possible to conclude that students have experienced the flow state and it had a positive effect on their learning experiences both by students using laptops and those, using desktops. For both desktop and laptop users who belong to the initial market, these have a value slightly lower for the flow experience than the users who belong to the majority market. With this we can say that the users that belong to the majority market learn more when using Google Groups than the users that belong to the initial market.

Identifying User Requirements of Mobile Government Services in Malaysia Using Focus Group Method

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Ahmad Al Thunibat, Nor Azan Mat Zin, and Noraidah Sahari, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 141651, Journal of E-Government Studies and Best Practices, 14 pages, Abstract: Mobile government implementation in Malaysia is still in its very early stages – indeed a comprehensive m-Government has not been shaped yet. In this regard, we need to investigate the potential needs of users of m-Government services. In addition, there is a need to describe the factors that lead to the integration of the services provided with users’ everyday practices. In this research, we examined different groups of citizens with varying needs and practices in the available technologies. Focus groups method is used to collect data. Results show that although awareness of mobile government services is reasonably high, only a small number of Malaysians actually use mobile government services. However, citizens acknowledged that mobile government services can be useful, easy to use and convenient. Moreover, both the discussion groups and the questionnaire addressed the problems, limitations, and improvement needed in m-Government services which include information content, information presentation, system structure, search alternatives, and navigation logic.

The Applicability of Information Technology Governance in The Malaysian SMEs

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Khong Sin Tan, Wil Ly Teo and Kim Piew Lai, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 220894, Journal of Innovation Management in Small and Medium Enterprises, 10 pages, Abstract: IT governance is a relatively new concept in Malaysia. There are limited studies available related to IT governance in Malaysia. Thus, this paper surveys 50 Malaysian SMEs in the state of Melaka in regard to their understanding of IT governance. Results indicate that IT governance is new to them. Findings also show that IT governance performance is related to ownership of decision making and various formal governance mechanisms. Although they know the benefits of IT governance, majority of them do not implement IT governance. The findings are discussed and interpreted to provide implications to companies and Malaysian government.

Cloud Computing Development Strengthens Delegated Information Processing as the New Information-Communications Ecosystem

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Fjodor Ruzic, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 651842, Journal of Cloud Computing, 18 pages, Abstract: Information-communications systems, consisting of three core categories: information (content), communication mechanism (currently dominated by Internet), and services (data/information processing, content delivery, etc.) were changing over time from the distributed processing to the cloud computing. Current cloud computing development gives the basis for delegated information processing deployment. These systems differentiate from traditional distributed data processing that was the predecessor to the information-communications systems development. Computer communities assume most of the structural and functional characteristics of the business communities and ecosystems that evolve in their complexity and functionality. Thus, in the context of information-communications systems development process, started with the distributed data processing systems and maturating through the deployment of grid and cloud computing, there is the need for delegated information processing systems that build new information-communications ecosystem. It is a digital environment populated by digital units presented by software components, applications, services, information, information processing models, etc. It is close to the term of digital ecosystem, which is in the same time a network where nodes can be added or removed allowing delegated person, machine, service or application to interact with or share the data. Basic conceptual issues and the ecosystem model are presented in order to introduce novelty in the field of data processing management architecture, and to distinguish distributed processing model from the grid and cloud semantic architectures. The delegated information processing is introduced as the platform that should incorporate the most acceptable elements from the grid and cloud computing, providing business community with the new information processing paradigm. Delegated information processing, as a new information-communications ecosystem, comprises also a complexity of security and privacy issues, which are presented with the thoughts on new areas of research.

Experimental Study of the Impact of the Media Context Appreciation on the Attitude of Children towards the Advertising Message

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Fatma Besbes Khouaja and Néji Bouslama, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 578780, Journal of Marketing Research and Case Studies, 12 page, Abstract: Despite the importance of the research studies conducted in the field of marketing and children, reflection on this young market and more particularly on the effects of the media context on the children’s persuasion process is rare. Starting from this observation, the current study is set to investigate the impact of a TV program appreciation by children on their attitudes towards the advertisements surrounding this program (AAD). The experimental study that we have conducted reveals the existence of a positive and significant relation between the program evaluation (i.e. program liking) and AAD. Both the theoretical contributions and the managerial implications of such a result will be discussed in this paper.

Comparison of Decision-making under Uncertainty Investment Strategies with the Money Market

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

Madeleine E Groenewald and Philip D Pretorius Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 373376, Journal of Financial Studies and Research, 15 pages, Abstract: This paper proposes different investment strategies for portfolio selection based on decision-making under uncertainty, rather than the conventional Markowitz portfolio model. The results of perfect information and the results of investment strategies for decision-making under uncertainty are presented to illustrate the proposed strategies. It also compares the monthly return of strategies to the monthly returns of the money market. In order to find the optimal or best strategy as an effective solution to the portfolio selection problem, different investment strategies are compared over different time horizons. The best strategy is selected by calculating different risk and return (reward) measures that are used as decision criteria. The optimal strategy was the half yearly pessimistic Hurwicz criterion strategy and for the individual funds, S3. The investor does not always have to select the optimal strategy but he can also select a good model. Thus, it is a strategy that has a slightly lower return but it shows lower risk.

Public Health and the Environment: How Transdisciplinarity Can Support Large Scale E-Government Projects

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Inas Ezz, and Anastasia Papazafeiropoulou, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 299740, Journal of e-Health Management, 12 pages, Abstract: Environmental projects are large scale public sector projects which demand the participation of a number of public and private sector agents working harmoniously towards the public good. Public health and damaging environmental influences is a social problem that has attracted the attention of governments worldwide and has been seen as a stepping stone to sustainable development. In this paper we look at electromagnetic fields as health hazards and technologies that have been developed to solve these problems such as biogeometry and geographical information systems. Based on these technologies we suggest a framework for a project that that can be used to advance the research in transdisciplinary large scale projects related to public health. This framework is contributing to the knowledge of managing large scale e-government projects related to public health. Our ideas can be extended to other public sector projects as well as various geographical settings.

Understanding Strategic Reactiveness Influences on Entrepreneurial Management Tendencies

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Izaidin Abdul Majid, Mohd Shamsuri Md Saad, and Kamariah Ismail Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 137468, Journal of Organizational Management Studies, 12 pages, Abstract, This study explores the relationship between strategic reactiveness (SR) and Entrepreneurial Management (EM) tendencies of SMEs sector within the states of Melaka and Johor in Malaysia. This research considers that strategy-related variables are competitively aggressive and adaptive. Strategic planning allows organizations to anticipate changes and create strategic options for those changes. It is commonly perceived that SR will have a positive relationship with EM. Respondents for this research include CEOs, owner-managers and entrepreneurs. Data was collected by distributing questionnaire to 200 small and medium-sized enterprises selected randomly from both the services and manufacturing sectors. This paper will explore and explain the concept and variables related to the research as well as brief demographic descriptions of the respondents.

Effects of Cybercrime on State Security: Types, Impact and Mitigations with the Fiber Optic Deployment In Kenya

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Peterson Obara Magutu, Gladys Monchari Ondimu, and Christopher Jilo Ipu Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 618585, Journal of Information Assurance & Cybersecurity , 18 pages, Abstract, The identification of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as an essential tool for sustainable development has proved to be worth every investment. As a result of this, Internet usage in Kenya has grown rapidly resulting in the explosion of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Internet access points. The general objective of this study was to model the impact of Cybercrime on security in Kenya, Nairobi as the case study. This was a census study on modeling the effects of Cybercrime on the security in Nairobi. Thirty one (31) out of the fifty one (51) responded giving a response rate of 60.78% percent. It was found that the Cybercrime is prevalent in Nairobi although largely unreported. To a great extent, it was discovered that Internet Service Providers had established basic measures in order to curb the growing cyberspace crimes; as spamming activities remain prevalent in Kenya. Also, to a great extent the Criminal Investigation department (CID) and Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) have recognized that cybercrime is a growing threat to security in Nairobi and have collaborated with ISP’s to implement measures.

Syllabus Management System for Academics Practicing Knowledge Management

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Anushia Chelvarayan, Chandrika Mohd Jayothisa, Hazlaili Hashim, and Khairol Nizat Lajis, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 434181, Journal of Organizational Knowledge Management, 10 pages, Abstract: Knowledge management, a very popular term which describes a range of practices used by organizations to identify, create, represent, and distribute knowledge for reuse, awareness and learning across the organization. This paper will discuss a practice used by academics in Centre for Diploma Programme (CDP) in Multimedia University via syllabus management system. Every two to five years, CDP’s academic and management staff will prepare the updated syllabi for MQA accreditation. The system will assist both the administrator and the lecturers in organizing, updating and retrieving their syllabi information for the entire Diploma in Information Technology (DIT) programme. There are basically a few factors that encourage academics to practice knowledge management. First of all, we will identify the contributing factors that encourage the academics in CDP, MMU for practicing knowledge management i.e. MQA’s requirement, academics’ commitment and the university’s requirement and then the practice of knowledge management is shared through the Syllabus Management System. The requirement models have been represented using the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and the development stage uses the ontology development methodology. The ontology methodology is then used as a guideline for creating ontologies based on a declarative knowledge representation system. The system is deployed on the Protégé ontology editor tool.

Building Relationship between Education Institutions and Students: Student Loyalty in Self-Financed Tertiary Education

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

Shun Mun Helen Wong and Kin Ho Wong Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 913652, IBIMA Business Review, 31 pages, Abstract: This study attempts to test the applicability of relationship marketing concepts within the self-financed tertiary education (SFTE) industry. Building on the well-established relationship marketing concepts, a conceptual model is proposed in this study to investigate the casual relationship between relationship commitment and student loyalty, and the key determinants of relationship commitment (relationship benefits, relationship termination costs, shared values, and trust). To achieve the above objectives, an in-depth study was conducted in a leading SFTE institution in Hong Kong. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data. Structural equation modeling approach was used to evaluate the explanatory power and casual links of the model. The results indicate that relationship commitment is a strong driver of student loyalty. Second, relationship benefits, relationship termination costs, and shared values are found to have positive influence on relationship commitment. Among these three determinants, the construct of relationship benefits is found to be the most important factor affecting relationship commitment. Third, trust is found to have no significant impact on relationship commitment in SFTE environment. The research findings provide new and useful insights to the management of SFTE in building relationship with students and resources allocation. The study discusses the implications of these findings and suggests areas for future research.

Evaluation of Tax Payment Risks in Whole of Tax System

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Artūras Mažeika, Aelita Skaržauskienė, Modestas Kaseliauskas, Ramūnas Mackevičius, Valdas Buginskis, Gerda Mackevičienė and Dalė Dzemidienė, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 436738, Communications of the IBIMA, 19 pages, Abstract: Economic sectors of sail and repair of motor vehicles should be considered as specific and important for Lithuanian economy as they encourage economic growth in different regions. Used cars’ market in Kaunas is the biggest in the European Union. On the other hand, this economic sector is one of the most risky sectors in terms of informal economy. During economic growth slowdown and even recession, more control of informal economy is needed. That’s why it is meaningful to create and implement effective risk e-management models that would help tax authorities and audit companies to identify the risks of taxpayers operating in mentioned economic branches. These models would allow reacting to changes in degrees of brunch economy and risks operatively by determining strategies and measures to influence unwanted results.

Supplier Selection in the International Environment: A Comparative Case of A Turkish and an Australian Company

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Arzu Tektas and Aycan Aytekin, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 598845, IBIMA business Review , 14 pages, Abstract: International supplier selection, which is becoming a dominant strategy in an increasing number of sectors, is a multi-criterion decision problem. This study aims to contribute to this contemporary global issue initially by developing a multi-criteria hierarchical model for supplier selection utilizing the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). The AHP model aids decision making by quantifying the relative importance of each criterion and by ranking the suppliers. Secondly, The AHP model is augmented with a linear programming model which aims to maximize the buyer’s total value of purchasing through optimal order splitting among suppliers. The augmented model will make it possible for the decision maker to observe the hierarchy of the supplier selection decision criteria, quantify the relative importance rate for each criterion, rank the suppliers, select the best supplier(s) and realize optimal order splitting among suppliers. Thirdly, the model is applied to a Turkish chemical company and an Australian one where the results point to some important differences in the two companies’ decision criteria preferences and decision making habits. Although the findings cannot be generalized, this might pave the way for further analyses that will be conducted at country level. Comparative studies might aid not only in supplier selection but also in designing supply chains and supplier strategies. Keywords: Supply chain, international supplier, analytic hierarchy process, linear programming, optimal allocation, order splitting, sensitivity analysis, Turkey, Australia

Profitability of Momentum Strategies in Emerging Markets: Evidence from Nairobi Stock Exchange

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

Josephat Lisiolo Lishenga, Peterson Obara Magutu, Joseph Lumumba Barasa and Cliff Ouko Onsongo, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 455954, Journal of Financial Studies & Research, 14 pages, Abstract: This paper tests the profitability of momentum strategies in Kenya, an emerging market for the period 1995 to 2007. Both relative strength strategies (RSS) and (weighted relative strength strategies (WRSS) are employed to implement momentum-based trading strategies. Analysis revealed that Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE) exhibit medium term return continuation over the entire sample period and the sub-periods. We used RSS results to evaluate the influence of transaction costs, calendar effects, risk factors and other reported momentum characteristics on momentum profitability. We employ WRSS results to discriminate between the two diametrically opposed causes for the profitability of momentum strategies: behavioral factors (time-series continuation in the firm-specific component of returns), and risk factors (cross-sectional variation in expected returns and systematic risks of individual securities). Our results show that, consistent with the evidence elsewhere, momentum is an anomaly; the evidence is consistent with momentum being driven by continuation in the idiosyncratic component of individual-security, rather than by cross-sectional differences in expected return and risks.

Achieving a Competitive Advantage by SCM

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

Diana Bratić, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 957583, IBIMA Business Review, 13 pages, Abstract: The supply chain concept is theorized from the formation of a value chain network consisting of individual functional entities committed to provide resources and information to achieve the objectives of efficient management of suppliers as well as the flow of parts. The understanding and practicing of supply chain management have become an essential prerequisite for staying competitive in the global race and for enhancing profitability. In this paper, the role of SCM (Supply Chain Management) will be described and the results of the empiric research conducted in Croatian graphic companies will be presented. Research framework is based on a theoretical framework and includes two main dimensions: SCM practices (strategic supplier, partnership, customer relationship, level of information sharing and quality of information sharing, postponement) and competitive advantage (price and cost, quality, delivery dependability, product innovation, time to market). All findings of this empiric research will provide better understanding of SCM benefits for graphic, and production companies as well, which will be able to achieve competitive advantage through the tactical planning and control, but also with respect to strategic intent. Also, results of the empirical research provide justification of a framework that identifies five key dimensions of SCM practices and describe the relationship among SCM practices and competitive advantage observed through the five dimensions.

Is Inward FDI Enhancing or Crowding-out Domestic Innovation Capability in Emerging Markets? Evidence from BRICT Countries

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by E. Nur Ozkan Gunay, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 961946,Journal of Financial Studies & Research, 13 pages, Abstract: Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has been considered by many development economists as an important channel for the transfer of technology to emerging markets. However, whether it can promote technological progress for the host country depends on the sector specific and country specific characteristics, especially technological infrastructure and human capital. This study investigates the impact of inward FDI on absorptive capacity and domestic innovation capability in BRICT countries. Two competing hypotheses of the effect of inward FDI are tested by employing panel data approach for BRICT countries for the period of 2000-2007. Empirical results reveal that Random Effects Model outperforms Ordinary Least Square and Fixed Effects Models. The hypothesis that domestic innovation capability stems from knowledge generation process with well equipped human resources like scientists, engineers, technicians, research equipment and cumulative R&D expenditure is supported for the given sample. Therefore, inward FDI promote domestic firms’ innovation capability and the spillover effects may arise through channels such as reverse engineering, skilled labor turnovers, demonstration effects, and backward linkages. In addition, the impact of the effect of local R&D expenditure on innovation capability is very significant determinant of innovation capability. On the contrary, the hypotheses of crowding-out effect of inward FDI on domestic innovation capability and high welfare and development level in a country stimulates innovation capability is rejected for the BRICT countries.

A Framework for the Governance of Information Security in Banking System

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Munirul Ula, Zuraini bt Ismail and Zailani Mohamed Sidek, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 726196, Journal of Information Assurance & Cybersecurity, 11 pages, Abstract: As modern banking increasingly relies on the internet and computer technologies to operate their businesses and market interactions, the threats and security breaches are highly increase in recent years. Insider and outsider attacks have caused global businesses lost trillions of Dollars a year. Therefore, that is a need for a proper framework to govern the information security in banking system. This paper highlights the information assets and potential threats for banking system. It further examines and compares the elements from the commonly used information security governance frameworks, standards and best practices. Their strength and weakness are considered in its approaches. This paper further proposes the initial framework for governing the information security in banking system. The framework is categorized into three levels which are strategic level, tactical, operational level, and technical level. This proposed framework will be implemented in real banking environment.

A Survey of Benchmarking Practices in Higher Education in Kenya: The Case of Public Universities

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Peterson Obara Magutu, Isaac Meroka Mbeche, Stephen Onserio Nyamwange and Richard Bitange Nyaoga, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 357694, IBIMA Business Review , 19 pages, Abstract: Benchmarking has been used as a tool, a methodology and a technique for continuous improvements in sectoral operations to gain and maintain competitive advantage. This was a survey of benchmarking practices in higher education in Kenya, the case of public universities, whose objectives were; to document the benchmarking activities in the public universities; to establish the challenges facing the public universities in benchmarking. Cross sectional survey was used in this study to collect data from the six public universities with their respective campuses/schools in the population of interest. The respondents were senior administrators and the academic staff. Of the 53 informants who were sampled, 31 responded, thus, a response rate was of 58 percent. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze and summarize the data before presenting it in the form of proportions, means, tables and graphs. This was in line with the first and second objectives, which were actually answered in relation to the benchmarking practices in the academic function of public universities in Kenya. The study found out that continuous improvement systems in Kenyan public universities are good, not excellent. The external drivers of change/continuous improvements in public universities are the customers/students as opposed to legislation, while the major internal trigger of change is the actual performance. The public universities effectively and successfully benchmark for continuous improvement. The Kenyan public universities use action research and performance indicators as the sources of referencing information on benchmarks. The most common type of benchmarking in use is development/improvement benchmarking and planning to make use of international benchmarking. Finally, the three critical factors that have influenced the success of benchmarking practices are: time and resource availability: limited duration, comparability and compatibility, which are reasons why the institutions don’t practice international benchmarking.

IT Enabled Engineering Asset Management: A Governance Perspective

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

by Abrar Haider, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 348417, Journal of Organizational Knowledge Management, 10 pages, Abstract: Engineering asset lifecycle management requires a variety of information as well as operational technologies to keep their asset base in running condition In theory these technologies are used in collection, storage, and analysis of information spanning asset lifecycle processes; providing decision support capabilities through analytic conclusions arrived at from analysis of data; and in providing an integrated view of asset management through processing and communication of information that also allows for the basis of asset management functional integration. In doing so, these technologies not only provide for the control of asset lifecycle tasks, but also contribute to the overall advise on effective asset management though the critical role that they have in decision making. However, even though operational technologies depend a lot on information technologies for their smooth functioning, yet due to their specialized nature these operational technologies are not considered as part of the overall organizational information technology infrastructure. Consequently, when it comes to governance of information technologies, operational technologies are not accounted for. This paper provides a framework for governance of information technologies utilized for asset lifecycle management. It concludes that information technologies should not be taken as technical constructs, these are at the core of strategic alignment, value delivery, resource management, and risk management. Governance of information technology, therefore, calls for understanding and accounting for the whole information technology base and enabling infrastructure of the organization.

The Knowledge Enablers of Knowledge Transfer: An Empirical Study in Telecommunications Companies

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Khaled Mohammad Al-Gharibeh, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 328944, IBIMA Business Review, 12 pages, Abstract: Recently knowledge sharing (KS) becomes the focus of attention from many practitioners and academics. Knowledge transfer is an integral part of knowledge sharing. In order to build on the knowledge asset, organizations need to share knowledge and transfer this knowledge within organizational networks. Nowadays, managers need to understand which knowledge enablers are effective to provide a conducive environment for KS. Currently, managers need to support and facilitate knowledge transfer process rather than control it. This study focuses on the knowledge transfer by identifying it’s enablers as discussed in many previous studies Therefore, the purpose of this study is intended to investigate to identify the knowledge enablers which need to be developed as mechanisms to stimulate knowledge creation, protect knowledge and build effective knowledge sharing behavior in telecommunications companies. The empirical examination of research model indicated that knowledge strategy, organizational culture, information technology, and knowledge leadership as knowledge enablers have a significant positive relationship with knowledge transfer.

A Continuous Improvement and Monitoring Performance System: Monitor - Analysis - Action – Review (MAAR) Charts

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Vito Romaniello, Paolo Renna and Vincenzo Cinque, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 917557, IBIMA Business review, 16 pages, Abstract: The research presented in this paper concerns the development of a methodology for monitoring and continuous performance improvement. The proposed approach is derived from the classical Deming cycle adapted to a real industrial environment. The approach consists of four phases: Monitor, Analysis, Action and Review (MAAR); these phases are summarized in a single information panel that allows to improve the monitoring process. This paper presents a discussion of the real case study application of the methodology in area manufacturing of ANSALDO STS S.p.A. The case study discussed here shows the application of basic principles, management tools and techniques towards performance improvement in a manufacturing plant. The innovative issues of the MAAR approach developed regard: the possibility to apply the methodology to wide fields of enterprises (as maintenance, quality management, design, financial, etc.) and the real-manufacturing orientation. The results show the real benefits obtained by the implementation of the proposed methodology.

Strategies to Construct e-Government Services in Compliance with Legal Framework Case Study: Services Dedicated to the Algerian Health Insurance

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Warda Allouache and Abdelaziz Khadraoui Volume 2010 (2011), Article ID 946986, Journal of E-Government Studies and Best Practices, 13 pages, Abstract, The provision and the improvement of services by the public administrations is a fundamental issue of e-government in terms of quality, efficiency and transparency. However, citizens and enterprises in Algeria as in other emergent countries suffer from the bad quality, the not accessibility and the not transparency of the services provided by the public institutions. Face up to this problem, it appears necessary to adopt methods and models allowing to identify and to construct e-government services in compliance with the legal framework. In this paper, we propose two process models for identification and construction of e-government services formalized by using MAP formalism. We apply the model’s strategies to construct the services provided by the Algerian health insurance.

The Impact of Digital Administration (DA) on the Development of New ICT Skills within Moroccan Administrations

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

Karim GASSEMI and Abderrahim SEKKAKI Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 7466979, Journal of E-Government Studies and Best Practices, 13 pages, Abstract: All studies and analysis highlight the importance given by the government, both developed countries as emerging markets to information and communication technologies (Aldrich and al, 2002). This strategic importance given to the roles of information and communication technologies is doubly justified: First, the economic sector where the information technology and communication is the largest source of job creation (Fang, 2002). Second, the transverse effect of these technologies by placing them as a major factor of structuring the economy (Chen, 2002). This study is a part of dealing with the consequences of the development of new professions and jobs related to information and communication technology within the Moroccan administrations. The results should inform and support public policy for training and qualification for the skills related to the integration and use of information technology and communication within the Moroccan government. Analysis of the results of the study show that in the Moroccan administrations, there are ten jobs that are heavily impacted by the introduction of information technologies and communication and which are: 1. Database Administrator, 2. Systems Administrator, 3. Security Officer, 4. Web administrator, 5. Project Manager, 6. Application Developer, 7. Architect Information System. (Newly created), 8. Data entry operator, 9.E-consultancy. (Newly created) 10 - Trainer. Besides the aspect related to the identification of jobs and trades mainly ICT, our various semi-structured interviews revealed the following: a- The process of integration ICT in the Moroccan administration can be characterized as hybrid. The use of external providers is observed in most cases. Individual projects ICT integrated address applications of automation built into mixed mode. b- The concept of e-government is at the begining stage. Based on the model of St. Amant (2003), we found that these integration projects are in the information phase and other phases are not yet started because of the non-implementation of projects and timeliness of outputs.

Alignment and Dynamic IS Capabilities – A Systems Perspective

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

Bruce Campbell Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 690742, Communications of the IBIMA, 14 pages, Abstract: Many organisations still have difficulty obtaining value from their IT spend. The literature indicates that two ways of improving this situation is via better strategic business/IS alignment and the development of a dynamic IS capability. The literature has consistently shown that the development of either a high degree of alignment or dynamic capabilities are difficult for most organisations. It is argued that the development of these skills occurs within a complex, dynamic social system and have the characteristics of wicked problems and are poorly investigated using the dominant IS research paradigm. An inductive grounded theory study conducted to better understand the complexities of alignment is described. It used a coding family that emphasises the dynamics within a complex social system. The resultant emergent theory demonstrates why alignment has been an intractable problem for many organisations. Actors operate within a social system consisting of many feedback loops. The feedback system can hinder, or enhance, actors understanding of issues as well as limiting their ability to undertake courses of action that differ to past actions. The theory indicates that the level of alignment within an organisation is likely to be maintained over extended periods of time. It is then argued that the theory can also explain why many firms experience difficulties developing dynamic IS capabilities. A feature of wicked problems is that understanding the problem is an act of improving the situation. This research helps practitioners understand the wicked problem in which they operate. This, then, may allow them to alter the behaviour of their feedback system.

A SOA-Driven Business Intelligence Architecture

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

Lee-Kwun Chan, Yee-Wai Sim and William Yeoh Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 216423, Communications of the IBIMA, 7 pages, Abstract: A business intelligence architecture comprises of different unique components to collect, transform, analyze and present the structured and unstructured raw data in simple formats to assist decision makers in making timely decisions. The introduction of service-oriented architecture (SOA) enables reusable services which are accessible over a network on demand. However, there is still a lack of academic literatures on the business intelligence architecture with service-oriented concept. Based upon various references on BI architectures from major vendors, a novel BI architecture that is built on service-oriented concept is presented and described in this paper. The proposed service-oriented architecture enables enterprises to deploy a more agile, flexible, cheaper, reusable, reliable and responsive BI applications in supporting decision making process.

Factors influencing IT-Business Strategic Alignment and Sustainable Competitive Advantage: a Structural Equation Modelling Approac

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

Dmaithan Abdelkarim Almajali and Zulkhairi Md Dahalin Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 261315, Communications of the IBIMA, 11 pages, Abstract: Preceding research attributed the lack of direct causal impact of Information Technology (IT) on firm’s sustainable competitive advantage. Numerous missing links include antecedents of the IT-business strategic alignment (also known as strategic alignment) and the sustainable competitive advantage. Furthermore, reviewers of recent literature have called for more research into the factors that affect strategic alignment, and the linkage between alignment and sustainable competitive advantage. In this paper, we develop and empirically test specific forms of management structures and processes which are required to drive strategic alignment. Further, we propose a causal-chain model to examine the impacts of six antecedents on strategic alignment. The data are collected from over 172 Jordanian public shareholding firms. Using structural equation modeling for data analysis, this study finds general support for the hypotheses that leadership, values and belief, IT managerial resources, service quality, and IT implementation successes significantly impact IT-business strategic alignment. However, no relationship is found between structure and process and strategic alignment.

F2C – An Innovative Approach to Use Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCM) for the Valuation of High-Technology Ventures

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

Peter Heydebreck, Magnus Klofsten and Lars Krüger Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 483882, Communications of the IBIMA, 14 pages, Abstract: We propose a novel method - F2C - that can process the only information available in the early stages of a young high-technology venture: linguistic expert knowledge. This knowledge is the basis for the determination of an appropriate discount rate for the valuation of high-technology ventures in early stages of venture capital investments. A specific tool named Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM) is used therein to capture and depict the expert knowledge. Consequently, the FCM is transformed into a system of Fuzzy Inference Systems. These systems allow eventually obtaining a crisp value for the crucial parameter, the discount rate r. First practical applications were carried out valuing a biotechnology venture. The obtained results are promising, though the need for further research efforts became obvious.

Drivers and Attitudes towards Online Shopping: Comparison of Turkey with Romania

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

Durmuş YÖRÜK, Süleyman Dündar, Liliana Mihaela Moga and Mihaela Neculita Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 575361, Communications of the IBIMA, 12 pages, Abstract: The purpose of this study is to examine the shopping and buying behavior of consumers and their attitudes toward internet shopping in both Romania and Turkey. Another purpose is also finding out critical factors or drivers of online businesses to be successful and being able to compete in global environment. 185 students from Afyon Kocatepe University in Turkey and 142 students from Dunarea de Jos University of Galati in Romania completed the survey regarding their online shopping and buying experiences and attitudes towards online shopping. We also used unstructured interviews with these student groups to learn more about attitudes of consumers toward online shopping. The data shows that customers are still hesitating to shop online in both countries. The most important reasons for consumers in both countries not to shop online are online security, preference to shop traditional way, prefer to buy by touching and feeling and willing to use products immediately. The results of the study also show that although consumers either buy or plan to buy books, tickets, CDs, software online, they don’t want to buy groceries online in either country. The most important reasons to shop online both in Romania and Turkey are being able to get detailed product information, home delivery, convenience, product quality and lower prices. Overall results regarding the attitudes of consumers toward online shopping are positive. So, they either would like to buy online or continue to buy. They also think that online shopping has advantages for buying books, CDs, tickets. These results also have some practical implications for managers and strategists of online stores.

The Effect of ERP System Implementation on Business Performance: an Exploratory Case-Study

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

Ahmed A. Elragal and Ayman M. Al-Serafi Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 670212, Communications of the IBIMA, 19 pages Abstract: There is currently plenty of research concerning the effect of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems on business performance. Previous research has shown a mixed relationship between ERP and business performance where some suggested that ERP improves performance and others found that it does not. Previous research was mainly based on quantitative methods which don’t give important insightful knowledge and details. A case-study on the other hand can help identify the important contributing factors for the relationship between ERP and business performance. This paper therefore, investigates this topic by analyzing a critical case-study consisting of an Egyptian SME branch of a multinational company. The results indicate that in general many benefits in business performance were achieved after implementing the ERP as reported by the business users, but have also shown that a few benefits previously linked to ERP were not fully achieved. This indicates the positive contribution of ERP on business performance but also suggests the limited applicability of this positive relationship according to specific factors to be researched.

Inhibitors and Enablers of Mobile Data Services Use in South Africa

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Hiranjali Ramburn, and Jean-Paul Van Belle Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 710870, Communications of the IBIMA, 11 pages Abstract: The uptake of advanced mobile data services in South Africa has been slow, even though it is currently the largest cellular market and has one of the most advanced mobile telecommunication industries in Africa. This apparent contradiction forms the subject of this article. It presents the findings from a survey in South Africa that looked at the adoption of a number of data services, including content services, web browsing, email, MMS, mobile games, mobile banking and mobile chats. It was found that, apart from SMS, users were indeed generally slow to adopt any of the 3G data services. The article lists and discusses the major obstacles and inhibitors to this adoption as mentioned by the respondents. It also reports on what mobile users perceived could be done to promote the adoption of mobile services. This research should, therefore, provide useful insights to researchers interested in mobile technology adoption in Africa as well as the providers of mobile data services.

Using Cloud Computing in Higher Education: A Strategy to Improve Agility in the Current Financial Crisis

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Marinela Mircea and Anca Ioana Andreescu Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 875547, Communications of the IBIMA, 14 pages Abstract: In the current financial crisis and being challenged by growing needs, universities are facing problems in providing necessary information technology (IT) support for educational, research and development activities. The objective of this paper is to find alternatives to the use of IT, while leading universities to improve agility and obtain savings. The research methodology consisted in a rigorous analysis of the latest research on Cloud Computing as an alternative to IT provision, management and security. It also took into account the best practices for Cloud Computing usage within universities, plus the authors’ experience in IT and higher education. The article begins with a brief introduction to Cloud Computing in universities, referring to the most important results obtained so far. Further, a starting point for universities to use Cloud Computing is provided, by proposing an adoption strategy. The strategy includes five stages, with emphasis on the evaluation of data and processes/functions/applications from several major universities based on some key criteria, while creating a correspondence between these aspects and the models/services/applications that exist on the Cloud market. The results obtained are encouraging and support the use of Cloud solutions in universities by improving knowledge in this field and providing a practical guide adaptable to the university’s structure. In order to be applicable in practice, the proposed model takes into account the university’s architecture and criteria such as mission, availability and importance of applications and also the data’s mission, sensitivity, confidentiality, integrity and availability.

An Evaluation on Software Redocumentation Approaches and Tools in Software Maintenance

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

N. Sugumaran and S.Ibrahim Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 875759, Communications of the IBIMA, 10 pages Abstract: This paper describes an evaluation on software documentation generated using redocumentation approaches and tools. The evaluation is based on the selected Document Quality Attributes (DQA). Firstly, the paper presents an overview of the software redocumentation and the main components involved in the process for better understanding of the redocumentation. Consequently, several approaches and tools are highlighted in the context of aiding understanding to support the software evolution. Finally, the evaluation identifies some aspects of DQA that might benefit from refinement to better reflect the redocumentation approaches and tools capabilities that support the software maintenance.

Telework Considerations for Public Managers with Strategies for Increasing Utilization

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Frederick C. Day and Mark E. Burbach Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 880212, Communications of the IBIMA, 18 pages Abstract: Literature was reviewed to investigate the extent of teleworking in public organizations and to identify management strategies to encourage telework utilization. The benefits of teleworking are contrasted with its challenges. Concepts grounded in Expectancy Theory, Leonard, Beauvais and Scholl’s (1999) Meta-theory of Work Motivation, and to a lesser extent McClelland’s Needs Trichotomy (Mc Clelland, 1966) are integrated to provide support for high performance telework management strategies. These strategies include developing an inventory of diverse team skills and competencies, promoting cognitive diversity, utilizing a collaborative management style, promoting trust and unity, facilitating the use of collaborative technology, introducing interdependence to tasks, and implementing a fair reward system. Finally, conclusions with implications for management and suggestions for future research are offered.

2nd Phase: 16th IBIMA Conference 29-30 June 2011 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

New deadline for 2nd Phase: 9 May 2011

Water Poverty Mapping and its Role in Assisting Water Management

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

Charles van der Vyver and Dawid B Jordaan Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 941217, Communications of the IBIMA, 12 pages Abstract: Water scarcity occurs when the ways in which we use and distribute water cannot fully meet the demand from the environment, industry, farms and households. On a worldwide scale, the World Bank estimates that roughly 166 million people in 18 countries are affected by water scarcity and another 270 million people in 11 countries are water stressed (Hemson et al., 2008). Given these figures, it is easy to see why we can refer to the existence of a so-called global water crisis. The purpose of this paper is to document how water poverty mapping can assist the water management in three towns in South Africa. It should assist with as many as possible of the following aspects: the collection and analysis of all relevant information regarding the availability of water, its various uses, current supply status, future prospects, current water allocation details and the state and processes of water deprivation, and dissemination of information and messages arising from the analysis thereof to all concerned. It recommends that water poverty mapping be used as a managing tool by governments, water service providers and local municipalities. It can also form part of a local municipality’s master plan, which in turn, guides town expansion and infrastructure development. All three entities can use water poverty mapping as part of their water management strategy to replace, supplement or validate their water demand predictions so that future supply can be guaranteed.

Financial Security and Business Ethics: The Fundamentals of a Deterministic Model for Tracking Financial Fraud

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

Marilena Mironiuc, Mihaela-Alina Robu and Ioan-Bogdan Robu Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 629761, Journal of Financial Studies & Research, 13 pages Abstract: The financial crises that have shaken global economy have largely been the result of a discretionary influence abuse of managers and administrators, as well as a consequence of the lack of independence of the auditors, to the detriment of other subjects. This paper aims at setting the foundations and testing a deterministic model of fraud detection, following a study made on the financial statements belonging to a sample of 65 quoted organizations, guided by the classification of financial fraud made by the international standards on auditing. The financial auditor resorts to diagnosis analysis in order to identify, using specific indicators, errors, inconsistencies, accounting manipulations that may represent a basis of fraud. This has lead to testing, within this paper, the existence of interdependencies between a series of ratios (independent variables) and the financial frauds that may occur within a company. Therefore, the most representative ratios have been selected, for building a mathematical model (score function) that would provide the financial auditor with information necessary for fraud detection.

Contingency Factors and Accounting Information System Design in Jordanian Companies

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

Mahmoud Al-Eqab and Noor Azizi Ismail Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 166128, IBIMA Business Review, 12 pages Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between three contingency factors and the sophistication of AIS design. Questionnaires were distributed to 220 companies listed on Amman Stock Exchange, Jordan. The results reveal significant and positive relationships between four dimensions of IT sophistication and AIS design, and between two dimensions of business strategies and AIS design. However, no significant relationship was found between environmental conditions and the sophistication of AIS design. Interestingly, findings from this study reveal managerial IT sophistication, informational IT sophistication and functional IT sophistication are more important than technological sophistication in influencing AIS design. On the other hand, cost leadership strategy was found to be more important than innovation differentiation strategy in influencing AIS design. Overall, cost leadership strategy appears to be the most important factor that influences the sophistication of AIS design. Findings from this study imply that the sophistication of AIS design can be achieved by investing not only in the technological aspect of IT implementation but more importantly its managerial, informational and functional sophistication. Findings from this study have deepened current understanding of AIS design and its influence factors, and provided useful insights into the sophistication of IT development in Jordan. More importantly, it opens up possibilities for further studies of AIS in Jordan and other Middle East countries, and on a global basi

The Applicability of the Constant Dividend Model for Companies Listed at the Nairobi Stock Exchange

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Josiah Omollo Aduda and Henry Kimathi Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 200170,Journal of Financial Studies & Research , 32 pages Abstract: The decision to pay out earnings or retain dividends has been a subject of debate for many scholars. This research paper tests the applicability of constant dividend model from companies listed at the Nairobi stock exchange. Data was collected from annual reports and share price schedules obtained from Nairobi stock exchange and Capital market Authority for a sample of 18 companies that paid dividends consistently from 2002 to 2008. The data was then analyzed by re-computing the dividends that should have been paid if the dividend constant model was applied. This recomputed figure was later compared to the dividends as paid out by the companies during the period of study. Paired sample t-test statistic was performed to determine whether there is a significant difference between the two dividend figures. The findings of the research established that the dividend model was not employed by the companies listed at the Nairobi stock exchange. Most firms adopted a stable and predictable policy where a specific amount of dividend per share was paid each year. In some years, there was a slight adjustment of the dividend paid after an increase in earnings, but only by a sustainable amount. The study shows that the relationship between the stock market prices and the dividend paid from the constant dividend model is uneven from one year to another and where there was a relationship it was insignificant.

The New Age Complimenting the Digital Age: Using Hypnosis, NLP and Time Line TherapyTM: Techniques to Reduce Negative Emotions among People Involved with Information Technology

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Kamarul Zaman Ahmad, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 200974, Journal of Organizational Knowledge management, 8 pages, Abstract: Although the amount of interaction with computers is increasing in the current digital age, humans are still facing emotional problems at work. This research looks at the effectiveness of new age techniques such as Hypnosis, Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Time Line TherapyTM (TLT) in getting over, or reducing the intensity of negative emotions attached to memories of stressful events in the past among people involved with information technology (IT). This experimental research involved 20 test subjects from the IT department of various organisations and 32 control group subjects. Statistical T-Tests revealed that with the test group, there were significant reductions in intensity levels of negative emotions after undergoing the procedures compared with before, with all three methods. There were no significant changes in the control group.

Innovation and Knowledge Creation in Greece: An Analysis Based on Patent Data

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Maria Markatou, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 205033, Journal of Innovation and Business Best Practice, 10 pages, Abstract: The debate on the factors which contribute to economic development is always timely. In our contemporary economic environment, innovation and knowledge creation play a very important role. Both are primary sources of economic growth and industrial change. Both, also, could face the future economic challenges and guarantee a better life to all of us. In this paper we use patent data to describe and measure innovation and knowledge creation in Greece. Generally, the description and measurement of innovation and knowledge creation is a difficult and rather complex task. Empirical research in this field uses R&D based indicators and patent data in most cases. Patents are the main and formal product- result of R&D activities inside firms. Firms develop patents in order to make profits, and these patents are also indicative of the forthcoming new products and procedures that will be introduced in the market. Our analysis shows that most patents are protected by Greek individuals and foreign- owned firms. On the contrary, the participation of Greek firms in patenting is very low. At the same time, the Greek-domestic patent activity is widely dispersed among the eight broad technology sectors, while the respective foreign activity rather follows the international pattern, with its technologies focusing on medical or veterinary science and hygiene. In general, innovation and knowledge creation in Greece are characterized by a traditional technology orientation as a result of the existing industrial structure, where a large part of patents is related to the construction industry and the agricultural sector.

Applying the Triangulation Approach in IT – Business Strategic Alignment and Sustainable Competitive Advantage

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

Dmaithan Abdelkarim Almajali, and Zulkhairi Md Dahalin, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 214481, IBIMA Business Review, 12 pages, Abstract: While researchers have encouraged more research on the causal chains between information technology investments and Business performance, the results of empirical studies have been inconclusive. This is partly due to the exclusion of IT-business strategic alignment. This study has examined the impact of IT-business strategic alignment antecedents in terms of leadership, structure and process, service quality, and value and belief on IT business strategic alignment in terms of alignment gap, followed by the impact of IT-business strategic alignment on sustainable competitive advantage. In order to explore the above research relationships, the study further utilizes the positivism paradigm by applying a mixed research method both quantitative and qualitative data. Such triangulation would help to provide more insight into the issues studied in this research. Particularly, this study has tested the research model by conducting 172 survey questionnaires with public shareholding firms in Jordan. After that, the study conducted several follow-up interviews in Jordan in order to further validate the research results. Thus, the results obtained from the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique and supplementary qualitative analysis of the interviews offer a valuable insight into the research. However, the universal applicability of this research may be limited due to the fact that the results are based only on the cross-sectional data from the Jordanian public shareholding firms. Consequently, further research is needed with regards to several countries since this would help to advance understanding of the IT-business strategic alignment issue and the conditions and outcomes of achieving it in different contexts.

The BONSAI Approach Applied to Small-Medium Enterprises

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By Diego Bruno Torino, Italy Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 685309, IBIMA Business Review, 8 pages, Abstract: In this paper, we describe the BONSAI approach and how Small-Medium Enterprises can take advantage of it. BONSAI consists of a set of behaviors, best-practices and guidelines which help professionals to develop better software. Conceived as an iterative and incremental process, it helps to integrate the software development process with the upper processes of the enterprise taking advantage of Business Process Management techniques. It brings to Small-Medium Enterprises the capability to support continuous changes helping them to mitigate and assess the risks involved.

Factors Affecting Customer Loyalty of Using Internet Banking in Malaysia

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By: Beh Yin Yee and T.M. Faziharudean, Volume 2010 (2010), Article ID 592297,Journal of Electronic Banking Systems, 22 pages, Abstract Internet banking has become one of the widely used banking services among Malaysian retail banking customers in recent years. Despite its attractiveness, customer loyalty towards Internet banking website has become an issue due to stiff competition among the banks in Malaysia. As the development and validation of a customer loyalty model in Internet banking website context in Malaysia had not been addressed by past studies, this study attempts to develop a model based on the usage of Information System, with the purpose to investigate factors influencing customer loyalty towards Internet banking websites. A questionnaire survey was conducted with the sample consisting of Internet banking users in Malaysia. Factors that influence customer loyalty towards Internet banking website in Malaysia have been investigated and tested. The study also attempts to identify the most essential factors among those investigated: service quality, perceived value, trust, habit and reputation of the bank. Based on the findings, trust, habit and reputation are found to have a significant influence on customer loyalty towards individual Internet banking websites in Malaysia. As compared to trust or habit factors, reputation is the strongest influence. The results also indicated that service quality and perceived value are not significantly related to customer loyalty. Service quality is found to be an important factor in influencing the adoption of the technology, but did not have a significant influence in retention of customers. The findings have provided an insight to the internet banking providers on the areas to be focused on in retaining their customers.

The Effect of the Congruence between Brand Personality and Self-Image on Consumer’s Satisfaction and Loyalty: A Conceptual framework

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By: Mohamed Ali Achouri and Néji Bouslama, Volume 2010 (2010), Article ID 627203, IBMA Business Review, 17 pages, Abstract This research belongs to the field of the analysis of the consequences of congruence between brand personality and self-image. The consequences taken into account in this study are consumer’s satisfaction and loyalty. We will present a literature review on the study of impact of the congruence between brand personality and self-image on the four dependant variables considered in this research: Satisfaction, attitude, preference and behavioural intentions

Creating Sustainable and Competitive Employees through the Design of Innovative Higher Education Curriculum

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By: Salina Daud, Nurazariah Abidin, Noraina Mazuin Sapuan and Jegatheesan Rajadurai, Volume 2010 (2010), Article ID 486866, Communications of the IBIMA, 15 pages, Abstract The employability of graduates is dependent on their possession of relevant attributes needed in their respective industries. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the gap between the important elements of Higher Education Institutions’ graduates’ attributes and their actual performance when employed by industry. The dimensions of attributes and the performance of these graduates are considered in four broad areas, namely knowledge, skills, abilities and personality. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire distributed to Human Resource Managers or supervisors of the graduates in 1000 top companies in Malaysia. The results show that the graduates’ performance failed to meet managers’ perceptions of the importance attributes that should be possessed by these graduates. Therefore, the Higher Education Institutions should take prompt action to review the current curriculum in order to meet industry demands and market needs. The design of higher education curriculum should be directed towards incorporating attributes that are expected of the graduates and relevant to the specific industry in order to produce employable graduates. This approach will allow for effective corrective actions and the improvement of the perceived problem areas found in all four dimensions.

Could Legitimacy through Corporate Social Responsibility be an Antecedent for Export Performance Enhancement: an Exploratory Study

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By: Wissem Ben Marzouk and Néji Bouslama, Volume 2010 (2010), Article ID 624903, Communications of the IBIMA, 17 pages, Abstract The search for better legitimacy in an institutional context within social responsible decisions is the main focus of the present work paper. This strategic tradeoff could stimulate stakeholders’ initiatives for ultimate cooperation with companies. The latter could leverage up resources managed by public institutions in order to develop better export performance. Social norms and institutional mechanisms are, however, fostered to raise legitimacy components. Thus, stakeholders use these norms and institutional processes to assess company’s legitimacy. The exploratory study depicts the likely relationship between legitimacy and export performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which are deemed to be legitimate; however, social actions are ignored by interviewers.

Elaboration of A Process for Mapping between Ontology Concepts and Objects Model Concepts

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By: Hatem Ben Sta, Volume 2010 (2010), Article ID 749128, Communications of the IBIMA, 16 pages. ABSTRACT: The principal idea of the framework in this paper is to use ontologies to convert a problem domain text description into an object model. The object model of a system consists of objects, identified from the text description and structural linkages corresponding to existing or established relationships. The ontologies provide metadata schemas, offering a controlled vocabulary of concepts. At the center of both object models and ontologies are objects within a given problem domain. The difference is that while the object model should contain explicitly shown structural dependencies between objects in a system, including their properties, relationships, events and processes, the ontologies are based on related terms only. On the other hand, the object model refers to the collections of concepts used to describe the generic characteristics of objects in object-oriented languages. Because ontology is accepted as a formal, explicit specification of a shared conceptualization, we can naturally link ontologies with object models, which represent a system-oriented map of related objects, described as Abstract Data Types (ADTs). This paper addresses ontologies as a basis of a complete methodology for object modeling, including available tools, particularly CORPORUM OntoExtract and VisualText, which can help the conversion process. This paper describes how the developers can use this framework and implement it on the base of an illustrative example.

Analyzing the Usage of IT in SMEs

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By: Sona Mardikyan, Volume 2010 (2010), Article ID 208609, Communications of the IBIMA, 10 pages. ABSTRACT: Nowadays, rapid changes in information technology (IT) force enterprises to adapt new developments. IT is critical to the success of most businesses especially small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). In recent years, the information technologies are started to be used frequently by SMEs in Turkey but unfortunately the usage has not reached to desired levels yet. The aim of this study is to investigate the purposes of the IT usage in SMEs and put forward the key factors affecting the level of their IT usage. To be able to evaluate the IT usage, a survey questionnaire was prepared and conducted to 112 SMEs in Istanbul. Data were analyzed by Descriptive, Independent T-Test, One-Way ANOVA and Multiple Regression Analyses. Findings are almost consistent with the previous researches. The study states that most of SMEs uses IT for their basic needs but they show the tendency to use it for more advanced activities. Moreover, there are significant differences in the IT usage of the companies operating in different sectors. The study also highlights that strong IT infrastructure, higher number of workers, giving importance to IT training, finding more purposes to use IT, and functioning in IT sector are important factors that positively affect IT usage

A Model for Characterizing the Salient Directions of Evolution in the Engineering of Web Applications

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By: Pankaj Kamthan and Nazlie Shahmir, Volume 2010 (2010), Article ID 306853, Communications of the IBIMA, 20 pages. ABSTRACT: The development and sustenance of Web Applications is viewed from an engineering perspective. The evolution of the developmental environment of Web Applications has been multi-directional. This paper provides a conceptual characterization of these directions, relationships between these directions, and their implications towards academia and industry. The consequences of a commitment to these directions, along with the role of international standards, are considered. The challenges faced by Semantic Web Applications and Social Web Applications are briefly outlined.

Marketing: Another Way to Establish Environmental Respect

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

By HAMOU Nadia HAMOU ADNANI, Volume 2010 (2010), Article ID 944913, Communications of the IBIMA, 13pages. ABSTRACT:In addition to decrees and decisions of government policies forcing companies to lead a process of changing, which is part of sustainable development, promotion and encouragement can be developed based on marketing tools. The difficulty of convincing a company to implement its management with the recommendations of sustainable development practices lies in encouraging them to start a policy of changing. That is why it is consequent to push the company to rethink and put in place a new managing system. Awareness of companies and citizens is in the centre of our communication, the state should be the first to be aware that it is nowadays essential to protect its resources, and then must introduce legislation in this way. When legal documents requiring individuals and firms to change their behaviours are absent, is not it possible to persuade firms to pursue a policy of sustainable development through the use of practices based marketing strategies (case of Non Governmental Organisations)? How should the marketing department of these companies work to transform the expenditure incurred by the changing process in a redoubtable competitive advantage (the case of businesses.

IBIMA Publishing now offer mobile phone article format

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:43 GMT

Starting from Feb. 1, 2010 IBIMA Publishing will publish articles formatted for mobile phone. This will be in addition to the html and pdf formats that have available to be viewed and downloaded on it website.