Contemporary Business Environment Research Articles

Competency Profile of Project Team Members – Interplay with Team Dynamics and Project Success

In contemporary business environment, in which learning and knowledge are considered as the only sustainable competitive advantage of modern organizations, and there is a trend of growing reliance on project type of teams’ and organizations’ functioning, competencies of project team members are becoming more important than ever. By integrating competencies of fundamental managerial functions and competencies of project management’s knowledge areas, this paper investigates the nature of competency profile of project team members, as well as its main effects on project. Established competency profile of project team members is analyzed in relation to project team dynamics and project success. The mediating role of project team dynamics in the effect of competency profile of project team members on project success also investigated in the paper. Cross-sectoral empirical research was conducted during the spring of 2018, through which data from 83 project team members was collected via questionnaire. Collected data was enrolled and processed in SPSS 23.0, with addition of Hayes’ (2018) PROCESS Macro for SPSS - v3.2. Results obtained through descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses led to very interesting insights and inferences, especially when considering the cluster analysis’ and mediation effects’ results related to the interplay of project team members’ competency profile, project team dynamics and project success.

The influence of collaboration-oriented organisational capabilities on supply chain competence among small and medium enterprises

Orientation: In the contemporary business environment, there is need for firms to strategically interact with partners beyond boundaries, and by collaborating these firms can access resource and technologies beyond their limits.Research purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of collaboration-oriented organisational capabilities (COOC) on supply chain competence among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Zimbabwe.Motivation for the study: Small and medium enterprises in Zimbabwe have experienced limited growth, primarily because of their failure to nurture and steer their competencies. The literature suggests that there is value in synchronised cooperative and competitive interactions between firms as such interactions incentivise the pursuit of shared interests.Research design, approach and method: Through a cross-sectional survey, data were collected from 388 SMEs in Zimbabwe, and structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data.Main findings: The study specifically found that there is a positive and significant relationship between collaboration-oriented capabilities and supply chain competence.Practical/managerial implications: The results of this study demonstrate the critical role of organisational capabilities in achieving supply chain competence. The study proves that collaborative capabilities are central to the supply chain success of SMEs, with the possibility of influencing also the firm’s sustainable competitive advantage in line with the dynamic capabilities theory.Contribution/value-add: This study sheds light on the possibility of enhancing the overall supply chain competence of SMEs by establishing and empirically testing the relationships between COOC and supply chain competence.

The moderating effect of electronic strategy (e-strategy) on the relationship between perceived usefullness and the intention to adopt online banking in Malaysia

Strategy is an important element in enhancing management competitiveness which directly influences firm performance. Therefore, contemporary business environments which are driven by technology require urgent and sustained attention by firms seeking to enhance their competitiveness. Simply put, technology is the tool through which a firm’s strategy is achieved. Online banking is an example of a technology driven business environment. It is therefore important for the banks who offer this service to understand that the strategy they adopt influences the uptake of the service being offered. The level of adoption of online banking is an indication of the success of the strategy that has been adopted by banks. Consumer perception of the service has a strong influence on its actual usage. This study has used the perceived usefulness (PU) and behavioural intention to adopt (ADO) construct from the technology adoption model and the e-strategy construct to study online banking adoption in Malaysia. The moderation effect of e-strategy on the relationship between PU and ADO was examined. To achieve this, a random sampling of urban residents in the cities Ipoh, Georgetown, Alor Setar and Kangar in Malaysia was used. A total of 2560 questionnaires were distributed but only 360 usable questionnaires were received. The analysis was conducted by using SPSS 24 and Hayes SPSS process macro. From the analysis that was conducted it was found that e-strategy had a positively significant moderating effect on the perceived usefulness of adopting online banking by the consumer. The study found that e-strategy had a stronger effect on PU when applied effectively by banks. The study therefore confirms the hypothesis that the element of strategy influences online banking adoption rates in Malaysia.

Creating and managing knowledge towards managerial competence development in contemporary business environment

ABSTRACTThe aim of the research is to analyse interrelation of contemporary business environment, knowledge creation and management and development of managers’ competencies. Furthermore, to clarify whether the managers who operate in the context of modern knowledge intensive organizations should apply a new set of abilities and skills to lead teams and organizations. The research was conducted in three stages: during the first stage, authors identified the skills acquired by managers in three different ways where experience-based competencies dominate over the rest. During the second stage of the research, authors applied Lapina et al. (2015) competences groups to identify how they resonate with competencies discussed by other researchers, as the result a set of managers’ competences in contemporary organizations was identified. During the third stage of the research authors examined and gained confirmation of the first phase results.

Modeli izvestavanja o održivosti preduzeća

Sustainability reporting should be transparent and understandable to all stakeholders. The subject of research is sustainability reporting, with particular reference to the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) model. The aim of the research is to highlight, first, the role of sustainability reporting in the contemporary business environment; then, to elaborate the basics of different reporting models, as well as to highlight the possibilities and limitations of applying BSC models in sustainability reporting. Research findings show that sustainability reporting is mainly voluntary, in both developed and underdeveloped market economies, that it is necessary to increase managers' awareness of the importance of sustainability reporting, but also that there is no one universal reporting model, but that reporting needs to be adjusted to the specifics of the business of the company and the specifics of the branch in which the company operates.

Discuss the Similarities and Differences of Amazon and Alibaba with Respect to Cross-border E-commerce

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the similarities and differences between Amazon and Alipay in their cross-border e-commerce. Nowadays, cross-border trade has become more and more frequently with the development of society and technological progress. Cross-border trade has been put on the top agenda by businesses when they set up their long-term plans in the contemporary business environment. At the same time, e-commerce has become a popular business model in the world with the maturity of information technology. The combination of these two, cross-border e-commerce, has become one of the most prominent industries in the world. This paper adopts the case study approach and chose the industry giants: Amazon and Alibaba as the case study objectives. These two giants are both attach importance to the cross-border trade to expand their market. This paper will discuss the similarities and differences in cross-border e-commerce between Amazon and Alibaba. Amazon and Alibaba both have their own shopping platform for global customers and the reason for Alibaba and Amazon choose their target market is similar. However, Amazon and Alibaba have differences in their market strategies, delivery methods and payment system. Among them, the political and economic both the main factors cause they have these differences. This essay will attempt to explain the differences and similarities between Amazon and Alibaba to help readers have cleaned understand about the cross-border e-commerce in the modern business environment.

Menadžment ukupnog kvaliteta u funkciji stvaranja vrednosti sa stanovišta strategijskog menadžmenta

The contemporary business environment requires companies to be highly flexible in terms of adapting to customer requirements, to be consistent in quality and price-competitive, while the ultimate goal of the company is to create value for its owners. Therefore, in a long run, the sustainability of business is based on value creation for both customers and business owners. Total Quality Management (TQM) is a strategic approach to quality assurance that is based on continuous improvement of the quality of all activities in a company in order to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. Competitive advantage is a consequence of creating value for customers to a degree which outperforms competitors, which results in value created for business owners, provided that the return on invested capital is greater than the invested capital cost. The subject of the research presented in this paper is the influence of TQM on creating value for customers and business owners. The empirical research was conducted on a sample of 141 companies in the Republic of Serbia that have a valid certificate of conformity of the quality management system with the requirements of ISO 9001. The relationship between the key TQM success factors and the market and financial performance was analyzed. Market performance indicators point to the value created for customers, while financial performance indicators correspond to the value created for business owners. The research results reveal a positive impact of TQM on creating value for customers and business owners, whereas the intensity of this impact varies depending on the used performance measurements.

The effect of IT ambidexterity and cloud computing absorptive capacity on competitive advantage

PurposeFounded on the concept of organizational ambidexterity and the competing value model, the purpose of this paper is to develop an information technology (IT) ambidexterity framework to underscore the importance of a balanced and harmonious IT environment in enterprise cloud adoption.Design/methodology/approachWith survey responses from 165 IT executives in a managerial position who are in charge of cloud computing implementation, partial least square method is used to test the research model.FindingsCloud absorptive capacity plays an important role for firms to secure a competitive advantage. The synergy of the two capabilities (flexibility and control), which have conflicting characteristics, contributes to the enhancement of cloud absorptive capacity and leads to a firm’s knowledge accumulation and performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is the very first attempt that empirically establishes the relationship between a firm’s competitiveness and cloud computing absorptive capacity. This study provides a comprehensive framework that integrates ambidexterity theory with the competing value framework (CVF) with extending the concept of absorptive capacity that is bounded within an organizational perspective into a cloud computing context.Practical implicationsFirms should treat cloud computing as a strategic consideration to secure a competitive advantage in the contemporary business environment. For a firm’s performance, a dual governance structure, that encompasses flexibility and control, is required to achieve competitive advantage from cloud computing adoption.Originality/valueTo facilitate organizational effort in achieving a harmonious cloud environment, the authors propose a comprehensive ambidexterity framework integrating the CVF approach. This framework maps IT ambidexterity onto the CVF. As CVF considers internal and external factors that ambidexterity theory does not cover, integrating two theories can provide more comprehensive implications and discussions regarding cloud computing adoption.

THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGICAL READINESS IN THE GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS OF SERBIAN ECONOMY

Technological readiness is an important determinant of the economic and social development in recent decades. Therefore, technological readiness has a substantial impact on the global competitiveness of national economies in the contemporary business environment. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the level of Serbian economy competitiveness in terms of technological readiness and to identify the critical factors for its further development. The analysis is based on the data published by World Economic Forum in annual The Global Competitiveness Reports in the period from 2013 to 2017. The research is conducted through comparative analysis and benchmarking method. The results show significant deviations and negative trend of technological readiness of Serbia in comparison not only with European countries but even with Balkan countries. The conclusions of this research may serve as the directions for technological readiness policy makers in Serbia and other Balkan countries.

Enterprise Efficiency Sources in the Contemporary Business Environment

Abstract The issue of improving the efficiency of business operations is of particular importance in the conditions of modern business environment. For managers, the big challenge is how to achieve and to maintain, not to mention how to improve efficiency in a highly heterogeneous, complex, uncertain and unpredictable business environment. Significant sources of enterprise efficiency in a modern business environment are enterprise restructuring, business activities, as well an integrated approach to cost management, which is becoming an increasingly important determinant of business success and a source of competitive advantage. The paper provides an overview of theoretical and empirical research of the effects of certain sources on the performance of the enterprise. The conclusion is that only the complementary exploitation of all sources contributes to improving the efficiency of the enterprise in the long run.

Hell Hath No Fury

Recent evidence suggests that dominant norms signalling the desirable contemporary business environments are in line with feminine, rather than masculine ideals. We review evidence indicating that ...

A systemic logic for platform business models

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new business model logic, highlighting value processes in and properties of platform business models to inform business model thinking from a systemic and dynamic perspective. It challenges the idea of firms managing, influencing and controlling entire activity systems. Design/methodology/approach The study traces the evolution of different approaches to business models and assesses theories that explain value cocreation and systemic value capture to develop a new business model logic. Findings Business model thinking has evolved away from Porter’s value chain to a new logic based on open networks and platforms. This study develops a framework for understanding platform business models from a systemic perspective. Derived from service-dominant logic, this new business model logic responds to phenomena in contemporary business environments characterized by increasing connectivity and sociality among actors. Research limitations/implications The framework, developed from an extensive body of business model literature, has yet to be subjected to empirical investigation. Future research may involve the exploration of business model design processes and business model innovation from a systemic perspective. Practical implications Managers who aim to design their business models based on the logic of platform businesses require an understanding of their organization’s collaboration potential, technological interfaces and potential to leverage network relationships. This research guides start-ups and incumbents to evaluate their platform potential. Originality/value This study systematically emancipates the business model logic from a firm-centered, inside-out perspective, focuses on network relationships beyond the customer–firm dyad, explains value processes beyond organizational borders and rethinks value capture from a systemic perspective.

ASSESSMENT OF PACKAGE GRAPHICS AND COLOUR ATTRIBUTES ON CONSUMERS’ BUYING BEHAVIOUR IN KENYA

Understanding consumer buying behaviour and their preference to product attributes has become a key success factor in contemporary competitive and rapid changing business environment. Consumer is now more discerning and individualistic requiring marketers to gain insights into their buying behaviour especially the attitude they have towards product innovation especially packaging. The general objective of the study was to determine the effect of packaging attributes on consumer’s buying behaviour of packaged foods in Kenya. This paper discusses the research findings on the influence of packaged food graphics and colour attributes on consumers’ buying behaviour in Kenya. The study was supported by the Theory of Reasoned Action, the Howard-Sheth Model and Kano’s Theory of Attractive Quality. Descriptive and explanatory research designs were used and a sample of 385 shoppers from three supermarkets in Nairobi was selected randomly while data was collected using structured questionnaires. The selection of supermarkets was based on judgmental sampling in which location and foot traffic was considered. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics in the form of mean, percentages and standard deviations, and inferential statistics in the form of correlation tests and regression analysis. The study found a statistically significant relationship between the attributes of graphics and colour and consumer’s buying behaviour. The study recommends that food manufacturers understand consumer response to their packages, and integrate the inputs into designing the best packaging styles. This can be achieved by involving consumers in the process of packaging so that the right decisions are made without making any assumption regarding the final packaging of food products. This study is beneficial to new and existing food product manufacturers in coming up with strategies and in development of product packaging. Keywords: Package Graphics, Colour Attributes, Consumers’ Buying Behaviour.

Virtual team experiences in an emerging economy: a qualitative study

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to document the experiences of team members in order to map the kinds of experiential outcomes that they report while working in virtual teams. The study will help to expand the understanding of various issues related to virtual work arrangements from the perceptions of information technology (IT) professionals in India.Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted by adopting an exploratory approach with the use of qualitative methodology. The method of sampling adopted was purposive cum snowball sampling. Semi-structured interviews (face-to-face and telephonic) were conducted by taking a sample of 52 respondents, who are employed by IT organisations. The interviews were recorded digitally, transcribed and analysed by using the content-coding approach followed by a thematic analysis.FindingsThe foremost contribution of the study is that it has considered the various motivators and the skills required to be a successful virtual team player. Significant challenges encountered in virtual teams have also been identified.Practical implicationsVirtual teams in the contemporary business environment are evolving with an unparalleled velocity. The findings of the paper have implications for managers, team leaders and change agents regarding how to transform and sustain in the rapidly changing business context of emerging economies.Originality/valueIn the extant literature on virtual teams very little is known about how individual members perceive this new form of teamwork. The findings of the study advance research on the topic of virtual teams by lending empirical support with respect to the interaction effects between IT and human beings. Recommendations have been provided for individual team members and organisations.

Simplifying Sensemaking: Concept, Process, Strengths, Shortcomings, and Ways Forward for Information Systems in Contemporary Business Environments

Sensemaking is a popular and useful organizational behavior concept that is gaining visibility in the field of information systems. However, it remains relatively unknown compared to more established information systems concepts like technology acceptance and resistance. To enhance and propel greater use of sensemaking in information systems, this article offers a systematic explanation of sensemaking, specifically focusing on its concept, process, strengths, and shortcomings, as well as discussing ways forward for information systems in contemporary business environments.

A Novel Approach for Optimizing Governance, Risk management and Compliance for Enterprise Information security using DEMATEL and FoM

A Novel Approach for Optimizing Governance, Risk management and Compliance for Enterprise Information security using DEMATEL and FoM

The Facts on Working Environment in Corporate Retail Stores in Coastal Districts of Andhra Pradesh, India

In the contemporary business environment, organizations are experiencing challenges due to the vigorous nature of the environment. To stand in the business race, organization needs to satisfy its employees in order to achieve the goals. In order to make the employees committed to do their jobs effectively, organization needs to provide good working conditions. It is the responsibility of employers to provide required resources to the employees to do their jobs effectively and also create a good environment to maintain better relations. More working hours make the employees stressful. Employees should be treated humanely in any organization as good relations always bring excellent results to the industry. There should be also good communication structure in the organization to maintain good relations. The present study is taken up to investigate the environmental conditions of retail sector and to suggest appropriate measures to be taken to maintain good working environment in the corporate retail sector. The objective of the current study is to analyze the employee job satisfaction on working environment. To collect the data, a self-administered survey questionnaire is applied and collected data from 300 employees, followed simple random sampling method. The population consists of employees working in corporate retail organizations in the coastal districts of State of Andhra Pradesh, India.

Profitabilno poslovanje organizacije kao ishod unapređenja konkurentnosti primenom koncepta CRM

In the contemporary business environment, the establishment of long-term sustainable customer relations represents one of the basic parameters of an organization's successful business conduct. As a response to growing and changing customer demands, there originates a strategy of customer relations management which integrates processes and technologies in such a way as to secure a reliable, understandable, and an integrated approach to customer base, with the purpose of building interactive relations with them which will bring about mutual benefit both to customers and to organizations. The progress in the field of information and communication technology has introduced change in the way of achieving competitiveness and organizations' profitable business conduct. By applying contemporary technologies, organizations are able to approach customers more closely, there is a reduction in business conduct expenses, value delivery time is reduced, customer support is improved, and all this helps to increase customer loyalty. Our organizations should seek a successful foundation of market development in a more precise creation of their own strategies of sustainable business conduct and in the successful implementation of systems and concepts that support competitiveness.

Strategic resource decisions to enhance the performance of global engineering services

Strategic resource decisions to enhance the performance of global engineering services

The Effect of Self-efficacy Improvement on the Effectiveness of Project Managers in Contemporary Organisations

Recent studies on the success rates of modern day projects have shown that the project management fraternity needs to go beyond merely achieving the current levels of excellence and become more relevant to the needs of the modern business environment. These modern, dynamic environments are characterised by high levels of pressure to perform, as well as rapid changes caused by advances in technology such as the internet. Factors such as globalisation and recessions are also playing a role in the increasingly intense cost-cutting contemporary organisation. Hence, the current project manager effectiveness factors previously researched like methodology, people-skills and leadership have brought project practice only so far and will not be all-encompassing in future. These refer to how the project manager relates externally during project practise, in terms of how the project manager relates to the project itself, the resources and stakeholders; but what of the project manager's own, internal self-assessment of his or her abilities in particular projects? How does the project manager handle him or herself, intrinsically and does this have an impact on the project manager's effectiveness in high-pressure contemporary business environments? If so, the awareness of this can create an improved project manager better equipped to handle him or herself in the new era. By means of meta-ethnography and qualitative research, it was found that a concept called self-efficacy is extremely relevant to project management in this regard, and enhances several personal attributes required for the project manager to thrive in these modern environments. The term 'self-efficacy' is defined as a person's own judgment of his or her capabilities to organise and execute the courses of action required to attain predetermined goals - hence the relevance to project managers. It is not concerned with the skills one has, but rather with the estimation of what one can attain with the skills one possesses. The researcher found that project managers who can manage their self-assessment with regards to their projects will be more effective in these turbulent times. The researcher's work also showed self-efficacy having a significant improvement in 5 specific personal competencies sorely needed in contemporary organisations - Adaptability/flexibility, Ability to handle ambiguity, Persistence/perseverance, Emotional Intelligence and Resilience. Ultimately, the paper shows these 5 competencies being important in contemporary environments and that self-efficacy significantly improves or enhances these for project managers in modern companies. In so doing, the researcher gives a clear indication of the effect of self-efficacy improvement on the effectiveness of project managers in contemporary organisations.