Technology Service Industry Research Articles

People process excellence and business outcomes - a structural equation modelling-based analysis

People capability maturity model (PCMM) developed by Carnegie Mellon is one of the foremost business excellence models in the people management area and this model has been extensively applied in the technology services industry. This paper attempts to link through a conceptual framework the various people process excellence variables of PCMM to the state of organisational maturity attained as well as the consequent business outcomes. The framework has been validated empirically with data from 521 participants in the technology services industry in an emerging market context. Confirmatory factor analysis techniques have been used to validate and develop a measurement model. Such a model is further refined using basic structural equation modelling (SEM) techniques to make it more robust. The results of SEM are critically evaluated in comparison with corresponding regression modelling results. The findings of this research study validate that people excellence variables positively influence organisational maturity and this further leads to beneficial business outcomes across staff, firm and customer dimensions.

Psychosocial Workplace Factors and Healthcare Utilization: A Study of Two Employers.

Background: While a large literature links psychosocial workplace factors with health and health behaviors, there is very little work connecting psychosocial workplace factors to healthcare utilization. Methods: Survey data were collected from two different employers using computer-assisted telephone interviewing as a part of the Work-Family Health Network (2008-2013): one in the information technology (IT) service industry and one that is responsible for a network of long-term care (LTC) facilities. Participants were surveyed four times at six month intervals. Responses in each wave were used to predict utilization in the following wave. Four utilization measures were outcomes: having at least one emergency room (ER)/Urgent care, having at least one other healthcare visit, number of ER/urgent care visits, and number of other healthcare visits. Population-averaged models using all four waves controlled for health and other factors associated with utilization. Results: Having above median job demands was positively related to the odds of at least one healthcare visit, odds ratio [OR] 1.37 (P<.01), and the number of healthcare visits, incidence rate ratio (IRR) 1.36 (P<.05), in the LTC sample. Work-to-family conflict was positively associated with the odds of at least one ER/urgent care visit in the LTC sample, OR 1.15 (P<.05), at least one healthcare visit in the IT sample, OR 1.35 (P<.01), and with more visits in the IT sample, IRR 1.35 (P<.01). Greater schedule control was associated with reductions in the number of ER/urgent care visits, IRR 0.71 (P<.05), in the IT sample. Conclusion: Controlling for other factors, some psychosocial workplace factors were associated with future healthcare utilization. Additional research is needed.

Information and Communication Technology Service Industry Development in Indonesia

With the Indonesian Commitment to fulfill the Millennium Development goals which are mainly aimed to improve quality of life, followed by similar commitments to empower Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to achieve those goals, ICT developments in Indonesia has been growing very fast.Basically, the developments of ICT Infrastructure are based on several basic methods. Firstly, the ICT backbones were developed with the support of the Government, then liberalization of the ICT Service Industries was caried out so that private companies are encouraged to develop ICT business, followed by subsidized ICT services for selected areas where ICT services cannot be carried out feasibly. In addition, with the growing democracy in Indonesia, application and content are also liberalized, resulting fast growth of application and content provider, and this has pushed also the development of ICT Infrastructures by private companies.This paper will review the development of ICT service Industries in Indonesia, the history of how the industries was developed, both the policy as well as the development itself. This is followed by the description of the current situation. The future plan of ICT development will be also included. A more in depth explanation is given for the Telecommunication sector.

Information and Communication Technology Service Industry Development in Indonesia

With the Indonesian Commitment to fulfill the Millennium Development goals which are mainly aimed to improve quality of life, followed by similar commitments to empower Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to achieve those goals, ICT developments in Indonesia has been growing very fast.Basically, the developments of ICT Infrastructure are based on several basic methods. Firstly, the ICT backbones were developed with the support of the Government, then liberalization of the ICT Service Industries was caried out so that private companies are encouraged to develop ICT business, followed by subsidized ICT services for selected areas where ICT services cannot be carried out feasibly. In addition, with the growing democracy in Indonesia, application and content are also liberalized, resulting fast growth of application and content provider, and this has pushed also the development of ICT Infrastructures by private companies.This paper will review the development of ICT service Industries in Indonesia, the history of how the industries was developed, both the policy as well as the development itself. This is followed by the description of the current situation. The future plan of ICT development will be also included. A more in depth explanation is given for the Telecommunication sector.

The influence of service quality on customer satisfaction and loyalty in B2B technology service industry

The main purpose of this study is to explore how service quality and brand awareness influence customer satisfaction and loyalty in the business-to-business (B2B) technology service industry. Most studies in the area apply to business-to-consumer situations, such as the hospitality industry. The B2B technology services of calibration laboratories require strict adherence to measurement standards and the revision of any instrumental error.We use a PZB model of customer satisfaction and loyalty to design a questionnaire and collect customers’ data. Multiple regression analysis is performed on the data to verify our proposed hypotheses.The study results show that (1) service quality positively impacts customer satisfaction, (2) customer satisfaction positively impacts customer loyalty, and (3) brand awareness positively impacts the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction.The study results give empirical support to various theories and provide insights; managers of companies in the B2B technology service industry can use these insights to boost customer satisfaction through service quality improvement actions.This study demonstrates that the PZB model can be applied in calibration laboratories for strengthening service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty. Furthermore, the current findings can serve as a reference point for future research in the B2B technology service industry.

Managing Power Distance to Retain Talent

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nature of manager-employee relationships and its impact on talent retention. The study discusses the power distance between managers and employees in knowledge-intensive sectors like Information Technology services industry. Grounded Theory Research design was used to explore the research phenomenon. The study was based on the analysis of fifty-two in-depth interviews from employees and managers in IT services industry in India. Purposeful and theoretical sampling designs were used to locate the participants for the study. Grounded theory analytical procedures - Open, axial and selective coding were used to analyse and interpret the interview narratives. The results and discussion of the study are in favour of the Hofstede's (2001) low power distance dimensions that are widely prevalent in organizations in IT services industry in India. However, the study's findings contrast the study conducted by Hofstede in which India was rated relatively high on power dimensions.

Current Situation Diagnosis of Science and Technology Development Strategy in Jinpu New District

It is an important arrangement of the social and economic development in the new era to encourage people to start their own business and to make innovations. The innovation and entrepreneurship play a decisive role in the realization of "China Dream" strategic deployment. And the technology service industry, as the important development of objects and support providers, plays an indispensable role in the development of “mass entrepreneurship and innovation”. In Jinzhou New Area, "China's first development zone", the development of science and technology service industry also attaches great importance. This paper analyzes the current development of science and technology service industry in Jinzhou New District.

Organizational routines and regional industrial paths: the IT service industry in the US National Capital Region

ABSTRACTThis study aims to address how organizational routines could affect the business activities and regional industrial paths of organizations by conducting a case study of the information technology (IT) service industry in Fairfax County in the US state of Virginia. Specifically, it analyzes the interwoven processes among three factors in the evolution of a knowledge-based regional industry, namely, organizational routines of local IT service firms, industrial knowledge bases and regional specificity. Empirical results explain the mechanisms of the adaptation processes of heterogeneous actors when two groups of disparate market-oriented routines exist. The integrated framework linking these three factors can provide explicit perspectives for understanding the context-specific evolution of clusters.

Research about the Management and Countermeasures of Science and Technology Service Industry in Jinzhou New District Of Dalian

With the advent of the Internet era, most of the developed western countries energetically develop science and technology(sci-tech) and see it as a basic national policy, and attach great importance to the function of sci-tech intermediary which in the connection between sci-tech and economy, improve national innovation capability, accelerate high-tech achievements transformation in the process. China also thinks highly of the development of S&T service industry, admittedly, the development on this field started fairly late in Jinzhou New District Of Dalian, but in recent years it has made rapid progress, according to preliminary statistics, there are a total of 30 business organizations engaged in intermediary services in Jinzhou New District, which involving government procurement agent, accounting, auditing, legal services, asset evaluation, engineering cost consulting industry. But the sci-tech service system construction still exist some problems in Jinzhou New District, for instance, the management system is unclear and the scale generally smaller than others, the low quality personnel and it’s like. This paper mainly studies the S&T service industry in Jinzhou New District and puts forward some suggestions and countermeasures, which is of great significance to establish and improve the new sci-tech service system, and enhance the ability of regional innovation and entrepreneurship.

Burnout during early career: lived experiences of the knowledge workers in India

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the phenomenon of burnout during early career among knowledge workers in information technology (IT) services industry in India.Design/methodology/approachThe grounded theory research design was used to explore the research phenomenon. The study was based on the analysis of 43 in-depth interviews from the employees, managers and human resource professionals in IT services industry in India. Purposeful and theoretical sampling designs were used to locate the participants for the study. Grounded theory analytical procedures – open, axial and selective coding – were used to analyze and interpret the interview narratives. Atlas ti version 5.0. was used for qualitative data analysis.FindingsThe analysis of the interviews with the young knowledge workers reveal the following as the reasons for their burnout during early career: poor integration with the job and the organization at large, underemployment, stressful job and exhausting work environment, fear and insecurity of replacement of talent and downsizing. Strategies are discussed to deal with burnout situations among the young knowledge workers for individual and organizational well-being.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of the study are applicable to organizations such as the IT services industry and thus the research outcome cannot be generalized. The study includes lived experiences of employees only during their early career.Practical implicationsThe findings are relevant and useful in the practice domain as they are grounded in field reality. It provides directions for managerial and organizational practices in preventing burnout in early career among knowledge workers.Originality/valueThe paper is original and the present study is among the first attempts to investigate the nature of burnout through qualitative inquiry.

The development and the turning point of the Software and Information Technology Services Industry in Dalian

The development and the turning point of the Software and Information Technology Services Industry in Dalian

北京市高新技术企业政府补贴的调查与分析

本文基于对北京市部分已上市的高新技术企业2012~2014年政府R&D补贴的相关调查，分析北京市高新技术企业享受政府补贴的现状及其对企业R&D投入的促进作用。分析表明：北京市对所辖高新技术企业的补贴力度较大，但政府补贴的强度在不同行业和不同所有制企业中的分布并不均衡。制造业所享有的补贴额和补贴强度为最大，其次是信息传输、软件和信息技术服务业，建筑行业所享受的补贴力度最小。国有企业所享有的补贴额较多，但补贴强度低于民营企业。政府补贴与企业R&D投入之间为正相关关系，但部分企业自身研发投入并不高，表现出对政府补贴的依赖。 Based on the investigation of government R&D subsidy of some listed high-tech enterprises in Bei-jing from 2012 to 2014, this paper analyzes the present situation of Beijing high-tech enterprises’ government subsidy and its promotion to R&D investment. The analysis shows that the subsidy of high-tech enterprises in Beijing is relatively large, but the intensity of government subsidy is not evenly distributed in different industries and different ownership enterprises. The subsidy inten-sity of the manufacturing industry is the largest, followed by the information transmission, software and information technology service industry. The construction industry enjoys the least subsidy. State-owned enterprises enjoy more subsidies, but the subsidy intensity is lower than private enterprises. Government subsidies and R&D investment are positively related, but some companies do not own high R&D investment, showing the dependence on government subsidies.

Return on Retention (RoR): A Grounded Theory Study of Knowledge Workers in Indian IT Services Industry

Knowledge workers in the Indian information technology (IT) services industry are the main contributors to the growth of the industry and the economy. However, human resource (HR) processes to manage knowledge workers are still evolving. There are gaps in understanding how HR interventions which lead to the retention of key employees can strengthen organizational outcomes. This study proposes a framework that builds linkages between different elements of retention of knowledge workers and outcomes that exhibit the competitiveness of IT companies. Knowledge of these outcomes can be an important incentive for firms to continue pursuing strategies for retaining talent. The purpose of this study is to explore the outcomes of talent retention strategies adopted in the IT services industry through the grounded theory approach. The study reflects the lived experiences of line managers (16), employees (17), HR managers (10) and top-level executives (2) in the sector. Purposeful sampling was used to identify the research participants. The in-depth interviews conducted with the participants were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using open, axial and selective coding. The study uncovers seven propositions as returns on retention (RoR) strategies: (i) successful talent retention contributes to cost-effective HR practices, (ii) managing individuals’ performance and retaining achievers foster corporate performance management, (iii) retaining young and senior workforce results in retaining knowledge assets and strengthening human capital development, (iv) retaining women talent promotes gender inclusivity across levels, (v) successful retention strategies result in workforce motivation and morale, (vi) talent retention positively impacts job involvement and organizational commitment and (vii) employee recognition and retention practices promote reverse brain drain.

Assessing output performance of information technology service industries: Productivity, innovation and catch-up

The purpose of this paper is to assess the output performance of information technology (IT) service industries of twelve Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries over the years from 2000 to 2011. We use Malmquist productivity index (MPI) as the performance metric and stochastic production frontier (SPF) as the measurement approach. We then decompose MPI into two ingredient components that represent technological change for innovation capability and efficiency change for catch-up effort. It is found that the IT service industries display an impressive annual rate of 7.4% for productivity growth during the study period. The parametric decomposition of MPI unveils that almost all of the productivity growth observed is enabled by technological advance made to the production process by IT service providers while efficiency change has little effect. Moreover, each country׳s IT service industry demonstrates a distinctive pattern relating to the three measures of productivity growth, technological change, and efficiency change. This observation suggests that each country׳s IT service industry possesses certain strengths that become the sources of its competitive advantage, and there are weaknesses that could be targets for performance improvement. Based on our empirical results, we offer practical implications and identify future research topics for performance evaluation of IT service and other industries.

A networking culture to benefit from open innovation - a comparison between technology and business services industries in The Netherlands

This paper aims to improve our understanding of why some companies are more successful in implementing open innovation strategies than others, by building a framework of capabilities required to benefit from open innovation. It argues that companies can benefit from open innovation when they have the capabilities to connect closed and open approaches to innovation. This requires building a culture conducive to developing networking capabilities. In the article, a comprehensive set of networking capabilities is developed intended as an analytical tool to evaluate to what extent companies are equipped to benefit from open innovation. As a first step to further validating the framework, empirical research has been carried out in The Netherlands to compare networking capabilities of companies in the technology industry and in the knowledge intensive business services sector. The results indicate that according to the framework, technology companies are in the lead in benefiting from open innovation, which may be explained by their previous experience in innovation networking. The results suggest that the networking capabilities framework is a promising tool for analysis that can help companies to become better equipped to jointly create value and capture value in innovation networks. The research has policy implications for regions as well, because it indicates that regional open innovation strategies need to address the development of networking capabilities of companies and other actors in the regional innovation system.

Formation of an Efficient Team by Improvising Employee Selection Process Using AHP-LP for a Software Company in India

In information technology (IT) service industry, essential task of a human resource (HR) manager is to form an efficient team involving different job roles from a pool of candidates who can satisfy business requirements. For this purpose, the HR department performs candidate recruitment and selection process. This article attempts to develop a mathematical and reliable approach using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP)-linear programming (LP) for building an efficient software project team by breaking the interview process of candidate selection into two parts. In the first phase, interviewers are responsible only for evaluating candidates based on different parameters. In the second phase, HR manager collates all data from the selection process and then applies proposed mathematical model to make final decision on candidate selection or rejection. The proposed application of AHP into team formation will improve the decision-making process involved in hiring when multiple interviewers assess candidates through interview. Finally, decisions are taken for finalizing team by incorporating all financial and strategic constraints using LP.

Planning for sustainable development in the emerging information societies

Purpose – This research work aims to investigate the recent status of the information and communication technology (ICT) services industry in Iran. It proposes a systemic applicable approach at policymaking level and appropriate strategic planning steps to enlighten developing countries toward achieving their target objectives of an information society. Design/methodology/approach – Largely based on existing literature and usage statistics in ICT services, global technology trends and results from a survey to obtain consistent and up-to-date information about current issues of ICT services in the public and private sectors in Iran. Findings – This study elaborates on all issues, points and best practices relevant to the ICT services industry in Iran which is addressed by recommending some documented policies. Research limitations/implications – Majority of the experts who attended the workshop and responded to the questionnaire were service consumers rather than service providers. Practical implications – This paper discusses some of the implications for the development of this ICT services strategy and provides policy recommendations. Social implications – To enhance the information society with the most advanced ICT services for accelerating human development. Originality/value – This study provides a government refining process policy to address the common gaps in the ICT services industry in these developing countries and emphasizes a formidable policy foundation before implementing and monitoring of the Flagship ICT projects.

Total factor productivity growth in information technology services industries: A multi-theoretical perspective

Information technology (IT) services refer to the delivery and support of IT operations and activities in order to satisfy business requirements and to manage IT infrastructure for organizations. Considered part of knowledge-intensive business services, IT services provide an output used by other sectors and play an increasingly important role in the services-based economy. Based on the theories of production, innovation and competition, we study total factor productivity growth of IT services industries in 25 Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries over the period of 1995 to 2007 using Malmquist productivity index (MPI) as the performance metric and data envelopment analysis (DEA) as the measurement methodology. We then further decompose MPI into three components that provide a full analysis: technical change (for innovation), efficiency change (for catch-up), and scale change (for demand fluctuation). These IT services industries are found to show notable productivity growth when compared with other services industries, the services sector as a whole, and the economy at large. Through a multi-theoretical lens, our breakdown analysis reveals that the IT services industry is an innovator adept at making technological progress that becomes the key driver behind observed productivity growth; efficiency change exerts a relatively small negative impact; and scale change being mainly decided by client demands impairs productivity. Implications for IT services at both country and industry levels are drawn from our findings to provide suggestions for policymaking and strategy formulation.

Optimal capacity management and planning in services delivery centers

This paper considers human server systems of queues that arise within the information technology services industry. We develop a two-phase stochastic optimization solution approach to effectively and efficiently address the capacity management and planning processes of information technology services delivery centers. A large collection of numerical experiments of real-world human server system environments investigates various issues of both theoretical and practical interest, quantifying the significant benefits of our approach as well as evaluating the financial-performance trade-offs often encountered in practice.

Approaches and Countermeasures for Development of Energy-Saving Technology Service Industry in Tangshan City

Energy-saving service industry becomes a new force suddenly rises, and will be the largest energy-saving industry in the world. Tangshan City, adjacent to Beijing and Tianjin, is a typical resource-based city. Because its industrial structure is based on iron and steel, petrochemical and other resources, while energy-consuming structure based mainly on coal, that made Tangshan become one of China's high energy-consuming cities. In 2011 the city's total energy consumption was 95.5282 million tons of standard coal, accounting for 32.4% of Hebei province's energy consumption, and 2.7% of the whole state's respectively, while Tangshan City's GDP accounting for 22.5% of Hebei province and 1.2% of the nation.The huge energy consumption promotes vigorous development of energy-saving industry.The scale of Tangshan's energy service industry increases rapidly currently, for example, the output value of energy service industry in 2009 reached 32 billion RMB, and then its scale is continues to expand, and EPC(Energy Performance Contracting) is implemented gradually. However, it also shows a lot of problems, such as samll amount of energy-saving enterprises, lack of core competitive companies, shortage of funds, financing difficulties, lack of leading enterprises, irrational personnel structure, and the market system has not formed yet. If Tangshan's energy-saving services industry wants to achieve a good development, it must concentrate on that the publicity of industrial policy, creating a favorable environment for its development, speeding up development and applications of energy-saving technology, establishing industrial norms, strengthening self-discipline, innovating financial system, improve the financing environment, establishing credit publicity system, and promoting construction of industrial credit system.