A Study of Value Factors for Adopting Information Technology in Professional Service Industry — A Demonstrative Case of Accounting Firms in Taiwan

2002 ◽  
Vol 05 (04) ◽  
pp. 509-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shi-Ming Huang ◽  
Cheng-Yuan Ku ◽  
Yuan-Te Chu ◽  
Hsiang-Yuan Hsueh
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Service Industry ◽  
Critical Issue ◽  
Service Industries ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Accounting Firms ◽  
Operational Activities

With the popular adoption of information technology (IT), business models and types of services in industries are strongly influenced. Consider the professional service industries such as accounting firms, services are the main business activities in their daily job. These firms are now facing the critical issue on how to apply IT effectively and improve their service quality. The purpose of this paper is to provide a demonstrative analysis for the evaluation of valuable activities in professional service firms via "Value Shop" model. And then find the strategic benefits of IT invested with corresponding value activities by the case study of accounting firms in Taiwan. The findings indicate that IT investment is indeed helpful for activities in daily business activities in such firms, whether it is strategy-centric, managerial, or operational activities.

The interplay between global accounting firms and national institutional contexts: The establishment of the Big Four in China from 1978 to 2007

2021 ◽  
pp. 103237322110581
Author(s):  
Wenjun Wen ◽  
Amanda Sonnerfeldt
Keyword(s):  
Economic Transition ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Accounting Firms ◽  
Audit Market ◽  
Institutional Contexts ◽  
Reform And Opening Up ◽  
Big Four ◽  
Opening Up

This paper provides an analysis of the establishment of global accounting firms (the ‘Big Four’) in China between 1978 and 2007. Drawing on the extant literature on professional service firms, and the work of Faulconbridge and Muzio (2015) , this paper examines how the Big Four entered China following the country's ‘Reform and Opening-up’ and evolved from tentative representative offices to established accounting firms in the Chinese audit market. Based on an extensive analysis of archival materials and interviews, the findings of this paper show that the Big Four's establishment in China has been deeply intertwined with the country's socio-political and economic transition. It reveals important conjunctural moments in history that have provided the Big Four with important windows of opportunity to actively shape local institutional change to their own interests. This paper contributes to the extant accounting literature on the expansion of the Big Four in China by highlighting the interplay between their surrounding institutional context and their capacity for agency.

Social and Cultural Barriers for Knowledge Databases in Professional Service Firms

2011 ◽  
pp. 124-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georg Disterer
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
One Dimension ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Complex Problems ◽  
Innovative Solutions

Professional Service Firms (PSF), where professionals (consultants, lawyers, accountants, auditors, tax advisors, engineers ...) work, are interested in knowledge management, because their business is heavily dependent from the knowledge of their employees. Core asset is their ability to solve complex problems through creative and innovative solutions, the basis for this is their employees’ knowledge. Therefore, PSF are on the forefront of knowledge management. Experiences show that Information Technology (IT) is only one dimension of knowledge management, more important are social, cultural, and organizational dimensions.1

Team learning capability – an instrument for innovation ambidexterity?

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 473-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Helen Batt-Rawden ◽  
Gudbrand Lien ◽  
Terje Slåtten
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Team Learning ◽  
Service Industry ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Learning Capability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning Capabilities

Purpose The aim of this paper is to develop the concept of team learning capability in professional service firms. Thereafter, to examine the effect of team learning capability on innovation ambidexterity. The aspects of exploitive and explorative knowledge creation in teams and its impact on incremental and radical service innovation are in focus. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modelling was applied to establish reliability and validity and measure the size of relationships. Evidence is drawn upon an empirical sample of 210 consultants in the professional service industry. Findings The findings support the concept of team learning capability and reveal that team learning capability consists of relationship learning in teams, trusting team climate and employee commitment. The results indicate a strong positive relationship between team learning capability and innovation ambidexterity in professional service firms. Originality/value This study is the first to offer an empirical-based and contextualized framework for team learning capabilities and a valid measure.

scholarly journals Between contestation and collaboration: The internal dynamics of multidisciplinary accounting firm responses to institutional pressures

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvette Taminiau ◽  
Stefan Heusinkveld
Keyword(s):  
Professional Service ◽  
Institutional Pressures ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Internal Dynamics ◽  
Accounting Firms ◽  
Professional Groups ◽  
Big 4 ◽  
Professional Fields ◽  
Firm Responses

Abstract The colonization of adjacent professional fields has been considered as crucial to understand the success and influence of large accounting firms, such as the Big 4. Yet, given the complexities of managing different professional groups, remarkably little is known about the internal dynamics behind large multidisciplinary accounting firms’ external responses to institutional pressures. In this article, we show how exogenous coercive pressure, such as regulation (in this case Dutch accountancy regulations), not only affect the day-to-day work of accountants, but also that of non-accountants such as tax advisors. From the perception of the tax advisors who confront regulations which are not ‘theirs’, we show how their internal responses evolve and tread a fine line between contestation and collaboration with their colleague accountants/auditors. Using a boundary work perspective, we examine this shift in responses and explain how tensions between professional groups may be reduced. Overall, our study not only furthers our insights into the internal dynamics behind professional service firms’ external responses, but also sheds light on why professional groups stay on board despite unfavorable internal conditions.

The impact of change readiness on the knowledge sharing process for professional service firms

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 687-709 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fariza Rusly ◽  
Peter Yih-Tong Sun ◽  
James L. Corner
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Service Industry ◽  
Change Readiness ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organisational Context ◽  
Holistic Understanding ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The study aims to assess the influence of change readiness on the knowledge sharing process. This study proposes that readiness for knowledge sharing involves developing holistic understanding of the process through identification of individual and organisational readiness. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopts a qualitative case study design involving three New Zealand professional service firms (PFSs). Using grounded theory analysis, categories and concepts of change readiness that shape the knowledge sharing process were identified. The linkages among these elements offer an explanation of how readiness for knowledge sharing is formed. Findings – Findings show that beliefs regarding knowledge sharing and individual expertise determine individual readiness to share knowledge. Readiness for the process is escalated by instilling collective commitment for knowledge sharing. A conducive organisational context, which comprises communication, participation and learning, represents a firm’s capability to implement the knowledge sharing process. Findings also highlight the moderating influences of firm archetype, inter-profession differences and knowledge nature in the interplay between change readiness elements and the knowledge sharing process. Research limitations/implications – Findings reveal elements that motivate readiness for knowledge sharing from a change perspective. The propositions and theoretical model offered could extend understanding of the phenomena and lead to further studies assessing readiness for other knowledge management processes. The study involves three PFSs; hence, interpretation of the findings is limited within the scope and context of the study. Practical implications – Findings contribute to the formulation of firms’ knowledge sharing strategies by offering holistic insights into the importance of motivating readiness for knowledge sharing through consideration of multidimensional change readiness: individual and collective beliefs, individuals’ characteristics and organisational context. Originality/value – It is the first empirical study that seeks to develop theory how change readiness elements influences knowledge sharing in the organisation. To offer more contextualised findings, the study focusses on the phenomena of change readiness and knowledge sharing within the professional service industry.

Change readiness: creating understanding and capability for the knowledge acquisition process

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 1204-1223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fariza Hanim Rusly ◽  
Peter Yih-Tong Sun ◽  
James L Corner
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Acquisition ◽  
Service Industry ◽  
Change Readiness ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Acquisition Process ◽  
Holistic Understanding ◽  
The Individual

Purpose – This study aims to show how change readiness shapes the knowledge acquisition process. The study elicits change readiness factors, at the individual and firm levels, that influence the knowledge acquisition process and are based on the context of professional service firms. Design/methodology/approach – The qualitative study is grounded in interpretive philosophy and adopts a multiple-case study design. Three New Zealand Professional Service firms were analyzed for this study. Using grounded theory analysis, categories and concepts of change readiness that shape knowledge acquisition were identified. Findings – Knowledge acquisition understanding, knowledge acquisition context and individual differences, represent primary dimensions defining change readiness for the knowledge acquisition process. Finally, distinctive firm archetypes, inter-profession differences and professionals’ demography, affect the way change readiness elements shape the knowledge acquisition process in the firms studied. Research limitations/implications – The study develops a theoretical model that shows how elements of change readiness, at the individual and organizational levels, influence knowledge acquisition. The study offers several propositions that could be tested in future studies. The study involves three professional service firms; hence, interpretation of the findings is limited. Practical implications – A holistic understanding of change readiness factors that influence knowledge acquisition could mitigate failures of knowledge management processes in organizations. Originality/value – It is the first empirical study that seeks to develop a theory on how change readiness elements influence knowledge acquisitions in the organization. To offer more contextualized findings, the study is done within the professional service industry.

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