scholarly journals Digital Technologies for Managing Innovation of Knowledge Work: The Case of a Chinese SME

Author(s):  
Zihan Song ◽  
◽  
Niki Chatzipanagiotou

The paper examines the perceptions of knowledge workers of small-medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Chinese context in regards to managing innovation in their knowledge work with the support of digital technologies. Main concepts such as knowledge, knowledge work, knowledge workers, innovation in knowledge work and digital technologies along with Socialization, Externalization, Combination and Internalization (SECI) model form the theoretical framework of this research which is used to discuss the research findings. The research adopts the interpretive qualitative approach and collects data through semi-structured face-to-face individual and group interviews. The collected empirical material that is analyzed thematically, yields eight themes which show that knowledge workers’ active interaction with knowledge supports the conversion from tacit to explicit knowledge back and forth. This assists the creation of new knowledge and, therefore, innovation in knowledge work; digital technologies play a supportive role in managing innovation in SME knowledge workers’ daily work.This research contributes to the current body of knowledge within informatics by empowering knowledge workers to share their viewpoints in regards to managing innovation in their knowledge work with the support of digital technologies. It also deepens the understanding of the formation mechanism of innovation in knowledge work. Finally, the research enriches and extends the existing body of knowledge and provides some valuable insights for the use of digital technologies in knowledge work to promote innovation.

2021 ◽  
pp. 026839622110509
Author(s):  
Mohammad Hossein Jarrahi ◽  
Steve Sawyer ◽  
Ingrid Erickson

We theorize mobile knowledge workers’ uses of digital and material resources in support of their working practices. We do so to advance current conceptualizations of both “information infrastructures” and “digital assemblages” as elements of contemporary knowledge work. We focus on mobile knowledge workers as they are (increasingly) self-employed (e.g., as freelancers, entrepreneurs, temporary workers, and contractors), competing for work, and collaborating with others: one likely future of work that we can study empirically. To pursue their work, mobile knowledge workers draw together collections of commodity digital technologies or digital assemblages (e.g., laptops, phones, public WiFi, cloud storage, and apps), relying on a reservoir of knowledge about new and emergent means to navigate this professional terrain. We find that digital assemblages are created and repurposed by workers in their infrastructuring practices and in response to mobility demands and technological environments. In their constitution, they are generative to both collaborative and organizational goals. Building from this, we theorize that digital assemblages, as individuated forms of information infrastructure, sustain stability and internal cohesion even as they allow for openness and generativity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 265
Author(s):  
Dato‘ Dr. Jelani Bin Hamdan

This research intends to provide the theoretical evidence on the relationship between leadership style and organizational performance of small medium enterprises (SMEs) in East Malaysia.  The growth organizational performances among SMEs in East Malaysia have been at stagnant stage, as they are not able to respond to unforeseen issues due to weak leadership. The SMEs in East Malaysia are losing their competitive advantages as compared to West Malaysia. There is lack of motivation among the followers working in SMEs in East Malaysia as employees do not put extra effort in their tasks. There is absence of creativity in workplace as employees have not been giving any productive output from a long time. Previous research have documented that there are relationships between leadership style and organizational performance in SMEs in East Malaysia. The current study steps forward to contribute to gaps in body of knowledge by looking at the effects that occur due to different leadership style and its influence on the organizational performance in SMEs in East Malaysia. The nature of this study add to the existing literature by integrating the theory and evidence that could enhance organizational performance.


Management ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bartosz Surawski

Summary The term “knowledge worker” has entered the language of management and economics, becoming popular or even fashionable. Consequently, its definitions are varied and often ambiguous or provisional – which makes it difficult to identify and research such employees. Deeper understanding of the term “knowledge workers” is required. One of the ways of defining a term is to define its semantic area through borders and overlaps with synonyms and “adjoining” terms. Such comparisons can help to deepen understanding of the central term and reveal its defining features. Therefore, two objectives were set in this study: 1) to compare “knowledge workers” and synonymous and associated terms specifying similarities, differences and areas of overlap, in order to find defining features of “knowledge workers”; and 2) to specify the synonymous and associated terms closest to knowledge workers and useful as proxies for research purposes. A group of 15 synonyms was selected, including historical and presently applied terms, proposed by various researchers or used in popular language. These terms were first characterized, and then compared to knowledge workers in terms of similarities, differences and areas of overlap. Comparison pointed to a number of features strongly related to knowledge work. Based on them, a sketch definition was proposed: Knowledge workers work mainly on symbols (representations), transforming them in cognitive processes, which is the main source of added value. To do that, they must command a large body of knowledge equivalent to university education, understood and internalised, grounded in experience and consequently updated. They perform complex tasks, focus on problem-solving, creating knowledge, distributing it and applying to achieve results. They broadly use documents and ICT, and require high level of autonomy. With respect to the second aim of the study, there are several terms closer in meaning to knowledge workers. Terms with most similarities and least differences include specialists and experts. Of these, specialists have most similarities, while experts are a narrower, more advanced type of specialists. In terms of overlap, categories closest to knowledge workers seem to be specialists/ professionals (wider) and professionals (narrower) – both are large sub-sets of knowledge workers, with specialists leaving fewer remainders. As far as identifiability is concerned, terms related to classifications of occupations are those better defined. Among them, “white-collars”, knowledge producers and distributors, and information workers were measured in older classifications, while specialists/ professionals and managers are categories measured today. Both are defined in detail in ISCO-08, making them identifiable also at the organisational level. Statistics of specialists and managers are gathered regularly in most countries belonging to ILO and are easily accessible. Concluding, specialists/ professionals (wider) are the best proxy group for researching knowledge workers: they possess almost the same key features, overlap closely, leaving smallest remainder, and are defined in detail in an international classification used worldwide to measure their national populations. Selecting a random member of the group, one is practically certain to find a knowledge worker.


Author(s):  
Noraniza Binti Md Jani ◽  
Mohd Hafiz Bin Zakaria

The adoption of social media by large businesses has influenced small medium enterprises (SMEs) to be part of this phenomenon. Evaluating the results of the online efforts is a prerequisite to the success of social media adoption. As more branding activities move online, marketers are faced with the realisation that brands and businesses are not always relevant in all the social media facets. The study is aimed at solving the question of how SMEs in Malaysia are evaluating their online marketing efforts. The quantitative survey was deployed across six states in Peninsular Malaysia to get feedback from 125 active firms from different size, sector, year of establishment, and period of use of social media. The pattern of all these participants conducting the evaluation phase on the social media platform is descriptively examined from quantitative findings. It is used to formulate new information into literature and body of knowledge. Research implications in the practical and social form are also discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 48-69
Author(s):  
Acheampong Owusu

This study explores the determinants of Cloud BI adoption among Ghanaian small-medium enterprises (SMEs). The study was guided by the technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework and information systems adoption model and employed the qualitative method through an in-depth interview with data collected from CEOs/key managers from 17 SMEs in Ghana. The results showed that technological characteristics (relative advantage, complexity, and compatibility), organizational characteristics (organization size and organizational readiness), environmental characteristics (competitive pressure and regulatory framework), and owner-manager characteristics (innovativeness and knowledge) influence the adoption of Cloud BI tools and services in Ghanaian SMEs. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by providing a Cloud BI adoption model from a developing country context. Practically, the study provides insights to vendors about the kind of Cloud BI Ghanaian SMEs require. Vendors can also use the findings to create awareness about the services they offer in terms of Cloud BI.


ALQALAM ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 380
Author(s):  
Chairul Akmal

This research analyzes some factors affecting economic activities in relation with the conduct of pilgrimage. Those factors are the pilgrimage cost, the amount of pilgrims, and the amount of pilgrimage officers. The objective of this research is to acquire the information of how each factor and all factors together affect the economic activities. This research also analyzes the effect of foods and drinks expenses, the effect of nonfoods and drinks expenses, and the effect of miscellaneous expenses on UMKM - Micro, Small, Medium enterprises' economic activities.             This research is conducted in DKI Jakarta in 2007. The population of this research is the average economic activities in DKI Jakarta in 2007. There are 42 respondents (Banks), 157 respondents (travel agencies), and 50 respondents (UMKM - Micro, Small, Medium enterprises) which are taken as samples from the population using the purposive sampling method. The data is obtained by the researcher using questioners and secondary data which is taken from 1990-2007.             The methodology used in this research is based on. the causal relationship model In testing the hypothesis of this research, the researcher uses the simple and multiple regression methods, and path analysis method. The significant rate a = 0,05 used in determining the interpretation of the statistic result. The data is processed using SPSS (Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences) version 12.00.             The results of the analysis in the 1st equation -are (i) the effect of the pilgrimage cost on banks' revenues is quite strong, (ii) the effect of the pilgrimage cost on travel agencies' revenues is quite strong, (iii) the effect of the pilgrimage cost on UMKM - Micro, Small, Medium enterprises' revenues is weak.             The results of the analysis in the 2nd equation are (i) the effect, of the amount of pilgrims on Banks' revenues is very weak, (ii) the effect of the amount of pilgrims on travel agencies' revenues is very weak, (iii) the effect of the amount of pilgrims on UMKM - Micro, Smal4 Medium enterprises' revenues is very weak.             The results of the analysis in the 3rd equation are (i) the effect of the amount of pilgrimage officers on banks' revenues is very weak, (ii) the effect of the amount of pilgrimage officers on travel agencies' revenues is very weak, (iii) the effect of the amount officers on UMKM-Micro, Small Medium enterprises' revenues is very weak.   The results of the analysis in the 4th equation are (i) the effect of all three factors which are the pilgrimage cost, the amount of pilgrims, and the amount of pilgrimage officers simultaneously on banks' revenues is very strong, (ii) The effect of all three factors which are pilgrimage costs, the amount of pilgrims, and the amount of pilgrimage officers simultaneously on travel agencies' revenues is strong, (iii) The effect of all three factors which are pilgrimage costs, the amount of pilgrims, and the amount of pilgrimage officers simultaneously on UMKM-Micro, Small Medium enterprises' revenues is strong.             The result of the analysis in the 5th equation is the effect of foods and drinks expenses on UMKM-Micro, Small Medium enterprises' revenues is weak. In the 6th equation, the effect of nonfoods and drinks expenses on UMKM-Micro, small Medium enterprises' revenues is weak. In the 7th equation, the effect of miscellaneous expenses on UMKM - Micro, Small Medium enterprises' revenues is quite strong. In the 8th equation, the effect of all three factors which are the effect of foods and drinks expenses, the effect of nonfoods and drinks expenses, and the effect of miscellaneous expenses simultaneously on UMKM-Micro, Small Medium enterprises' revenues is quite strong.             The implication of the research results mentioned above is the factors in the conduct of pilgrimage do increase the economic activities (Banks, Travel Agencies, and UMKM - Micro, Smal4 Medium enterprises) in DKI Jakarta. Therefore, considering that matter, the General Director of the conduct of pilgrimage division of Department of Religion Republic of Indonesia should determine the pilgrimage cost which is affordable, increase the service, and provide a good information system which will result in a better conduct of the pilgrimage. Key word: The Costs of Hajj, Hajj Officer, Travel Agency, UMKM


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Mohd Baki ◽  
Jack Kie Cheng

Production planning is often challenging for small medium enterprises (SMEs) company. Most of the SMEs are having difficulty in determining the optimal level of the production output which can affect their business performance. Product mix optimization is one of the main key for production planning. Many company have used linear programming model in determining the optimal combination of various products that need to be produced in order to maximize profit. Thus, this study aims for profit maximization of a SME company in Malaysia by using linear programming model. The purposes of this study are to identify the current process in the production line and to formulate a linear programming model that would suggest a viable product mix to ensure optimum profitability for the company. ABC Sdn Bhd is selected as a case study company for product mix profit maximization study. Some conclusive observations have been drawn and recommendations have been suggested. This study will provide the company and other companies, particularly in Malaysia, an exposure of linear programming method in making decisions to determine the maximum profit for different product mix.


2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 45
Author(s):  
Norudin Mansor ◽  
Che Ismail Long ◽  
Ahmad Ismail Mohd. Annuar

The research project was conducted to investigate the understanding of E-commerce Application among the SMEs in the state of Kelantan. Focusing on the population of registered members of Dewan Perniagaan Melayu Malaysia, Kelantan, a total of302 respondents were selected to participate in our study. Moving in line with the general assumption of world business community it is agreed that e-commerce application is highly relevant for the survival and meeting the challenges of borderless economy. At the same time, the process of acquiring knowledge and understanding the environment, coping with changes, and speeding up the business decision, able to further enhance the competitive advantage of the SMEs. Using the established model, our investigation focused on 5 identifiable variables to demonstrate its usefulness towards motivating SMEs to adopt e-commerce. Our analysis indicated that all the selected variables were significant towards enhancing the application of e-commerce and thus maintaining competitive advantage in the industry.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document