Information systems flexibility and robustness of manufacturing firms in Nigeria

This study examined the nexus between Information systems flexibility and Robustness of manufacturing firms in South-South, Nigeria. Nine objectives and hypotheses were postulated to examine the relationship between the dimensions (IT flexibility, Process flexibility and Data flexibility) and the measures (Persistence, Structural stability and Superposition). A structured questionnaire was prepared, while Google forms was used to gather the data from the 210 respondents. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with the aid of Smart PLS 3.3.3, was used to examine the relationship between the dimensions of Information systems flexibility and the measures of Robustness. A total of 185 responses were collected and used for the analysis. The results show that all three dimensions of Information systems flexibility improved Robustness. The study recommends amongst others, that Management of manufacturing firms should adopt flexible information systems through strengthening of networks, relationships with stakeholders and the emphasis on information technology. This will advance the organisations options and provide the firm with various advantages in terms of information access and knowledge sharing needed for their agility within the business environment.

How IT-Enabled Dynamic Capabilities Add Value to the Development of Innovation Capabilities

The development of innovation capabilities is crucial for modern organizations. This research builds on the dynamic capability view and aims to understand how a specific quality of the IT infrastructure, that is, IT flexibility, through the development of IT-enabled dynamic capabilities (ITDCs), leads to innovation gains. The authors empirically validate their main research questions and associated research model using multiple regression analyses on a sample of 138 Dutch firms. They gathered this data through respondent-driven sampling. This study uncovers that IT flexibility is a key attribute in the development of ITDCs. Also, their empirical results support that claim that the development of ITDCs fosters organizations' capability to innovate. These outcomes substantiate our claim that IT is an essential facilitator for innovation capabilities. They also uncovered that the effect of IT flexibility, through ITDCs on innovation capabilities is independent of the complexity of the market. As such, this work contributes to the current practical and theoretical knowledge base of both IT and business.

Troping Time: Refrain Interpolation in Sacred Latin Song, ca. 1140–1853

This article explores a practice in evidence across Europe from the twelfth to the nineteenth century involving the singing of a brief refrain within sacred Latin songs and hymns. Tracing the circulation of the two-part refrain “Fulget dies … Fulget dies ista” across multiple centuries, in both song-form tropes of the office versicle Benedicamus Domino and as a trope interpolated into hymns, I chart its unique movement between genres and in and out of written record. Examining the unusual origins, transmission, and function of the refrain, I begin with its emergence in twelfth-century manuscripts and conclude with its unnotated appearance in nineteenth-century printed Catholic songbooks. I argue that the refrain’s long-standing appeal can be located in its function as a poetic and liturgical trope of time itself. While tropes often enhance the “hic et nunc” (here and now) of the liturgy, the “Fulget dies” refrain gained additional temporal significance through its intimate link to songs of the Christmas season. The “shining day” imagery introduced by the refrain offered a tangible way of marking seasonal time in devotional rites, poetically indexing the light-based symbolism of Christmas, the winter solstice, and the New Year. The inherently temporal meaning of the refrain lent it flexibility as a trope, enabling its movement across genres and liturgies. Integrated into sacred Latin songs, the “Fulget dies” refrain functioned as a pithy musical and poetic commentary on liturgical, calendrical, and seasonal temporalities—in other words, as a trope of time in sacred song.

THE FACTOR WHICH INFLUENCE IT INFRASTRUCTURE: SOFTWARE, IT FLEXIBILITY AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE (STUDY OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATIONS SYSTEMS LITERATURE)

This article discusses literature review studies of Business Information Systems, analyzing factors that affect IT infrastructure: Software, IT Flexibility and Organizational Performance. The method of writing this article is literature study or library research. The results are that: 1) Software has a relationship and affects the IT infrastructure; 2) IT flexibility has a relationship and affects the IT infrastructure; and 3) Organizational performance has a relationship and affects the IT infrastructure.

Transformation of Higher Education in Russia in the 1990s

It is shown that independent Russia inherited, on the one hand, one of the most developed education systems in the world, on the other - it was reasonably criticized for conservatism, narrow specialization, dogmatism, isolation from the constantly changing needs of society and the economy, and standardness. These shortcomings were already evident at the end of the Soviet period of Russian history. One of the important components of the policy of “acceleration” and “perestroika” in Russia was an attempt to deeply transform higher education, give it flexibility, and deeply connect it with the urgent needs of the national economy. The study of higher education policy in 1986-1990 is relevant today as an example of a deliberate attempt by the political leadership to transform higher education in Russia in the direction of serving the interests of the changing economic system. Positive and negative elements of the experience of 1986-1990 should help in shaping the state policy of higher education in our time.

Narrowing the Gaps: Assessment of Logistics Firms’ Information Technology Flexibility for Sustainable Growth

In a supply chain management context, the effective management of Information Technology (IT) flexibility has been an issue to be resolved. However, no analytical method that calculates the required and actual level of IT flexibility dimensions has been proposed. This paper aims to provide an analytical tool that measures the required and actual levels of IT flexibility dimensions to provide the best value from a logistics firm’s IT flexibility. To do so, we propose a combined Importance‒Performance Analysis (IPA) and Partial Least Squared Structured Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) method based on a multidimensional IT flexibility model. By comparing industry-level data with client firm data, our method allows for effective identification of a client logistics company’s multiple IT flexibility gaps and indicates where particular management interventions are required. By proposing importance and performance as measurement scales, our research suggests an analytical tool that managers can utilize to assess IT flexibility and identify any gaps that exist between actual and required flexibility levels. This allows managers to effectively address areas that demand further attention. This approach also leads to an improved understanding of how organisations can extract the best value from their investment in IT flexibility to contribute to sustainable growth.