Dynamic capabilities for digital transformation

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify sensing, seizing and reconfiguring routines of dynamic capabilities that enable digital transformation in firms.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative approach is used. Representatives from a firm going through digital transformations are interviewed, and focus groups have been carried out with a consultancy firm experienced in giving advice to firms going through digital transformation.FindingsSix routines identified as relevant specifically for digital transformation are identified. These are cross-industrial digital sensing, inside-out digital infrastructure sensing, digital strategy development, determination of enterprise boundaries, decomposition of digital transformation into specified projects and creation of a unified digital infrastructure.Practical implicationsThe authors provide direction for managers on how to approach digital transformation. In relation to previous research, the authors provide more specific guidance regarding how to reconfigure the organization in digital transformation.Originality/valueThe paper uses a novel context for digital transformation and complements the very few studies available using dynamic capabilities to understand digital transformation.

Europese Commissie als motor van verandering.

By analyzing the case of the closure of the Amsterdam shipyards in the 1980s, this article shows how the European Commission actively promoted a neoliberal turn in policies towards state support for economic sectors in Western-Europe. Besides the EC, the article also makes clear that quite early on leading civil servants within the Dutch ministries of Economic Affairs and of Finance embraced neoliberal ideas as an answer to tackle the economic crisis of the 1970s. A third, often neglected actor in explanations on the rise of neoliberalism were management consultants – in this case from management consultancy firm McKinsey – who wrote alarming reports about the shipbuilding industry and promoted ideas that emphasized the importance of business principles and individual managers as key for improvement, thereby offering an alternative to macroeconomic Keynesian models of growth.

PSVI-2 Rising 10-year Trend in Piglet Pre-weaning Mortality in Breeding Herds Associated with Sow Herd Size and Number of Piglets Born Alive

The objectives of the present study were to explore the trend in preweaning mortality (PWM) and related measurements such as piglets born alive (PBA), stillborn piglets, herd productivity and herd size in sow herds over a 10-year period; and 2) to examine the relationships between PWM and the related measurements. Herd-level annual data from 2007–2016 for 91 herds in Spain were abstracted from a sow database compiled by a veterinary consultancy firm. The database software automatically calculated herd-level PWM (%) as follows: the total number of piglets born alive to a sow completely weaned during a year (TPBA) minus the total number of piglets weaned by the completely weaned sow during the year divided by TPBA x 100. All the statistical analyses were performed using SAS University Edition. A growth curve model was applied to incorporate correlations for all of the observations arising from the same farm. Herd means of PWM (SD) increased from 11.9 (4.1) % to 14.4 (3.2) %, and mean PBA increased by 1.9 pigs. Mean age of piglet death during lactation increased by 3.8 days, and there was a significant effect of increased year on herd size and the number of piglets weaned per sow per year (PSY; P < 0.05). Higher PWM was associated with more PBA, more stillborn piglets and small herds (lower than the median size: < 570 sows; P < 0.05). Also, as PBA increased from 9 to 14 pigs, PWM in large herds (> 570 sows) increased by only 6.6%, compared with 9.6% in small herds. Furthermore, as PWM decreased from 18 to 8%, herd productivity measured as PSY increased by 2.2 pigs in large herds, but only by 0.6 pigs in small herds. In conclusion, the effect of increased PBA on PWM was alleviated more in large herds than in small herds. Also, the impact of decreased PWM on herd productivity was greater in large herds than in small herds.

SUSTAINING INNOVATIVE HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN ACHIEVING ORGANIZATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY

Business organisations are facing the challenges of innovative adaptation in human resource management in Nigeria. The study aims at highlighting the various areas of conscious alignment of human resource management to the ever changing technology in the Nigerian work environment as a boast to achieving organizational productivity. Data used for the research were secondary and primary. In a field research of Petterson Group Ltd, an Onitsha based human resource consultancy firm, a likert structured questionnaire containing eight (8) items were designed and administered on the management staff. Data were analysed using mean and standard deviation. Hypotheses were tested using Z-test in the SPSS software. Findings reveal that functional areas of human resources; recruitment, training and development as well as salary and wage administration are experiencing noticeable innovations. It is recommended that close cooperation between employers and relevant agencies and organs of government will go a long way in facilitating effective implementation of statutory innovations and reforms like in the areas of contributory pension scheme, monetization, minimum wage, etc. Keywords: Innovation, Human Resource Management, Organizational Productivity.

A 10-year trend in piglet pre-weaning mortality in breeding herds associated with sow herd size and number of piglets born alive

Background Piglet pre-weaning mortality (PWM) is one of the biggest problems regarding sow performance and piglet welfare. Recently, PWM has increased in some countries, but it is not known if there are similar increases in other countries, nor whether increased PWM is related to either increased numbers of piglets born alive (PBA) or to sow herd size. So, the objectives of the present study were 1) to explore the trend in PWM in Spanish sow herds over a recent 10-year period, along with related measurements such as PBA, stillborn piglets, herd productivity and herd size; and 2) to examine the relationships between PWM and the related measurements. Methods Herd-level annual data from 2007 to 2016 for 91 herds in Spain were abstracted from a sow database compiled by a veterinary consultancy firm that asked client producers to mail data files on a regular basis. The database software automatically calculated herd-level PWM (%) as follows: the total number of piglets born alive to a sow completely weaned during a year (TPBA) minus the total number of piglets weaned by the completely weaned sow during the year divided by TPBA × 100. All the statistical analyses were performed by using SAS University Edition. A growth curve model was applied to incorporate correlations for all of the observations arising from the same farm. Results Over the 10 years, herd means of PWM (standard deviation) increased from 11.9 (4.1) % to 14.4 (3.2) %, and mean PBA increased by 1.9 pigs. Mean age of piglet death during lactation increased by 3.8 days, and later years were significantly associated with herd size and the number of piglets weaned per sow per year (PSY; P < 0.05). Higher PWM was associated with more PBA, more stillborn piglets and small-to-mid herds (lower than the median size: < 570 sows; P < 0.05). Also, there was a significant interaction between the herd size groups and PBA for PWM (P < 0.05): as PBA increased from 9 to 14 pigs, PWM increased by 9.6% in small-to-mid herds, compared with an increase of only 6.6% in large herds (> 570 sows). Furthermore, as PWM decreased from 18 to 8%, herd productivity measured as PSY increased by 2.2 pigs in large herds, compared with only 0.6 pigs in small-to-mid herds. Conclusion Large herds were better than small-to-mid herds at alleviating the association between increased PBA and increased PWM. Also, the relationship between decreased PWM and increased herd productivity was improved more in large herds than in small-to-mid herds.

Diabetic Retinopathy Screening - The Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare

Artificial Intelligence (AI) based applications have already made inroads into many aspects of our lives. The global consultancy firm PwC estimates that AI will contribute $15.7 trillion USD to the global economy by 2030.

Social Media Strategies on Brand Awareness at a Small Business Consultancy Firm in South Africa

<p class="0abstract">Small and medium enterprises – including those in the business consultancy industry – are strategic for the development of the South African economy and for developing marginalised economies through employment creation and income generation. However, the existence of small and medium business consultancy firms is threatened by competitive pressure of multinational consulting firms such as the PricewaterhouseCoopers, McKinsey and KPMG [8]. Small and medium business consultancy firms need to adopt innovative strategies for survival. Appropriate use of social media strategies is one strategy that can be adopted by small and medium business enterprises to influence brand awareness and brand loyalty and to build a competitive edge. An inability to use social media as a business strategy results in poor brand awareness, a decrease in sales, and business closure. It is against this background that this study aimed to assess customers’ perceptions of social media strategies employed by the small and medium business consultancy firm, investigate the relationship between social media strategies and brand awareness, and evaluate the relationship between brand awareness. A quantitative descriptive research methodology, using a structured questionnaire was employed to collect data from a sample of 231 customers at the business consultancy. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25 was employed to conduct descriptive and multivariate analysis, including mean, standard deviation, correlation and regression analysis. Findings indicated that customers had negative perceptions of social media strategies employed by the small and medium business consultancy firm. It was also found that social media strategies had a statistically significant positive relationship with brand awareness and brand acceptance. The research findings hold major implications for theory and practice.</p>