E-procurement in small and medium sized enterprises; facilitators, obstacles and effect on performance

Facilitators and barriers in acceptance of telemedicine among healthcare providers in Pakistan: A cross-sectional survey

Objectives

This study aimed to assess healthcare professionals' awareness and acceptance of telemedicine residing in Pakistan.

Materials and Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted across Pakistan from November 2021 to March 2022. Data entry was done through a self-administered questionnaire. In this survey, the non-probability purposive sampling method was adopted. Medical doctors from all specialties that fall into the age category of 20-60 years were included in this study. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 was used for univariate data analysis.

Results

Among the 860 healthcare professionals who received the survey, 198 responded (23.0% response rate). The mean ± SD age of the participants was 31.16 ± 8.56. The results were found to be statistically significant for knowledge about telemedicine among healthcare professionals workplace, that is, healthcare professionals working in the private sector indicated a high level of awareness regarding telemedicine as compared to those in the public sector (p = 0.03). A significant difference (p-value ⩽ 0.05) in knowledge was seen among doctors working in the public sector and those working in a private setup. Results indicate significant positive associations between telemedicine utilization and perceived benefits over disadvantages (β = 1.03, p = 0.017), reliance among healthcare professionals (β = 1.22, p = 0.008), and enhancement in healthcare quality (β = 1.42, p = 0.001). Moreover, familiarity with telemedicine correlates strongly with its usage (β = 2.56, p < 0.000).

Conclusion

Overall, healthcare professionals exhibited satisfactory knowledge regarding telemedicine and showed an accepting attitude toward telemedicine. Our study recommends enhancing the importance of Telemedicine training at the Healthcare professionals' level to produce quality service delivery in healthcare organizations.

Exploring the Nexus Between E-Business Processes and Organizational Performance: Can Technological Opportunism Play Any Role?

The digitization of business processes has gained much scholarly and practical attention in the recent past. To understand their effectiveness, particularly in connection to organizational performance, the current study developed and tested a comprehensive framework. Through obtaining data from 350 manufacturing businesses, the study investigated using Smart PLS3 and found a significant influence of online procurement, channel management, and service delivery capabilities on organizational performance. Furthermore, the study also found the significant direct and moderating potential of technological opportunism to harness organizational performance. The study concludes that e-business processes serve as crucial resources and capabilities for businesses to achieve their goals and objectives. The study offers contributory implications for theory and practice indicating for strategic investment of e-business processes for businesses aiming to boost their performance.

Digital Strategy Decision Support Systems: Agrifood Supply Chain Management in SMEs

The specific attributes of agrifood supply chains, along with their importance for the economy and society, have led to an increased interest in the parameters that enhance their effectiveness. Recently, numerous digital tools aimed at improving supply chain effectiveness have been developed. The majority of existing research focuses on optimizing individual processes rather than the overall growth of a food supply chain. This study aims to identify the stages of the information systems planning (ISP) process that affect the success of developing a strategic decision support system (DSS) for improving the decision-making process in the agrifood supply chains. Data were collected from 66 IT executives from Greek small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the agrifood sector and analyzed using regression analysis. The results revealed that situation analysis is the only stage of ISP that predicts ISP success. These findings can assist managers in appreciating the critical role of ISP for improving the performance of agrifood supply chain operations. Implementing the most appropriate information systems (IS) and digital tools results in increased competitive advantage, cost savings, and increased customer value.