The Consistency of Virtual Organizations Enabling Capabilities and Improvements in Knowledge Management Performance

The success of a virtual organization (VO) largely depends on the effective collaboration of its members in orchestrating their knowledge, skills, core competences and resources. It enables the VOs to enhance competitive capabilities and respond better to business opportunities. Most previous studies have focused on the influence of some contingent factors on Knowledge Management (KM) process/ outcome and neglect the interacting relationships among these contingent factors. The objective of this study is to explore the interacting patterns among a VO enabling capabilities from a covariation perspective on Knowledge Management Performance (KMP). The authors introduce the concept of “consistency” which helps them investigate the impact of the VO enabling capabilities on KMP. The results from a field survey of 95 Iranian IT/ engineering firms which implement KM processes show that the “consistency” among these enabling capabilities has a significant positive impact on KMP. The novel point in this paper is to consider the following factors in a virtual context simultaneously: focus on core competence, network cooperation, integration, trust in the network, and ICT usage. The results of this study have provided a very useful reference for scholars and managers to identify the relevant issues of KM projects in VOs.

Structural Models for E-Banking Adoption in Vietnam

E-banking is seen as the newest delivery channel for banking services in many developed countries and is believed to have a significant impact on the bank market. E-banking is providing numerous opportunities for banks and non-bank financial institutions to add a low cost distribution channel to their existent distribution channels. Little research on factors influencing the adoption of e-banking has been implemented in countries with very high economic growth rates (such as Vietnam) that are emerging as new potential markets. Thus, this study has, based on an extensive literature review on e-banking benefits for both banks and their customers and relevant theories on innovation adoption, proposed alternative models (including both moderator and mediating effects) of e-banking intention to use by customers in Vietnam. Furthermore, a set of model hypotheses presenting relationships among factors influencing e-banking intention to use have been set up. Practical implications and future studies were also discussed.

Applicability Assessment of Semantic Web Technologies in Human Resources Domain

To meet the challenges of today’s Internet economy and be competitive in a global market, enterprises are constantly adapting their business processes and adjusting their information systems. In this article, the authors analyze the applicability and benefits of using semantic technologies in contemporary information systems. By using an illustrative case study of deployment of Semantic Web technologies in Human Resources sector at the Mihajlo Pupin Institute, this paper shows how the latest semantic technologies could be used with existing Enterprise Information Systems and Enterprise Content Management systems to ensure meaningful search and retrieval of expertise for in-house users as well as for integration in the European research space and beyond.