Aligning global business information with ERP systems for improved performance

This paper is a discussion of research on the co-alignment of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems capabilities and global business information requirements for improved performance. It is based on Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) analysis to establish that if these two constructs (ERP systems capabilities and global business information requirements) are co-aligned, improved global business performance is achieved. Research undertaken in this paper is based on a survey of global businesses that have implemented ERP systems. It extends the extant IT/IS alignment theories to ERP/Global business information requirements alignment. It makes an important contribution to the global business management information literature, by identifying and validating a set of important global business information requirements. This research also makes a novel contribution to the ERP systems literature by establishing a set of ERP systems capabilities that are useful for managing global business information requirements.

Business relationship development and management in China

The Australian Government's White Paper on Australia in the Asian Century, released in October 2012, is based on the premise that the transformation of the Asian region into the world's economic powerhouse is not only unstoppable, it is gathering pace. Asia's extraordinary ascent has already changed the Australian economy, society and strategic environment. Within a few years, Asia will be the world's largest producer of goods and services, as well as the largest consumer market and the home of the majority of the world's middle class. The White Paper notes that thriving in the Asian century requires the Australian nation to have a clear plan to seize the economic opportunities and manage the strategic challenges that will arise, by taking a farsighted approach focused on fairness. To do so, Australians must be Asia-literate and Asia-capable, with a thorough understanding of Asian cultures and languages. These capabilities are needed to build stronger connections and partnerships across the region. Australia's commercial success in the region requires that highly innovative, competitive Australian firms and institutions develop collaborative relationships with others m the region. Australian firms need new business models and new mind-sets to operate and connect with Asian markets. Against this backdrop, this chapter discusses several important issues relating to Australian firms developing and managing their business relationships in China, in the context of urban planning, architecture, civil engineering and construction. The chapter examines the Chinese business environment, in terms of guanxi, business opportunities, risks and strategies, in a case study of the successful partnerships established to manage the 'Water Cube' for the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.

An empirical study of business intelligence impact on corporate performance management

Business intelligence technologies have received much attention recently from both academics and practitioners. However, the impact of business intelligence (BI) on corporate performance management (CPM) has not yet been investigated. To address this gap, we conducted a large-scale survey collecting data from 337 senior managers. Partial least square method was employed to analyse the survey data. Findings suggest that the more effective the BI implementation, the more effective the CPM-related planning and analytic practices. Interestingly, size and industry sector do not influence the relationships between BI effectiveness and the CPM. This research offers a number of implications for theory and practice.

Geelong region survey of business trends 2014

The Deakin Business School and the Geelong Chamber of Commerce undertook a survey of business confidence and industry activity in the Geelong region in 2014. The main objectives of the research were to measure current and future business confidence, activity, and profitability and to provide information relevant to the needs of businesses and industry for planning and other purposes. Information wascollected by an on-line survey of 1,571 businesses with 194 usable responses representing a 12.3% response rate. The findings are relevant to responses frombusinesses registered with the Geelong Chamber of Commerce and the Geelong Central Marketing group. The report contains information about business activity, perceptions about the future of business in Geelong and the barriers that have to be addressed to ensure success.

Portfolio careers for medical graduates: implications for postgraduate training and workforce planning.

Portfolio careers in medicine can be defined as significant involvement in one or more portfolios of activity beyond a practitioner's primary clinical role, either concurrently or in sequence. Portfolio occupations may include medical education, research, administration, legal medicine, the arts, engineering, business and consulting, leadership, politics and entrepreneurship. Despite significant interest among junior doctors, portfolios are poorly integrated with prevocational and speciality training programs in Australia. The present paper seeks to explore this issue. More formal systems for portfolio careers in Australia have the potential to increase job satisfaction, flexibility and retention, as well as diversify trainee skill sets. Although there are numerous benefits from involvement in portfolio careers, there are also risks to the trainee, employing health service and workforce modelling. Formalising pathways to portfolio careers relies on assessing stakeholder interest, enhancing flexibility in training programs, developing support programs, mentorship and coaching schemes and improving support structures in health services.

The provision of business advice to SMEs by external accountants

Purpose – Business advisory services are an emerging service category for external accountants in the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) environment. The purpose of this study is to investigate determinants of SME demand for business advice, drawing on the agency theory, relational marketing and resource-based literatures.

Design/methodology/approach – The study empirically tested theoretical predictions based on an Australia-wide survey of SMEs, in which 485 firms responded to a questionnaire.

Findings – The results show that the purchase of business advice is significantly and positively associated with the perceived competence of the external accountant, but significantly and negatively associated with length of the relationship. However, the authors observe a significant positive interaction between tenure of the relationship and competence. A unique contribution of this study is the development of the understanding of the combined role of the external accountant’s competence and the tenure of the relationship. The findings indicate that SMEs require time to verify whether accountants have the competence to provide business advice, suggesting that information asymmetry and uncertainty is minimised only after SMEs have nurtured relationships with their external accountants, and after they have developed some confidence in the competence of their external accountants. At the same time, the negative association with tenure suggests that when accountants are not perceived as competent advisors, SMEs purchase less advice over time.

Research limitations/implications – The paper has important theoretical implications by augmenting agency theory, the relational marketing and the resource-based literature, and it clarifies which antecedent factors are important in explaining demand for business advisory services provided by accountants to their SME clients. In particular, the paper highlights the importance of the combined roles that the external accountant’s competence and tenure play in the SME–accountant relationship, highlighting how these two factors can overcome credence issues and ex ante information problems.

Practical implications – The findings have practical implications for government initiatives targeting support to SMEs, as the findings identify small firms and firms planning to grow as likely to gain the greatest benefit from external advice and support.

Originality/value – This study adds to the limited literature and scant theoretical discussions on the emergence of business advisory services that accountants provide to their SME clients by drawing on several theories to explain the determinants of business advice.

Aligning business and IT strategies in multi-business organizations

The alignment of business and information technology (IT) strategies is an important and enduring theoretical challenge for the information systems discipline, remaining a top issue in practice over the past 20 years. Multi-business organizations (MBOs) present a particular alignment challenge because business strategies are developed at the corporate level, within individual strategic business units and across the corporate investment cycle. In contrast, the extant literature implicitly assumes that IT strategy is aligned with a single business strategy at a single point in time. This paper draws on resource-based theory and path dependence to model functional, structural, and temporal IT strategic alignment in MBOs. Drawing on Makadok's theory of profit, we show how each form of alignment creates value through the three strategic drivers of competence, governance, and flexibility, respectively. We illustrate the model with examples from a case study on the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. We also explore the model's implications for existing IT alignment models, providing alternative theoretical explanations for how IT alignment creates value.

Liveable Yarra - planning for the city's future using a deliberative process

Community engagement on planning processes is traditionally adversarial,with residents reacting to a development proposal or local amenity impacts.With the significant increase in inner-urban medium-high density developments andsubsequent pressure on physical and social infrastructure, the City of Yarra embarked on anew approach to the rewrite of its Planning Scheme. This paper describes the process by whichthe City of Yarra involved the community to help address some of the dilemmas and trade-offswhich are necessarily part of planning in an inner-urban area.To hear from a broad range of voices and receive informed recommendations, a deliberativeprocess, the Liveable Yarra project was formed. It aimed to have an in-depth two-wayconversation with the community about how Yarra can adapt to the challenges andopportunities brought about by growth and change.A 60 member People’s Panel, comprising a cross section of Yarra’s community, came togetherto learn, debate and provide recommendations to Council on the topics of housing, transport,built form and the local economy. The Panel was supplemented by feedback from a householdbaseline survey, Council’s Advisory Committees and targeted workshops with hard-to-reachcommunities.This was the first time a deliberative approach has been undertaken for a topic as multifacetedand far-reaching as rewriting a Local Government Planning Scheme. It allowed participantsto gain an understanding of the complexity of planning issues and the challenges this presentsto Council decision making. It’s expected that the revised Planning Scheme will moreaccurately reflect community expectations, improve liveability and enhance communityunderstanding of the complex issues faced by Council in planning the city’s future.Furthermore, in describing this approach, along with reflections from those Councillors,planners and community members involved, we hope to provide a model which other councilscould embrace to enhance their existing planning processes.