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To explore the emergent characteristics of IT portfolios in business-to-business (B2B) firms. The goal is to develop a model that clarifies what interaction capabilities B2B firms develop and to what form of IT this corresponds to.

We apply an a priori conceptual framework that is based on the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing (IMP) Group's theoretical focus on business relationships. The framework depicts the business relationship as dealing with uncertainty and equivocality as well as building and upholding reliance and trust. We utilize a case study approach involving a focal firm and ten of its customers and suppliers. Building on 60 interviews, field observations and archival data, we analyze interviewee responses and the complementary data to evaluate the role of IT in supporting or automated various aspects of organizational relationships.

Results show how “high tech” and “high touch” relate to different interaction capabilities, which firms develop based on the characteristics of their business relationships. Although IT is associated with “high tech” and “high touch” interaction capabilities, some forms of IT are deployed to support the former, while other forms support the later. Both forms of technology-enabled interaction capabilities require investment, and firms must balance investment costs against the value created by improved interaction capabilities.

Our findings emphasize the interorganizational perspective (dyadic or network) rather than a solely organizational perspective for understanding IT portfolio development. This perspective is presented through an emergent tech–touch interaction capability model that shows how B2B firms can align their IT portfolio based on the specific characteristics of their business relationships.

While much existing research on multinational corporation (MNC) digital transformation has followed a linear design and implementation logic using cross-sectional data, the multiple and divergent needs of headquarters (HQ) and subsidiaries suggest that MNC digital transformation actually involves a more iterative journey. The purpose of this paper is to apply the theoretical perspective of embeddedness to better define the complexities of MNC digital transformation, and identify how HQ and subsidiaries can navigate the complexities.

This paper presents a longitudinal multi-case study of five Forbes Global 2000 firms that are HQ in Europe with large subsidiaries in the USA. The authors conducted in-depth interviews with 26 senior executives at HQ and subsidiaries over a 15-month period.

The process of digital transformation is significantly influenced by internal embeddedness (relationship of HQ with subsidiaries and across subsidiaries) and external embeddedness (relationship of subsidiaries with their local markets), and also by strategy, financial and technology considerations. While HQ and subsidiaries have different perspectives, an understanding of these influences can help HQ and subsidiaries navigate digital transformation.

HQ and subsidiaries can apply insights from this research to navigate the complexities of digital transformation.

This paper demonstrates that embeddedness is a useful theory to understand the complexities of MNC digital transformation.

In this chapter, we review empirical research evidence regarding coping and work–family conflict. Limitations and gaps associated with the existing literature are discussed. Of special note is the finding that there is little systematic research that examines the process of coping with work–family conflict. Building on the general stress and coping literature, we present a theoretical model that is specifically focused on the process of coping with work–family conflict, and highlight presumed personal and situational antecedents. Finally, the chapter concludes with an agenda for future research.

Substantial and sustained change is inevitable for U.S. hospitals, driven by the Medicare and Medicaid cost inflation curve and embodied in regulatory initiatives and reforms. This study explores the conception that evidence-based management is necessary but not sufficient for 21st century success in health care organizations. Success will require challenging and changing the organization's dominant logic, substituting a more transformational style of problem analysis and decision making. In order for evidence-based management decisions to transform organizations, the organizational culture must be ready to adopt transformation changes. The outcomes of this shift in management style are dramatic changes in worker engagement and retention and a reinforcing cycle of performance improvement efforts. We use a series of examples to illustrate changes in the dominant logic and to identify how the combination of evidence-based management and a new dominant logic results in a fundamental and highly productive shift in how problems are framed and solved. We conclude with recommendations for changing the dominant logic – such as visioning, sensemaking, process questioning, getting the right people together, rewarding innovation, and overcoming risk aversion – all necessary for transforming the dominant logic, allowing evidence-based management techniques to flourish.

Examines the impact of foreign currencies on the purchase of library materials, with particular reference to Brown University Library. Describes the importance of discovering the foreign exchange exposure, projecting costs, and keeping a record of changes. Covers ways of lessening the impact of foreign exchange on the library budget.

Occupational stress and the role of the family and other non-work activities continue to be an important area of research for organizational scientists. In our sixth volume of Research in Occupational Stress and Well Being, we offer seven intriguing chapters that examine several key issues in work and non-work stress research. The theme for this volume is exploring the work and non-work interface.

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between total quality management (TQM) and the innovation performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through empirical testing. It also seeks to determine whether the relationship between TQM and SMEs’ innovation is mediated by organizational culture (OC).

Data from managers/owners of food SMEs in the West Bank regions of Palestine were collected through a questionnaire that was assessed for validity and reliability. A structural equation model (SEM) was constructed using Smart PLS 3.9.2 to investigate the relationships.

The statistical results contribute to the existing literature by demonstrating a direct and positive relationship between TQM and OC where both have a positive and significant impact on innovation in food SMEs. Additionally, the study found that there is a significant and positive indirect impact of TQM on innovation in food SMEs, which is mediated by OC.

The study's results offer valuable insights to food SMEs' managers/owners in the current dynamic manufacturing landscape, with a focus on using TQM as a means of enhancing their innovation. The findings can provide guidance to food SMEs by highlighting the significance of OC, as it impacts the effective implementation of TQM and subsequently leads to an improvement in innovation levels.

This study enhances the existing literature on TQM by providing an in-depth understanding of TQM as perceived by food SMEs in Palestine. It addresses the gap in empirical research on the combined impact of TQM and OC on innovations in food SMEs. The study contributes to the theoretical framework and has significant managerial implications, providing recommendations for future research.

Improvements to health and safety at work constantly involve organizational changes (OCs). However, the OC initiatives often fail at achieving their intended goals despite efforts to draw knowledge from various disciplines, such as sociology, psychology and information sciences, to guide the change implementation. This paper proposes a temporality approach to manage the resistance during an OC project based on the capitalization of the actors' behaviors (i.e. alignment/resistance) for successful OC implementation.

Employees in an industrial company (N = 186) undergoing an OC answered a questionnaire survey. The statistical analysis approach was used to measure the influence of the constructs of the proposed temporality capitalization approach on the OC conduct.

Results indicate that the considered constructs have positive and significant correlations with OC development. It has also been found that the employees' alignment is highly correlated with the opportunities they might gain from the OC.

The proposed temporality capitalization approach shows that providing the employees with clear objectives is not sufficient to support the change, and it is suggested that the change management has to move a step further and seek to target the perspectives of the employees to energize them around the OC and maximize their alignment.

In this paper, change management is approached through the temporality capitalization that confirms the importance of monitoring the change development through the alignment. In other terms, the curve of the adaptation of the change receivers matters and should attract more attention rather than the change implementation speed.

The purpose of this study is to explore the multifaceted challenge of managing construction and demolition waste within the context of the Jordan construction industry.

Using data sourced through desk research, interviews and questionnaires, this study examines the principal causes of increased volumes of construction and demolition waste, as well as the obstacles to both developing and implementing better waste management strategies.

This study identifies multiple causes of issues related to waste management and barriers to developing and implementing solutions and concludes by recommending a holistic approach to this multifaceted problem. A lack of adequate construction waste management infrastructure, regarding both physical facilities and regulations, was highlighted as the key challenge.

The accumulation of waste that results from construction and demolition activity, and activities characterized by unsustainable utilization of raw materials and inefficiency are a global issue. The challenge of effectively managing construction waste is importantly tied to factors including the availability of the necessary infrastructure; economic conditions; and the scarcity of skilled laborers, among others.

This study focuses on the Jordan construction industry, which is so far not very well researched. By building upon previous studies, this study supports further research to illuminate the causes of waste and the barriers to better management, an issue that is not only a pillar of progress at the country level but also key for a sustainable development in general.