Conditions for successful human resource information systems

Despite the widespread use of computer-based human resource information systems (HRIS), previous research has not identified the conditions that support successful sytems. This article presents the results of a survey of users who interact directly with a computer-based HRIS to do their work. The relationships between individual/task, organizational, and system conditions, plus two measures of systems success are examined. The results indicate that system conditions were the most important antecedents of success. The availability of internal support for users also represented a critical condition. Overall, the findings of this study provide support for a model of HRIS success and present a basis for planning, designing, and implementing successful systems. Finally, this study brings with it new questions for HRIS research. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Waiting for innovation in the human resources department: Godot implements a human resource information system

The implementation of a new human resource information system (HRIS) represents a major form of planned organizational change for the Human Resource function, yet little research has been conducted on this issue. This article presents a longitudinal case study of the reactions of the Human Resource community in a large energy company to the planned implementation of a new corporate HRIS. Implementing an HRIS to enhance strategic and business decision-making has important organizational development implications. A new HRIS (1) represents an attempt to enable Human Resources to become more of a business partner, (2) changes the nature of HR work to encompass a greater information broker and decision support role, and (3) alters power dynamics and communication patterns involving Human Resources. Varying levels of resistance and ambivalence were found regarding the extent to which human resource information systems skills were valued as a critical competency. While there is a trend, toward attitudinal convergence within the human resource community, over time, the results suggest that user skill level may be more strongly related to variance in attitudes toward the value of a new HRIS than to hierarchical level or business unit affiliation. The study also found that face-to-face seminars were a significantly more effective intervention than was written communication in influencing favorable intention to use the HRIS.     

e-HR与公司绩效的关系探讨

电子人力资源（e-HR）在组织中的应用越来越普及，但近一半组织在e—HR应用中遭遇失败。文章从论述e—HR系统设计是e—HR应用成败的关键。阐明e—HR设计通过员工满意度影响公司绩效，同时为e—HR应用对组织影响的实证研究提供了理论基础。     

浅谈集团企业的人力资源信息化管控

集团企业对成员企业的管控存在着较多的难点,而信息化则为集团企业实施人力资源管理提供了解决方案.本文分析了当前集团企业人力资源管控的现状,提出了人力信息应由分散管理转变为集中管理方式的转变,在此基础上,重点剖析了集团企业人力资源部门如何做好e-HR规划,并以某大型企业集团围绕信息化推进下属子公司人力资源管控为例,阐述了集...     

Theorizing the links between e-HR and strategic HRM: a model,case illustration and reflections

In this paper we develop a model of e-human resources (e-HR) focusing on the relationship between HR strategy, e-HR goals and architectures, and positive and negative e-HR outcomes. This relationship is moderated by a number of key factors, including the organization and resources of the HR function, the absorptive capacity of HR, the skills and preferred styles of HR professionals, the levels of technology acceptance among employees and line managers and the models of change used in implementing e-HR programs. We illustrate certain features of this model using data from a case study of a leading international oilfield services provider. These data provide a partial confirmation of the model's validity but show the need for a more dynamic understanding of the links between e-HR variables and the importance of context in explaining differences between line managers' acceptance of e-HR.     

The role of organizational cultures in information‐systems security management: A goal‐setting perspective

The aim of this research is to investigate the role of strong organizational cultures in setting information‐systems security goals. In doing so, we explore and discuss the concept of culture within three financial organizations with different social and organizational structures, and seek to demonstrate the importance of having a cohesive culture in efficiently setting information‐security goals. The relationship between goal setting, culture strength, and performance is also discussed, as there have been studies that indirectly indicate that such a relationship may exist. The contribution of this work to interpretive information‐systems research consists of its study of culture and goal setting in a security‐management context, and its grounding within an interpretive epistemology. In addition, this research promotes an interdisciplinary and interorganizational theory to foster dialogue that transcends industry‐specific contexts and explores different organizational practices that can improve leadership's role in human life.     

Managing security risks for inter-organisational information systems: a multiagent collaborative model

Information sharing across organisations is critical to effectively managing the security risks of inter-organisational information systems. Nevertheless, few previous studies on information systems security have focused on inter-organisational information sharing, and none have studied the sharing of inferred beliefs versus factual observations. In this article, a multiagent collaborative model (MACM) is proposed as a practical solution to assess the risk level of each allied organisation’s information system and support proactive security treatment by sharing beliefs on event probabilities as well as factual observations. In MACM, for each allied organisation’s information system, we design four types of agents: inspection agent, analysis agent, control agent, and communication agent. By sharing soft findings (beliefs) in addition to hard findings (factual observations) among the organisations, each organisation’s analysis agent is capable of dynamically predicting its security risk level using a Bayesian network. A real-world implementation illustrates how our model can be used to manage security risks in distributed information systems and that sharing soft findings leads to lower expected loss from security risks.     

计算机信息系统安全技术的研究及其应用

随着计算机的普及和发展,人们的生活和工作越来越依赖于计算机,与此同时计算机信息系统的安全问题也随之呈现出来。本文首先分析了计算机信息系统常用的安全技术:数据加密技术,防火墙技术,VPN技术,然后讨论了计算机信息系统安全技术能解决的实际问题。     

Business strategies and the transition to low‐carbon cities

Cities are key drivers of global climate change, with the majority of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions being tied to urban life. Local actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change are essential for stabilization of the global climate and can also help to address other urban ecological problems such as pollution, decreasing biodiversity, etc. Companies are important urban actors in the development of low‐carbon cities because they provide a multitude of goods and services to city populations and directly influence urban carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. This is a new area of research. While studies on corporate sustainability are numerous, there is little, if any, existing research that examines the role of companies in climate change adaptation and mitigation within specific urban areas. Urban ecologists also have not examined how corporate activity affects urban systems. Taking a multi‐disciplinary systems approach, we present a conceptual model of the role of companies in managing urban interactions with the climate system. We also present empirical findings illustrating how one company ‘partners’ with the city of Rotterdam to test electric vehicles as a pilot project for urban climate adaptation and mitigation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

Research orientation and agglomeration: Can every region become a Silicon Valley?

Not only success stories, such as Silicon Valley, but also non-success stories can inform regional innovation policy. In order to provide a benchmark for regional innovation systems we compare both success and non-success stories. Regional innovation systems differ in structural and functional requirements, because development processes are path dependent. We suggest that regions’ development paths emerge from agglomeration patterns and research orientation. Accordingly, we have developed a typology of regions including (1) their agglomeration patterns (either MAR or Jacobs’ type) and (2) the degree to which their research is predominantly oriented towards obtaining fundamental understanding or addressing considerations of use. We combine qualitative and quantitative data on thirty-six European regions to categorize them according to research orientation and agglomeration, thereby developing a typology. We use this typology and some basic quantitative economic data to see how success and non-success regions are distributed. Our results indicate that a better understanding of how to combine agglomeration patterns with research orientation can guide context-sensitive policy.     

The coffee-machine system: how international selection really works

The literature on expatriate selection tends to present lists of criteria, with the implicit assumption that the process is formal and rational. The limited empirical work there is in this area suggests that these criteria have little impact on selection in practice. This paper argues that a deeper understanding of selection systems is needed and presents research showing the outcomes of different kinds of systems, suggesting that closed, informal systems predominate and outlining the practical and research implications of such systems.     

信息披露监管:强制披露与自愿披露的协调

从信息是否可观测、可核实的经济特性出发,分析强制性信息披露制度有限性的根源及其与自愿性信息披露制度共存的问题.强制性信息披露制度对披露一些动机不可观测、内容不可核实的信息存在一定的有限性,而自愿性信息披露制度则能很好地对这类信息进行披露,因此两种信息披露制度可以实现一定的共存,使信息披露制度体系从单纯以管制为主转变为激励与管制并重.     

Environmentally driven mode of business development: a management control perspective

A prerequisite for successful business development is that the control system is designed and used in such a way that strategically important areas can be planned and followed up. Thus, it must be possible to relate results on the quality front, for example, to the company's strategy, which is why quality systems are often integrated with the overall system of control. Environmental management systems, on the other hand, often tend to lead a life of their own, quite disconnected from the overall control system with its routines for strategic planning and follow-up. This can perhaps explain why environmental work has not become a natural part of corporate business development, despite the market for environmentally friendly products. In this article, we therefore focus particularly on control systems and their role in the promotion of an environmentally driven mode of business development. It appears that the integration of environmental management systems with other control systems has been found to be important. The tentative model presented here indicates the conditions under which such integration is possible. It also shows how a company's approach to environmentally driven business development can fall into various phases. The model includes three dimensions: (1) strategy, (2) control systems, and (3) attitude to environmental work. A number of hypotheses are formulated regarding the importance of these dimensions for the successful promotion of an environmentally driven mode of business development in large companies. The article concludes with some suggestions as to how the model can be used in further research.     

The EU and the Caspian Sea region: An energy partnership?

This paper explores the scope to foster European Union (EU) energy security through stable long-run economic relations with the Caspian Sea region. It is part of a longer-run research programme focusing on the following issues: what are the determinants of the EU long-term energy interests in the Caspian Sea region, and how far does genuine security depend not only on diversifying energy sources geographically but also on stable political and economic structures in the energy-exporting states? An important motivation of this paper is to identify factors relevant to internal and external stability in the Caspian region to assess the impact of current policies and to elucidate policy options that can help increase EU energy security.     

Globalization and transformation of human resource management in South Korea

Developments in the area of globalization, labour markets and human resource management (HRM) are topical and have high profiles. Yet they are often underpinned by several older and implicit views. This paper examines five propositions in this respect. We discuss globalization, often taken as driving such developments, and the role of supportive and limiting factors to its influence. We use the case of South Korea, as the main direction of change here is seen as from 'traditional' employment security and seniority-based systems of employee resourcing and rewarding, towards 'newer' flexible and performance-based ones. This seems, on the surface, a case of practice transfer in a somewhat inhospitable climate. We examine and evaluate the restraints, direction and extent of such changes, and arguments that HRM systems are being transformed by such developments. We find that the situation is more constrained and ambiguous.     

Why the Rigour–Relevance Gap in Management Research Is Unbridgeable

In this paper we discuss, on the basis of system theory, the rigour–relevance gap in management research and the proposal to overcome it. From a system theory perspective, social systems are self-referential or autopoietic, which means that communication elements of one system, such as science, cannot be authentically integrated into communication of other systems, such as the system of a business organization. Social systems can only irritate – provoke – each other, i.e. alter conditions in such a way that other systems are forced to respond. Because of the differences between management science and practice it is impossible to assess relevance of research output within the system of science. On the basis of our analysis we show that neither action research nor Mode 2 research nor recent approaches to collaborative research can succeed in producing research that is rigorous as well as relevant. Researchers and practitioners cannot collaboratively produce research, they can only irritate each other. However, sometimes irritations or provocations turn out inspiring.     

Adapting supply chain management strategies to security – an analysis of existing gaps and recommendations for improvement

The purpose of this paper is to determine the main security threats in supply chains, to understand gaps in today’s supply chain management strategies and to make recommendations to enhance security in the context of supply chain management. Previous research lacks comprehensive studies and recommendations about how supply chain managers deal with security issues in line with the business visions and strategies of their companies. The study methodology is based on an exploratory approach. Data were collected from 20 managers from international companies by means of self-administered surveys, one-to-one interviews and group interviews. Study findings point out risk management as an important tool at the disposal of managers for trading off performance and vulnerability. However, some important challenges also need to be considered, such as lack of data, insiders, IT vulnerabilities, regulatory frameworks, criminal behaviour, etc. Hence, recommendations are made for managers to improve their understanding of supply chain security.     

The Complex Course of Ideological Change

Abstract . Ideologies are somewhat coherent, rather comprehensive belief systems about social relations, each such system having cognitive, moral, programmatic, and solidary aspects. Such belief systems have played a critical role in determining the nature of the economic order and the size of government, among other things, but scholars have yet to formulate a convincing account of how and why ideological change occurs. In this article, the author discusses some important aspects of ideology and ideological change, indicates how certain notable thinkers have tried to account for such change, and suggests how we might think more productively about some open questions that invite further research.     

Can academe achieve quality in small firms policy research

Small Business Centre, Durham University Business School, Mill Hill Lane, Durham DH1 3LB, UK

The overall objective of this paper is to review, in the light of substantial growth of research in the small firms area over the past decade, some of the key issues involved in ensuring that research is relevant to policy makers. The paper is both academic and pragmatic. It has the following specific objectives: (l) to provide an overview of some of the ‘myths’ as to what constitutes quality in research; (2) to define research and policy research in particular; (3) to consider critically issues of research methodology and explore how different methods used by academics can lead to very different results; (4) to review the role of academics and academic institutions in policy research and to consider some of the difficulties that may result from endeavouring to introduce research on small business into traditional academic departments; and (5) finally, to make recommendations as to how to improve the overall framework in such a way that small business research can be more effective in the 1990s than it was in the 1980s.

Overall the paper is written with a view to provoking discussion on key issues of making small business policy research more effective.     

西北地区山地古建筑选址因素浅议——以甘肃兰州五泉山古建筑群选址为例

地处甘肃兰州地区的五泉山古建筑群由明清时期所建佛教建筑、道教建筑、儒家建筑构成,集中体现了西北地区山地古建筑特点,成为西北地区山地古建筑选址营建的代表。通过对五泉山古建筑群的研究,分析出该类古建筑选址营建的主要形成因素,为西北地区山地古建筑群的保护与发展等问题提供基础资料与理论支撑。