Papers by Sylvestre Uwizeyemungu
Even if Quebec seems to be a small player on the world economic scene, this does not mean that it... more Even if Quebec seems to be a small player on the world economic scene, this does not mean that its role is minor. Rich in natural resources, technology and human capital, Quebec has undeniable assets. Its comparative advantages are numerous and can enable it to play the role of an important partner in global value chains. However, Quebec must consider the major changes that are emerging at the beginning of the 21st century to strengthen its international competitiveness and face many challenges. Will Quebec find its way in an increasingly complex world? In this book, renowned authors present an in-depth analysis of Quebec from the perspective of globalization. After having made a diagnosis of the major trends of the early 21st century and how these major changes are affecting countries and economic regions, an assessment of Quebec's position in this new international context is proposed. Based on rigorous analyses and results, the authors illustrate how Quebec is working (or not...
Start-Ups and SMEs, 2020
The need to effectively manage IT resources such that they enhance the business value of firms ma... more The need to effectively manage IT resources such that they enhance the business value of firms makes IT Governance (ITG) an important issue for both IS researchers and practitioners. The purpose of this paper is to build a conceptual framework for ITG in small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs). The authors first analyze the main theories applied in ITG research, and confront them with the specificities of SMEs. The authors then highlight the limits of those theories in SMEs context and discuss adaptations needed or alternative theories in such context. The resulting framework is then applied to generate a set of six research propositions on ITG in SMEs.
Gestion 2000, 2017
Accroître la performance en innovation des PME grâce à la gestion des risques Étude exploratoire ... more Accroître la performance en innovation des PME grâce à la gestion des risques Étude exploratoire sur des PME manufacturières 1
International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, 2019
The need to strategically manage IT resources such that they enhance the business value of firms ... more The need to strategically manage IT resources such that they enhance the business value of firms makes IT governance (ITG), in conjunction with IT alignment, an ongoing issue for IS researchers and practitioners. In addressing this issue, the present study aims to validate a research model that relates, within a strategic IT management framework, the firm's ITG and IT alignment capabilities to its IT performance. To do so, a survey of 223 manufacturing SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) was realized. Results confirm the hypothesized relationships between the firm's environmental uncertainty, strategic IT orientation, IT governance and IT alignment capabilities. They constitute a solid validation of the impact of the strategic management of IT resources and governance of IT on IT performance in the specific context of SMEs.
Employee Relations: The International Journal, 2019
PurposeWithin the manufacturing sector, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face specific ... more PurposeWithin the manufacturing sector, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face specific challenges with regard to their strategic HRM capabilities. In this context, an emerging issue for both researchers and practitioners regards HR information systems (HRIS), i.e. the deployment of strategic IT capabilities to enable the firm’s high-performance work system (HPWS) capabilities and thus improve the performance of its HR function. The purpose of this paper is to address this issue by using a capability-based mediation perspective to study the strategic alignment of HR and IT.Design/methodology/approachA survey study of 206 manufacturing SMEs was realized and the data thus obtained was analyzed through structural equation modeling.FindingsResults confirm that the HRIS capabilities of SMEs influence the performance of the HR function through their strategic alignment with the HPWS capabilities of these enterprises.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that the manufacturing...
2014 47th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 2014
With the advent of globalization and the knowledge-based economy, industrial SMEs must constantly... more With the advent of globalization and the knowledge-based economy, industrial SMEs must constantly innovate to remain competitive. Now, an important research issue in this regard concerns the role played by IT capabilities in enabling innovation processes such as new product development, and in determining the product innovation performance of these organizations. Using a configurational approach grounded in the resource-based view, contingency theory, and the notions of "fit" and equifinality, we argue that IT capabilities can be leveraged for innovation purposes to the extent that they are coaligned and thus constitute IT capability configurations. This paper presents the results of a survey of 588 Canadian industrial SMEs designed to further analyze this issue.
Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Information Systems Security and Privacy, 2017
Alongside other health information technologies (HIT), several projects aimed at implementing ele... more Alongside other health information technologies (HIT), several projects aimed at implementing electronic health information exchange (HIE) have been initiated in European countries, with the hope of improving the coordination, safety, and efficiency in healthcare systems. However, the electronic exchange exposes health data to information technology (IT)-related vulnerabilities and threats, raising concerns among patients, health care providers, and policy-makers. Drawing on data from a sample of 1123 European hospitals, we conducted a cluster analysis to determine to what extent hospitals do live up to the IT security and privacy challenges of electronic HIE. We produced two sets of clusters, one related to HIE usage and another related to the implementation of IT-security practices. Through a cross-comparison, we proceeded to a match/mis-match analysis. The results of this study depict a mixed situation: even though most of surveyed hospitals (79.2%) have implemented IT-security practices consistent with their HIE usage levels, hospitals that have failed to do so (20.8%) pose a threat to the entire healthcare system which is becoming more and more interconnected.
The interest of firms in ERP systems has been echoed in both the scientific and professional lite... more The interest of firms in ERP systems has been echoed in both the scientific and professional literature. It is worth noting however that while this literature has become increasingly abundant, there does not yet exist an operational definition of the ERP concept that is, if not unanimously, at least widely accepted. This constitutes a handicap for both the research and practice communities. The present study outlines what could be considered as an ERP by first determining the essentially required characteristics of such a system: integration, flexibility and transversality. Indicators are then provided in order to operationalise these three characteristics. The study concludes by proposing a research framework on the impact of an ERP’s key characteristics upon the performance of the system in a given organisational setting.
International Conference on Information Systems, 2018
International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems, 2004
The interest of firms in ERP systems has been echoed in both the scientific and professional lite... more The interest of firms in ERP systems has been echoed in both the scientific and professional literature. It is worth noting however that while this literature has become increasingly abundant, there does not yet exist an operational definition of the ERP concept that is, if not unanimously, at least widely accepted. This constitutes a handicap for both the research and practice communities. The present study outlines what could be considered as an ERP by first determining the essentially required characteristics of such a system : integration, flexibility and transversality. Indicators are then provided in order to operationalise these three characteristics. The study concludes by proposing a research framework on the impact of an ERP's key characteristics upon the performance of the system in a given organisational setting.
Journal of Knowledge Management
Purpose As purveyors of knowledge-based and high value-added services to the manufacturing sector... more Purpose As purveyors of knowledge-based and high value-added services to the manufacturing sector, industrial service small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) must develop the information technology (IT) capabilities that, in combination with other non-IT capabilities, enable their capacity for organizational learning (OL) and for explorative learning in particular. In this context, this study aims to identify the different causal configurations that account for the nonlinear complex interplay of IT capabilities for exploration and strategic capabilities for explorative learning as they affect these firms’ competitive performance. Design/methodology/approach Survey data obtained from 92 industrial service SMEs were analyzed with a configurational approach, using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Findings As it allows for equifinality, the fsQCA analysis identified two sets of causal configurations that characterize the sampled firms’ explorative learning capabili...
Accounting Education
ABSTRACT In today's dynamic environment, the adaptation of the accounting profession to meet ... more ABSTRACT In today's dynamic environment, the adaptation of the accounting profession to meet actual socio-economic needs is a challenging, and yet necessary, task. This study analyzes the technical competency requirements signalled in 171 online job advertisements for accounting positions by Canadian organizations and contrasts them with the CPA Canada competency framework, which serves as the basis for the training and accreditation of professional accountants. Following a content and a cluster analysis of the job ads, three well-separated and meaningful profiles of positions are uncovered based on technical competencies that Canadian organizations required when hiring accountants: the financial reporting, the tax aggressiveness, and the performance management profiles. From a practical standpoint, this study provides the Canadian accounting professional body, as well as educators in the accounting field, with insights regarding the expectations of the job market. The study also has implications in accounting education beyond the Canadian context.
Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems, 2017
This study seeks to describe and explain the manner by which the environmental uncertainty, IT st... more This study seeks to describe and explain the manner by which the environmental uncertainty, IT strategic orientation and IT capabilities of manufacturing SMEs contribute to their IT performance, that is, to their realization of benefits from the use of IT. A qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) allows to unveil three IT capability configurations associated to high-IT performance firms. Dependent upon the configuration, the core causal conditions involve an IT Defender strategic orientation, and various combinations of IT managerial, functional, informational and technological capabilities. These results support the idea of a gestalt alignment threshold for the IT capabilities of high-IT performance firms, that is, the idea that different IT capability configurations can be equally effective.
The International Journal of Human Resource Management
Abstract Despite the pervasiveness of Information Technology (IT) in organizations, IT competenci... more Abstract Despite the pervasiveness of Information Technology (IT) in organizations, IT competencies for non Information Systems professionals such as Human Resource (HR) managers have been overlooked and limited attention has been paid to the interrelationships between IT and non-IT competencies. Building upon signaling theory and the configurational approach, this study characterizes actual IT and HR competencies that firms signal when recruiting for HR manager positions. A content analysis of 207 online job advertisements of HR manager positions is first conducted. Using factor analysis, three bundles of competencies are unveiled: IT, strategy, and employee and workplace well-being. Then, a cluster analysis approach that combines hierarchical and non-hierarchical clustering algorithms is applied, followed by discriminant function analysis for validation. The study uncovers three strongly separated clusters of recruiting organizations based on required IT and HR competencies for HR manager positions. The clusters are labeled according to their dominant required competencies: (1) strategy proponents −10% (2) technology proponents −30%, and (3) basic proponents −60%. The proposed classification goes beyond the normative understanding of IT competencies for HR managers and the way they combine with HR competencies: it provides a well-structured and parsimonious lens that is useful for recruiters, applicants, and educators.
Enterprise Information Systems
ABSTRACT Building on the resource-based view (RBV) perspective, we analyse the combined effects o... more ABSTRACT Building on the resource-based view (RBV) perspective, we analyse the combined effects of two highly-valued organizational resources, namely information technology (IT) capabilities and human resource management (HRM) capabilities, on the competitive performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Three resource configurations are derived from data on 227 SMEs (121 from the manufacturing sector and 106 from the industrial services sector) through a cluster analysis. These resource configurations are labelled IT Capabilities-dominant Configuration (ITC), e-Business Capabilities-dominant Configuration (e-BC), and HRM Capabilities-dominant Configuration (HRC). This last configuration is the best-performing, followed by the e-BC, with the ITC as the worst-performing. The results also show that manufacturing and service firms are very unevenly distributed within HRC and ITC configurations, suggesting notable differences between the two sectors regarding their respective IT and non-IT capability-building. The fact that service SMEs are overwhelmingly represented (93%) in the worst-performing configuration and completely absent (0%) in the most effective configuration while displaying the strongest IT infrastructure capabilities confirms that the IT productivity paradox is aggravated in service SMEs and calls for further research on this issue.
Information Technology and Management
With the advent of globalization and the knowledge-based economy, industrial SMEs must constantly... more With the advent of globalization and the knowledge-based economy, industrial SMEs must constantly innovate to remain competitive. Now, an important research issue in this regard concerns the role played by IT capabilities in enabling innovation processes such as new product development, and in determining the product innovation performance of these organizations. Using a configurational approach grounded in the resource-based view, contingency theory, and the notions of “fit” and equifinality, we argue that IT capabilities can be leveraged for innovation purposes to the extent that they are coaligned and thus constitute IT capability configurations. This paper presents the results of a survey of 588 Canadian industrial SMEs designed to further analyze this issue. Three IT capability configurations were thus empirically identified, that is, IT Defenders (n = 234), IT Analyzers (n = 91) and IT Prospectors (n = 263), the last two being associated to greater product innovation performance.
2015 48th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 2015
The need to effectively manage IT resources such that they enhance the business value of firms ma... more The need to effectively manage IT resources such that they enhance the business value of firms makes IT governance (ITG) an important issue for both IS researchers and practitioners. The purpose of this paper is to build a conceptual framework for ITG in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We first analyze the main theories applied in ITG research, and confront them with the specificities of SMEs. We then highlight the limits of those theories in SMEs context and discuss adaptations needed or alternative theories in such context. The resulting framework is then applied to generate a set of six research propositions on ITG in SMEs.
Ayant modifié en profondeur l’environnement d’affaires, la mondialisation amène bon nombre de pet... more Ayant modifié en profondeur l’environnement d’affaires, la mondialisation amène bon nombre de petites et moyennes entreprises (PME) québécoises, et plus particulièrement celles du secteur manufacturier, à devoir s’engager dans un processus d’internationalisation. Il s’avère cependant que l’internationalisation de la PME est le plus souvent traitée par les gouvernements et les organismes publics ou privés de soutien à l’entreprise au travers
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Papers by Sylvestre Uwizeyemungu