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Abstract This study examines the role of knowledge agents as key enablers in the process of creating and updating the environmental knowledge base of a firm and, in doing so, having a positive effect on business performance. From the perspective of a hotel as the most important cog in the machinery of the hospitality sector, knowledge agents are those individuals who can provide information and knowledge that enables the firm to deal with environmental issues effectively. The paper describes an empirical, longitudinal study of 87 organisations in the Spanish hospitality industry. The results highlight the importance of the relationship between knowledge agents and environmental knowledge for business performance. Furthermore, our findings indicate that the role of knowledge agents is also relevant for the future management of the environmental knowledge base of a firm within the hospitality sector. Highlights • Knowledge agents as key enablers of the processes of creating and updating the environmental knowledge. • Mediation between knowledge agents, environmental sustainability and business performance is investigated. • Environmental knowledge as a factor for competitiveness, was found. • Longitudinal study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract For the last two decades the Internet of Things (IoT) has been a subject of growing global interest. Particularly dynamic industries such as the healthcare service sector have just begun to understand the benefits of the IoT for the provision of a new, more advanced type of services. However, whilst the healthcare service industry is yet to fully grasp the benefits of information systems for its practitioners and managers, and for patients and families, there is a need for a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated to IoT-based healthcare systems as another disruptive wave of technologies. In particular, research on the relevance of users' skills for adoption of IoT-based healthcare services has been limited. Using the current Internet-based healthcare service landscape as a platform for the formulation and testing of its hypotheses, this paper explores the relationship between patients' capabilities for effective use of information and communication technologies and the success of IoT-based healthcare services. The resulting theoretical model for effective use of information and communication technologies and the success of IoT-based healthcare services was then validated. The validation was based on data collected from a randomly selected sample of 256 users of Internet-based healthcare services provided by the public healthcare system of the Region of Murcia in Spain. The findings of this research inform future strategies for the implementation of new generations of health and well-being services based on IoT technologies. Highlights • Patients' e-skills impact on the success of IoT-based healthcare services. • Patients' satisfaction leads to e-loyalty to IoT-based healthcare services. • Perceived usefulness of IoT-based healthcare services lead to their adoption. • Strategies are required to improve patients' self-efficacy in the IoT environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of higher education students may be explained by characteristics of both the academic and social environment in the classroom. The environments provided by classrooms to facilitate learning among students can be seen as useful vehicles for creating shared narratives to transfer gossip, lies, exaggeration and partial truths (i.e. counter-knowledge). This paper focuses on unlearning as a context to counteract the problem of counter-knowledge. The relationships between an unlearning context and counter-knowledge are analysed by using an empirical study of 210 undergraduate students in order to identify whether there is a significant impact on student's goal orientation by unlearning. Our results confirm that counter-knowledge is a variable that, when controlled, has the effect of strengthening the relationship between unlearning and student's goal orientation. However, when left uncontrolled, the relationship between unlearning and student's goal orientation is weaker than it otherwise would be. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A review of the literature confirms that there is a need for knowledge management frameworks which support knowledge creation, particularly in those organisations having to operate in a changing environment. Socialisation, externalisation, combination and internalisation continue to be key processes for the creation of knowledge which enables organisations to successfully address environmental challenges. This paper examines the relevance and importance of a SECI model as an enabler of the processes of reusing and updating the environmental knowledge of an organisation. The research reported has confirmed that time is a key component of the implementation of a SECI model in organisations operating in a changing environment. It has been confirmed that such a strategy should focus on the reuse of prior environmental knowledge as a mechanism to establish within the organisation a context where new knowledge management processes are understood and adopted by employees. The paper also examines the relationship between environmental knowledge and organisational performance indicators. These relationships are examined through an empirical study of 87 companies in the Spanish hospitality sector. The results of the study indicate that environmental knowledge at any given time (T) is significant in predicting the knowledge management processes that may be successfully implemented at a later point in time (T + 6 years). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Big data is projected to grow in all industries and in particular the health industry. • Telemedicine is a growing concept facilitating the integration of data and information technology-based concepts. • However, the uptake of these technologies has not been widely effective. • An ambidexterity context for the successful adoption of telemedicine technologies is investigated. • Effective enquiry and dialogue is likely to improve the patients' levels of utilisation of telemedicine technology. The evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of the uptake of telemedicine technologies for the management of health by users is still lacking. Hence, this research explores the relevance of an ambidexterity context to balance explorative and exploitative learning processes to support the adoption of telemedicine technology. Survey data obtained from 252 healthcare end users was analysed using the ADANCO software version 2.0.1. The results derived from this empirical study support the observation that explorative and exploitative processes mediate the relationship between an ambidexterity context and the utilisation of telemedicine technology. Prior research has revealed that it is fundamentally important for organisations to be able to exploit and explore external sources of knowledge. However, for the uptake of telemedicine technologies, there has been limited research that aids in developing an adequate framework to analyse the role played by explorative and exploitative learning processes with patients. In order to address this issue, this study is done from the point of view of either home health patients or their carers. This paper supports the use of an ambidexterity context that facilitates an environment where effective balance between explorative and exploitative learning processes is likely to improve the patients' levels of utilisation of telemedicine technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Nowadays big data plays a key role in competitiveness. • Digital technologies can create tension between old values and new ones. • Digital culture is a prerequisite for the success of digital technologies. • Business digitisation can boost the development of value activities. • Business digitisation and technology value development support the improvement of company results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the extent to which business performance in global enterprises can be influenced by three key factors in the current dynamic, socio-economic context. These are: (1) an open organisational culture derived from an open-mindedness attitude, (2) an organisation's investments in innovation in environmentally friendly and health-conscious products and services, and (3) customers' perception of risk of information security and privacy concerns derived from their engagement with the organisation and its products and services. Taking Apple as the basis for our study, an empirical investigation of 161 of its customers from a variety of socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, our results indicate that a culture of open mindedness relates, indirectly and though environmental product innovation, to the way the firm addresses the privacy concerns of end users. This, in turn, helps addressing the privacy concerns of the customer base and, simultaneously improves firms' performance, offering a mix-blended source of strategic advantage. Based on a leading innovation company in the U.S. and globally, and one of the most important names in the technology industry, lessons can be learned from our study both for further theoretical developments and for management practice in a variety of knowledge-intensive, global enterprises. • An open organisational culture in global enterprises requires an open-mindedness attitude in management and the workforce. • An open organisational culture influences business performance. • Innovation in environmentally friendly technology products and services influences business performance. • Customers' privacy concerns and their perception of information security is directly related to business performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although corporate social responsibility is a potential driver of a company's organizational performance, previous studies on the relationship between corporate social responsibility and performance have provided conflicting results mainly by two reasons. On the one hand, non-financial outcomes of corporate social responsibility (i.e. corporate reputation, increased employee motivation and customer satisfaction) have been ignored. On the other hand, the potential mediating effect of innovation in the corporate social responsibility–performance relationship has not been taken into account. This study fills in an important gap by analyzing the impact of corporate social responsibility practices on a measure of organizational performance encompassing both financial and non-financial indicators, and by studying the potential mediating role of innovation in the corporate social responsibility–performance relationship. By using the structural equation modelling approach for a sample of 133 Eco-Responsible Spanish companies (mostly, small and medium-sized firms), results provide evidence of positive and significant direct effects of corporate social responsibility on both innovation and organizational performance across all groups of companies (i.e. manufacturing vs non-manufacturing, proactive vs non-proactive, smaller vs larger and younger vs older firms). Results also find a mediation role of innovation for the case of manufacturing companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]