The concept of “Agile Project Management” has gained significant traction in various sectors, beyond its origins in software development. However, a coherent, universally accepted definition remains elusive, prompting this study to embark on a systematic exploration of agile practices and their implications in broader contexts. Employing a systematic literature review across three major academic databases on business and management studies in the past two decades, this research scrutinizes a final selection of 80 high-quality academic papers. The principal contribution of our research is the articulation of a nuanced definition of Agile Project Management, which demarcates it from traditional project management frameworks and those agile practices specific to software development. This study not only sheds light on the prevailing ambiguities in the understanding of Agile Project Management but also sets the stage for future research into the emerging organizational dynamics engendered by the adoption of agile practices.
Digital transformation (DT) fundamentally reshapes how organisations operate, create value, and respond to complex environments through the integration of digital technologies. Beyond mere technical deployment, DT involves behavioural, strategic, and institutional changes. As these transformations are increasingly managed through projects and programmes, project management plays a pivotal role, not only in delivering these transformations but also in enabling them. However, the relationship between DT and project management remains fragmented and insufficiently explored. This paper addresses this gap by systematically reviewing 66 peer-reviewed articles using a qualitative thematic coding approach informed by sociotechnical systems theory. The analysis reveals four interrelated themes: methodologies and the sociotechnical integration of digital tools, misalignments in sociotechnical interfaces, governance and leadership, and industry- or project-specific transformation trajectories. Based on these findings, the paper proposes three key future research agenda: (1) embedding digital tools through methodological mediation and governance integration, (2) governance and leadership as strategic enablers, and (3) advancing sector-specific insights into DT. By offering a structured synthesis and a theory-driven research agenda, this review contributes to a more integrated understanding of how DT unfolds within project-based contexts and lays the groundwork for future interdisciplinary research.
Cooperatives are an important organizational form that operate under seven principles (Voluntary and Open Membership; Democratic Member Control; Member Economic Participation; Autonomy and Independence; Education, Training, and Information; Cooperation among Cooperatives; Concern for Community). Concern for Community was the last formally stated cooperative principle in 1995, after decades of discussion within the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA). The statement of this “new” principle has provoked questions for cooperatives and the cooperative movement more generally, regarding their definition, scope, and implementation. This article employs a systematic literature review to examine the academic understanding of Concern for Community that has emerged over the past 30 years. The review analyzes 32 academic journal articles from an initial dataset of 438 articles generated by a two-string search (“concern for community” and “cooperative principles”). Five themes are identified: cooperative principles, defining Concern for Community, adoption of Concern for Community, antecedents of Concern for Community, and outcomes. Comparing these themes with the normative instructions proposed by the ICA, the article develops a framework for future research. The review also finds that there is not an established clear difference between Concern for Community and corporate social responsibility in the extant literature, which carries the implication that constructs from the latter can be integrated into the analysis and development of the 7th principle.
8 January 2024 in Management Theory and Studies for Rural Business and Infrastructure Development
China has witnessed remarkable ongoing digitalization with the rapid spread and adoption of the Internet. However, this remarkable development remains uneven between urban and rural populations, and hence result in different impact on their income. Employing data China General Social Survey 2018, this study explores how internet usage affects income gap between the urban and rural China. Relying on the instrumental variables approach to regression analysis, we prove that internet usage contributes to higher increase in annual income for the urban employed compared to their rural counterparts. The RIF decomposition regression results then reveal the effects of differential urban-rural internet usage ratios, explaining the widened income gap between the urban and rural employed in various income levels. The difference in the returns to urban and rural internet usage narrowed the urban-rural income gap for low - and high-income employed, but further contributed to the urban-rural income gap for the middle-income employed.