bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improving ERP Usability Through User-System Collaboration
Authors: Babaian Tamara , Lucas Wendy , Topi Heikki
Published: February 2011

Anecdotal evidence strongly suggests that Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems have unintuitive user interfaces that hinder usability, frustrate users, and ultimately interfere with their successful adoption and utilization in organizations. Despite the huge costs associated with poorly implemented systems, ERP usability has received little attention from the IS and HCI research communities. We argue in this article that existing theories on usability should be extended in order to address the unique challenges resulting from the size, complexity, and integrated functionality of these industrial behemoths. We believe that collaboration theory is a new and beneficial way to conceptualize the relationship between the user and the system. This theory has the potential to provide a foundation for user-system interaction that enhances user performance and satisfaction with ERP systems.
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Values Associated With File Sharing
Authors: Smith Alan D.
Published: February 2011

This article examines potential and active customers’ intrinsic and extrinsic values associated with selected legal, ethical, and economic impacts of file sharing, especially in relation to potential impacts on customer relationship management (CRM). The pros and cons of file sharing are highlighted in a conceptual model and empirically tested through graphical and statistical analysis through hypothesis testing via factor analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) techniques. Recommendations on the potential growth of the file sharing industry through the lens of price, competition, increased selection, and regulation are included. These file-sharing topics, issues, and concerns will have a variety of impacts on potential and active customers, businesses, and strategic leveraging of CRM.
Measuring and Diffusing Data Quality in a Peer-to-Peer Architecture
Authors: Milano Diego , Scannapieco Monica , Catarci Tiziana
Published: February 2011

Data quality is becoming an increasingly important issue in environments characterized by extensive data replication. Among such environments, this article focuses on cooperative information systems (CISs), for which it is very important to declare and access quality of data. The article describes a general methodology for evaluating quality of data, and the design of an architectural component, named quality factory, that implements quality evaluation of XML data. The detailed design and implementation of a further service, named data quality broker, are presented. The data quality broker accesses data and related quality distributed in the CIS and improves quality of data by comparing different copies present in the system. The data quality broker has been implemented as a peer-to-peer service and a set of experiments on real data show its effectiveness and performance behavior.
Evaluating ERP Implementation Choices Using AHP
Authors: Parthasarathy S. , Anbazhagan N.
Published: February 2011

An enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is an integrated software solution, typically offered by a vendor as a package that supports the seamless integration of all the information flowing through a company. Business information systems is an area of the greatest significance in any business enterprise today. ERP projects are a growing segment of this vital area. The objective of customization in ERP implementation is to achieve a fit between the ERP system and the process that the system supports. Widespread literature review has been done to study the issues in ERP implementation. Customization is found to be the major annoyance in most of the ERP projects. Literature review also shows that the AHP is the preeminent slant among the various methodologies applied to ERP projects in the past for prioritizing the attributes. Hence, in this paper we have applied the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to a framework for evaluating ERP implementation choices. The upshot of the study is the identification of various customization possibilities for ERP implementation. This study is meant to help managers think about the various feasible customization options available to them. The application of AHP to the framework is exemplified and the epitome of findings is discussed. Future research work that can be done in customization is also indicated.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Implementations
Authors: Muscatello Joseph R. , Chen Injazz J.
Published: February 2011

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems have been widely implemented by numerous firms throughout the industrial world. While success stories of ERP implementation abound due to its potential in resolving the problem of fragmented information, a substantial number of these implementations fail to meet the goals of the organization. Some are abandoned altogether and others contribute to the failure of an organization. This article seeks to identify the critical factors of ERP implementation and uses statistical analysis to further delineate the patterns of adoption of the various concepts. A cross-sectional mail survey was mailed to business executives who have experience in the implementation of ERP systems. The results of this study provide empirical evidence that the theoretical constructs of ERP implementation are followed at varying levels. It offers some fresh insights into the current practice of ERP implementation. In addition, this study fills the need for ERP implementation constructs that can be utilized for further study of this important topic.
Developing an Enterprise Wide Knowledge Warehouse
Authors: Mitra Amit , Campoy Laura
Published: February 2011

It has been common practice among organisations to develop standard operating procedures to gain advantages like standardisation, ensure continuity, and deal with contingency needs. Over time, processual perspectives of activity within organisations have enabled appreciation of such practices through what is commonly referred to as organisational knowledge. Whilst the process of knowledge development can be unique to the context, practical dimensions of development may be considerably different from those suggested by established theory. The present paper firstly reviews different frameworks that have come to be recognised as being effective in categorising organisational knowledge. Secondly, in the light of experiences of both authors in developing an interactive knowledge warehouse, the present paper discusses usefulness of these frameworks. Prevalence of non-disclosure conditions would mean that the mentioned organisation would need to remain anonymous. For the purposes of the present paper, the chosen organisation would be referred to as Kadrosi.
Critical Success Factors in the Chartering Phase
Authors: Dawson Julie , Owens Jonathan
Published: February 2011

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are pervasive information systems that have been fundamental in organizations for the past two decades. ERP systems may well count as the most important development in technology in the 1990s. There are many ERP success stories; equally there are as many failure stories. This article reviews current literature of the critical success factors (CSF) of ERP implementations. This review will be used in conjunction with the case of a UK furniture manufacturer’s (Company X) implementation of an ERP system. This artcile considers the factors that resulted in the failure of the ERP at Company X in the chartering phase of the implementation.
Sizing ERP Implementation Projects
Authors: Janssens Guy , Kusters Rob , Heemstra Fred
Published: February 2011

ERP implementation projects affect large parts of an implementing organization and lead to changes in the way an organization performs its tasks. The costs needed for the effort to implement these systems are hard to estimate. Research indicates that the size of an ERP project can be a useful measurement for predicting the effort required to complete an ERP implementation project. However, such a metric does not yet exist. Therefore research should be carried out to find a set of variables which can define the size of an ERP project. This paper describes a first step in such a project. It shows 21 logical clusters of ERP implementation project activities based on 405 ERP implementation project activities retrieved from literature. Logical clusters of ERP project activities can be used in further research to find variables for defining the size of an ERP project.
Ontology Engineering for Simulation Component Reuse
Authors: Bell David , Mustafee Navonil , de Cesare Sergio , Taylor Simon J.E. , Lycett Mark , Fishwick Paul A.
Published: February 2011

Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) Simulation Packages (CSP) are widely used in industry primarily due to economic factors associated with developing proprietary software platforms. Regardless of their widespread use, CSPs have yet to operate across organizational boundaries. The limited reuse of CSPs is affected by the same semantic issues that restrict the inter-organizational use of software components and Web services. The current representations of Web components are predominantly syntactic in nature lacking the fundamental semantic underpinning required to support discovery on the emerging Semantic Web. We present new research that partially alleviates the problem of limited semantic interoperability and reuse of simulation components in CSPs. Semantic models, in the form of ontologies, utilized by Web service discovery and deployment architecture provide one approach to support simulation model reuse. Although specific to CSPs this work has wider implications for the simulation community.
Collaborative Business and Enterprise Urbanization
Authors: Sliman Layth , Biennier Frédérique , Badr Youakim
Published: February 2011

Information system urbanization consists of studying the various functional sectors of an enterprise in order to carry out cartographical surveys, then, similarly study its information system (Sassoon, 1998). However, the studied information system fails to respond to on-demand production and dynamic collaboration. In fact, a company must adapt to market changes by production structures and the organization of its processes and not the flow of its information alone. In this article, a novel urbanization approach conjointly ensures the evolution of the production and the information systems by providing an incremental, process-oriented strategy considering horizontal and vertical organizations of firms.
Mix, Match, Rediscovery
Authors: Meza Justin , Zhu Qin
Published: February 2011

Knowledge is the fact or knowing something from experience or via association. Knowledge organization is the systematic management and organization of knowledge (Hodge, 2000). With the advent of Web 2.0, Mashups have become a hot new thing on the Web. A mashup is a Web site or a Web application that combines content from more than one source and delivers it in an integrated way (Fichter, 2006). In this article, we will first explore the concept of mashups and look at the components of a mashup. We will provide an overview of various mashups on the Internet. We will look at literature about knowledge and the knowledge organization. Then, we will elaborate on our experiment of a mashup in an enterprise environment. We will describe how we mixed the content from two sets of sources and created a new source: a novel way of organizing and displaying HP Labs Technical Reports. The findings from our project will be included and some best practices for creating enterprise mashups will be given. The future of enterprise mashups will be discussed as well.
Process Re-Engineering Success in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises
Authors: Chang Jeffrey , Levy Margi , Powell Philip
Published: February 2011

The factors that lead to business process re-engineering (BPR) success in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are not clearly understood. This article reviews the main contributing factors to BPR success using a framework that considers culture, structure, technology and resource. Eight Taiwanese case studies are used to explore issues contributing to, or impeding, successful process re-engineering in small firms. The analysis shows that BPR success is empowered by innovation, employee empowerment, top management commitment and strategic direction and is dependent upon customer relations, IS involvement and financial resources.
Future State of Outsourcing Supply Chain Information Systems
Authors: Joo Seong-Jong , Kwon Ik-Whan G. , Won Lee Chang
Published: February 2011

The purpose of this study is to acquire knowledge that will help clarify outsourcing trends in general and an information systems utilization perspective in particular. The authors review recent studies on outsourcing and conduct a nationwide survey. The results of the survey reveal that 60 percent of the respondents are focusing on their supply chain for cost reduction and/or competitive advantages and less than half of the respondents plan to outsource supply chain processes and information systems within the next 5 years. Results also show that major reasons for outsourcing include a lack of ability to handle in house and return on assets, while the largest barrier to outsourcing is cost followed by control concern.
Acceptance, Use, and Influence of Political Technologies among Youth Voters in the 2008 US Presidential Election
Authors: Khansa Lara , James Tabitha , Cook Deborah F.
Published: February 2011

The visibility of network-based technologies in the 2008 U.S. presidential election is indicative of their importance as tools to inform and motivate a populace. By explaining what factors impact usage behaviors with respect to these technologies, their use can be better encouraged. In this paper, the authors examine the constructs influencing usage behaviors for political technologies using the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model. The authors also explore the impact of the use of political technologies on political interest and activism in organized movements. The model was tested on a large sample of youth voters, and results suggest that performance and effort expectancy, along with social influences, impact the use of political technology. Evidence was also found suggesting that the usage of political technologies positively impacts political interest and political activism. Findings suggest that room for growth exists in devising novel ways to use political technologies to motivate active participation.
Support Structures for Women in Information Technology Careers
Authors: Guthrie Ruth A. , Soe Louise , Yakura Elaine K.
Published: February 2011

This paper examines issues of support for women with Information Technology (IT) careers. Data was collected from interviews with 38 women, which lasted about 90 minutes. Questions were open-ended regarding aspects of their careers and career paths. The women represented a wide variety of experience and nine different industry sectors and at varying organizational levels. Research on the lack of women in STEM disciplines focuses mainly on undergraduate education and attracting women to STEM disciplines, focusing on “filling the pipeline.” This paper examines what it takes to have a successful, satisfying career, highlighting areas of support for women that may influence their success in IT careers.
The Effect of Gender on Perceived Benefits of and Drivers for ICT Adoption in Australian Medical Practices
Authors: MacGregor Robert C. , Hyland Peter N. , Harvie Charles
Published: February 2011

Similar to other Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), medical practices can gain a great deal by adopting and using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Unlike other SMEs, little is known about General Practitioners’ (GPs) perceptions of the benefits of ICT use or about the differences between these perceptions by male and female GPs. This paper reports a survey of these perceptions of the drivers for and benefits of ICT use by male and female GPs in Australia.
Performance Analysis of On-Chip Communication Structures under Device Variability
Authors: Hassan Faiz-ul , Vanderbauwhede Wim , Rodríguez-Salazar Fernando
Published: February 2011

On-chip communication is becoming an important bottleneck in the design and operation of high performance systems where it has to face additional challenges due to device variability. Communication structures such as tapered buffer drivers, interconnects, repeaters, and data storage elements are vulnerable to variability, which can limit the performance of the on-chip communication networks. In this regard, it becomes important to have a complete understanding of the impact that variability will have on the performance of these circuit elements in order to design high yield and reliable systems. In this paper, the authors have characterized the performance of the communication structures under the impact of random dopant fluctuation (RDF) for the future technology generations of 25, 18, and 13 nm. For accurate characterization of their performance, a Monte Carlo simulation method has been used along with predictive device models for the given technologies. Analytical models have been developed for the link failure probability of a repeater inserted interconnect which uses characterization data of all communication structures to give an accurate prediction of the link failure probability. The model has also been extended to calculate the link failure probability of a wider communication link.
Examining the Role of Stakeholder’s in Adopting Enterprise Application Integration Technologies in Local Government Domain
Authors: Kamal Muhammad Mustafa , Weerakkody Vishanth
Published: February 2011

The realisation of innovative technological transformation in providing electronic services (e-Services) has often been associated with the presence of a number of prime stakeholders who perform their requisite functions in the organisation. In context of this research, the authors examine the potential role of key stakeholders involved in the Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) adoption process. Literature exemplifies that EAI technologies are large, comprehensive solutions that are complex to adopt and manage. Similar to adopting other technologies, there are several stakeholders involved with adopting EAI solutions, each with specific domain knowledge and expertise that are crucial to the success of EAI projects. In this regard, it would be judicious to give greater contemplation to research examining the role of stakeholders in the EAI adoption process in Local Government Authorities (LGAs). This paper applies concepts of the stakeholder theory to analyse the importance of stakeholders during the EAI adoption process with regards to EAI adoption factors. To conduct this research, the authors follow a qualitative multiple case study approach. Empirical findings highlight that each stakeholder involved in the EAI adoption process has a significant role utilising their expertise by contributing towards the success of EAI projects.
Intelligent Store Agent for Mobile Shopping
Authors: Brown Ryan Anthony , Sankaranarayanan Suresh
Published: February 2011

The conventional shopping process involves a human being visiting a designated store and perusing first the items available. A purchase decision is then made based on the information so gathered. However, a number of unique challenges a human shopper would face, if he/she prefers to execute this process using a mobile device, such as a phone. Taking this aspect into consideration, the authors propose the use of an Intelligent Agent for performing the Mobile Shopping on behalf of customers. In this situation, the agents gather information about the products through the use of ‘Store Coordinator Agents’ and then use them for comparing with the user preferences. The proposed agent based system is composed of two agents, viz., a User Agent and Store Coordinator Agent. The implementation of the scheme so proposed has been done using JADE-LEAP development kit and the performance results are discussed in the paper.
Porting Applications to Grids and Clouds
Authors: Gentzsch Wolfgang
Published: February 2011

A Grid enables remote, secure access to a set of distributed, networked computing and data resources. Clouds are a natural next step of Grids towards the provisioning of computing as a service. To “Grid-enable” applications, users have to cope with: complexity of grid architectures; different compute and data nodes; wide spectrum of grid middleware tools and services; the e-science application architectures, algorithms and programs. Therefore, the aim of this chapter is to guide users through the important stages of implementing applications on Grid and Cloud infrastructures, together with a discussion of important challenges and their potential solutions. As a case study, we present the DEISA Distributed European Infrastructure for Supercomputing Applications and describe the DEISA Extreme Computing Initiative DECI for porting and running scientific grand challenge applications on the DEISA Grid. This chapter concludes with an outlook on Compute Clouds, and the top ten rules of building a sustainable Grid.
A Trusted Data Storage Infrastructure for Grid-Based Medical Applications
Authors: van ‘t Noordende Guido J. , Olabarriaga Silvia D. , Koot Matthijs R. , de Laat Cees Th. A.M.
Published: February 2011

Most existing Grid technology has been designed with performance and scalability in mind. When using Grid infrastructure for medical applications, privacy and security considerations become paramount. Privacy aspects require a re-thinking of the design and implementation of common Grid middleware components. This article presents a novel security framework for handling privacy sensitive information on the Grid, and describes the privacy and security considerations which impacted its design.
Self-Configuration and Administration of Wireless Grids
Authors: Agarwal Ashish
Published: February 2011

A Wireless Grid is an augmentation of a wired grid that facilitates the exchange of information and the interaction between heterogeneous wireless devices. While similar to the wired grid in terms of its distributed nature, the requirement for standards and protocols, and the need for adequate Quality of Service; a Wireless Grid has to deal with the added complexities of the limited power of the mobile devices, the limited bandwidth, and the increased dynamic nature of the interactions involved. This complexity becomes important in designing the services for mobile computing. A grid topology and naming service is proposed which can allow self-configuration and self-administration of various possible wireless grid layouts.
A Semantic-Driven Adaptive Architecture for Large Scale P2P Networks
Authors: Eftychiou Athena , Vrusias Bogdan , Antonopoulos Nick
Published: February 2011

The increasing amount of online information demands effective, scalable, and accurate mechanisms to manage and search this information. Distributed semantic-enabled architectures, which enforce semantic web technologies for resource discovery, could satisfy these requirements. In this paper, a semantic-driven adaptive architecture is presented, which improves existing resource discovery processes. The P2P network is organised in a two-layered super-peer architecture. The network formation of super-peers is a conceptual representation of the network’s knowledge, shaped from the information provided by the nodes using collective intelligence methods. The authors focus on the creation of a dynamic hierarchical semantic-driven P2P topology using the network’s collective intelligence. The unmanageable amounts of data are transformed into a repository of semantic knowledge, transforming the network into an ontology of conceptually related entities of information collected from the resources located by peers. Appropriate experiments have been undertaken through a case study by simulating the proposed architecture and evaluating results.
Dysfunctional Development Pathways of Information and Communication Technology
Authors: Kaye G. Roland , Little Stephen
Published: February 2011

This paper argues that there are three factors, which counter the inevitable movement towards globalisation. Firstly the incremental force of technology as illustrated by the growth stage model of the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is flawed. This model implies a linearity of development and an inevitability of stage following stage. While this stage model may provide historic explanation for the development in the developed world and amongst the mature users, the model fails when used predictively for the developing nations or for the late adopters. Secondly the imperialism of technology overcoming all barriers fails to reconcile the cultural dimensions of both the developing context or the application domain. Technology is not culturally neutral but is developed in a cultural context and in the case of information rich applications carries that cultural within its design. Applications of culturally developed systems, such as office and management systems assume the user’s compliance with the design culture, but this inevitably leads to cultural clashes as we apply outside the design context. Thirdly the assumption of universality of economic access and development is incompatible with both the reality and development paths in both developed and developing countries. This inevitably will lead to a divided society split between the internationally mobile, technology-supported communities and those communities disadvantaged economically and technologically but culturally rich. The failure to bridge this gap may leave society as a whole weakened through lack of access to ’variety’. The paper discusses these perspectives and illustrates the case with evidence from NE Asia and the United Kingdom. In particular it focuses on software development and information-rich contexts.
Ten Lessons that Internet Auction Markets Can Learn from Securities Market Automation
Authors: Westland J. Christopher
Published: February 2011

Internet auction markets offer customers a compelling new model for price discovery. This model places much more power in the hands of the consumer than a retail model that assumes price taking, while giving consumers choice of vendor and product. Models of auction market automation has been evolving for some time. Securities markets in most countries over the past decade have invested significantly in automating various components with database and communications technologies. This paper explores the automation of three emerging market exchanges ( The Commercial Exchange of Santiago, The Moscow Central Stock Exchange, and Shanghai’s Stock Exchange ( with the intention of drawing parallels between new Internet models of retailing and the older proprietary networked markets for financial securities.
Transnational Information Systems
Authors: Mantelaers Paul , van den Berg Wander
Published: February 2011

An increasing number of transnational information systems (TIS) is being developed and operational. This paper describes a study that attempted to gather information from an empirical setting as a basis for theory building. The authors have studied three cases in an attempt to take some early steps towards guidelines for the development and management of TIS. General conclusions based on the analysis of the three cases are drawn.
IS Project Characteristics and Performance
Authors: Aladwani Adel
Published: February 2011

Empirical research on project-level success of systems development in developing regions is lacking. Managers cannot rely on prescriptions suggested by IS projects research in developed countries to understand IS projects in developing countries without empirical evidence supporting the applicability of these guidelines. We collect data from 61 IS project leaders to test eight research hypotheses tapping the relationship between IS project characteristics and performance in a developing country. Our analyses reveal that adequacy of development tools, formal planning, management support, and participation are positively related to IS project performance. However, the data find no support for a significant relationship between members’ abilities, project uncertainty and conflict and performance. Contrary to previously reported findings, our data highlight the possible damaging effect of increased horizontal coordination in IS projects. We discuss these results and suggest directions for future research.
Management Integration through Software Applications
Authors: Kidd John , Yau Tessa Y.
Published: February 2011

Through the 1970s to the present time the governance of the Japanese firm overseas has changed, moving towards a more international form of operation rather than operating as a peripheral organisation based solidly on the Japanese headquarters office. Notwithstanding the evolution of their formal and informal management structures this research questions in detail the nature of computer software that may have been imported from Japan to the UK to control imported production systems and/or to control management data flows. This research stems from noting in the 1980s that imported Japanese production machines contained Japanese language instructions beneath their cover plates, so when maintenance was to take place, the UK engineers became baffled, and then frustrated. In the research reported here we ask if the computer programs used to control this imported machinery carry embedded Japanese documentation which may prove difficult to interpret by software engineers in the UK? As an adjunct to this question, we note the origin of their control software (and other software used by the Japanese production subsidiaries in the UK), its modification (if any, and where, and by whom), and the natural language used to communicate with the HQs in Japan. As an emergent finding, we report on the tensions arising from the data-integration of the Japanese firms’ operations in Europe through the use of enterprise resource planning software.
Information Systems Leadership Roles
Authors: Gottschalk Petter
Published: February 2011

Information systems (IS) leadership roles have undergone fundamental changes over the past decade. Despite increased interest in recent years, little empirical research on IS managers has been done. This article presents results from a survey in Norway. The survey collected data on general leadership roles such as informational role, decisional role and interpersonal role, as well as on specific IS leadership roles such as chief architect, change leader, product developer, technology provocateur, coach and chief operating strategist. The empirical analysis indicates that strategic responsibility as well as network stage of growth influence the extent of informational role, while the extent to which the chief executive uses IT influences the extent of decisional role, and the extent to which subordinates use IT influence the extent of interpersonal role. IS managers with greater operating responsibility will be chief architects. The role of a change leader is positively influenced by the number of years in IT, the extent of IT use, the extent of strategic responsibility and the organisation’s revenue, while it is negatively influenced by the number of years in the current position. Product developer can be predicted by strategic responsibility and chief executive’s IT use, while technology provocateur can be predicted by the extent of IT use. Coach can be predicted by the extent of subordinates’ IT use, and chief operating strategist can be predicted by the extent of strategic responsibility. Although several significant predictors of IS leadership roles were identified in this research, the search for more significant explanations should continue in future research.
A Comparison of Electronic Infrastructures in the Air Cargo Industry in the Netherlands and Hong Kong SAR
Authors: Christiannse Ellen , Damsgaard Jan
Published: February 2011

Reasons behind the failure and success of large-scale information systems projects continue to intrigue researchers. In particular in the airline industry very successful (passenger reservation) systems have been built which have totally changed the competitive arena of the industry. On the cargo side however attempts to implement large-scale community systems have largely failed across the globe. Air cargo parties are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of IT and, increasingly, they understand the value that IOS could provide for the total value chain performance. However, whereas in other sectors IOSs have been very successful, there are only fragmented examples of successful global systems in the air cargo community and the penetration of IOS in the air cargo industry is by no means pervasive. This paper describes the genesis and evolution of two IOSs in the air cargo community and identifies plausible explanations that lead one to be a success and one to be a failure. It draws on extensive fieldwork in Europe and in Hong Kong SAR that is complemented by secondary data analysis of relevant trade and company literature. We argue that in these two cases the complex, institutional and technical choices by the initiators of the system in terms of their competitive implications that were the main causes for the systems failure. The paper thus concludes that it was the institutional factors involved in the relationships of the stakeholders that led to the opposite manifestations of the two initiatives, and that such factors should be taken into account when designing and implementing large-scale information systems.
Customer Loyalty and Electronic Banking
Authors: Tomiuk Daniel , Pinsonneault Alain
Published: February 2011

This paper describes the final phase of a study that validates a group of generic attributes of graduates of Australian undergraduate degree programs with majors in Information Systems (IS). 105 academics from all Australian universities that offer IS undergraduate degree programs of study and 53 member of the Australian Computer Society (ACS) took part in this study. A three round Delphi questionnaire was used. The results of this study are compared with a previous study of generic attributes conducted by the authors in Queensland, Australia. Differences between academics and industry are identified. The top three attributes in each study are the same, although the order is reversed in the national study. Some of these include the higher ranking of interpersonal skills, teamwork, and knowledge of the IS discipline by academics compared with the higher ranking of industry of self-motivation and the ability to learn independently. Other major findings include the high ratings of the attributes of team participation and the commitment to further learning and intellectual development. Oral and written communications are significantly rated as more important than a comprehensive knowledge of IS. This study has a very strong overall correlation with the previous Queensland study.
Trust in Internet Shopping
Authors: Cheung Christy M. , Lee Matthew K.
Published: February 2011

Despite the phenomenal growth of Internet users in recent years, the penetration rate of Internet shopping is still low and one of the most often cited reasons is the lack of consumers’ trust (e.g. Hoffman et al., 1999). Although trust is an important concept in Internet shopping, there is a paucity of theory-guided empirical research in this area. In this paper, a theoretical model is proposed for investigating the nature of trust in the specific context of Internet shopping. In this model, consumers’ trust in Internet shopping is affected by propensity to trust and two groups of antecedent factors, namely, "trustworthiness of Internet vendors" and "external environment". Trust, in turn, reduces consumers’ perceived risk in Internet shopping. As an important step towards the rigorous testing of the model, the necessary measurement instrument has been developed with its reliability and validity empirically tested. The psychometric properties of the measurement instrument have been investigated using both a classical approach (based on Cronbach’s alpha and exploratory factor analysis) and a contemporary approach (based on structural equation modeling techniques), as a way of methods triangulation for validating instrument properties. The resulting instrument represents a rigorously developed and validated instrument for the measurement of various important trust related constructs. This research contributes to the development of trust theory in e-commerce and add to the repository of rigorous research instruments for IS survey researchers to use.
Growth of Teledensity in Least Developed Countries
Authors: Mbarika Victor W. , Byrd Terry A. , Raymond Jennifer
Published: February 2011

While having the lowest number of main telephone lines for every 100 inhabitants (teledensity) over the last decade, the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), have the highest average pre-tax operator profitability in the world. Many LDCs have already opened their terminal equipment markets to competition and some have also done this with data and value-added services. LDCs are greatly behind other regions of the world in terms of their levels of teledensity. This paper combines research from academic and major international organizational literature to examine and synthesize the current understanding of teledensity development in LDCs. The obstacles to growth of teledensity are discussed, and the importance and opportunities for growth of teledensity to solve priority problems and to realize sustainable development in LDCs are examined. Specifically, the framework and findings suggest that various policy, economical, financial, managerial, organizational, technological, political and geographical factors are important determinants for growth of teledensity in LDCs. While it is time for a mitigated euphoria vis-à-vis the poor state of teledensity in these countries, this study suggests a variety of strategies to advance teledensity in LDCs.
Exploring the Factors Enhancing Member Participation in Virtual Communities
Authors: Yoo Won-Seok , Suh Kil-Soo , Lee Moon-Bong
Published: February 2011

The purpose of this study is to find the factors that enhance member participation in virtual communities. Although there are many factors influencing member participation, this study limits its independent variables to those of managing strategy and information system quality. In addition to finding their direct impacts, this study identifies indirect effects through two mediating variables such as member visit and sense of community. The result of this study revealed that there was no significant direct path from managing strategy to participation. However, the path from sense of community to participation was strongly supported by the results. This then implies that a manager of a community has to emphasize the sense of community, membership in particular, in order to enhance participation. In addition, the results showed that sense of community could be enhanced by an appropriate managing strategy, while the number of visits could be increased by the information systems quality.
Fundamental Risk Factors in Deploying IT/IS Projects in Omani Government Organisations
Authors: Al-Wohaibi Mohammed A. , Masoud Fawaz A. , Edwards Helen M.
Published: February 2011

Deploying IT systems has always presented a combination of challenges and risks to decision-makers. Many IT projects have failed to accomplish their cost, schedule, or technical performance objectives. However, the factors that are encountered in deploying IT/IS projects in developing countries differ from those encountered in developed countries due to cultural and organisational reasons. Oman is one developing country that has started, slowly, exploring the use of computer systems to help in improving their business. The case is made that Oman needs to have a coherent IT strategic vision at the national level. Implementing this vision into detailed strategies depends on the high awareness of the positive role IT can play in the economy, counterbalanced by the ability to manage the associated risks. The factors that are associated with implementing IT/IS in Omani government organisations are: human resource deficiency, organisational inefficiencies, and the immaturity of the IT business culture. The risk factors that arise in the context of the Omani culture are contrasted with those that have been reported in the literature.
Cultural Differences in E-Commerce
Authors: Bin Qiu , Chen Shu-Jen , Sun Shao Q.
Published: February 2011

This paper discusses the importance of identifying cultural problems of the online globalization and points out that payment and logistic systems and language are the primary factors that every firm should take into account in the process of their online globalization. Next, the paper identifies the characteristics and trends of the Internet and e-commerce in China. In the third part, the paper differentiates e-commerce in the U.S. with China through analyzing Internet users’ behaviors especially their attitudes toward different payment systems in these two countries. Finally, it discusses how to remove language barriers to enhance net growth. In conclusion, this paper will suggest some recommendations on how to expand business via the Internet by reducing the gap between the two cultures.
The Impact of National Environment on the Adoption of Internet Banking
Authors: Brown Irwin , Hoppe Rudi , Mugera Pauline , Newman Paul , Stander Adrie
Published: February 2011

The widespread diffusion of the Internet globally has prompted most retail banks to offer Internet banking services. A recent study in Singapore identified attitudinal and perceived behavioural control factors as having an influence on consumer adoption of Internet banking. It is expected that the national environment will also impact this process. The aim of this study therefore was to replicate the Singapore study in South Africa, compare the results between the two countries and explain differences in adoption process in terms of the national environment. The results confirm that attitudinal and perceived behavioural control factors influence adoption in South Africa as in Singapore, but with differences in the number of determinants, and the degree of influence of certain determinants. These differences were explained in terms of three environmental dimensions-socio-economic conditions, the state of Internet diffusion and government ICT policies respectively.
IS Change Agents in Practice in a US-Chinese Joint Venture
Authors: Dologite Dorothy G. , Mockler Robert J. , Bai Qinghua , Viszhanyo Peter F.
Published: February 2011

This article presents a case study that documents how information systems (IS) principals in China strategically shifted to different change agent roles to accommodate various IS implementation contingencies in the organization. The case concerns a US-Chinese joint venture, located in China. The change agent models hypothesized by Markus and Benjamin (l996) serve as a lens to interpret the case. Based on observations of how these roles emerged in different phases of implementing packaged software, a meta-category called “adaptor” is offered to visualize what the data revealed and to contribute to this emerging research area. Implications for practitioners and researchers are addressed.
Managing Stakeholder Interests in e-Government Implementation
Authors: Tan Chee-Wee , Pan Shan L. , Lim Eric T.K.
Published: February 2011

As e-government plays an increasingly dominant role in modern public administrative management, its pervasive influence on organizations and individuals is apparent. It is, therefore, timely and relevant to examine e-governance—the fundamental mission of e-government. By adopting a stakeholder perspective, this study approaches the topic of e-governance in e-government from the three critical aspects of stakeholder management: (1) identification of stakeholders; (2) recognition of differing interests among stakeholders; and (3) how an organization caters to and furthers these interests. Findings from the case study point to the importance of (1) discarding the traditional preference for controls to develop instead a proactive attitude towards the identification of all relevant collaborators; (2) conducting cautious assessments of the technological restrictions underlying IT-transformed public services to map out the boundary for devising and implementing control and collaboration mechanisms in the system; and (3) developing strategies to align stakeholder interests so that participation in e-government can be self-governing.
The Effects of Strategic Alliance Membership on the Disadvantages of Electronic Commerce Adoption
Authors: MacGregor Robert C. , Vrazalic Lejla
Published: February 2011

Despite the proclaimed advantages of small business strategic alliances, little research has been carried out to determine whether these structures “cushion” the disadvantages arising from e-commerce adoption for member businesses. There has also been a lack of research into comparing e-commerce use in those small businesses that are members of a strategic alliance to those that have opted to remain outside such arrangements. This article aims to correct the situation by presenting the findings of a study of 177 regional small businesses in Sweden and Australia that investigated the impact of strategic alliance membership on disadvantages associated with e-commerce adoption. The results of the study indicate that e-commerce disadvantages are often dissipated through a strategic-alliance structure more easily than through a single self-directed unit. However, the cushioning effects of a strategic alliance membership are not uniform and they differ depending on organisational factors such as the size of the business, the market focus, and the business sector.
Beyond Trust
Authors: Cyr Dianne , Bonanni Carole , Bowes John , Ilsever Joe
Published: February 2011

The growth of Internet shopping motivates a better understanding of how e-loyalty is built online between businesses and consumers. In this study, Web site design and culture are advanced as important to Web site trust, Web site satisfaction, and e-loyalty in online business relationships. Based on data collected in Canada, the U.S., Germany, and Japan, the research considers (1) examining within culture preferences for design elements of a local vs. a foreign Web site and subsequent participant perceptions of trust, satisfaction, and e-loyalty; and (2) comparisons between cultures for design preferences of local and foreign Web sites and subsequent participant perceptions of trust, satisfaction, and e-loyalty. As predicted, similarities were greatest among Americans, Canadians, and Germans, with the Japanese representing a different and unique case. The results are discussed against hypothesized expectations. Implications for future research are outlined.
Using Social Development Lenses to Understand E-Government Development
Authors: Siau Keng , Long Yuan
Published: February 2011

As governments at different levels and all around the world are increasingly using the Web to enhance and improve their services, understanding e-government development and exploring factors that affect e-government development have become important research topics. The purpose of this research is to investigate factors explaining e-government development in terms of social development lenses. Based on growth and regional development theories, the paper hypothesizes that income level, development status, and region are three factors that differentiate e-government development in countries. Group comparison tests are conducted using secondary data from the United Nations and the United Nations Development Programme. The results support the hypotheses that significant differences in e-government development exist between countries with respect to the three categorical variables mentioned above. In addition, the paper applies planned post-hoc tests to further investigate the differences. The results of this research are valuable to e-government scholars and practitioners. As the research involves data from more than a hundred countries, the research contributes to understanding e-government development factors on a global scale.