bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Introducing the Check-Off Password System (COPS)
Authors: Warkentin Merrill , Davis Kimberly , Bekkering Ernst
Published: February 2011

The objective of information system security management is information assurance: to maintain confidentiality (privacy), integrity, and availability of information resources for authorized organizational end users. User authentication is a foundation procedure in the overall pursuit of these objectives, and password procedures have historically been the primary method of user authentication. There is an inverse relationship between the level of security provided by a password procedure and ease of recall for users. The longer the password and the more variability in its characters, the higher the level of security provided by such a password (because they are more difficult to violate or “crack”). However, such passwords tend to be more difficult for end users to remember, particularly when the password does not spell a recognizable word (or includes non-alphanumeric characters such as punctuation marks or other symbols). Conversely, when end users select their own more easily remembered passwords, the passwords may also be easier to crack. This study presents a new approach to entering passwords, which combines a high level of security with easy recall for the end user. The Check-Off Password System (COPS) is more secure than self-selected passwords as well as high-protection, assigned-password procedures. The present study investigates trade-offs between using COPS and three traditional password procedures, and provides a preliminary assessment of the efficacy of COPS. The study offers evidence that COPS is a valid alternative to current user authentication systems. End users perceive all password procedures tested to have equal usefulness, but the perceived ease of use of COPS passwords equals that of an established high-security password, and the new interface does not negatively affect user performance compared with that high-security password. Further research will be conducted to investigate long-term benefits.
Toward a Comprehensive Framework
Authors: Downey James P.
Published: February 2011

During the 1980s and into the early 1990s, end user computing (EUC) was reported to be among the key concerns facing managers and organizations. Is EUC still an important topic? This study examines academic research during this period. A research-focused framework is offered to provide a conceptual structure for examining the trends and issues in EUC. This framework is both parsimonious and allows a comprehensive classification of end user computing’s three major dimensions: end user, technology, and organization. The study examined every article from five leading IS journals (ISR, MISQ, JMIS, I&M, JEUC) for the 11 years 1990-2000. The results indicate that there has been no diminishing of EUC interest and studies during this time, either overall or in any journal or dimension. A discussion of emerging trends, important themes, and journal differences concludes this examination.
User Behaving Badly
Authors: Kanellis Panagiotis , Paul Ray J.
Published: February 2011

In its formative years and during the 1990s, 1Global Energy PLC (GE) went through a series of structural changes precipitated by the deregulation of the electricity industry in the UK. The severity of these changes had a disruptive effect on its enterprise information systems, which were found unable to adapt to the new and constantly emerging organizational realities. GE’s experiences illustrate the vulnerability of information systems in turbulent environments, provide for a rich description of the causes of misfit due to contextual change, and establish the ability of a system to flex and adapt as a dependent success variable. In addition, the idiographic details of this interpretive field study raise interesting questions about a number of assumptions we hold regarding the development of information systems and the means by which flexibility can be attained.
Perceptions of End-Users on the Requirements in Personal Firewall Software
Authors: Hazari Sunil
Published: February 2011

Information security is usually considered a technical discipline with much attention being focused on topics such as encryption, hacking, break-ins, and credit card theft. Security products such as anti-virus programs and personal firewall software, are now available for end-users to install on their computers to protect against threats endemic to networked computers. The behavioral aspects related to maintaining enterprise security have received little attention from researchers and practitioners. Using Q-sort analysis, this study used students as end-users in a graduate business management security course to investigate issues affecting selection of personal firewall software in organizations. Based on the Q-sort analysis of end-users in relation to seven variables identified from review of the information security literature, three distinct group characteristics emerged. Similarities and differences between groups are investigated and implications of these results to IT managers, vendors of security software and researchers in information security area are discussed.
Privacy Statements as a Means of Uncertainty Reduction in WWW Interactions
Authors: Pollach Irene
Published: February 2011

Grounded in Uncertainty Reduction Theory, the present study analyzes the content of 50 privacy policies from well-known commercial Web sites with a view to identifying starting points for improving the quality of online privacy policies. Drawing on traditional content analysis and computer-assisted textual analysis, the study shows that privacy policies often omit essential information and fail to communicate data handling practices in a transparent manner. To reduce Internet users’ uncertainty about data handling practices and to help companies build stable relationships with users, privacy policies need to explain not only the data collection and sharing practices a company engages in but also those practices in which companies do not engage. Further, more exact lexical choice in privacy policies would increase the transparency of data handling practices and, therefore, user trust in World Wide Web (WWW) interactions. The results also call for less verbose texts and alternatives to the current narrative presentation format.
Supporting Distributed Groups with Group Support Systems
Authors: Kim Youngjin
Published: February 2011

The leadership role facilitates group process by structuring group interaction. How leadership affects group performance in GSS settings remains one of the least investigated areas of GSS research. In this study, the presence of a group leader is found to make a significant difference in objective decision quality and satisfaction with the decision process. At the same time, perceived decision quality and consensus are not significantly different in groups with a leader and those without one. A content analysis of comments by group leaders shows that group leaders are effective when making comments on clear group objectives and interaction structure in the early stages of group interaction. In the later stages, however, it becomes more important for group leaders to offer comments encouraging interaction and maintaining group cohesion
End User Computing Ergonomics
Authors: Clark Carol
Published: February 2011

Until recent years, the end user computing ergonomic focus has primarily been on stationary computer use. A new trend for the end user is mobile computing. An increasing number of end users are working outside of the traditional office. Mobile computing devices allow for these workers to perform job functions while in the field, at home, or while traveling. The organizational and end user benefits abound for the use of such enabling technology. However, the mobile computing environment introduces a new area of ergonomic concerns. Are businesses and end users monitoring the use of these devices from an ergonomic perspective? The good news is the outcome can be influenced and/or determined with intentional efforts on the part of both end users and managers. This paper includes an in depth review of the current and emerging issues, especially the mobile end user environment, that is important to the end user, manager, and organization as a whole. It also provides end user ergonomic suggestions and resources and addresses the management challenges rising from ergonomic issues.
Super Users and Local Developers
Authors: Asand Hege-René Hansen , Morch Anders I.
Published: February 2011

The article presents a case study following the activities of super users and local developers during the adoption of a new business application by an accounting firm in Scandinavia (referred to as the Company). The Company launched a program to train super users to help with this process because of the complexity of the new system, a generic multipurpose application system replacing several older nonintegrated systems. The system, Visma Business (VB), is a comprehensive financial and accounting application delivered as a set of components that need to be configured for domain-specific tasks, depending on the clients the accountants will interact with. The super users and the local end user developer (also called the application coordinator) were asked to take part in this study. We documented their activities empirically and analytically, using interviews to gather data and draw on aspects of Activity Theory for the conceptual framework for analysis. Our findings provide insight into end-user development (EUD) activities with VB: what roles were created by the Company, what roles emerged spontaneously during the process, what the various user groups (regular users, super users, and the application coordinator) did, and how EUD was coordinated between super users and the application coordinator. Our findings show that super users fill an important niche as mediators between regular users and local developers and can make a significant contribution to the success of EUD efforts in a nontechnical application domain.
End-User Perceptions of the Benefits and Risks of End-User Web Development
Authors: McGill Tanya , Klisc Chris
Published: February 2011

The development of applications by end users has become an integral part of organizational information provision. It has been established that there are both benefits and risks associated with end-user development, particularly in the areas of spreadsheets and databases. Web development tools are enabling a new kind of end-user development. The fact that Web page creation may impact, not only locally but also globally, significantly raises the importance of this type of end-user application development. This article reports on the extent of Web page development amongst end users and investigates their perceptions of the benefits and risks of end-user Web development relative to those associated with spreadsheet development and explores approaches to reducing the risks.
Covert End User Development
Authors: Ferneley Elaine H.
Published: February 2011

End User Development (EUD) of system applications is typically undertaken by end users for their own, or closely aligned colleagues, business needs. EUD studies have focused on activity that is small scale, is undertaken with management consent and will ultimately be brought into alignment with the organisation’s software development strategy. However, due to the increase pace of today’s organisations EUD activity increasing takes place without the full knowledge or consent of management, such developments can be defined as covert rather than subversive, they emerge in response to the dynamic environments in which today’s organisations operate. This paper reports on a covert EUD project where a wide group of internal and external stakeholders worked collaboratively to drive an organisation’s software development strategy. The research highlights the future inevitability of external stakeholders engaging in end user development as, with the emergence of wiki and blog-like environments, the boundaries of organisations’ technological artifacts become increasingly hard to define.
When Technology Does Not Support Learning
Authors: Hornik Steven , Johnson Richard D. , Wu Yu
Published: February 2011

Central to the design of successful virtual learning initiatives is the matching of technology to the needs of the training environment. The difficulty is that while the technology may be designed to complement and support the learning process, not all users of these systems find the technology supportive. Instead, some users’ conceptions of learning, or epistemological beliefs may be in conflict with their perceptions of what the technology supports. Using data from 307 individuals, this research study investigated the process and outcome losses that occur when friction exists between individuals’ epistemological beliefs and their perceptions of how the technology supports learning. Specifically, the results indicated that when there was friction between the technology support of learning and an individual’s epistemological beliefs, course communication, course satisfaction, and course performance were reduced. Implications for design of virtual learning environments and future research are discussed.
Inhibitors of Two Illegal Behaviors
Authors: Zhang Lixuan , Young Randall , Prybutok Victor
Published: February 2011

The means by which the United States justice system attempts to control illegal hacking are practiced under the assumption that illegal hacking is like any other illegal crime. This article evaluates this assumption by comparing illegal hacking to shoplifting. Three inhibitors of two illegal behaviors are examined: informal sanction, punishment severity, and punishment certainty. A survey of 136 undergraduate students attending a university and 54 illegal hackers attending the Defcon conference in 2003 was conducted. The results show that both groups perceive a higher level of punishment severity but a lower level of informal sanction for hacking than for shoplifting. The findings show that hackers perceive a lower level of punishment certainty for hacking than for shoplifting but that students perceive a higher level of punishment certainty for hacking than for shoplifting. The results add to the stream of information security research and provide significant implications for law makers and educators aiming to combat hacking.
The Development and Empirical Validation of the B2E Portal User Satisfaction (B2EPUS) Scale
Authors: Tojib Dewi Rooslani , Sugianto Ly Fie
Published: February 2011

Advances in Information Technology (IT) and the rapid growth of the Internet use over the past decade have considerably changed the way organisations interact with their employees. An increasing number of organisations have implemented a Business-to-Employee (B2E) portal as a communication and facilitating tool to assist employees in performing administrative, personal-related, and specific tasks more effectively and efficiently. An understanding of what constitutes employees’ satisfying use of a portal is crucial for developing a successful B2E portal. To date, very little research has been devoted to establishing a measurement of user satisfaction with Web-based information systems, specifically B2E portals. The aim of this study is to develop a scale for measuring user satisfaction with B2E portals. This paper discusses three main sequential studies in developing the scale: domain identification, content validation, and an exploratory study. Evidence about reliability, content validity, criterion-related validity, convergent validity, and discriminant validity is presented. Finally, we conclude this study by discussing limitations and future research avenue.
Users as Developers
Authors: Burns Beryl , Light Ben
Published: February 2011

We report the findings of a field study of the enactment of ICT supported knowledge work in a Human Resources contact centre, illustrating the negotiable boundary between what constitutes the developer and user. Drawing upon ideas from the social shaping of technology, we examine how discussions regarding producer-user relations require a degree of greater sophistication as we show how users develop technologies and work practices in-situ. In this case different forms of knowledge are practised to create and maintain a knowledge sharing system. We show how as staff simultaneously distance themselves from, and ally with, ICT supported encoded knowledge scripts, the system becomes materially important to the project of constructing the knowledge characteristic of professional identity. Our work implies that although much has been made of contextualising the user, as a user, further work is required to contextualise users as developers and moreover, developers as users.
Exploring the Factors Influencing End Users' Acceptance of Knowledge Management Systems
Authors: Xu Jun , Quaddus Mohammed
Published: February 2011

This article develops a model of adoption and continued use of knowledge management systems (KMSs), which is primarily built on Rogers’ (1995) innovation stages model along with two very important social psychology theories—Ajzen and Fishbein’s (1980) theory of reasoned action (TRA) and Davis’s (1986) technology acceptance model (TAM). It presents various factors and variables in detail. Hypotheses are developed which can be tested via empirical study. The proposed model has both theoretical and practical implications. It can be adapted for application in various organizations in national and international arena.
Rewarding End-Users for Participating in Organizational KM
Authors: Ravishankar M. N.
Published: February 2011

Organizations position their formal knowledge management (KM) initiatives as a continuous process of deriving strategic benefits from the knowledge resources dispersed in the various internal constituencies. While most organizations implement a rewards program attached to their KM initiative, the influence exerted by such programs on employees’ responses to organizational KM is less well understood. In this context, this article focuses on the KM initiative of Rexon,1 a leading Indian software services and products company recognised globally as a successful KM exponent. Adopting the case study methodology, we conducted intensive fieldwork for 6 months over a 2 year period at Rexon. Evidence from the case highlights how a KM-related rewards program was used to build awareness about organizational KMS and how employees responded to the rewards program. The theoretical and managerial contributions of the study are discussed.
Diffusing Management Information for Legal Compliance
Authors: Braganza Ashley , Hackney Ray
Published: February 2011

Information systems are vital to successful compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act. However, there is little published academic literature which reports systematic studies that explain how IS organizations implement 404. Institutional theory was adopted as the lens through which to examine the experiences of 404 implementation in three global organizations. The methodology for the research involved in-depth case study analysis. We conclude that key implementation drivers for 404 are directives from senior authorities, financial and resource subsidies, standards being set and adhered to, and knowledge being deployed. The findings are believed to present significant insights into the complexities and role of IS in providing valid and appropriate approaches to 404 compliance.
Explicating Computer Self-Efficacy Relationships
Authors: Downey Jr. James P. , Rainer R. Kelly , Bartczak Summer E.
Published: February 2011

Computer self-efficacy is known to operate at multiple levels, from application-specific subdomains like spreadsheets to a judgment of ability for the entire computing domain (general computer self-efficacy, GCSE). Conventional wisdom and many recent studies contend that the level of self-efficacy (specific to general) should match the level of its related constructs to maximize predictive power (Bandura, 1997; Chen, Gully, & Eden, 2001; Pajares, 1996). This thinking claims, for example, that GCSE should be used with a general attitude like computer anxiety (and vice versa). This study examines whether such a limitation is theoretically and empirically sound given that SE judgments generalize across domains.
The Role of Media Richness in Information Technology-Supported Communication in Group Cohesion, Agreeability, and Performance
Authors: Knight Michael B. , Pearson J. Michael , Hunsinger D. Scott
Published: February 2011

Organizations have been faced with social/economic pressure to utilize IT and to facilitate communication via technological modes. The communications that are dependent on media richness are affected by individual user characteristics. The individual users who participate in group projects must communicate and ultimately can have different performance and cohesion outcomes based on the mode of communication used. Under the media richness theory, a group’s cohesion and performance are impacted by technological modes of communication. Additionally, groups often experience varying levels of individual member agreeability, which affect cohesion and performance. This study identifies significant differences between groups, using specific media to communicate cohesion, the change in cohesion, agreeability, and performance.
Rebuilding Post-Violation Trust in B2C Electronic Commerce
Authors: Liao Qinyu , Luo Xin , Gurung Anil
Published: February 2011

This article proposes a model addressing the rebuilding of post-violation trust in B2C electronic commerce. The model uses expectation-confirmation theory and provides empirical verification for the factors affecting post-violation trust rebuilding and the association between them. The factors are perceived trustworthiness, confirmation by trust restoration, satisfaction and continuance trust intention. In accordance with exiting literature, perceived trustworthiness was found to have significant impact on continuance trust intention. The study also showed that confirmation by post-violation trust restoration activities had strong impact on satisfaction but satisfaction did not lead to post-violation continuance trust intention.
Capturing and Comprehending the Behavioral/Dynamical Interactions within an ERP Implementation
Authors: James R. Burns  , Jung Don G. , Hoffman James J.
Published: February 2011

The behavioral and dynamic implications of an ERP deployment are, to say the least, not well understood. Getting the switches set to enable the ERP software to go live is tedious. But the difficult part is understanding all of the dynamic interactions that accrue as a consequence. Connectionist and causal models are proposed in this article to facilitate an understanding of the dynamics and to enable control of the information-enhanced processes to take place. The connectionist model facilitates the understanding of the dynamic behavioral implications of the larger ERP implementation installation per se. The underlying connectionist model will observe and detect information transfers and workflow. Once maps of the total infrastructure are determined by the models, an analyst can suggest improvements. The models become decision support aids for process analysts in situations where ideal process flows/information transfers are sought.
Errors in Operational Spreadsheets
Authors: Powell Stephen G. , Baker Kenneth R. , Lawson Barry
Published: February 2011

Spreadsheets are used in almost all businesses, for applications ranging from the mundane to the mission-critical. Errors in the data, formulas, or manipulation of spreadsheets could be costly, even devastating. The received wisdom is that about 5% of all formulas in spreadsheets contain errors, and this rate is consistent across spreadsheets. However, this estimate is based on five studies, some of which are quite informal, and a total of only 43 spreadsheets. Our research was designed to deepen our understanding of spreadsheet errors. Specifically, we address three questions about errors in operational spreadsheets: what is the average cell error rate, how does it differ among spreadsheets, and what types of errors are most prevalent? We created a spreadsheet auditing protocol and applied it to 50 diverse operational spreadsheets. We found errors in 0.9% to 1.8% of all formula cells, depending on how errors are defined. We also found that the error rate differed widely from spreadsheet to spreadsheet.
Contrasting IT Capability and Organizational Types
Authors: Byrd Terry Anthony , Byrd Linda W.
Published: February 2011

The Resource-Based View (RBV) has become one of the most popular ways to examine the impact of IT on firm performance. An increasing number of researchers are using the theoretical underpinning of the RBV to ground their research in investigating this relationship. This paper follows in this tradition by developing multidimensional measures for two dimensions of IT capability, inside-out IT capability and spanning IT capability. In this regard, the authors relate these dimensions to firm performance as profit ratios and cost ratios. Inside-out capability is the IT resources deployed from inside the firm in response to market requirements and opportunities. However, spanning IT capability involves both internal and external analysis and is needed to integrate the firm’s inside-out and outside-in IT competences. This study also makes an exploratory comparative assessment of the relative impact of inside-out IT capability and spanning IT capability, while analyzing the differences on the impact of IT capability in diverse types of organizations. Finally, the authors give evidence that different dimensions of IT capability may have different effects on performance measures.
Utilization and Perceived Benefit for Diverse Users of Communities of Practice in a Healthcare Organization
Authors: Walczak Steven , Mann Richard
Published: February 2011

Communities of practice have been heralded as a powerful knowledge management tool, especially for geographically disparate workgroups. Research into knowledge management (KM) in healthcare organizations is a needed research focus, given that differences exist in knowledge and knowledge management processes between healthcare and other organization types. The research presented in this paper examines the effectiveness of communities of practice as a knowledge sharing tool in a large and geographically disparate healthcare organization. Findings suggest that job role affects community members’ perceptions of the benefit and impact of communities of practice as well as their participation in such communities.
Self-Determined Adoption of an ICT System in a Work Organization
Authors: Korpelainen Eija , Vartiainen Matti , Kira Mari
Published: February 2011

This descriptive single case study examines the process and implications of the self-determined adoption of an internet-based meeting system in a global company. Self-determination theory and structuration theory are used as theoretical lenses to understand the adoption and use of an ICT system. The data were collected using qualitative semi-structured interviews with eleven system users and analyzed using a content analysis approach. The research shows that the self-determined adoption of ICT systems has benefits like user motivation and satisfaction. Problems in such adoption relate to users’ experiencing uncertainty regarding the organizational legitimization of the system and support for its use. Employees and organizations are likely to benefit from self-determined adoption because it promotes employees’ motivation and initiative-taking. However, a shared understanding of self-determination and organizational support for it are required.
Investigating Technology Commitment in Instant Messaging Application Users
Authors: Wang Y. Ken , Datta Pratim
Published: February 2011

Although much research in the IS field has examined IS adoption, less is known about post-adoption behavior among IS users, especially when competing alternatives are available. Incorporating commitment theory from social psychology and management science literature, this paper proposes an IS continuance model that explains why some IS technologies enjoy continued use after adoption and others are often relegated to the basement as shelfware. This paper uses a technology commitment perspective to unravel why adopted technologies experience mixed success. Specifically, the authors argue that IS continuance may be best understood by investigating user commitment toward specific technologies. Three components of technology commitment, that is, affective commitment, calculative commitment, and normative commitment, are used to formulate a research model. The model is empirically tested in the context of instant messaging software. Results show a strong support for the model and explicate commitment differentials among users across different brands of instant messaging software. The study ends with a discussion of the results and their implications for research and practice.
Organizing End-User Training
Authors: Oinas-Kukkonen Harri , Hohtari Sari , Pekkola Samuli
Published: February 2011

Introducing information systems into organizations initiates a change in human behaviors, which is often perceived as obtrusive and distracting. End-user training may help manage this challenge by getting the users familiar with the system and its functionality. However, end-user training is not easy, nor self-evident, as shown in this paper. This is problematic, particularly when organization-wide standards for how to provide training are missing or when the group of end-users is two-layered, that is, both the customers and the staff must be trained. In this paper, the authors describe a qualitative case study of how the end-user training on an e-Bank was organized, and how the training was delivered to its elderly customers. The training model by Simonsen and Sein (2004) is utilized and extended to cover the systems development cycle. The authors argue that an approach that integrates the end-user training with the systems development improves organizational implementation. As a result, this paper makes practical suggestions about the issues related to organizing end-user training.
Assessing Transport Aircraft Inspection Strategies
Authors: Johnson Alan W. , Heiman Theodore , Cooper Martha , Hill Raymond R.
Published: February 2011

Complex aircraft require periodic maintenance checks to assess needed repairs for continued vehicle availability. However, such checks are expensive and the associated aircraft downtime can reduce fleet mission effectiveness. The United States Air Force plans to consolidate the time-based (isochronal) C-5 aircraft major inspection activities for eight C-5 home stations into three locations. Isochronal inspections rely on a calendar method to schedule inspections and disregard actual flying hours between inspections. By having the same personnel perform these inspections for all flying units and by adopting commercial aircraft condition-based inspection strategies, the Air Force hopes to gain efficiencies in performing these inspections. Conversely, the site phase-out schedule and reduced number of inspection locations raises questions about whether overall C-5 mission capability will be reduced. These proposed revisions were simulated in a designed experiment to assess the impacts to fleet availability and inspection site workload.
Decision-Making Elements for the Design of Emerging Multi-Dimensional Auctions
Authors: Marentakis Charis A. , Emiris Dimitrios M.
Published: February 2011

Auctions have known considerable and continuous growth during the past decades due to their logic and efficiency in price formation when the value of goods traded is not known or varies. Although earlier research has been based mainly on Microeconomics and Games Theory, recent advances extended relevant research in Operational Research and Information Technology. Today, auctions and their applications form a challenging topic not only for economists but for operational researchers, marketers, logisticians and management engineers. This paper examines contemporary emerging auction formats, including auctions in which bids consist of many other parameters. The study of these emerging auction formats proceeds through the analysis of critical auction parameters that directly affect the decision-making process and the problems that auction participants face. This paper presents, with a presentation in graphical form, the decision framework for the majority of approaches presented in contemporary literature to highlight the association between decision elements and auction design.
Sequential Test for Arbitrary Ratio of Mean Times Between Failures
Authors: Michlin Yefim H. , Ingman Dov , Dayan Yoram
Published: February 2011

This paper describes a planning methodology and tools for a truncated SPRT (sequential probability ratio test) for checking the means ratio of the times between failures (assumed to be exponentially distributed) of two items. The problem is considered for the situation in which the ratio may differ from unity, whereby the results are applicable for any specified ratio, or wherever multiple copies of each item are tested simultaneously (group test). The authors present a methodology for optimal test choice and dependences for determining the acceptance/rejection boundaries of such a test with given characteristics. Planning and implementation of a group test are illustrated in an example, including substantiation of the choice of the number of new-item copies.
Open Source Software Adoption
Authors: Fitzgerald Brian
Published: February 2011

Current estimates suggest widespread adoption of open source software (OSS) in organizations worldwide. However, the problematic nature of OSS adoption is readily evidenced in the fairly frequent reports of problems, unforeseen hold-ups, and outright abandonment of OSS implementation over time. Hibernia Hospital, an Irish public sector organization, have embarked on the adoption of a range of OSS applications over several years, some of which have been successfully deployed and remain in live use within the organisation, whereas others, despite achieving high levels of assimilation over a number of years, have not been ultimately retained in live use in the organization. Using a longitudinal case study, we discuss in depth the deployment process for two OSS applications – the desktop application suite whose deployment was unsuccessful ultimately, and the email application which was successfully deployed. To our knowledge, this is the first such in-depth study into successful and unsuccessful OSS implementation.
Innovation, Imitation and Open Source
Authors: Pollock Rufus
Published: February 2011

An extensive empirical literature indicates that, even without formal intellectual property rights, innovators enjoy a variety of first-mover advantages and that ‘imitation’ is itself a costly activity. There is also accumulating evidence that an ‘open’ approach to knowledge production can deliver substantial efficiency advantages. This article introduces a formal framework incorporating all of these factors. We examine the relative performance of an ‘open’ versus a ‘closed’ (proprietary) regime, and explicitly characterize the circumstances in which an open approach, despite its effect on facilitating imitation, results in a higher level of innovation.
Open Source and Commercial Software Platforms
Authors: Darmon Eric , Torre Dominique
Published: February 2011

In this article, we consider the dynamics and competition between two software platforms (Open Source and proprietary software). Potential user-developers can adopt one of the two platforms in order to develop and sell new applications based on the platform. We consider the static issue first and then use a simple dynamic system where the dynamics comes from the development efforts (spillovers) made on each platforms. In this context, we first identify the conditions for the two platforms to coexist in the long run. From this baseline, we then consider different strategies for the editor. A first strategy is for the editor to “show the code” of its software, so as to develop more compatible products. A second strategy is to strategically monitor the compatibility degree between the proprietary and OS platform. In both cases, we analyze whether a mixed industry may be sustainable in the long run.
A Framework for Understanding the Open Source Revolution
Authors: Elpern Jeff , Dascalu Sergiu
Published: February 2011

Traditional software engineering methodologies have mostly evolved from the environment of proprietary, large-scale software systems. Here, software design principles operate within a hierarchical decision-making context. Development of banking, enterprise resource and complex weapons systems all fit this paradigm. However, another paradigm for developing software-intensive systems has emerged, the paradigm of open source software. Although from a traditional perspective open source projects might look like chaos, their real-world results have been spectacular. This chapter presents open source software development as a fundamentally new paradigm driven by economics and facilitated by new processes. The new paradigm’s revolutionary aspects are explored, a framework for describing the massive impact brought about by the new paradigm is proposed, and directions of future research are outlined. The proposed framework’s goals are to help the understanding of the open source paradigm as a new economic revolution and stimulate research in designing open source software.
Collaboration in Open Source Domains
Authors: Çetin Görkem , Göktürk Mehmet
Published: February 2011

Free and open source software (F/OSS) developers have a tendency to build feature-centric projects rather than following a user-centered design, ignoring the necessity of usability in the resulting product. While there are many reasons behind this, the main cause can be stated as the lack of awareness of usability from developers’ point of view and little interaction of project stakeholders with Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) studies. This chapter examines different types of collaboration methods of usability experts and developers focusing particularly on open source projects, together with potential issues envisaged during the communication phases. The chapter also focuses on the collaboration trends and patterns of HCI experts, developers and users with an emphasis on concerns related to inefficient exploitation of current tools and technologies and provide an open usability engineering method which could be exploited in distributed projects
The System for Population Kinetics
Authors: Vicini Paolo
Published: February 2011

This chapter describes the System for Population Kinetics (SPK), a novel Web service for performing population kinetic analysis. Population kinetic analysis is a widely-used tool for extracting information about the probability distributions of unknown parameters in kinetic models. The statistical population model is usually hierarchical, with a nested structure encompassing both variation between subjects and residual unexplained variation associated with the model predictions. The complexity of the analysis is largely driven by the nonlinearity of the models employed. Here, we provide a concise introduction to the topic and a historical perspective for the benefit of the reader who is new to these concepts. Next, we briefly describe the SPK open source system and its multi-tiered architecture, indicating the user goals it set to achieve and elucidating its practical usage with examples.
Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP)
Authors: Pita Zijad , Cheong France , Corbitt Brian
Published: February 2011

This study examines the use of formal Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP) approaches and methodologies in Australia. The authors analyze the relationships between SISP success, SISP objectives, company size/type and SISP approaches and methodologies. The authors find that the most popular methodologies are not the most successful. Emerging methodologies, such as Fuzzy Cognitive Maps and Information Engineering, could be considered for improving the success of SISP. They also find that a combination of SISP approaches is more successful than the implementation of any one approach. This can be interpreted that the boundary lines that distinguish theoretical approaches are blurred and that SISP theory needs a new way of thinking to stay relevant for practice. In addition, many findings of significant importance to SISP practitioners, in the context of various industries, are presented.
From Childhood Poverty to Catfish
Authors: Cheong France , Corbitt Brian J.
Published: February 2011

Strategic decision makers are frequently faced with unstructured problems that cannot be solved adequately by analytical means. In such situations, a better decision-making approach is one based on stakeholders’ participation. A particular form of such an approach is known as participatory modelling, whereby participatory methods are used for knowledge elicitation while simulation modelling techniques are used to determine optimal strategies. In this paper, the authors discuss a participatory modelling framework using agent-based modelling and System Dynamics, which illustrates the use of the framework for two projects. These projects include participatory agent-based modelling of childhood poverty in Vietnam, and participatory System Dynamics modelling of the Vietnamese catfish industry.
Identifying Critical Success Factors for Supply Chain Excellence
Authors: Lin Chinho , Kuei Chu-hua , Madu Christian N. , Winch Janice
Published: February 2011

This paper presents a research framework for studying supply chain excellence, emphasizing two distinct paths of knowledge acquisition, that is qualitative inquiry through interviews with senior supply chain executives in Taiwan and quantitative inquiry through data collection from companies that operate in Taiwan. Four factors are considered as the antecedents of supply chain excellence, such as collaboration, organizational conditions, technology adoption, and operations. The authors use the grounded theory approach to further understand those four critical factors and relevant concepts. Organizational condition was ranked by our senior supply chain executives as the most important factor based on this qualitative investigation. The effect of four critical factors on organizational performance is also assessed through regression analyses, and the results help supply chain professionals in Taiwan determine which factors and concepts of supply chain management to focus on to improve business performance. Although these findings are situation-dependent, the proposed framework is different from existing literature and can be adopted in other international studies to enhance the body of knowledge on supply chain management.
Overcoming Liability of Foreignness
Authors: Chen Haiyang , Hu Michael Y. , Zhang G. Peter
Published: February 2011

This study examines the liability of foreignness (LOF) faced by multinational enterprises (MNEs), and the effects of strategies employed to overcome the liability. Based on a sample of 3,085 Sino-foreign joint ventures formed in manufacturing sectors in China, the authors find that Hong Kong investors, who are often perceived to have lower LOF than investors from other countries, are more actively engaged in strategies to overcome the LOF. Specifically, Hong Kong investors actively adopt strategies to seek local markets, maintain investment flexibility, utilize their competitive advantages in labor-intensive industries, and leverage cooperative synergism to improve their performance. Investors from other countries adopt market seeking and cooperative synergy approach to improve performance.
A Hybrid Multiple Criteria Decision Making Technique for Prioritizing Equipments
Authors: Jajimoggala Sarojini , Rao V.V.S. Kesava , Beela Satyanarayana
Published: February 2011

Prioritization of equipment is an important factor for decision making to optimize maintenance management in Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM). Many factors must be considered as part of the prioritization of equipment for maintenance activities. Consequently, evaluation procedures involve several objectives and it is often necessary to compromise among conflicting tangible and intangible factors. Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) is a useful approach to solve these problems. In this study, a hybrid model is developed for prioritizing the equipment in hybrid flow systems. The first stage involves identifying the criteria. The second stage is prioritizing the different criteria using fuzzy Analytical Network Process (ANP), in which the weight of each criterion is calculated using modified fuzzy Logarithmic Least Square Method (LLSM) to overcome the criticism of inconsistency, unbalanced scale of judgments, uncertainty and imprecision in the pair-wise comparison process, then finally ranking of equipment using fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS).
Thinking in Terms of Design Decisions When Developing Maturity Models
Authors: Mettler Tobias
Published: February 2011

To measure dedicated aspects of “maturity”, a range of maturity models have been developed in the field of information systems by practitioners and academics over the past years. Despite its broad proliferation, the concept has not escaped criticism. Unnecessary bureaucracy, poor theoretical foundation, and the impression of a falsified certainty to achieve success are a few examples. As there is a significant lack of knowledge on how to design theoretically sound and widely accepted maturity models, in this paper, the author opens the discussion on design decisions when developing these models. Based on analogy and informed arguments, the author synthesizes a generic but adjuvant framework that consists of five common design steps and eighteen decision parameters that help practitioners as well as researchers in the development of maturity models.
Strategy as Action
Authors: Zeleny Milan
Published: February 2011

In the post-crisis era, new concepts are emerging, while some old and dysfunctional ones are being discarded. Strategy is about making series of decisions that drive corporate action under specific coupling with company’s environment and context. Because decisions are actions, the strategy itself is action, not just a description of action. In the world of traditional strategy, descriptions (information) have replaced action (knowledge), and talk has replaced walk. We start from the premise that strategy is what company does, and what company does is its strategy. One cannot run a company just on descriptions and framed mission statements. The role of customers is crucial: the customer shapes strategy and triggers corporate action. Without respecting the customer, there is no viable strategy. This is why we label the action-based strategic thinking as “Anti-Porter”: consumers do not want tradeoffs and thus truly effective strategy cannot be rooted in Porter’s tradeoffs.
Are Robots Autistic?
Authors: Khetrapal Neha
Published: February 2011

This paper discusses the implications of the embodied approach for understanding emotional processing in autism and the consequent application of this approach for robotics. In this pursuit, author contrasts the embodied approach with the traditional amodal approach in cognitive science and highlights the gaps in understanding. Other important issues on intentionality, intelligence and autonomy are also raised. The paper also advocates a better integration of disciplines for advancing the understanding of emotional processing in autism and deploying cognitive robotics for the purpose of developing the embodied approach further.