bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transforming Work Through Information Technology: A Comparative Case Study of Geographic Information Systems in County Government
Authors: Robey Daniel , Sahay Sundeep
Published: October 2008

A comparative case study was designed to assess the consequences of implementing a particular geographic information system (GIS) in two neighboring county government organizations. Respondents reported radically different experiences with, and consequences of, the GIS technology. In North County, participants considered GIS to be responsible for transforming the way that work was accomplished and for changing patterns of communication among departments. In South County, the same GIS technology was implemented with little social consequence. These divergent outcomes are associated with differences in four specific processes related to the implementation of the GIS in the two organizations: initiation, transition, deployment, and spread of knowledge. In North County, implementation was initiated by an influential group of users (geographers) who positioned the technology as a shared resource that built upon existing competencies. A distributed configuration was deployed in North County, and conceptual knowledge about GIS was disseminated widely. By contrast, in South County GIS was initiated by a centralized data processing department as one of many revenue-producing services. Transition to GIS in South County required a departure from existing competencies, and it was deployed as a centralized system with limited procedural knowledge spread among the potential user community. Taken together, these findings suggest that implementation processes that advance users’ learning about potentially transformational technologies are likely to result in perceived transformation. The theoretical perspective of organizational learning is, therefore, suggested as a guide for future research on the role of information technology in organizational transformation.
A Computational Study of Distributed Rule Learning
Authors: Sikora Riyaz , Shaw Michael J.
Published: October 2008

This report is concerned with a rule learning system called the Distributed Learning System (DLS). Its objective is two-fold: First, as the main contribution, the DLS as a rule-learning technique is described and the resulting computational performance is presented, with definitive computational benefits clearly demonstrated to show the efficacy of using the DLS. Second, the important parameters of the DLS are identified to show the characteristics of the Group Problem Solving (GPS) strategy as implemented in the DLS. On one hand this helps us pinpoint the critical designs of the DLS for effective rule learning; on the other hand this analysis can provide insight into the use of GPS as a more general rule-learning strategy.
A Theory of Decision Support System Design for User Calibration
Authors: Kasper George M.
Published: October 2008

A theory is proposed for designing decision support systems (DSS) so that the confidence a decision maker has in a decision made using the aid equals the quality of that decision. The DSS design theory for user calibration prescribes properties of a DSS needed for users to achieve perfect calibration. Relevant calibration, decision making, and DSS literatures are synthesized; and related behavioral theories are borrowed to identify the properties of expressiveness, visibility, and inquirability as requisite components of the DSS design theory for user calibration.
Overcoming Ineffective Mental Representations in Base-Rate Problems
Authors: Roy Marie Christine , Lerch F. Javier
Published: October 2008

Many biases have been observed in probabilistic reasoning, hindering the ability to follow normative rules in decision-making contexts involving uncertainty. One systematic error people make is to neglect base rates in situations where prior beliefs in a hypothesis should be taken into account when new evidence is obtained. Incomplete explanations for the phenomenon have impeded the development of effective debiasing procedures or tools to support decision making in this area. In this research, we show that the main reason behind these judgment errors is the causal representation induced by the problem context. In two experiments we demonstrate that people often possess the appropriate decision rules but are unable to apply them correctly because they have an ineffective causal mental representation. We also show how this mental representation may be modified when a graph is used instead of a problem narrative. This new understanding should contribute to the design of better decision aids to overcome this bias.
The Contribution of Information Technology to Consumer Welfare
Authors: Brynjolfsson Erik
Published: October 2008

Over the past two decades, American businesses have invested heavily in information technology (IT) hardware. Managers often buy IT to enhance customer value in ways that are poorly measured by conventional output statistics. Furthermore, because of competition, firms may be unable to capture the full benefits of the value they create. This undermines researchers' attempts to determine IT value by estimating its contribution to industry productivity or to company profits and revenues. An alternative approach estimates the consumers' surplus from IT investments by integrating the area under the demand curve for IT. This methodology does not directly address the question of whether managers and consumers are purchasing the optimal quantity of IT, but rather assumes their revealed willingness-to-pay for IT accurately reflects their valuations. Using data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, we estimate four measures of consumers' surplus, including Marshallian surplus, Exact surplus based on compensated (Hicksian) demand curves, a “nonparametric” estimate, and a value based on the theory of index numbers. Interestingly, all four estimates indicate that in our base year of 1987, IT spending generated approximately $50 billion to $70 billion in net value in the United States and increased economic growth by about 0.3% per year. According to our estimates, which are likely to be conservative, IT investments generate approximately three times their cost in value for consumers.
Pricing Computer Services Under Alternative Control Structures: Tradeoffs and Trends
Authors: Dewan Sanjeev
Published: October 2008

This paper extends the analysis of the long-run pricing and capacity decision problem for shared computer services by Dewan and Mendelson (1990) and makes two further contributions. First, we show that simple marginal capacity cost pricing is often optimal in the absence of private user information, and it outperforms cost recovery and profit center pricing methods. Second, we provide insights into the implications of declining computing costs on the tradeoff between capacity costs and user time. In equilibrium, expected user delay costs are bounded by capacity costs due to the substitution of cheaper information processing capacity for valuable user time.
On Data Representation and Use in a Temporal Relational DBMS
Authors: Clifford James , Croker Albert , Tuzhilin Alexander
Published: October 2008

Numerous proposals for extending the relational data model to incorporate the temporal dimension of data have appeared over the past decade. It has long been known that these proposals have adopted one of two basic approaches to the incorporation of time into the extended relational model. Recent work formally contrasted the expressive power of these two approaches, termed temporally ungrouped and temporally grouped, and demonstrated that the temporally grouped models are more expressive. In the temporally ungrouped models, the temporal dimension is added through the addition of some number of distinguished attributes to the schema of each relation, and each tuple is “stamped” with temporal values for these attributes. By contrast, in temporally grouped models the temporal dimension is added to the types of values that serve as the domain of each ordinary attribute, and the application's schema is left intact. The recent appearance of TSQL2, a temporal extension to the SQL-92 standard based upon the temporally ungrouped paradigm, means that it is likely that commercial DBMS's will be extended to support time in this weaker way. Thus the distinction between these two approaches—and its impact on the day-to-day user of a DBMS—is of increasing relevance to the database practitioner and the database user community. In this paper we address this issue from the practical perspective of such a user. Through a series of example queries and updates, we illustrate the differences between these two approaches and demonstrate that the temporally grouped approach more adequately captures the semantics of historical data.
The Use and Effects of Knowledge-Based System Explanations: Theoretical Foundations and a Framework for Empirical Evaluation
Authors: Dhaliwal Jasbir S. , Benbasat Izak
Published: October 2008

Ever since MYCIN introduced the idea of computer-based explanations to the artificial intelligence community, it has come to be taken for granted that all knowledge-based systems (KBS) need to provide explanations. While this widely-held belief has led to much research on the generation and implementation of various kinds of explanations, there has been no theoretical basis to justify the use of explanations by KBS users. This paper discusses the role of KBS explanations to provide an understanding of both the specific factors that influence explanation use and the consequences of such use.

The first part of the paper proposes a model based on cognitive learning theories to identify the reasons for the provision of KBS explanations from the perspective of facilitating user learning. Using the feedforward and feedback operators of cognitive learning the paper develops strategies for providing KBS explanations and classifies the various types of explanations found in current KBS applications.

This second part of the paper presents a two-part framework to investigate empirically the use of KBS explanations. The first part of the framework focuses on the potential factors that influence the explanation seeking behavior of KBS users, including user expertise, the types of explanations provided and the level of user agreement with the KBS. The second part of the framework explores the potential effects of the use of KBS explanations and specifically considers four distinct categories of potential effects: explanation use behavior, learning, perceptions, and judgmental decision making.
Providing Design Assistance: A Case-Based Approach
Authors: Sinha Atish P. , May Jerrold H.
Published: October 2008

This paper presents an integrated and comprehensive framework for decision support. A model integrating case-based reasoning with constraint posting and multicriteria decision making is proposed for providing effective and efficient assistance in solving routine design problems. The model is developed based on an analysis of the knowledge acquired from experts in engineering design, and is subsequently operationalized as a computer-based design assistant called IDEA. IDEA employs constraint posting to initially bound the design space and to maintain consistency of the design solutions. Case-based reasoning allows IDEA to generate new designs by retrieving, adapting, and composing from similar cases in memory. Finally, IDEA optimizes multiple objectives to identify a set of pareto-optimal designs. By organizing computer memory as a collection of cases and case snippets, and by adapting and synthesizing those cases and snippets—using techniques similar to those employed by design experts—IDEA provides valuable design assistance. In addition to providing a framework for decision support, the research makes specific contributions to case-based design. It shows how case snippets can be retrieved, adapted, and synthesized to generate multiple design solutions, whose consistency is enforced through a dynamic constraint management mechanism. The concepts and techniques developed for performing dynamic adaptation (adaptation during composition from case snippets) and for maintaining an evolving solution space (a solution space that shrinks and expands over time) contribute to the state-of-the-art in case-based design.
Research Commentary: Diversity in Information Systems Research: Threat, Promise, and Responsibility
Authors: Robey Daniel
Published: October 2008

This paper confirms the evidence of diversity in information systems (IS) research and identifies the ways in which diversity both threatens and advances the field of IS. While advocating diversity within the field of IS, the paper also discusses the responsibilities that must be assumed by IS researchers. Responsibilities include a “disciplined methodological pluralism” (Landry and Banville [Landry, M., C. Banville. 1992. A disciplined methodological pluralism for MIS research. Accounting, Management and Inform. Technologies 2(2, April–June) 77–97.) in which researchers clearly justify their research aims, theories, and methods. Responsibilities also include researchers’ commitment to collaborative ideals.
Facilitation, GSS, and Training as Sources of Process Restrictiveness and Guidance for Structured Group Decision Making: An Empirical Assessment
Authors: Wheeler Bradley C. , Valacich Joseph S.
Published: October 2008

Structured decision techniques have been a mainstay of prescriptive decision theory for decades. Group Support Systems (GSSs) automate many of the features found in decision techniques, yet groups often choose to ignore both the technique and the technology in favor of more familiar decision processes. This research empirically tests propositions and hypotheses for a specific instantiation of Adaptive Structuration Theory. A controlled laboratory experiment tests the ability of three appropriation mediators (e.g., facilitation, GSS configuration, and training) to directively affect group decision making through guidance and restrictiveness. The experiment used a hidden-profile task and structured decision technique which directed group members to reach a decision by identifying the problem, choosing criteria, and selecting a solution. The results supported the proposition that appropriation mediators can increase the faithful use of structured decision techniques and that faithful use can improve decision quality.
The Relationship of Information System Training Methods and Cognitive Ability to End-User Satisfaction, Comprehension, and Skill Transfer: A Longitudinal Field Study
Authors: Simon Steven J. , Grover Varun , Teng James T. C. , Whitcomb Kathleen
Published: October 2008

This study compares traditional and nontraditional training techniques with regard to computer related training. Its purpose was to determine which training methods could best be utilized in computer related training to maximize a trainee's retention of material and transfer of learning. A field experiment was conducted using two hundred members of active duty U.S. Naval Construction Battalion as subjects. Evaluation of trainees included a pre-training screening, post-training evaluation (immediately after training), and a follow-up session (four weeks after the post-training session) utilizing previously validated instruments. Training treatments included instruction (lecture), exploration (independent study), and a nontraditional technique—behavior modeling (an enhanced combination of the other two methods). Performance outcomes were operationalized using hands-on task performance and comprehension of the computer system as dependent variables. End-user satisfaction with the computer system was also measured. Two covariates, cognitive ability and system use, were also introduced into the study. The use of hands-on training methods, especially behavior modeling, resulted in superior retention of knowledge, transfer of learning, and end-user satisfaction. Cognitive ability failed to be a good predictor of trainee success but a connection was established between training methodology, system use, and end-user satisfaction.
Strategic Choices in the Development of Interorganizational Information Systems
Authors: Choudhury Vivek
Published: October 2008

This paper discusses two critical strategic choices that a firm must make in developing interorganizational information systems (IOISs)—what kind(s) of IOIS(s) to develop, and how to develop the IOIS(s). With respect to the kinds of IOISs, it proposes a typology of three different types of IOISs: electronic monopolies, electronic dyads, and multilateral IOISs. With respect to development approach, a firm can develop an IOIS competitively or cooperatively. Based on a case study of the development of IOISs in the aircraft parts industry, two sets of transaction characteristics—demand uncertainty and market variability—were found to influence the choice of IOISs. Two factors—strategic significance of the IOIS, and size and bargaining power of the firm—were found to influence the choice of development approach. The observations from the case study are used to develop a set of propositions about when a firm will choose a particular IOIS and whether a cooperative or a competitive approach will be used.
Why Is Programming (Sometimes) So Difficult? Programming as Scientific Discovery in Multiple Problem Spaces
Authors: Kim Jinwoo , Lerch F. Javier
Published: October 2008

Our theoretical framework views programming as search in three problem spaces: rule, instance, and representation. The main objectives of this study are to find out how programmers change representation while working in multiple problem spaces, and how representation change increases the difficulty of programming tasks. Our theory of programming indicates that programming is similar to the way scientists discover and test theories. That is, programmers generate hypotheses in the rule space and test these hypotheses in the instance space. Moreover, programmers change their representations in the representation space when rule development becomes too difficult or alternative representations are available. We conducted three empirical studies with different programming tasks: writing a new program, understanding an existing program, and reusing an old program. Our results indicate that considerable cognitive difficulties stem from the need to change representations in these tasks. We conclude by discussing the implications of viewing programming as a scientific discovery for the design of programming environments and training methods.
Examining the Emergence of Hybrid IS Governance Solutions: Evidence From a Single Case Site
Authors: Brown Carol V.
Published: October 2008

The prior IS literature points to the importance of organizational context for predicting a firm’s IS governance solution. However, for the most part this literature assumes that firms adopt a uniform IS governance solution for all business units and that this solution can be predicted by context variables at the overall organization level. The purpose of this study is to increase our knowledge about why firms implement a hybrid IS governance solution in which a subset of IS functions that includes systems development is decentralized to some business units, but not to other business units, in the same enterprise. A theoretical framework of context variables at the business unit level is first developed. An embedded, single case study provides an initial test of eight propositions derived from the framework, as well as an opportunity for theory building. Data are collected utilizing both deductive and inductive methods from IS and non-IS executives of a divisionalized Fortune 500 firm in which a uniform decentralized solution for systems development in place for almost a decade has recently been replaced by a hybrid solution. The case study findings suggest that a configuration of four variables characterizes a business unit context conducive to decentralized systems development governance (organic decision-making, high business unit autonomy, a differentiation competitive strategy, and an unstable industry environment). As predicted, however, the influence of these variables is likely to be overridden and a “deviant” solution adopted when deficiencies in IT capabilities are perceived and there is a culture that supports structural change at the business unit level. Additional interview and survey data collected from the key stakeholders are then analyzed in order to develop a richer understanding of the dimensions of the IT capabilities construct at the business unit level. The notion of absorptive capacity provides a theoretical argument for the emergent findings. Implications for researching today's increasingly complex IS governance forms are then drawn.
Business Strategic Orientation, Information Systems Strategic Orientation, and Strategic Alignment
Authors: Chan Yolande E. , Huff Sid L. , Barclay Donald W. , Copeland Duncan G.
Published: October 2008

Information systems strategic alignment—the fit between business strategic orientation and information systems (IS) strategic orientation—is an important concept. This study measured business strategic orientation, IS strategic orientation, and IS strategic alignment, and investigated their implications for perceived IS effectiveness and business performance. Analyses of data gathered in a mail survey of North American financial services and manufacturing firms indicated that 1) business strategic orientation, IS strategic orientation, and IS strategic alignment are modeled best by utilizing holistic, ‘systems’ approaches instead of dimension-specific, ‘bivariate’ approaches, 2) three generic IS strategic orientations can be detected, 3) user information satisfaction does not capture important strategic aspects of IS effectiveness, 4) IS strategic alignment is a better predictor of IS effectiveness than is strategic orientation, and 5) business strategic orientation, IS strategic alignment, and IS effectiveness have positive impacts on business performance.
Portfolios of Control Modes and IS Project Management
Authors: Kirsch Laurie S.
Published: October 2008

In spite of the attention it has received, there is still much that is not understood about the management of systems development efforts. This research examines one aspect of the management process: the function of control. In this paper, control is viewed broadly, encompassing all attempts to ensure individuals in organizations act in a manner that is consistent with meeting organizational goals and objectives. Control is categorized into formal modes (behavioral, outcome) and informal modes (clan, self). Formal and informal control modes are implemented via a variety of mechanisms, such as linking pay with performance, socialization, and team-building. Relatively little is known about the modes of control used to manage information systems development efforts. The objective of this research is to address this lack of understanding in the literature by exploring how control modes are implemented during systems development projects and by investigating why IS and user stakeholders implement particular combinations of control modes. To meet this objective, a series of four case studies of systems development projects was conducted. The results reveal that users, as well as IS managers, play a critical role in controlling systems development projects. Moreover, the results suggest that all stakeholders implement a portfolio of control modes that typically includes both formal and informal modes. This portfolio contains a mix of overlapping and redundant mechanisms used to exercise these modes of control. The results also suggest that constructing a portfolio of control modes is a process that includes selecting appropriate preexisting mechanisms of formal control; designing new mechanisms with which to implement formal control, if necessary; and supplementing the mechanisms of formal control with mechanisms of informal control. Throughout this process of construction, the choice of particular control mechanisms depends on task characteristics, role expectations, and project-related knowledge and skills.
An Empirical Study of Computer System Learning: Comparison of Co-Discovery and Self-Discovery Methods
Authors: Lim Kai H. , Ward Lawrence M. , Benbasat Izak
Published: October 2008

This paper reports a study that examined two types of exploratory computer learning methods: self-discovery vs. co-discovery, the latter of which involves two users working together to learn a system. An experiment was conducted to compare these two methods and the results were interpreted within a mental model framework. Co-discovery subjects were better than self-discovery subjects at making inferences about the capability and extended functions of the system. Furthermore, while working by themselves after an initial period of learning, they performed better in a similar, though more complex task than the one they encountered at the learning phase. Process tracing analysis showed that self-discovery subjects focused more on surface structures, such as detailed physical actions, for implementing the task. On the other hand, co-discovery groups focused more on relating lower level actions to higher level goals. Therefore, co-discovery subjects had a better understanding of the relationships between the physical actions and goals, and hence formed mental models with higher inference potential than self-discovery subjects.
An Economic Analysis of the Introduction of an Electronic Data Interchange System
Authors: Barua Anitesh , Lee Byungtae
Published: October 2008

Although electronic data interchange (EDI) holds the promise of significantly increasing the efficiency of business transactions, an installed base of proprietary implementations has been detrimental to the widespread acceptance of the technology. Thus, an important research issue involves strategies for facilitating EDI adoption. We analyze the introduction of an EDI system in a vertical market involving one manufacturer and two suppliers. The manufacturer initiates an EDI network, and penalizes a supplier for not joining the system by reducing its volume of business with the supplier. Along with a “stick,” the manufacturer can also use a “carrot” in the form of a subsidy to partially offset a supplier's setup cost.

The competition between the suppliers is characterized by incentive types for joining the EDI system (“motivating” or “threatening”) and the Information Technology (IT) efficiency (“efficient” or “inefficient”). We show that regardless of its cost structure, a supplier may have to join the EDI network out of “strategic necessity,” due to the presence of an IT-efficient supplier. Our analysis further shows that depending on the supplier competition structure, the EDI system may prove to be a “beneficial” strategic necessity for a large supplier and an “unfortunate” strategic necessity for a small supplier. Another key result is that by increasing the severity of the penalty, both the manufacturer and the follower supplier can be worse off under certain conditions. The analysis of subsidy strategies reveals that unless leadership and followership positions are reversed due to a subsidy, subsidizing a supplier has no impact on the joining time of its competitor. Thus the EDI initiator cannot induce both suppliers to join earlier by subsidizing one supplier. Also, the larger the slack capacity of the leader, the higher (lower) the manufacturer's incentive to subsidize the leader (follower). These results offer insights for initiators and adopters regarding penalty and subsidy strategies, impact on competition structure, joining decisions and network growth.
Facilitator Influence in Group Support Systems: Intended and Unintended Effects
Authors: Griffith Terri L. , Fuller Mark A. , Northcraft Gregory B.
Published: October 2008

This paper addresses facilitation, a developing area of Group Support Systems (GSS) research. The facilitator role is one of improving a group's communication and information flow; facilitators are meant to enhance the manner in which a group makes decisions without making those decisions for the group. However, there is a paradox in facilitation: The influence required to facilitate a group changes the group's outcomes. Additionally, strict impartiality for facilitation may be too much to expect because facilitators may unintentionally bias group outcomes, or because facilitators may have their own agendas. Acknowledgment, training, and standards for facilitators may prove useful ways for groups to retain the benefits of facilitation without incurring the costs of inappropriate facilitator influence. Implications are drawn for new research acknowledging the complexity of the GSS sociotechnical system, and the importance of sociotechnical facilitation in organizations.
The Impact of Information Technology Investments on Firm Performance and Evaluation: Evidence from Newly Industrialized Economies
Authors: Tam Kar Yan
Published: October 2008

The impact of information technology (IT) investments on firm performance has been the subject of active research in recent years. However, findings of almost all studies are based on data collected in the United States. Little work has been done elsewhere to validate these results and to see if they are applicable across national boundaries. In this study, we fill this gap by comparing four newly-industrialized economies (NIEs) with regard to the impact of IT capital on business performance. Secondary data collected from various sources are used to assess the impact over the period from 1983 to 1991. Findings based on four business measures and a market valuation model based on Tobin's q are reported. While the current results are consistent with work done in the United States in general, discrepancies among the four NIEs are observed. Combined with findings from previous work, three pieces of evidence seem to emerge that are generally observed across country boundaries. First, IT investment is not correlated with shareholder's return. Second, there is little evidence that the level of computerization is valued by the market in developed and newly-developed countries. Third, there is no consistent measurement of IT investment as indicated by the mixed results across different performance ratios. Modeling and measurement concerns expressed in previous U.S.-based studies are also observed in our comparative study. Our findings provide a starting point to accumulate a body of comparative studies for the development of a theory that links IT investment, firm performance, and macro factors such as national technology policy in an integrated framework.
Using Geographical Information Systems for Decision Making: Extending Cognitive Fit Theory to Map-Based Presentations
Authors: Dennis Alan R. , Carte Traci A.
Published: October 2008

As the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) by business becomes more common, we need to better understand when these systems are and are not useful. This research uses a laboratory experiment to extend cognitive fit theory (Vessey 1991) to geographic tasks performed using either map-based presentations or tabular presentations. The experiment found that decision makers using a map-based presentation made faster and more accurate decisions when working on a geographic task in which there were adjacency relationships among the geographic areas. Decision makers using a map-based presentation made faster but less accurate decisions when working on a geographic task in which there were no relationships among the geographic areas.
Firm Characteristics and Investments in Information Technology: Scale and Scope Effects
Authors: Dewan Sanjeev , Michael Steven C. , Min Chung-ki
Published: October 2008

This paper conducts an empirical analysis of the link between the scale and scope of the firm and information technology (IT) investments, emphasizing the role of IT in coordination and control. We extend the economic production function framework to include variables related to the boundaries of the firm, including related and unrelated diversification, vertical integration and growth options, and we estimate the resulting model on a data set based on annual surveys of IT spending by large U.S. firms, conducted by Computerworld during the period 1988–1992. Our results suggest that the level of IT investment is positively related to the degree of firm diversification, perhaps reflecting the greater need for coordination of assets within diversified firms. We further find that related diversification demands greater IT investment than unrelated diversification. Firms that are less vertically integrated have a higher level of IT investment. Finally, firms with fewer growth options in their investment opportunity set tend to have a higher IT investment, consistent with an agency perspective which predicts excessive IT investment by managers with “free” cash flow. Put together, these empirical relations between IT investments and firm characteristics help us better understand the role of IT in coordination and control and the choices firms make in information systems and strategy.
Automating the Discovery of AS-IS Business Process Models: Probabilistic and Algorithmic Approaches
Authors: Datta Anindya
Published: October 2008

In the current corporate environment, business organizations have to reengineer their processes to ensure that process performance efficiencies are increased. This goal has lead to a recent surge of work on Business Process Reengineering (BPR) and Workflow Management. While a number of excellent papers have appeared on these topics, all of this work assumes that existing (AS-IS) processes are known. However, as is also widely acknowledged, coming up with AS-IS process models is a nontrivial task, that is currently practiced in a very ad-hoc fashion. With this motivation, in this paper, we postulate a number of algorithms to discover, i.e., come up with models of, AS-IS business processes. Such methods have been implemented as tools which can automatically extract AS-IS process models. To the best of our knowledge, no such work exists in the BPR and workflow domain. We back up our theoretical work with a case study that illustrates the applicability of these methods to large real-world problems. We draw on previous work on process modeling and grammar discovery. This work is a requisite first step in any reengineering endeavor. Our methods, if adopted, have the potential to severely reduce organizational costs of process redesign.
Leveraging the Global Information Revolution for Economic Development: Singapore's Evolving Information Industry Strategy
Authors: Wong Poh-Kam
Published: October 2008

Despite her small size and late industrialization, Singapore has managed to capture a significant share of the global information industry over the last three decades. This paper analyzed the structure and growth dynamics of Singapore's information industries using an analytical framework that integrates the four key components of an information economy: ICT goods industry, content industry, network infrastructure, and informatization. The paper identifies four generic stages in the development path of Singapore's information economy and highlights policy implications for other small, open economies.
An Information Company in Mexico: Extending the Resource-Based View of the Firm to a Developing Country Context
Authors: Jarvenpaa Sirkka L. , Leidner Dorothy E.
Published: October 2008

The information industry assumes that information is seen as a valued resource that enables organizations and individuals to improve their effectiveness, efficiency, and overall competitiveness. For the information industry to bridge rather than divide further the global economy to information rich and information poor, we need to understand how firms, particularly local firms, can pioneer or participate in the information industry in emerging economies that do not inherently embrace information as a valued business resource. This research examines how one local firm shaped the external environment to pioneer a local information industry in Mexico and how it competes in a newly opened local market against foreign competitors. In doing so, the paper extends the resource-based view of the firm to a developing country context. The dynamic capabilities of strategic foresight and flexibility, coupled with a core competency of trustworthiness, are found to be critical in effecting internal and external change in an unstable environment.
International Software Piracy: Analysis of Key Issues and Impacts
Authors: Gopal Ram D. , Sanders G. Lawrence
Published: October 2008

The pervasiveness of software piracy throughout the world is having a profound effect on the software publishing industry and the development of digital intellectual properties and technologies—especially in developing countries, where the piracy rates are extremely high. An economic model is first presented that incorporates the incentive structures for governments, software publishers, and individual consumers. The analytical model provides the economic rationale for the reluctance of a number of governments to aggressively enact and enforce intellectual property rights. An important proposition derived from the analysis states that the government's incentive to enact and enforce copyright laws are closely related to the size of the domestic software industry. The ensuing empirical study provides support for the proposition and further suggests that this relationship holds regardless of the income levels of the countries. Our analysis reveals that alliances between foreign and domestic software publishers through product relationships can be mutually beneficial and will provide an environment of increased copyright enforcement. These results provide a viable strategy to combat global software piracy. With strong policies on copyright enforcement, and a vigorous promotion of alliances between foreign and domestic publishers, a government can increase the net welfare of the country and help establish a strong domestic software industry. Through product relationships with domestic publishers, a foreign publisher can improve profits and operate in an environment of increased intellectual property protection. We then present a general model of ethical behavior related to the impact of behavioral and cultural factors on software piracy. The purpose of this model is to examine whether these determinants of piracy behavior are supranational and transcend cultural and ethical barriers. An empirical study involving U.S. and Indian graduate students suggests that the general model of ethics as related to software piracy is valid in the United States. However, the model results from the Indian sample suggest that additional cross-cultural research with revised models and improved scales is necessary.
Computer Industry Executives: An Analysis of the New Barons' Compensation
Authors: Talmor Eli , Wallace James S.
Published: October 2008

In this paper we study the compensation determinants for CEOs in the computer industry and compare these findings with a large sample of firms from other manufacturing and service industries. We examine whether superior performance is rewarded by higher levels of compensation and find cash-based compensation, such as salary and bonus, is influenced by performance. Depending on the growth prospects of the company, pay is tied either to accounting measures of performance or to stock return. In contrast, stock-based compensation, such as options and restricted stock awards, is not reflective of performance but depends upon the firm's growth. Two other interesting findings are that the prevalent use of stock-based compensation in the computer industry does not appear to be the result of computer firms being “cash starved.” In addition, stock-based compensation does not appear to lead to larger executive stock ownership, as is widely believed.
News: A Decision-Oriented Model for New Product Analysis and Forecasting
Authors: Pringle Lewis G. , Wilson R. Dale , Brody Edward I.
Published: October 2008

Modeling efforts in the area of new product introductions have had a significant impact on marketing planning and strategy. One result of these efforts, BBDO's New Product Early Warning System (NEWS), has been used since the late 1960s to provide marketing managers with forecasts and diagnostic information regarding their new product strategies. This article presents the specification of the NEWS model, its parameter estimation methods, and its validation. A brief case history is also included which illustrates how the model is applied in a typical new product situation.

NEWS is designed to use a variety of readily obtainable input data to generate forecasts of consumer awareness, trial, repeat purchase, usage, sales, and market share for a new brand. These outputs, combined with diagnostics from the model, can then be incorporated into the marketing plan in a way that will improve the new entry's chances of success in the marketplace. The model can be used to project early test market data (NEWS/Market); or it can be used to analyze pre-test market data (NEWS/Planner).
A Marketing Decision Support System for Retailers
Authors: Lodish Leonard M.
Published: October 2008

A decision support system for planning marketing strategies and allocating resources for a multi-store retailer is described. This decision support system combines well-known model building and analysis methodology, sophisticated computer software, and attention to management's implementation needs in order to apply management science thinking to messy, high level strategy and forecasting problems. The system consists of a planning model, national campaign evaluation system, experimental analysis system, and an ongoing interactive data base and reporting system. The planning model was first implemented with subjective judgment as input. The rest of the system was then refined to aid management in improving their subjective judgments, and for tracking and control. The marketing mix for total and business entity (groups of departments) sales is presently being planned with the support of this system. Profit improvements have been identified and implemented.
The Marketing Mix Decision Under Uncertainty
Authors: Jagpal Harsharanjeet S. , Brick Ivan E.
Published: October 2008

This paper develops a marketing mix model under uncertainty using the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) valuation framework. The model is general because it treats price, advertising and personal selling simultaneously, and allows for general patterns of uncertainty. Because the manager often lacks precise quantitative information about the sales response function, the analysis focuses on the qualitative properties of the model. The methodology of comparative statics is used to determine how the marketing mix should be modified when market conditions change. Specifically, the comparative statics are shown to depend on how advertising and personal selling influence price-sensitivity, the interaction between advertising and personal selling and the relationship between sales and the return earned in the capital markets. The comparative statics for risk depend, in addition, on the precise mathematical form with which uncertainty enters the random demand function (i.e., additive, multiplicative or generalized). For example, suppose demand uncertainty increases in the additive case and sales covary positively with the return of the market portfolio. Then, if advertising and personal selling are complementary, advertising decreases if increased advertising and increased personal selling decreases price-sensitivity. However, if advertising and personal selling are substitutes, then advertising decreases if increased advertising decreases price-sensitivity but increased personal selling increases price-sensitivity.
Application, Predictive Test, and Strategy Implications for a Dynamic Model of Consumer Response
Authors: Hauser John R. , Wisniewski Kenneth J.
Published: October 2008

This paper describes and evaluates the application of a dynamic stochastic model of consumer response. The model describes, then forecasts, how consumers respond to a new transportation service and to the marketing strategies used during its introduction. The model is estimated on survey data during the first 11 weeks of service. Forecasts over the next 19 weeks are then compared to actual ridership as measured by dispatch records.

The model is simple. At any point in time, consumers are described by a set of “behavioral states”, indicating (1) whether they are aware of the new service (DART) and (2) what mode of transportation was used for their last trip. Behavior is described by movement among behavioral states. E.G., If a car user tries DART, he makes a transition from ‘car used for last trip’ to ‘DART used for last trip’. The transition probabilities and the rate of transition are dependent on marketing strategies (direct mail, publicity), word of mouth, consumer perceptions, availability of a mode, and budget allocation to transportation.

The advantages and disadvantages of the model and the measurements are discussed with respect to predictive ability and managerial utility.
A Model for the Analysis of Asymmetric Data in Marketing Research
Authors: Harshman Richard A. , Green Paul E. , Wind Yoram , Lundy Margaret E.
Published: October 2008

Over the last decade, numerous methods for the multidimensional scaling (MDS) of perceptions and preferences have been applied by researchers in marketing. However, one notable gap in MDS methodology has been the lack of suitable models for analyzing inherently asymmetric data relationships. Recently, Harshman (Harshman, R. A. 1978. Models for analysis of asymmetrical relationships among N objects or stimuli. Paper presented at the First Joint Meeting of the Psychometric Society and the Society for Mathematical Psychology. McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, August; Harshman, R. A. 1982a. DEDICOM: A family of models generalizing factor analysis and multidimensional scaling for decomposition of asymmetric relationships. Unpublished manuscript, University of Western Ontario.) has proposed a new family of models—called DEDICOM (DEcomposition into Directional COMponents)—for analyzing data matrices that are intrinsically asymmetric.

In this article, the single-domain DEDICOM model is described and applied to two illustrative cases in marketing research. The examples demonstrate that DEDICOM solutions will sometimes make more substantive sense and provide significantly better fits to asymmetric data than solutions obtained by factor analysis or MDS. DEDICOM also provides a novel type of information—a description of asymmetric relations among dimensions or clusters. Such information will often have useful marketing implications.
On the Reliability and Predictive Validity of Purchase Intention Measures
Authors: Kalwani Manohar U. , Silk Alvin J.
Published: October 2008

This paper reports some further analyses and applications of Morrison's model of the predictive relationship between measures of intentions and subsequent purchasing behavior. A review of published studies bearing on the threats to predictive validity of intention scales represented in Morrison's model is presented. Findings from a test-retest study of intention ratings for concept stimuli are shown to be consistent with the levels of reliability expected under the model's assumptions of beta binomial distributed scores. Evidence of the predictive validity of intention measures is found in a re-analysis of several sets of relevant data but a different form of predictive relationship is shown to hold for generic durable goods as compared to branded packaged goods. Whereas a linear relationship is supported in the case of durable goods, the presence of a threshold phenomenon in the branded packaged goods data suggests the use of a piecewise linear model. There is reason to believe that the nature and sources of systematic error present in intentions ratings are different for these two types of purchases.