Showing papers in "Communications of The Ais in 2012"

The Evolution of Social Commerce: The People, Management, Technology, and Information Dimensions

Abstract: Social commerce is a form of commerce mediated by social media and is converging both online and offline environments As a relatively new phenomenon, social commerce has evolved quickly in practice, yet has gained little attention in the IS discipline With its pervasiveness in businesses and people’s lives, social commerce presents ample research opportunities that can have both theoretical and practical significance and implications This article aims to capture researchers’ attention by describing the characteristics of social commerce and its potential future directions We trace the evolutionary patterns of social commerce chronologically, based on trade articles and academic publications from 2005 to 2011 A framework that combines people, management, technology, and information dimensions is used to provide a systematic analysis of social commerce development Our examination shows that since 2005, the year the term social commerce was incepted, assumptions and understanding of people in social commerce move from a simple and general description of human social nature to a rich exploration with different angles from social psychology, social heuristics, national culture, and economic situations On the management dimension, business strategies and models evolve from the short-tail to long-tail thinking, with invented concepts such as branded social networks/communities, niche social networks/communities, niche brands, co-creating, team-buying, and multichannel social networks Technologically, IT platforms and capabilities for social commerce evolve from blogs, to social networking sites, to mediasharing sites, and to smartphones While Facebook becomes a profit-generating platform, creating the notion of f-commerce, Google and Twitter become strong competitors with great potentials Information in social commerce evolves from peer-generated, to community-generated (crowdsourcing), to consumer and marketer co-created, and to global crowdsourced Our examination identifies various conceptualizations, terminologies, views, and perspectives about social commerce and its relation to other wellknown concepts such as e-commerce In light of the evolution of social commerce, we provide possible future directions for research and practice

A Descriptive Literature Review and Classification of Cloud Computing Research

Abstract: We present a descriptive literature review and classification scheme for cloud computing research. This includes 205 refereed journal articles published since the inception of cloud computing research. The articles are classified based on a scheme that consists of four main categories: technological issues, business issues, domains and applications, and conceptualising cloud computing. The results show that although current research is still skewed towards technological issues, new research themes regarding social and organisational implications are emerging. This review provides a reference source and classification scheme for IS researchers interested in cloud computing, and to indicate under-researched areas as well as future directions.

Learners' Perspective on Critical Factors to LMS Success in Blended Learning: An Empirical Investigation

Abstract: The use of Learning Management System (LMS) in academic institutions is becoming an imperative for many institutions. The success of LMS in academic institutions may be initiated by instructors’ adoption; however, LMS survives in the long run by learners’ continuous adoption and use. Consequently, the objective of this article is to examine the critical factors that influence the success of LMS in blended learning in terms of actual usage, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user satisfaction from the learners’ perspective. The study also examines how these success measures impact learners’ continuous intention to use LMS in blended learning. These critical factors are related to the major entities of LMS adoption: learner characteristics (computer anxiety, technology experience, self-efficacy, and personal innovativeness), instructor characteristics (attitude, teaching style, control, and responsiveness), LMS characteristics (system quality, information quality, and service quality), classmates characteristics (attitude and interaction), course characteristics (quality and flexibility), and organization characteristics (management support and training). Based on 512 learners, the results showed that all of these factors are critical to one or several success measures, except for learner self-efficacy, instructor online responsiveness, and management support. The results also showed that all success measures are critical to learners’ continuous intention to use LMS in blended learning.

What IS Can Do for Environmental Sustainability: A Report from CAiSE’11 Panel on Green and Sustainable IS

Abstract: The panel on Green and Sustainable Information Systems at the 21st International Conference on Information Systems Engineering (CAiSE’11), held in London in June 2011, was intended to discuss issues in Environmental Sustainability and Information Systems within the Information Systems Engineering research community. Information systems, which have become pervasive and hence impact on most aspects of human activity, can help to reduce the negative impact of human activities on the environment in two main areas.

Enterprise Systems and Organizational Agility: A Review of the Literature and Conceptual Framework

Abstract: The impact of enterprise systems (ES) on organizational agility (OA) is an under-researched area. Given that most organizations are heavily investing on ES infrastructure and the increasing demand for agility, the lack of research on ES and OA is a critical oversight. This article reviews previous literature on information systems in general and ES in particular and organizational agility. The article offers a comprehensive and deepened perspective toward the existing discourses on ES-enabled organizational agility. Using insights from the dynamic capability theory, we propose a conceptual framework that highlights how organizations can exploit ESs to improve their agility in two significant ways―by creating and constantly developing an ES-enabled sensing and responding capability. We also argue that the quality of the ES competence provides the necessary technical and business platform for deploying and exploiting ES in building and rebuilding sensing and responding capabilities. The proposed framework sheds light on three important missing factors in the realm of IT-enabled organizational agility, namely ES competency, the alignment between ES-enabled sensing and responding capability, and environmental dynamism. Our theorizing makes an original contribution to ES and IS research by extending previous works of IT-enabled organizational agility by introducing the three constructs previously mentioned

Understanding the Intrinsic Motivations of User Acceptance of Hedonic Information Systems: Towards a Unified Research Model

Abstract: Although user acceptance of entertainment-oriented information systems (IS), which are called Hedonic IS (HIS), has drawn considerable attention in literature, our understanding of user acceptance of HIS is still limited. This article focuses on exploring the intrinsic motivations of HIS acceptance from a unique perspective. It proposes a hybrid HIS acceptance model that considers the unique characteristics of HIS and the multiple conceptual identities of an HIS user. The model integrates intrinsic motivation factors from Hedonic theory, Flow theory, and the PAD (Pleasure, Arousal, and Dominance) emotion model with the Technology Acceptance Model. The proposed hybrid HIS acceptance model has been empirically tested by a quantitative field survey. The results indicate that emotional responses, imaginal responses, and flow experience are three main predictors of HIS acceptance.

A Research Review on Building Information Modeling in Construction―An Area Ripe for IS Research

Abstract: Published version of article of an article in the journal: Communications of the Association for Information Systems. Also available from the publisher : http://http://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol31/iss1/10/

Pilot Implementation: Learning from Field Tests in IS Development

Abstract: A recurrent problem in information-systems development (ISD) is that many design shortcomings are not detected during development, but first after the system has been delivered and implemented in its intended environment. Pilot implementations appear to promise a way to extend prototyping from the laboratory to the field, thereby allowing users to experience a system design under realistic conditions and developers to get feedback from realistic use while the design is still malleable. We characterize pilot implementation, contrast it with prototyping, propose a five-element model of pilot implementation, and provide three empirical illustrations of our model. We conclude that pilot implementation has much merit as an ISD technique when system performance is contingent on context. But we also warn developers that, despite their seductive conceptual simplicity, pilot implementations can be difficult to plan and conduct. It is sometimes assumed that pilot implementations are less complicated and risky than ordinary implementations. Pilot implementations are, however, neither prototyping nor small-scale versions of full-scale implementations; they are fundamentally different and have their own challenges, which will be enumerated and discussed in this article.

Determinants of Information Systems and Information Technology Project Team Success: A Literature Review and a Conceptual Model

Abstract: During the past years, increasingly more project managers started to recognize that human factors, in particular those related to project team success, are critical for overall project success. Hence, the scientific investigation of this topic has gained momentum. However, a review of the Information Systems and Information Technology (IST) literature on the determinants of project team success reveals that there has been limited research on this topic. Bearing this research gap in mind, it is reasonable to argue that IST theorizing can substantially benefit from new insights from other scientific disciplines in which studies on team effectiveness and project team success are already available. Therefore, the present article reviews and integrates the literature published in other disciplines in order to develop a conceptual model, which provides insights into the determinants of IST project team success. Moreover, a first empirical assessment based on interview data collected from sixteen project experts shows the utility of the model. Consequently, the contribution of the present article is twofold: First, we present a conceptual model applicable to IST project teams. Second, the theoretical insights addressed are useful for project managers who are responsible for project success. Propositions that guide future research are provided, and implications of the model for both theory and practice are discussed.

Information Technology Issues in Healthcare: Hospital CEO and CIO Perspectives

Abstract: Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) is widely regarded as a key to improving the quality of healthcare in the United States and potentially reducing its cost. Yet, its implementation is a continuous challenge for the healthcare industry. In this article, we report the results of a survey distributed to CEOs and CIOs at 1400 U.S. hospitals regarding their perceptions of the key information technology (IT) issues in healthcare. Among the top ten issues, the implementation of electronic medical records is ranked the highest. Included in the top ten are issues related to: improving healthcare quality by the use of information technology; change management, privacy, security, and accuracy of electronic records; and decision support applications. While some differences existed, we found much similarity between the views of the CEOs and the CIOs with both groups being characterized as conservative and risk-averse in their entrepreneurial orientation. No major differences were observed between urban and rural hospitals, or large and small hospitals. Given the heightened interest in healthcare IT, these results have wide implications for many stakeholders in this burgeoning industry

Contextual Factors Influencing Perceived Importance and Trade-offs of Information Quality

Abstract: With the ever-increasing importance of information quality (IQ), research focuses mainly on two approaches, criteria and assessment. Researchers developed a number of frameworks, criteria lists, and approaches for assessing and measuring IQ. Several studies confirm that IQ is a multi-criteria concept, and its evaluation should consider different aspects. However, research and discussions with practitioners indicate that assessing and managing IQ in organizations remains challenging. Despite the subjective character of quality, foremost frameworks and assessment methodologies do not often consider the context in which the assessment is performed. Trade-offs between criteria are often not considered in most frameworks despite strong evidence in the literature that suggests trade-off relations exist. Underlying a user-centric view, this study analyses the importance of selected contextual factors and their impact on IQ criteria. Empirical data are gathered using a questionnaire approach. Results suggest significant context impacts and show that the perceived importance of information quality criteria changed over the last decade. Information and communication technology, available resources, the user role, the department, and the type of information systems influence respondents’ perception of IQ. These factors are incorporated in a context-oriented IQ research framework.

The Domain Name System—Past, Present, and Future

Abstract: The Domain Name System (DNS) is a critical component of the global Internet infrastructure. Throughout its history, its design and administration has experienced significant dynamic changes as the Internet itself has evolved. The history of the DNS is divided into six eras, based on underlying technological and administrative themes within each era. Developments in its governance, its application, and in other factors are discussed. Future directions for DNS use and abuse are explored, along with challenges in its future governance. Finally, a proposed research model is included to guide future study of the DNS evolution and its influences from political, legal, psychological, sociological, and technological perspectives.

Examining question-answering technology from the task technology fit perspective

Abstract: The World Wide Web has become a vital supplier of information for organizations in order to carry on such tasks as business intelligence, security monitoring, and risk assessments. By utilizing the task-technology fit (TTF) theory, we investigate the issue of when open-domain question-answering (QA) technology would potentially be superior to general-purpose Web search engines. Specifically, we argue theoretically and back up our arguments with a user study that the presence of fusion (information synthesis) is crucial to warrant the use of QA. At the same time, many information seeking tasks do not require fusion and, thus, are adequately served by traditional keyword search portals (Google, MSN, Yahoo, etc.). This explains why prior attempts to demonstrate the value of QA empirically were unsuccessful. We also discuss methodological challenges to any empirical investigation of QA and present several solutions to those challenges, validated with our user study. In order to carry our study, we created a novel prototype by following the Design Science guidelines. Our prototype is the first of its kind and is capable of answering list questions, such as What companies own low orbit satellites? or In which cities have illegal methyl-methionine labs been found? This investigation is only a precursor to a full-scale empirical study, but it serves as a medium to overview the state of the art QA technologies and to introduce important theoretical and empirical concepts involved. Although we did not find empirical evidence that one technology is uniformly better than the other, we discovered that once the user accumulates experience using QA, he/she can make an intelligent decision whether to use it for a particular task, which leads to the user to be more productive on average with the same tasks compared to when there is no choice of technology.

What IS can do for Environmental Sustainability

Abstract: Concern about the environmental impact of human activities is ever increasing and several efforts have been initiated globally to reduce energy consumption and to increase energy efficiency. At a European level, a number of initiatives exist under the \"Energy 2020\" label which identifies the energy priorities for the period up to 2020. In December 2008 the European Council and Parliament adopted the Climate and Energy Package that reinforces Europe’s commitment to: • A reduction in EU greenhouse gas emissions of at least 20% below 1990 levels • Source 20% of EU energy from renewable resources • A 20% reduction in primary energy use compared with projected levels, to be achieved by improving energy efficiency.

Democratizing Business Software: Small Business Ecosystems for Open Source Applications

Abstract: Open source has democratized software innovation to an unprecedented degree, but doubts persist as to whether democratized innovation can extend to business applications, where individual developers are not the end users. We report on a new kind of ecosystem around extensions to open source business applications, and examine the types of contributors and contributions relative to previous open source research. Our results show a surprising presence of small businesses, particularly consultants and freelance developers. These smaller firms bridge an important gap between lead users and producers, contributing disproportionately to new back-end and integration features. This study shows how new networks of commercial and semi-commercial players, particularly small businesses, are combining their efforts to create viable business ecosystems around successful open source business applications.