Annette M. Mills

A model of Internet adoption by SMEs

The study discussed in this paper used evidence from seven small firms to determine the significant factors that influenced their Internet adoption. Evidence from four firms was used to create a preliminary model of Internet adoption by SMEs. An additional three firms were then examined to refine the preliminary model. The study concluded that three factors significantly affect Internet adoption by small firms: perceived benefits, organisational readiness, and external pressure. The study identified both similarities and differences between Internet adoption and EDI adoption in small firms. The findings have important implications for managers and service providers.

Knowledge management and organizational performance: a decomposed view

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of specific knowledge management resources (i.e. knowledge management enablers and processes) on organizational performance.Design/methodology/approach – The study uses survey data from 189 managers and structural equation modeling to assess the links between specific knowledge management resources and organizational performance.Findings – The results show that some knowledge resources (e.g. organizational structure, knowledge application) are directly related to organizational performance, while others (e.g. technology, knowledge conversion), though important preconditions for knowledge management, are not directly related to organizational performance.Research limitations/implications – The survey findings were based on a single dataset, so the same observations may not apply to other settings. The survey also did not provide in‐depth insight into the key capabilities of individual firms and the circumstances under which some resources are di...

School leaders, ICT competence and championing innovations

The implementation of new technology is becoming more important to schools and the success of such implementations is often due to the presence of ICT champions. This article examines ICT champions to determine whether the intention to champion ICT is determined by the ICT competence of school leaders. This article, based on responses from 64 school leaders in New Zealand, reports that professional development and ICT usage are antecedents of ICT competency and that school leaders are ICT competent and willing ICT champions. These findings are contrary to existing research which has found that school leaders have poor ICT competency.

An Investigation of the Impact of Intrinsic Motivation on Organizational Knowledge Sharing

Despite heavy investments in knowledge management systems, people are often reluctant to share their knowledge, with knowledge hoarding being one of the largest obstacles to effective knowledge management in organizations. This paper proposes a model that examines the role of intrinsic motivation in knowledge sharing. Bringing together insights from motivational research, Self-Determination Theory and the Theory of Reasoned Action, the study investigates the links between intrinsic motivators and knowledge sharing. Survey data collected from knowledge workers are analyzed using partial least squares. The results show self-efficacy, meaningfulness and impact are important motivators of attitude towards knowledge sharing, which in turn impacts intention to share knowledge. The findings provide insights into employee motivations to share knowledge, and strategies for enhancing knowledge sharing in organizations.

The Influence of it Management Sophistication and it Support on it Success in Small and Medium‐Sized Enterprises

This study examined three factors that influence information technology (IT) success in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs): internal IT support, external IT support, and IT management. Using survey data gathered from 289 small and medium‐sized Chartered Accounting firms in New Zealand, the results suggest that IT management in SMEs is best understood as a multidimensional concept consisting of practices related to: IT planning, IT organizing, IT controlling, and IT leading. This view clarifies and improves our understanding of the nature and character of IT management in SMEs. The results show that some SMEs are significantly more sophisticated than others in terms of their IT management practices. Both IT planning and IT leading were found to influence IT success.

IT support for business processes in SMEs

Purpose – The study aimed to focus on how well information technology (IT) was supporting business processes in small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs).Design/methodology/approach – The study collected data using a questionnaire that incorporated the 12 processes of the American Productivity and Quality Centers (APQC) process classification framework. Structured interviews were conducted with managers in 66 SMEs.Findings – The data indicated the importance of each process and how well IT supported each process. The following two core business processes were identified as strategically most important: deliver products and services, and manage customer service. Although the evidence indicated that the most important business processes were supported at an acceptable level, IT support was found to be low for many business processes. IT support also varied considerably across the sample, indicating that some firms have much higher IT support for business processes than others.Research limitations/implicat...

Profiling internet banking users: A knowledge discovery in data mining process model based approach

Analysing datasets using data mining techniques can enhance decision making in organizations. However, to ensure that the full potential of these techniques is realised it is important that decision makers understand there are Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (KDDM) processes that are mature enough to be adopted. This paper demonstrates the benefits of using a KDDM process to evaluate survey data for internet banking users in Jamaica which includes demographic as well as attitudinal and behavioral variables. The major benefits of following this process include the selection of a set of models, rather than a single model, which are more relevant to the business/research objectives and use of a more targeted knowledge discovery process as the data mining analyst is now directed to consider the effects the decisions in each phase will have on subsequent phases. This leads to more relevant knowledge being extracted from the data mining process.

Multi-group Invariance Testing: An Illustrative Comparison of PLS Permutation and Covariance-Based SEM Invariance Analysis

This paper provides a didactic example of how to conduct multi-group invariance testing distribution-free multi-group permutation procedure used in conjunction with Partial Least Squares (PLS).To address the likelihood that methods such as covariance-based SEM (CBSEM) with chi-square difference testing can enable group effects that mask noninvariance at lower levels of analysis problem, a variant of CBSEM invariance testing that focuses the evaluation on one parameter at a time (i.e. single parameter invariance testing) is proposed. Using a theoretical model from the field of Information Systems, with three exogenous constructs (routinization, infusion, and faithfulness of appropriation) predicting the endogenous construct of deep usage, the results show both techniques yield similar outcomes for the measurement and structural paths. The results enable greater confidence in the permutation-based procedure with PLS. The pros and cons of both techniques are also discussed.

An Evaluation of Software Development Practices among Small Firms in Developing Countries: A Test of a Simplified Software Process Improvement Model

For software development firms to be competitive they must assure the quality of the software product. This has led many firms to adopt software process improvement SPI programs such as the capability maturity model integration CMMI. However, for small software firms, especially those in developing countries with limited resources, these programs are often too cumbersome and costly to implement. To address this issue, this paper proposes a simplified SPI model for small firms SPM-S comprised of 10 key software development practices; with fewer practices, the proposed model should be more accessible and less costly to implement. Using data collected in four developing countries in the English-speaking Caribbean from 112 developer/user dyads, the model is evaluated with respect to its impact on software quality. The findings show that the software development process coupled with supporting technology e.g. project management tools significantly impact software product quality. Implications for software process improvement in small firms and future research are discussed.

User Satisfaction Research in Information Systems: Historical Roots and Approaches

User satisfaction with information systems (IS) is considered an important indicator of information systems success and has been the subject of numerous research studies since the field’s inception. In this paper, we review the user satisfaction research in the IS field. We discuss the roots of user satisfaction research as it pertains to satisfaction studies in marketing research and how these studies have been used to inform the IS context. We also discuss how the study of user satisfaction and use of the construct in IS research has evolved and matured over time. Finally, we discuss antecedents and outcomes of user satisfaction identified in IS research and provide suggestions for future research.