Asli Yagmur Akbulut

Inspiring students to pursue computing degrees

Their aspirations are our possibilities.

To share or not to share? Examining the factors influencing local agency electronic information sharing

The ability of local government agencies to effectively utilise technologies to share information constitutes a critical element in nationwide efforts to fight terrorism, combat crime, and protect citizen safety. Alarmingly, current practices have neither effectively transferred information that local government agencies need, nor adequately captured and propagated information generated by local authorities. The objective of this study is to understand the factors influencing local agency electronic information sharing. The results of an in-depth case study provide a comprehensive understanding of the technological, agency and environmental factors that promote or inhibit electronic information sharing by local agencies. An extensive set of recommendations is put forth to enable government officials to enhance the success of electronic information sharing initiatives. Moreover, the findings carry several important implications for theory and practice.

Organisational factors for successful implementation of ERP systems

Given the substantial investments of time, money and other resources, as well as the technical and organisational risks involved, it is important to understand what is needed to ensure a successful ERP implementation. In this study, we identified the critical success factors for ERP implementations from the relevant literature, categorised them into a sound theoretical framework and linked them to ERP success outcomes. We also provided empirical evidence from two companies that have recently implemented ERP systems. We utilised the theories of business process change, process change management and the literature on information systems success.

Understanding the Determinants of Service Channel Preference in the Early Stages of Adoption: A Social Cognitive Perspective on Online Brokerage Services*

In today’s increasingly technology-mediated world, individuals are often confronted with a decision of whether to obtain services through online, self-service technologies or traditional, nontechnological alternatives. Understanding the mechanisms by which consumers choose among these competing service channels represents an important concern for organizations, consumers, and Web site designers. This study develops a research model based on Social Cognitive Theory to explain and predict service channel preferences that arise in the early stages of adoption, before a consumer conducts business using a particular channel. The model is subsequently tested in the brokerage services context, using observations obtained via survey. Given the growing popularity of online investing combined with the challenging prospect of making optimal decisions in an inherently risky environment, the context offers insights of practical and theoretical importance. The results suggest that task-specific self-efficacy beliefs serve as the activating mechanism kicking off a chain of psychological events that entice consumers to favor a particular service channel. Higher levels of self-efficacy induce individuals to prefer the online approach. In addition to its direct effect on preference for the online service channel, higher levels of self-efficacy influence one’s propensity to take risks and expectations of performance-oriented rewards, which, in turn, sway consumers to favor the online service channel. Furthermore, self-efficacy and perceptions concerning the credibility of online information interact to affect service ∗ This article is dedicated in memory of the corresponding author’s mother, Margaret A. Looney, who recently lost a courageous battle with cancer. The corresponding author would like to thank Ron and Judy Paige, who provided resources and funding for this research through a faculty fellowship. The authors sincerely appreciate the insightful comments of the editors and reviewers on earlier versions of this manuscript. † Corresponding author.

Improving IS Student Enrollments: Understanding the Effects of IT Sophistication in Introductory IS Courses

The Information Systems (IS) discipline is facing a sharp downturn in student enrollments. De-spite the steady decline in students pursuing the IS major, the demand for information technology (IT) professionals continues to increase. These trends indicate that there might be a shortage of qualified IT employees in the near future. In order to overcome this dilemma, academicians have recently begun to look for mechanisms targeted at improving IS enrollments. This study investi-gates how such a mechanism – IT sophistication – influences students’ aspirations to pursue an IS degree. More specifically, the study suggests that IT sophistication, self-efficacy, outcome expec-tations, and interests are expected to independently and cumulatively affect students’ choice of IS as their major. The data utilized to investigate this issue was collected from students enrolled in introductory IS courses at two large public universities. A total of 151 usable responses were ob-tained. The results indicate that the degree to which students perceive the IT to be sophisticated affects their aspiration to major in IS. Specifically, utilizing state-of-the art technologies that re-flect current industry practices not only enhances students’ confidence in their ability to success-fully perform as an IS major, but also elevates students’ expectations that valued rewards will be received by majoring in IS. In turn, strong self-efficacy and outcome expectations foster student interest in the IS discipline. Moreover, it was found that IT sophistication does not directly affect student interest. Rather, the effects of IT sophistication on interests are channeled indirectly through self-efficacy and outcome expectations. Similarly, our results did not provide support for the direct effects of self-efficacy and outcome expectations on choice goals. In contrast, choice goals develop through strong interests, and finally, interest serves as the primary mechanism through which goals to choose the IS major emerge. Our findings suggest that deploying sophisticated IT in introductory IS classes can be used as a powerful lever to attract additional students the IS discipline. We encourage those who teach in-troductory IS courses to focus on state-of-the-art technologies that reflect cur-rent industry practices. Utilizing these technologies also has the potential to increase student success in the class-room, provide a richer and more engag-ing learning environment for students, and help students become more attrac-tive to recruiters. Despite the knowledge gained herein, the study has certain limitations. The

Successful implementation of ERP systems: a case study of an international automotive manufacturer

Given the substantial investments of time, money and other resources, as well as the technical and organisational risks involved it is imperative to understand the factors that facilitate/inhibit the success of ERP implementations. Using a case study methodology grounded in business process change theory, this paper attempts to identify the critical factors that account for the success of ERP implementation at an international automobile manufacturer. Understanding such effects will enable managers to be more proactive and better prepared for ERP implementation.

Implementation of Six Sigma approach to quality improvement in a multinational automotive parts manufacturer in India: a case study

Manufacturing managers in Indian companies are faced with fierce global competitive strategies by the shift of many multinational companies to India. They are forced to excel in all the domains of manufacturing including quality, cost, delivery, and flexibility. In this paper, by means of a case study, we illustrate how a multinational Indian corporation was able to successfully implement Six Sigma principles to improve its operations. The objective for presenting the case study is to assess the importance of Six Sigma strategy in Indian manufacturing companies.

Online investment self-efficacy: development and initial test of an instrument to assess perceived online investing abilities

This paper develops and tests an instrument to measure online investment self-efficacy, defined as an individuals perceived ability to utilize online technologies to accomplish investing-related tasks. A series of empirical studies were conducted to establish the measures psychometric properties. The results suggest that the measure exhibits admirable levels of reliability, as well as convergent, discriminant, and nomological validity. As predicted by theory, computer self-efficacy was found to serve as an important precursor to online investment self-efficacy. Furthermore, online investment self-efficacy played a significant role in fueling investor preference for the traditional (full-service) or online investing approach. More efficacious investors tended to prefer Web-based technologies as a vehicle for investing, whereas less efficacious individuals favored the traditional method.

A Social Cognitive Perspective on Channel Preference: A Study of Online Investing

Understanding the mechanisms by which consumers choose to conduct their business activities via the online channel represents an important concern for Web designers, marketers, and public policy makers alike. This study develops a research model based on Social Cognitive Theory to explain and predict channel preference. The model is subsequently tested in an online investing context using observations obtained via survey. The results suggest that task-specific self-efficacy beliefs serve as the activating mechanism kicking off a chain of psychological events that entice consumers to favor a particular channel. In addition to its direct effects on preference for the online approach, higher levels of self-efficacy influence one’s propensity to take risks and expectations of performance-oriented rewards, which, in turn, sway consumers to favor the online channel. Furthermore, self-efficacy and perceptions concerning the credibility of online information interact to influence channel preference. Consumers are most likely to conduct their business activities online when they view themselves as capable and perceive online sources to be credible. Implications for theory and practice are discussed in light of the findings.

Global Auto: The ERP Implementation Project

Abstract If successfully implemented and managed, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems can provide important benefits to organizations. In this case study the implementation of an ERP system at global automotive supplier company (Global Auto) is discussed in detail. After successfully implementing the system at a major factory in the United States, Global Auto now has to decide how to proceed with the implementation in a totally different setting, the plant in Mexico.