Bill C. Hardgrave

Forums for MIS scholars

W here should I publish my scholarly research? is a question often heard in academic circles. On the surface this appears to be a trivial question. However, when one considers the vast number of journals available, the pressure on faculty to publish, and the impact of publishing on promotion and tenure, the question no longer seems trivial. As early as 1983, Hamilton and Ives [6] noted that the abundance of journals and long publication lead times made it important to identify journal quality so researchers know where to submit their work. Many parties other than MIS faculty have an interest in the quality ratings of MIS publication outlets: (1) selection, promotion, and tenure committees seeking to secure and retain the best faculty [3, 7]; (2) journal editors and associates seeking to raise the quality of their journals [12]; (3) students of the discipline seeking to gain an understanding of the field [6, 11]; (4) members of the MIS field as it continues to mature as a discipline [6, 11]; and (5) librarians seeking to invest wisely their ever-decreasing funds [12]. Overall, the determination of journal quality helps to further the MIS discipline. Several studies have evaluated the quality of MIS publication outlets. However, as Gillenson and Stutz [5] note: “earlier studies addressed the issue of MIS journals in a variety of ways, no two quite the same.” An assortment of methods has been used to assess journal quality. Some have used a numeric scale to assign ratings to various journals [5, 6, 12]. Others have asked respondents to rank the journals in some fashion [3, 7]. Most of the studies asked a crosssection of MIS faculty to evaluate the journals [3, 6, 7, 12]; although at least one polled specific members of the MIS faculty such as department chairs or senior faculty [5]. The only thing these studies have in common is that they all attempt to do the same thing—identify the quality of journals. The study described in this article is a follow-up and update to the 1991 study by Walstrom et al. [12], using the same population and data collection instrument; thus allowing a direct comparison to be made between the findings in this study and those of the 1991 study. MIS faculty in the U.S. and Canada were asked to rate 53 journals according to their appropriateness as publication outlets and 11 conferences according to their value to the MIS field. Over 350 responses were received—by far the largest sample for this type of

Which reduces IT turnover intention the most: Workplace characteristics or job characteristics?

Studies have shown that positive perceived job characteristics, such as job significance and task autonomy, tend to decrease IT personnel turnover intention. In addition, employee perception of their workplace characteristics may affect turnover. Few studies have examined this. We tested whether workplace characteristics - structural fairness, trust in senior management, employee information sharing, and job security - affected turnover intention as much as did job characteristics. We found that workplace characteristics out-predicted job characteristics. However, this was true only for programmer/analysts. The reverse was true for technical support personnel. Practical implications are discussed.

Forums for information systems scholars: III

Abstract Three hundred and sixty-four information systems faculty responded to a questionnaire rating 51 journals and 13 conferences associated with the information systems field. In addition to rating the value of the outlets, faculty were asked to state whether a journal was published primarily to disseminate information systems research or not. Relative rankings for each journal and conference were determined. As the third in a series of studies, comparisons were made between these findings and those of previous ones. The overall stability in the rankings of journals and conferences was also identified. A few journals and conferences were rated and ranked for the first time. Furthermore, a significant increase in the ratings of “pure” information systems journals was noted.

Toward an information systems development acceptance model: the case of object-oriented systems development

In an ongoing effort to improve systems development, a variety of innovative products, such as CASE, and processes, such as object-oriented development, have been introduced over the years. While models such as the technology acceptance model (TAM) have been used to explain the acceptance of development products, very little research exists on the acceptance of the more complex development processes. Using the theory of planned behavior, goal-setting theory, and the TAM, this study develops a model to explain the acceptance of innovative information systems development processes by individual software developers. A total of 150 experienced developers completed a survey designed to explore factors that relate to the acceptance of object-oriented systems development (OOSD), the focus of this particular study. An analysis of the collected data reveals a succinct model that explains more than 60% of a developers acceptance of OOSD. These results have important implications for both managers and process designers in their efforts to promote the acceptance of systems development innovations among developers. Researchers should also benefit from an augmented understanding of the acceptance of complex innovative processes.

Person-Job Cognitive Style Fit for Software Developers: The Effect on Strain and Performance

Software developers face a constant barrage of innovations designed to improve the development environment. Yet stress/strain among software developers has been steadily increasing and is at an all-time high, while their productivity is often questioned. Why, if these innovations are meant to improve the environment, are developers more stressed and less productive than they should be? Using a combination of cognitive style and person-environment fit theories as the theoretical lens, this study examines one potential source of stress/strain and productivity impediment among software developers. Specifically, this paper examines the fit between the preferred cognitive style of a software developer and his or her perception of the cognitive style required by the job environment, and the effect of that fit on stress/strain and performance. Data collected from a field study of 123 (object-oriented) software developers suggest that performance decreases and stress increases as this gap between cognitive styles becomes wider. Using surface response methodology, the precise fit relationship is modeled. The interaction of the developer and the environment provides explanatory power above and beyond either of the factors separately, suggesting that studies examining strain and performance of developers should explicitly consider and measure the cognitive style fit between the software developer and the software development environment. In practice, managers can use the results to help recognize misfit, its consequences, and the appropriate interventions (such as training or person/task matching).

Predicting graduate student success in an MBA program: regression versus classification

The decision to accept a student into a graduate program is a difficult one, based upon many factors that are used to predict the success of the applicant. Typically, regression analysis has been used to develop a prediction mechanism. Unfortunately, as is shown in this article, these regression models can be ineffective in predicting success or failure. This article evaluates the ability of different models, including the classification techniques of discriminant analysis, logistic regression, and neural networks, to predict the academic success of MBA students. The conclusions of this study are that (a) classification techniques may be an appropriate approach to the problem, (b) predicting success and failure of graduate students is difficult using only the typical data describing the subjects, and (c) nonparametric procedures, such as neural networks, perform at least as well as traditional methods and are worthy of further investigation.

Predicting graduate student success: a comparison of neural networks and traditional techniques

Abstract The decision to accept a student into a graduate program is a difficult one. The admission decision is based upon many factors which are used to predict the success of the applicant. Regression analysis has typically been used to develop a prediction mechanism. However, as is shown in this paper, these models are not particularly effective in predicting success or failure. Therefore, this paper explores other methods of prediction, including the biologically inspired, non-parametric statistical approach of neural networks, in terms of their ability to predict academic success in an MBA program. This study found that 1. (1) past studies may have been addressing the decision problem incorrectly, 2. (2) predicting success and failure of graduate students is difficult given the easily obtained quantitative data describing the subjects that are typically used for such a purpose, 3. (3) non-parametric procedures such as neural networks perform at least as well as traditional methods and are worthy of further investigation.

DOES RFID IMPROVE INVENTORY ACCURACY? A PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS

For the adoption of radio frequency identification (RFID) to continue at or beyond its current pace, it is important to investigate the business value created by the technology. In previous studies, we have shown how RFID can improve in‐stock position. Other studies have shown the benefit of RFID for promotional items. In this vein of continuing to prove the business case for RFID, we examine RFIDs impact on inventory accuracy. Inventory accuracy is one of the keys to an efficient and effective supply chain, yet is often referred to as the ‘missing link’ in retail execution. Forecasting, ordering, and replenishment use inventory records as input, and the quality of these functions is impacted by inventory accuracy. To study the impact of RFID on inventory accuracy, Wal‐Mart commissioned a study to examine the store‐level influence of RFID on perpetual inventory. For 23 weeks, a single category of product (air fresheners) was inventoried daily in eight test stores equipped with a new RFID‐based perpetual ...

Software process improvement: it's a journey, not a destination

Realizing the benefits of continuous software process improvement.

Women and men in the IT profession

Fewer women entering IT drives the underrepresentation problem.